3 ms·

Maybe power is available, internet is not, and you are running a factory -- perhaps a cannery or perhaps making textiles. Maybe the factory existed before the d

Maybe power is available, internet is not, and you are running a factory -- perhaps a cannery or perhaps making textiles. Maybe the factory existed before the disaster, and there's enough demand to run it if you can, but you no longer have (or never had) pre-computerized technology to run it -- so you need to make your existing computers work to run things.

bremac 5y ago
The internet is the least of your problems. The key industrial automation equipment (PLCs and IPCs) is connected directly to your machines. Higher-level control and planning functions like MES and SCADA are usually running from your server closet. You might not have access to your ERP or cloud MES system, but you can keep the lines running without them for a while. Plenty of factories have weak or flaky internet, so operating during an internet outage is hardly a novel situation. Your bigger problem is the supply chain. After the apocalypse, I doubt you'll have an easy time sourcing cans, bulk product, spare parts, and sanitizer to run your factory. After all, each of those inputs to your process have their own complex supply chain too. And no, you're not really going to be able to scavenge these parts of manufacture them yourself, since they all have fairly fine tolerances. In reality, I'd expect that an apocalypse will cause a reversion to a more subsistence-style lifestyle, where production and consumption are largely local and supply chains are very simple, if present at all. Computers will not help with this. I can't imagine keeping our current production processes running without all of the things required to support them.
kleer001 5y ago
most likely all the usable raw materials would have been scavenged, or melted, or ruined by the weather, or lacking any of the sundry bits of support liquids/solvents/grease necessary to make it run say you do find a working factory with everything in it only waiting to be turned on it'll likely have manuals in some file cabinet and won't need an external computer But yea, it's trivial to paint a scenario that makes a working computer useless, however it'll be difficult to keep one running. So, best of luck!

bremac 5y ago

The internet is the least of your problems. The key industrial automation equipment (PLCs and IPCs) is connected directly to your machines. Higher-level control and planning functions like MES and SCADA are usually running from your server closet. You might not have access to your ERP or cloud MES system, but you can keep the lines running without them for a while. Plenty of factories have weak or flaky internet, so operating during an internet outage is hardly a novel situation. Your bigger problem is the supply chain. After the apocalypse, I doubt you'll have an easy time sourcing cans, bulk product, spare parts, and sanitizer to run your factory. After all, each of those inputs to your process have their own complex supply chain too. And no, you're not really going to be able to scavenge these parts of manufacture them yourself, since they all have fairly fine tolerances. In reality, I'd expect that an apocalypse will cause a reversion to a more subsistence-style lifestyle, where production and consumption are largely local and supply chains are very simple, if present at all. Computers will not help with this. I can't imagine keeping our current production processes running without all of the things required to support them.

kleer001 5y ago

most likely all the usable raw materials would have been scavenged, or melted, or ruined by the weather, or lacking any of the sundry bits of support liquids/solvents/grease necessary to make it run say you do find a working factory with everything in it only waiting to be turned on it'll likely have manuals in some file cabinet and won't need an external computer But yea, it's trivial to paint a scenario that makes a working computer useless, however it'll be difficult to keep one running. So, best of luck!