IoT in the recent tech trends & manufacturing as a industry are seeing their best days in recent times. If your plan is to make the best of both worlds by introducing IoT in manufacturing business, you’re about to get hours worth of research paired with expert development team’s hands-on experience - all in one place.
What if you could predict events before they occurred?
OR
Use real-time actionable insights to boost production & assist your operators in making the right decision at the right time?
Well, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), driving all such tasks seem to be now possible with unparalleled operational efficiency, higher productivity and performance that’s never seen (or imagined!) before. Besides that, IoT with a market valuation of $479 billion is also predicted to have huge impacts in modern manufacturing that will increase the effectiveness of different operational processes, as well as foster streamlined maintenance, asset management & monitoring and much more to create a new digital era of industrial growth and competitiveness.
But that's not all; there's a lot more to it, and this article will go over it in depth.
So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the nitty-gritties of IoT in manufacturing and how it is revolutionizing the industry for a better future.
Also Check : BinaryFolks Digital Manufacturing Guide
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Reasons To Adopt Industrial Internet Of Things In Manufacturing
Before you get confused between internet of things (IoT) and industrial internet of things which stands for IIoT, here’s a quick clarification :
So, IIoT is basically a sub-category of IoT that specifically deals with the use of various digital tools such as smart sensors and actuators to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes such as supply chain management, inventory management, distribution, and much more. Whereas IoT can be thought of as a consumer-centric concept that describes the network of physical objects embedded within sensors or software to connect and exchange data with systems that can range from your everyday objects (think of FitBit or Alexa) to industrial tools over the internet.
And, now that you have gotten a fair idea of the differences between the two, let’s check out the reasons to adopt IIoT in manufacturing :
[1] Reduction In Cost
IIoT can help you reduce operational costs and improve your business’s bottom line in the following ways :
[a] Effective Inventory Management
Even if your inventory is in a remote location, it can be managed efficiently via remote access with the help of an IIoT-based cloud inventory management system, which allows you to monitor and manage your inventory levels by simply using an online software, lowering your travel costs.
[b] Improved Safety & Compliance
IIoT, with the help of smart sensors, can provide your employees and supervisors with up-to-date data on workplace safety via connected devices such as wifi, hence lowering the cost of hiring a compliance team for the same purpose.
[c] Wages & Labor Saving
IIOT can quickly identify and mitigate issues in your operational processes, as well as run a scheduled maintenance program for precautionary measures which can help you save money on service labor.
[d] Energy Management
Using real-time power consumption data, IIoT-based energy management systems can optimize electricity usage, resulting in a more cost and resource-efficient regime.
[2] Easy Mass Customization
Mass customization is basically a business concept that refers to the ability to produce customized goods and services based on the specific needs of individual customers. Additionally, it also necessitates an increase in various products and tools, resulting in a diverse inventory which leads to complicated inventory management operations.
And, that is exactly where IIoT comes in to help with mass customization by providing real-time data on inventory levels and sending alerts when stock is running low or when there is too much and needs to be liquidated as well as tracking each inventory until it is delivered to the customer via RFID tags that are attached to them, thereby enhancing the inventory management and mass customization process.
[3] Reduced Product Cycle Time
IIoT, through smart devices, makes the right use of energy, resources, and time for faster and more efficient manufacturing, resulting in shorter product cycle times and faster deliveries similar to how Amazon, used IIoT to optimize its warehouse by having robots locate product shelves and bring them to workers rather than having employees go to the shelves to look for products which led to a decrease of operational cost by 20% as well as reduced the product cycle time.
How about taking a look at our smart factory guide ?
IoT In Manufacturing - What Are The Benefits Of It?
It goes without saying that IoT is all rage these days, but that shouldn’t be the only reason you should consider it. The first step in developing your IoT solution for manufacturing should be to assess its benefits in relation to your business’s primary goals.
And, to assist you with the process we have compiled a list of the top benefits of IoT in manufacturing :
[1] Real-Time Insights
Real-time insights from IIoT devices can allow you to track the number of finished products as well as help you maintain an accurate inventory and identify machinery malfunctions promptly. Additionally a custom IoT device that provides real-time predictive analytics, can also tell you beforehand when a particular machine will need maintenance or repair. Hence, by reducing the product defects & prolonging the life of your equipment, IoT ensures a higher quality of manufactured goods & enhanced operational efficiency.
[2] Enhanced Facility Management
IoT sensor devices can provide you with an up-to-date view of industrial assets through condition monitoring reports by monitoring a specific condition in machinery such as vibration or temperature to identify changes that could indicate a developing fault, thereby ensuring safety during the manufacturing process by preventing malfunctions.
Also read : Facility Management Software - A Comprehensive Guide!
[3] Employee Behavior Monitoring
With the help of IoT, you can even get a hold on your employees' productivity by tracking their activity and identifying areas where they are falling behind or making mistakes, and perform a root cause analysis which will not only translate to improved quality assurance but will also enhance scalability.
Also read : Employee Monitoring Software - How To Choose The Best!
