The Power of IIoT
The Opportunity for Innovation is Rich
Over the last couple of years, companies have made meaningful developments by utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the realm of manufacturing. These developments have spawned a new category of IoT known as the Industrial Internet, or more commonly referred to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IIoT combines automation and communication technologies such as smart sensors, machine learning, and cloud computing, in order to increase the quality of how data is captured and utilized.
The power of higher quality data capture can result in more efficient use of resources and time.
In order to make use of this dynamic business disruption, businesses must undertake somewhat of a shift in strategy. The use of IoT in the realm of manufacturing has many within the industry buzzing about the opportunities associated with preserving machine health, producing smart products, and creating a digital thread.
Preserving Machine Health
The connectivity, pattern analysis, and predictability associated with IoT-enabled solutions are being used in order to attend to the health and longevity of machines. This advanced level of connectivity provides operators and maintenance professionals an opportunity to analyze trends in real time, resulting in the ability to handle issues as they arise and before they become excessively pricey to fix. When it is all said and done, this expedited level of analysis and action will lead to machines with a longer lifespan.
One of the additional benefits of this type of technology is that machine operators or contractors no longer have to be working at the facility in order to determine if an issue arises. Actions can be taken from an alternate location in order to remedy the problem as it occurs, leading to even more value and effectively utilized resources.
Producing Smart Products
A smart product is an electromechanical device that uses some form of sensor technology in order to capture anything from performance to current status, allowing companies to communicate with their product. This smart technology can serve as a direct method of increasing value to the customer.
The added value can be found in the operating data, which is utilized in the form of two-way product support. Products that are connected can automatically detect defects, or predict demand for aftermarket parts. Additionally, with smart products you can expect an increase in service efficiency as response times dramatically improve and products are regularly performing self diagnostics and monitoring their own components in order to better understand them.
Creating a Digital Thread
A Digital Thread is essentially what it sounds like, a communication framework that connects the many steps of the manufacturing process in order to provide a detailed higher level view of the entire manufacturing lifecycle. Uniting steps of manufacturing that were previously lacking meaningful levels of communication such as design, engineering, manufacturing and product support, can result in an accelerated project timeline and substantial cost reduction.
All of this is achieved through the digitization of processes and analysis of IT/OT data sets. This level of analysis helps identify correlations in the entire product lifecycle that were previously masked due to the lack of a digital thread. Through IIoT and the resulting digital thread, smaller and medium sized manufacturing outfits are afforded the ability to compete in this new manufacturing era in which information is the centerpiece. What used to be a series of separate processes has become one process which can be optimized through hyperconnectivity.
The opportunity for innovation is rich, as change is being driven by cloud storage, internet, and wireless technologies that have been developing and intermingling for years. As the growth of mobile continues at an astounding pace, businesses and consumers expect seamless access to information and tools via a device that can be located anywhere and accessed at anytime. Now with IIoT, manufacturers are presented with an opportunity to meet these growing expectations, reduce costs in the process, and increase efficiency of the overall product lifecycle.
The opportunity for innovation is rich, as change is being driven by cloud storage, internet, and wireless technologies that have been developing and intermingling for years.
If you enjoyed this piece and are interested in discussing how IIoT can benefit your business, contact us today as we would love to hear from you.
