IoT's Potential to Boost Manufacturing
Manufacturing has always been the workhorse of industry, but lag behind when it comes to leveraging new technologies. A few weeks ago, I wrote about IoT (the internet of things) and the IIoT (the industrial internet of things) and how it is giving organizations a way to connect their technologies and systems together. No longer is there a question of if IoT can bring bring value to manufacturing, but more the question is how to make it happen? There are several reports and findings that are showing an expected 50% increase in operational excellence with the manufacturing industry adopting IoT. This industry has a tendency to stay with what it knows best. One of the issues created in manufacturing is because of automation. With different technologies used throughout different stages of the process, and nothing to link them together, fragmentation happens. The solution to this issue is IoT.
There are now end-to-end solutions available that can help make relevant connections between sensor data, analytics, asset information and vital systems within the manufacturing ecosystem. IoT allows for decisions and meaningful connections to be made quickly. It does require re-thinking how processes happen within your organization and leveraging data like never before. But with the right insights applied to the right processes, better connections between different parts of the business can be made, breaking down silos and allowing for innovation, thus creating the opportunities. The key to this shift is integrating the right systems, to allow manufacturers to welcome in the further possibilities that IoT has to offer.
Manufacturing has had various software programs released that has made the management more effective. IoT is giving manufacturing the ability to work smarter. Technologies using the IoT have the ability to drastically improve the visibility in manufacturing. Smart manufacturing will allow for all information from the plant floor and all along the supply chain, to be captured in real-time and visible for decision making purposes. When you can virtually track your assets, processes, and your products, your business processes can be supported and supply and demand can be optimized.
Smart technology requires a lot of technology and a lot of knowledge. IoT can also be overwhelming if you don’t understand the risks. Experts are already calling the IoT the fourth industrial revolution, a fresh wave of technical changes that decentralizes production control and triggers a paradigm shift in manufacturing. At this pace, its highly likely the world of production will become even more networked until everything is interlinked with everything. There is a lot of benefits to manufacturing companies to adopt IoT and smart technologies, but to do so requires help. Please educate yourself with all of the resources out there. Please consult an IT Consultant if you are interested in adopting IoT and smart technologies so you can develop a plan that best suites your organization. Please understand that the world is shifting towards the internet of things and smart technology, so you are doing your organization a disservice if you don’t start getting educated on these topics and take steps towards implementation today. If you do not have an IT provider or are not happy with your current IT provider, call 2W Tech today and see how we can help you get the ball rolling.
Read More:
Internet of Things (IoT) Mistakes That Can Harm Your Business
Manufacturing and the Industrial Internet of Things