Internet of Things has had an extremely important impact on the way almost every industry runs today, irrespective of whether it’s an IT company or not. And if the statistics from IDC and SAP are too believed, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has had more than half of the global manufacturers use analytical data provided by IoT apps to help them better optimize themselves.
Here we have 7 of the most significant ways in which IoT has changed how the manufacturing world behaves today.
Importance of The IoT in Manufacturing Industries
Better Connected, Better Optimized
The main motto of the Internet of things in manufacturing, as in any other field, is to have improved connectivity. The expectation here is that IoT will help the machinery to transmit all kinds of operational information to the field engineers as well as the manufacturers, amongst others.
It’s a good thing then, that IoT enabled machines are really able to live up to the expectation and hype. Needless to say, such process automation further helps the managers in figuring out their KRAs, establishing a more robust line of command, and keeping the whole system better optimized.
Reducing Risk, Increasing Efficiency
IoT applications help with better connectivity. That we knew. But how important is this connectivity in an environment, such as a manufacturing factory? One of the things is there are certain machines which work optimally only at certain pressure and temperature or within a certain range.
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The risk of them going awry without anyone knowing about it, or being alerted about it, could be extremely dangerous. Therefore, IoT sensors play a huge role in monitoring such machinery and taking responsibility for alerting people if any equipment shows a reading off the chart.
The risk factor gets reduced, in addition to eliminating any machine downtime, cutting costs, and increasing the overall efficiency.
Efficiency in Packaging
With IoT sensors in the final product or their packaging allows the manufacturers to know exactly how the product is being used.
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This technology provides an extremely smart way to keep a track of how customers are handling the product, if the product that reaches them is in its right state or whether the transportation, weather, and other environment has had an adverse effect on it. If the latter has been the case, the manufacturers would know that the product requires a better packaging.
Real-Time Monitoring
An operation can only be as successful as its individual workflows. And every workflow, right from the very beginning, till the final product isn’t packaged and ready, is taken into account.
It’s true for every field, including that of manufacturing. Every piece of equipment, each and every process needs to be checked in almost real time so that any problem or any kind of lapse can be handled on the spot.
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If there’s too large a time gap between the problem and the adjustment that needs to be made, one could lose out on a lot of operational costs, while already having wasted quite a lot of time.
Supply Chain and Inventory Management
Talking about workflows, supply chain forms one of the most important ones in the whole process of manufacturing. To have them run properly, the supply chain and inventory management processes have to be monitored.
An IoT application development company helps, therefore, in tracking an inventory across the line-item level. This further helps the inventory managers and everyone else involved get a clear picture of the all the materials available, their estimates, how much time would it take for a particular material to be available, and such. Of course, the supply process gets more optimized this way, and efficiency increases.
Safety, Security, and Overall Health
Even when it comes to security, IoT applications are a great help. It is through checking on the Key Performance Indicators of health and safety, which is keeping a track of the number of injuries caused at work, number of absences, near-misses, illness rates, and so on.
Even any kind of vehicular accidents and property damages are kept a firm record of by these apps. Not just Key Performance, but Lagging indicators are also effectively monitored to ensure safety, good health, and a proper environment for everyone to work in.
Quality Check
IoT developers are also in great demand in the manufacturing industry because they help build a more quality assured environment in their plants and factories.
Whatever has a direct or an indirect effect on the final product, as the changes in temperature while the product was being made, the composition of raw materials used, and transportation impact that it might have had, etc.
Not just a quality check as per the manufacturer, but also as per the reviews and feedback of the customer – IoT analyzes all data and helps the product become well.
These are some of the ways in which the Internet of Things has been helping the manufacturing industry get better, more efficient, and optimize itself to give the best results.