How IIoT Is Changing the Face of Modern Manufacturing
The industrial internet of things (IIoT) is a major topic that’s on the minds of manufacturers around the world. The benefits of IIoT are already transforming the way that many factory floors operate, providing more opportunities and letting organizations enjoy the advantages of Industry 4.0. Here are the key areas where IIoT solutions are making major changes in manufacturing environments.
Making Manufacturers More Agile
Many of the latest manufacturing methodologies emphasize the importance of agility – the ability to adapt quickly and effectively to changing conditions. This encompasses both changes on the factory floor and in external factors surrounding production like supply chains and markets. Industry 4.0 IoT is letting manufacturers achieve more effective agile transformations.
One of the most significant impacts that IoT for manufacturing has on agility is visibility. IIoT implementation involves the use of greater connectivity for machines, sensors, and other devices. It brings together data from all of these sources into a single source that can be accessed and managed with the right IIoT solution.
This means that manufacturers can now access production data in real-time, making it possible to react more quickly to events and changes on the factory floor. With IoT industrial connectivity, production teams and management are constantly aware of KPIs and other production information, letting them adapt and respond with agility rather than focusing on damage control after the fact.
Streamlining Compliance
There have never been more compliance demands on manufacturers than there are today. There are important requirements for both safety and environmental compliance that organizations must meet. It’s not enough for a manufacturer to just meet these requirements. They must also be able to demonstrate that compliance to the regulatory agencies that enforce it.
IIoT in manufacturing can serve as a vital tool in maintaining and demonstrating compliance with environmental mandates. Manufacturers across various industries in many countries must be able to show clear and accurate production records showing the use of recycled materials, waste streams, energy use, and more.
IIoT opportunities allow manufacturers to collect these records more accurately and reliably. With connected machines, sensors, and devices all providing automatic production data, manufacturers don’t have to worry about incomplete records that could have regulatory or tax consequences. They can save labor that would have gone into manual data collection and management while also ensuring that their compliance records are accurate.
Creating New Opportunities With Better Data
Data is a major focus in IIoT manufacturing. With IIoT capabilities, it’s now possible for manufacturers to have consistent, real-time access to a much greater range of production data. With this data comes new opportunities for improvement and optimization.
The advantages of IIoT let manufacturers optimize their production more accurately and in more ways than ever before. With all machines on the factory floor connected and providing data, management is able to evaluate production at multiple levels and identify opportunities for improvement and sources of waste.
IoT industrial automation doesn’t just improve the quantity and accuracy of production data but also presents opportunities for collecting new types of data. IIoT allows for more components and devices to be connected, giving improved control over and better access to data from power supplies, dosing systems, and any number of other sources that have been overlooked in the past. This opens the door to optimizing areas that were never even considered before IoT Industry 4.0 solutions.
Improving OEE
The advantages of IIoT are innovative and highly unique. However, for most manufacturers, the attractiveness of IIoT solutions comes down to how it affects their bottom line. The industrial internet of things is giving manufacturers today a way to improve their overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). That means higher productivity, increased revenues and decreased losses for manufacturers.
One area in which IIoT benefits are most clear is machine availability. By having every machine independently connected to the IIoT solution, manufacturers are provided with a clear and accurate picture of machine availability, both in real-time and historically. This lets them identify opportunities for improvement, plan maintenance, and react faster when machines go down.
IoT for the industry can also impact OEE through improved quality control practices. The machines and sensors that detect defects can be connected with IIoT technology to provide real-time data. This means that production teams can know right away when quality issues occur during any production run. They can react and remedy the situation instead of writing off losses at the end of the shift.
Reducing Human Error
Traditionally, manufacturers have relied on manual production data collection and management. Even today, many manufacturers still have at least some manual processing steps, often involving moving data from one system to another. This introduces opportunities for human error that can have a lasting impact on any efforts that require accurate production data.
The increased connectivity provided by the industrial IIoT lets manufacturers take another step towards digitalization. More machines, sensors, and other devices can now send data directly to IIoT solutions, removing the need for manual data collection and input. Effective IIoT solutions can also reduce or eliminate the need to manually move data around between different programs, systems, and solutions.
Industrial IoT Solutions With Matics
Matics provides manufacturers with a real-time operational intelligence solution that can let them take full advantage of the benefits of IIoT. Our solution collects and analyzes production data from any source, machines, sensors, and other IoT devices. Automated monitoring and alerts, built-in communications, and secure cloud-based access provide even more opportunities.
Production teams, managers, and other stakeholders can always know what’s really happening on the factory floor and access the wealth of information they need to improve and optimize production. You can contact Matics today to book a demo and find out more about our solution’s unique features.
