Seonhi Ro with Ford Motor Company

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Welcome to the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's get right once again, thank you very much for joining Industrial Talk a platform dedicated to industrial professionals all around the world. You know it, you're bold, you're brave, you dare greatly you innovate, you collaborate, you're solving problems, you're making the world a better place. And that makes you celebrate before you can use that celebrate edible. I'm not even sure if that's a word. But we are here on site IoT Solutions World Congress 2023 Barcelona is the place and you need to put this on your calendar because it is a great event and it's growing and it's growing because digital transformation and all of this IoT industry for Dido and industry five dot 0 it's happening whether you like it or not. And you need to be collaborating and engaged in the hotseat Sunday row gonna get that? Yeah, there it is. Right Ford Motor Company. You might have heard of them. We're going to be talking a little bit about well, industry five dot 0 and that so let's get cracking.

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Okay, good conference. You having a good one? Yes, I have a great one. I met a lot of people working similar places and or similar topics. And inspiring, really new technologists? Yeah, see, what's interesting is,

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is the ability to be able to come to an event like this and just anybody, everybody is passionate about where they're at. They're engaged. They're talking back and forth. It's it is, it's so cool. I'm always amazed that, you know, really, you could do that now. Now, you can always get that for the listeners out there. Give us a little background on who you are. Where do you come from there, Seohni? Yeah, I'm manufacturing industry 4.0 specialists at Ford Motor Company. And actually, my background is mechanical engineering and started at Ford for powertrain. So I have a long career in the powertrain. But

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about six years ago, it was new area to tackle. So data analytics and also industry 4.0. So new technologies coming into there. So it was so exciting times. Did somebody just say all right, so I hear your we see this, we see this train coming down the track this Industry 4.0, this data analytics, this ability to be able to track these assets. We want Seohni to do it. I'm pretty excited about that. Yeah, it was very exciting. Go here, do this, learn that report back. Yeah, but what I wanted to do it i Yeah, I suppose the surrounding is changing. And then you got a lot of those information, the finally you have chance to implement it, how good it is. So you're bringing it into the real, you know, either. It was funny, let's say, let's say,

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well, about five years ago, six years ago, we were here and we were having different conversations. We were talking about all this is great. And then I kept by just I wanted to see it in action, or the seed doing its thing. Today it is yeah, he's doing it. It's like okay, yeah, do it. And but it's fast. Yeah. But but it is continuing it is a lot of people think it is digitalization and it is and and I have done a but it is not. That is just starting point. You have so much possibilities to develop order. It's the uer surprise yourself for what is coming? Because I gotta tell you, you come here. Yeah. And you have these conversations with these individuals. And they're used, you're tripping over new use cases.

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everywhere because it's like, yeah, we can do that. We can do that, too. It's not a problem. Now. You're a speaker. Yeah. Let the listeners know what you were speaking on at this IoT solutions World Congress event. Yeah, I'm speaking about how the Ford Motor Company is facilitating in the direction industry five point General. Okay, for that.

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Explain to the listeners in general, nothing, nothing deep. What Industry 4.0 was and why? And why? There's an Industry 5.0. Where's that distinction? So help us understand that yeah, industry 4.0 Is

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the cyber physical system so we talking about

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Cyber internet and the physical system thing. So, it is the Internet of Things and there is you are doing all net connections digitalization and you can use those data very fast and but there are a lot of technology AR beers and

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the AI and this technology we first implemented and then we the time the people recognizing there's something missing is technology developing, but people are we are not so far. So, we are thinking where is the people there because a lot of people speaking shopfloor your AI will do your all jobs, you do not have any more job, but until then you need to develop it to there and you need to come as a human being needs to come with it, the machines are there that we live a better life. So,

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that is the background of industry 5.0 Where is human beings are that is first one. And second one is when recognizing the planetary resources are limited. So sustainability and yeah, and the third one is resilience. So, we react to a GI because you see all this chip deliveries all this all weather is getting very fluctuating, you need to react to those things very fast. So we are getting stressed we are not prepared. So with that industry, four point technology, we can already predict some of the things we cannot predict exactly that one but you can see scenarios, and then you can prepare it then you have less stress. Okay, that was just getting ready. That's that's the resilience. Yes. Because when I when I picture that or when I look at the term resilience

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I'm adaptable. I can I can Yeah. Yeah, do that. And that's true. But you bring up some great points. Not you know, we, we speak of the of course the the sustainability component, the human component, the resilience component. And you're absolutely right, that was a gap with 4.0 and I think it became real when you're going down this road of the for Dido to go Oh yeah, yeah, there's there's human there's, we could do some more. So in the world of Ford, how are you looking at 5.0? How do you How are you going to bring that into for Yeah, so,

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we have an example in the design phase regenerative design, so it is design is doing automatically, which is different method after the nature behavior or topology optimization, or the Genesis. So, we can create some design which is only material is there you need it. So it is you're using your materials, not pick the whole material, but you can take out which party is not loaded, then you can take out the material. So you can have a

