Why connectivity should matter to industrial decision-makers
Companies worldwide are trying to keep up the pace of the 4th industrial revolution and bring their businesses into the future. According to McKinsey recent report, 68% of industrial companies consider digitizing the production value chain as their highest priority — that means that two-thirds of companies make it a goal to smarten up their business.
One of the things that differ smart factories from traditional ones is connectivity, which enables the flow of relevant information to the right decision makers in real time and in consequence improve all the production processes. In my opinion, it is specifically connectivity that should be the starting point for other 4.0 improvements. Connectivity links production and operation systems to provide a constant stream of data used to learn and adapt to changing circumstances. It also provides integration across the entire manufacturing network and keeps it relevant, updated and flexible.
A closer look inside the manufacturing plant
A vast majority of manufacturing companies have already piloted digital solutions, yet few have permanently adopted digital processes with success. While 85% of the respondents see the relevance of implementing connectivity-related solutions, only 64% piloted system integration. That is a puzzling 15 percentage gap.
It seems it is a challenge to implement a connectivity-related solution, even if it’s in the top priorities of the manufacturers. One of the reasons for this situation is low awareness of powerful tools, which are easy to implement and ready to scale up after the testing phase. In my view, one of such solutions is indoor positioning. It employs cutting edge IoT technology, advanced hardware and data processing algorithms in order to achieve an optimized smart factory. And at the same time, it is easy to deploy.
Instant benefits of precise indoor positioning
For decision makers, indoor positioning can be a source of relevant, real-time and historical information about foot and asset traffic or the first step for process automation. With this tool, industrial processes become faster, safer and more transparent. Gathered data provides operational transparency, and therefore it can be used to optimize production processes: create a more efficient manufacturing system, less production downtime and a better ability to predict and adjust to changes in a site. It is crucial to the prevention of any anomalies or seasonal changes that appear in a plant as well as predict operational and material inefficiencies and identify areas for further improvements. Eventually, it leads to better positioning in the competitive marketplace.
Seamless implementation of the digital tool
Such set of ready-to-use digital tools for indoor positioning is, for example, InSites 4.0. The new generation of Indoorway’s technology brings smartness into industrial venues by delivering insights about movement in manufacturing sites with nearly 20–30 cm accuracy. The system uses brand new hardware: Tags and Hubs. Tags are advanced devices, which can be attached to any tracked asset or handed over to employees.
Hubs, on the other hand, are installed on walls or ceilings to process the data. As an analogy, think of Hubs as of little sources of light. The aim of installing them is to “illuminate” as much space as possible.
With the support of InSites 4.0, manufacturers can successfully modernize buildings, increase profits thanks to cutting costs and data-driven lean management.
For managers in this industry, deploying such connectivity-related technology is a huge and highly beneficial first step into the digital era.
Looking further ahead, it’s not just about economical factors. The data can show the activity of certain teams and shifts so it can standardize employees’ work cycle, and ensure making more effective onboarding and staffing decisions. What is more, indoor positioning system may also improve safety and help with identifying potential threats or detect presence in restricted areas, as well as those requiring special permissions.
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