[4] Digital Twins
By implementing IoT in your industrial processes, you can easily create and enjoy robust digital copies of the physical objects manufactured by your business and present it as a proof of concept or an MVP, where you can easily experiment and foresee the functionality and even determine its initial as well as final capabilities, resulting in enhanced product quality and effective supply & delivery chain management.
[5] Higher Customer Satisfaction
With IoT, you can provide your existing and potential customers with round-the clock availability and faster product delivery. This results in an increased number of loyal customers, higher satisfaction levels and more significant revenue opportunities.
IOT In Manufacturing Industry : Use-Cases
Now that you are well aware of the benefits of implementing IoT in manufacturing, the next logical step would be figuring out where you can utilize it in your production process.
So, to help you determine that, here are some of the best use-cases of IoT in manufacturing :
[1] Fleet Management
By implanting GPS trackers on your fleet, you can track and collect data on their movements, which can then be used by a custom IoT-based fleet management software to calculate the time taken by a specific fleet to arrive at its destination. Furthermore, it can also monitor your drivers' performance by tracking actions such as harsh braking, excessive speed, and quick turns, as well as provide you with ways to improve fuel consumption and maintenance, among other capabilities.
[2] Quality Control
By deploying custom heat sensors with thermal imaging capabilities at your quality control points, you can detect flaws in your products that are not visible to the naked eye. Additionally, it also provides you with real-time data on the thermal sensitivity of your materials which you can leverage during the manufacturing process, thereby reducing the probability of defects in your products.
[3] Remote Production Control
With sensors embedded in your manufacturing equipment, you can remotely monitor their rate of production in relation to inputs (raw materials), labor, time, and other variables, and draw an analysis that will provide you with actionable insights for production optimization.
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IOT In manufacturing - Challenges & How To Overcome Them?
It needs no introduction that implementing IoT in your manufacturing processes is a smart move if you want to optimize your business’s bottom line. But as they say, if it’s too easy, it’s not worth it, given that incorporating IoT in manufacturing also has its own set of challenges.
Listing some of the top challenges of incorporating IoT in manufacturing & also the ways to overcome them :
[1] Data Security Issues
IoT generates a large amount of data and transmits it to its connected tools and devices via the internet, which opens up numerous opportunities for cyber attacks such as hacking, if proper security measures are not implemented. This will not only result in data loss and theft of intellectual property, but many critical and private information of your business might be leaked all over the internet, resulting in massive losses for your business.
So, to address such issues, try incorporating IoT sim cards within your IoT devices, which will encrypt all types of data and communication that occurs within your business, allowing only those with access to read and retrieve it, thereby reducing the risks of cybercrime.
[2] Device Compatibility Issues
One of the most significant challenges of IoT device functioning is that there are many connected devices which individually might be smart & useful but fail to work in sync as a team. Such incompatibility results in disconnectivity within your system and thus, provide a misleading picture of your business processes, leading to reduced business productivity.
So, to overcome such issues, conducting a coexistence assessment for your IoT connected devices is a wise idea, which will examine and assess how a particular device is functioning and interacting with various other devices in a single environment with limited bandwidth, enabling you to not only identify device incompatibility issues but also assess the potential risks in maintaining wireless communications.
[3] Complexity In Bulk Data Storage
The problem with storing IoT data is that the volume of it is not only unimaginably large and increasing, but it also demands to be processed very quickly with high accuracy at the same time, and during the process if some of the data gets misplaced or lost due to storage issues, it might cripple the entire IoT connected system, causing disruption in business processes.
So, to address such issues, consider implementing a hybrid data storage model based on cloud and edge computing, which will not only store tons of data but will also provide faster data insights, improved response time, and increased bandwidth availability.
[4] IoT Professional Skill Gap
As IoT is a relatively new field that is evolving at a rapid pace, most professionals are unfamiliar with the various aspects of it or lack the skills to handle it efficiently, necessitating dedicated time and efforts to become acquainted with it, which leads to delayed work progress and decreased productivity.
Thus, to overcome such issues, try incorporating a e-learning module driven training programme within your organization that focuses on educating and upskilling your employees on the optimum usability of IoT, resulting in improved professional development and employee experience as well as enhanced business bottom line.
Why Does Developing Your IOT Solution With Binaryfolks Make For A Wise Choice?
If you are in search of an experienced IoT software development team to pace up your business, BinaryFolks can help you out. Our skilled & experienced software developers have hands-on expertise in delivering a wide range of projects for clients from various industries. Unleash every inch of potential your IoT system could possibly have and let BinaryFolks uplift the growth graph for your business. Here's what to expect if developing your IoT solution with BinaryFolks :
Driven by ex-engineers from Google, Amazon & Salesforce
101% Value For Money (+1 for Our Complimentary Consultation before You Spend Your 1st Dollar!)
Reviews That You Can Verify!
Safeguarded Business With An NDA
Out-Of-The-Box Innovations
Eye For Details
Questions Galore (Until Your Requirement & Our Understanding are mirror copies!)
Insight-Rich Scope Enhancement
Intense Domain Expertise
Close-knit feedback loop
Conclusion
Now that you have gathered most of the information on implementing IoT in manufacturing, getting started with your first IoT software for manufacturing processes should no longer be intimidating.
Not sure how to get started?…