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very light less material, you can use it and then have a low weight. So that is sustainable. Oh, so, in fact, I know that I know that. So what what you're saying is that let's say we have an auto part we have a Part A struck about that, that I just saw a strike. And you could look at that strike. There is a certain strength component to it. That's all fine. Maybe it's overbuilt. Yeah. And that overbilled creates more weight yeah and so material through through

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through a tool you could sit there and go here here here not compromise the strength but improve and re lessen the weight yes then of course yeah, that that is the program is doing that job with the AI taken out those barriers yeah, see that just blows me away that that that AI eyeball can look at that part and ensure that that we can remove material but ensure the strength of that part. Yeah. That's pretty cool. Yeah. So where are you You need strength you have even the more material you can put it in the conventional design. So it is really where you need material is material but they are there. You don't need a you can take out but then again also you're you're you've optimized the use of that material. You're not you don't have waste in there. Yeah.

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You're not just over building because you're over building you just have no but yeah, that makes sense. Yeah and in the car, you know how important the weight is all fuel consumption or electrical power consumption in the electrical vehicles that's related to the weight. So if you can take out weight, then it's you can go direction sustainable. Yeah, yeah. Okay, let's got that so you're you're looking at

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finished products the finished products are are optimized by use of material whatever, let's say and that makes it definitely far more reliable and all that good stuff. What about the person component what was the what were we missing with for Dido? Now we're we're addressing in in five Dotto what what is that? What are we what are we addressing with the people? So yeah, that's especially what I presented highlighted today is the, in the factory. So first time, when we implement the project, we just use the AI and the the workers doesn't know what to do what he is doing, don't believe what he is doing. And then you have problem it is not used. So, you need to have developed the things together with the shop floor people, they have so many experiences, and this experience knowledge can get into the AI. So the developing the technology people and the shop floor together, and if you develop with them, you will get so much knowledge. And the most important point is they are using it and they are getting better. And they are trying to do also his idea to coming into so it is enthusiastic about to implementing folder. And it is used sometimes a lot of we have the experience also lesson learned there that is implemented. If you just think theoretically, it's really good project, but it is not used because the workers are not involved in this. Yeah, that's common, right? Yeah, you know, that, that that's with any system implementation and so on. So, here's this approach, you're, you're, you've recognized the necessity for sustainability check within Ford, you recognize the necessity to engage the individuals to extract that knowledge to improve what we need to improve in this world of digital transfer. And then finally, of course,

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the the idling resilience. And I got that now, in Ford, Ford is not a small company. Ford is a big company. Ford has a lot of moving parts around the world. Yes, this is all great. How does Ford you determine how to begin rolling this stuff out? How to begin using it this that I don't I that's way beyond my opinion in the at the beginning it was an example in the data analysts trying to the top down but it is not working on a top down you interplant check No, it never does, because the people needed to use it and also in the location in the overall the word there is different technology experts they are developing better than others. So plant also try to get those technologies. So we are coming bottom up top down together and if some people some plants are implemented already successfully, then you can roll out that one also to other plants, but sometimes it is human beings are not everywhere same so different education different Yeah. So you can modify it and then get the fit to each plant. So, it is there is some standard basic standard, but you need to be also flexible in the plant. So it is allowing the people or so to do some work and also other thing is other cited the technology is developing and if you have the very rigid standards, that does not work because you cannot keep the standard old standard if the technology is some already advanced so you need to have continuous this alignment to get what is the best way to walk out so results is important so each plant can do what is the best for

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with them that is exactly IoT AI, you can do those things. Yeah. Because it's interesting because you bring up a really good point, and especially in the world of for that, that plant that culture that the uniqueness of that area is different than the one that's over here. And they produce a different product or part or whatever it might be. And do you have to address the the assets that are, let's say, this is an older facility, this is a newer facility. So it's a little bit better? Do you do take that into consideration when deploy needs to consideration because if you do not consider that that does not work, because some places says labor is cheaper. So they designed the line, more manual work, some others,

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high labor costs, so it is more automatic size. So you need to consider all those things. Otherwise, you can have some big slogans, but that the result is not a right fit. Yes, not a right fit. Yeah. Because then again, it gets back to Sunday, that gets back to the where do I start? What? How do I begin? I see it and a grant granted, I guess it's pretty much other larger business. It's the it's, it's like,

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it's so big. Yeah.

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Yeah. And at that, to me, it would be I just so with that said,

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what, what have you done in four, give us a outside of that part, that you were able to optimize? From a material perspective?

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Less than the weight, so on and so forth? Are there other areas that are really keen to afford and you to say, Okay, the next is, because you got the AI, you got all this stuff? Tell us about that. Is there anything, it's just like what we have is also in the production, the additive manufacturing, which is still have the more progress needs to be done in the additive 3d printing, you heard about that?

