The introduction of IoT has opened gates for a multitude of possibilities of performance upgrades through total control. IoT has moved out from our homes and offices to the industrial segment, and hence known to become IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). Industrial IoT in the manufacturing industry is a core element of the transformation, and by far it has seen the most investment, which makes for a promising future.
Monitoring of events across the supply chain is now possible through IoT Application. Using these systems, the inventory is tracked across the globe on a line-item level and the users are notified of any significant deviations from the plans, or even updates. This provides cross-channel visibility into inventories and managers are provided with realistic estimates of the available material, work in progress and the estimated arrival time of new materials. Ultimately this optimizes supply and reduces shared costs in the value chain
IoT sensors collect aggregate product data and other third-party syndicated data from various stages of a product cycle. This data relates to the complete composition of raw materials used, temperature and working environment, wastes, the impact of transportation and more on the final products. Moreover, if used in the final product, the IoT device can provide data about the customer sentiments on using the product. All of these inputs can later be analysed to identify and correct quality issues, which leads to significant improvement.
Big Data analysis is effectively possible with Industrial Internet of Things. Key performance indicators of health and safety, such as number of injuries, short- and long-term absences, illness rates, near-misses, can thus be monitored constantly to ensure better workplace conditions. Lagging indicators like the number of accidents can be addressed immediately.
IIoT has seen to the introduction of various smart meters. These Smart meters can monitor the consumption of resources like electricity, fuels, water etc. Through the use of IoT sensors, manufacturers will know exactly how much is consumed and what for. Through effective management, operational expenditure can be reduced significantly.
With Industrial IoT in Manufacturing, we have not only seen a revolution in the machine maintenance system but also it’s delivery. For the first time, predictive maintenance is delivered through hardware, which takes machine health monitoring beyond cloud computing, into edge computing. This means faster processing and on spot analysis. Predictive maintenance (PdM) techniques are designed to help determine the condition of equipments in order to predict when maintenance should be performed or possible breakdowns. This promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintenance, as the tasks are performed only when warranted.
By using IoT sensors in products and packaging, manufacturers can gain valuable insights into the usage patterns and handling of product from multiple customers. Smart tracking mechanisms can be used to track product deterioration during transit and impact of weather, road and other environment variables on the product. This in turn offers insights that can be used to re-engineer products and packaging for better performance in both customer experience and at times, even the cost of packaging.
IoT enabled machinery can transmit operational information to the partners like OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and to field engineers. This will enable operation managers and factory heads to remotely manage the factory units and take advantage of process automation and optimization. This makes streamlining the day-to-day work effortless.
Industrial IoT in Manufacturing is indeed empowering the industrial revolution (industry 4.0). Top companies have been the beneficiaries of integrating IoT enabled services, the list of the names include Amazon, Hitachi, John Deere, Komatsu, Maersk and many more.