An experimentation platform inspired by the smartphone business model provides the framework for the scientific and technical developments that our partner companies need.
Imagine a microfactory capable of hosting “apps”, manufacturing, assembly and inspection technologies. Imagine that it can be configured at will, depending on what needs to be produced. Imagine that it no longer takes 10 years for its investment costs to be recouped, when the order visibility does not exceed a few months.
The Micro5 has paved the way for this vision. This micromachine is compact, smart and capable of closed-loop manufacturing, which means autonomisation. The cost price of this technology makes it conceivable that the “apps” manufacturers could be paid in an “Industrial Machine as a Service” logic. Their customers could switch from CAPEX to OPEX, while developing a new relationship with them, based on services.
Apply this principle to made-to-measure prostheses and medical implants which could be produced directly in hospitals, based on an MRI scan; to customised luxury products which could be manufactured in the shop and assembled under the customer’s eyes; and to any other kind of agile production that currently relies on a centralised location due to the constraints of the production tool and of the supply chain.
The promise of the Industry 4.0 in all its dimensions would then become a reality !