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Manufacturing, so especially the parts, these generative design parties, sometimes very difficult to produce conventional production. So additive manufacturing, you can produce it faster. So that but at the moment, the additive manufacturing is you have a lot of preparation, pre processing, and the post processing after the printout, you take out powders, and so on. Yeah. So there are a lot of manual process, which does not make a business case. Are we working on it to get those things? Yeah, that's a that's a challenge. Scalability? Yeah, I guess. Yeah. Would there we see it? Yes. But yeah, it's gonna happen. Yeah. What's happening? You're gonna figure it out? Yeah. That whole additive manufacturing and how to use that technology is super fascinating. Yeah. Beyond the plastic, it is not only plastic we are doing also in METARS.

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I was at a I was at a show and they had this additive manufacturing section. Right. Yeah. And it's metal. Yeah. Yeah. And then you can combine also different materials during the printing. Yes. For whatever reason, what engineering desire is, and it creates lightweight strength, whatever the focus Oh, hit it. Yeah. But but there is also still, again, the human beings coming into in the design in the additive manufacturing, you need think

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differently than conventional design, because you can combine already a lot of materials together. So if you can design it's uncombined one. Nowadays, 10 parts are assembled, but this 10 parts can be one part, because we can print out different materials between the during the printing, so that will give us a big advantage to saving our labor costs and so on. So there are much more possibilities. But human beings are not so fast. And first to open the mind. And then trying to get those new

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things. It's like sometimes you and I blame the Internet. The internet's the problem. And the internet's a problem because there's endless amount of information out there. I get overwhelmed. I don't know where to go. Do I go over here? I don't know. If I accept that is a problem for me. I don't know

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On any problems you deal with those are human reality. You need to take the human with the technology, but that is also already happening in the cars we have today's car, there is so many features, automatic parking and all the abs. And the people are very anxious to usually never used it. And it is important the dealership to educate the people what is happening, what he is doing. So it is the car industry is already offering you so much features, but you have your carpet people not using. So it is a really important point to get the people involved. And it goes down to this. And it's always education and education delivered in a way that it's approachable. It's not over my head. Because once it's over my head, I can't I keep That's it, I'm done. Yeah, listening, because then then it's very difficult later to catch up, you need to come step by step if a small step is happening every time cope with it. So that is again, the social responsibility. Yeah, to get the people educated generally, not only in the industry, but also generally for digitalization getting people, especially the older generation, it's very disadvantage, a lot of this because they can click get his tickets, but he needs to go there by ID and those things to unit, bring those peoples with you to get there. Here's how I look at it. And it's not. I I feel like I'm the old guy that likes all this new stuff, right. But there's a lot of individuals that, that they don't and it's almost as if don't train me, I'm fine. I you know, I get it this way. I do it this way. And it's fine. It's it's, it's going to be the the the younger, that there will be a massive transformation that will happen just because they demand it. Yeah. This is how we grow up. This is what we do. And and it's it's sort of interesting, from my perspective. I don't know, I just think it's,

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again, listener, if you're out there, just just get engaged. Just just educate. Yeah, lifelong learning. Learning. And it is it's all there. Yeah. And you got great people like, right here that is. So how do people get a hold of you? If if somebody says, hey, I want to talk to Seohni? What's the best way to try to? Yeah, probably LinkedIn. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there are also a lot of technologies for the digital twins or whatever. But the time is so short.

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I gotta tell you, man, you're absolutely right. Nevermind, Hey, I've been down those roads. You are absolutely spectacular. I really enjoyed this. I met her first in an elevator we didn't know it. That's, that's the story. All right, listeners, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side, we're gonna have all the contact information for Seohni. We are once again, broadcasting from IoT solutions World Congress 2023 Here in Barcelona, put this on your calendar, because you get people like Sunny, really have just tremendous passion to help you solve your problem. So stay tuned, we will be right back. You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

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How about them apples, you are joining me on this journey to learn as much as I possibly can in the world of industry, study row, connect with her Ford Motor Company, doing great things in the world of Industry 4.0 in the world of augmented reality, they are leading the way Seohni is right then and there. It's an incredible time, I'm not going to, you know, hold back on this. We have the ability to learn as much as we possibly can at our fingertips, to talk to industry leaders all the time, listen to what they have to say.

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It is an exciting time and it is happening really fast. And if you're not committed to learning all the time, as Seohni was pointed out, then you're gonna be left behind because it is going that fast. And it's not that difficult. You know, it's it's all out there, take little snippets here a snippet there. And by the time you've you've just realized my goodness, look at look at all the stuff that I know now. But I think if you have a business, and that business is dependent on some sort of technology, you just need to do it. You just need to get involved. Begin to learn, do what is necessary to ensure that you're up

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Businesses resilient. And the time is now continue to join me on this journey. Go out to Industrial Talk and say, Hey, Scott, I want to participate to Industrial Talk.com. Reach out say, Hey, Scott, let's, let's connect. Okay, cool. Cool. I'll do that. You'll talk to me. All right. I say it all the time. Oh, you need to go out to IoT solutions World Congress. That's going to be next year. Make it happen. Be bold, be brave, dare greatly hang out with Sunny when you're going to change the world. We're gonna have another great conversation coming from IoT solutions World Congress shortly so stay tuned.