Technology is changing lives and it has grown to a point where it can substitute people. Internet of things (IoT) is such a technological innovation which is helping manufacturing industries tackle hindrances like aging workforce, compliance issues, and declining revenue. The most renown and useful applications of IoT is the design and use of IoT-enabled machines that help to reduce downtime, increase productivity, and optimize equipment performance. Smart marketing backed by IoT permits the visibility of assets, processes, resources, and products.
This has enabled the Smart Factory Market, a facility which has highly digitized and connected production, to produce and support streamlined business operations, maximize productivity and improved ROI. In short, the Internet of Things is rewriting the fate and prospects of manufacturing and its key processes.
According to research by Business Insider, global manufacturers will invest $70 Billion in IoT solutions in 2020. This growth can be attributed to the wide acceptance and use of intelligent technologies across all the major industries comprising mining, energy, petrochemicals, and manufacturing.
Cloud too is a recent technology and it is unavoidable for creative minds to wonder what all is possible when IoT and cloud work together to optimize and improve manufacturing and its processes. Here are some instances where cloud and IoT brought about significant changes in manufacturing-
1.Using cloud and IoT solutions to move from a reactive to a predictive model
- Before IoT-enabled manufacturing, factories had to suffer a huge amount of loss due to poor understanding and technology to support their actions. They had no way to predict the breakdown or poor performance of their machines. Back then, trial and error troubleshooting were used to get the machine to start working. This process was sadly time-consuming and lead to unwanted downtime which led to lower productivity and higher costs.
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- The development of IoT-enabled machines with sensors allows companies to increase overall efficiency, performance, and profitability by monitoring problems like the ones mentioned above. However, monitoring equipment in remote places turned out to be time-consuming and challenging.
- Using both cloud and IoT, firms can now see present performance information and can continuously maintain equipment before incidents occur. Moreover, companies can quickly decide where data analysis is taking place and manage distributed IoT devices located everywhere.
2. Keeping IoT data secure with cloud
- The usage of IoT necessitates the creation of a secure network as IoT-enabled factories generate additional access points into the factory networks and systems. The number of access points also increases by using mobile devices making security a top priority. For a true connected IoT experience and factory, security is foundational.
- Fortunately, cloud excels in providing security and IoT-enabled machines and data are safe. Software that is used with these machines are protected with IT- proven standards as well as Operational Technology (OT) network security.
3. Getting ready to develop IoT solutions with cloud
- With IoT enabled machines now on the run, we have started thinking about the possibilities it holds for us in the future. Using this technology to predict and regulate the maintenance of factories is a successful prospect. There is a method in which the after-effects of predictive maintenance can be tested.
- Firstly, an inventory of data sources has to be conducted. Identify all potential sources and types of relevant data to determine what is most essential. With this information, you can design a plan for an agile and strong predictive model with the aid of data of both expected behavior and failure logs.
- Once the initial logistics has been determined, you can work on creating a model on which you can run tests and iterate to figure out which model is the best at foreseeing the timing of unit failures.
- After determining the best model, you can move to a live operational setting, apply the model to live and stream data to check how it works originally. The final step after the adjustment of the maintenance process, systems and resources is to integrate cloud to IoT.
- There are other viable options for companies that do not have the resources to build an IoT solution from scratch. They can use various features of the cloud to design, develop and implement processes. Further, firms can successfully create a customizable solution by using open-source code or leveraging proven architectures.
The collaboration of cloud and IoT is transforming manufacturing. Manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region alone are using a mix of public and private clouds with an adoption rate at 49%. It’s high time you got your firm smarter manufacturing processes. Those who have adopted this is already leading by a step in the business world. The more you are late, the better your competitors become.
Cloud business has just trodden the way from its hype to widespread adoption and is an alternate mammoth altogether. Want to know more how IoT and cloud can help your organization, then reach out to us. With Redington cloud Solutions, start your seamless digital transformation journey with ease.
Talk to our cloud experts now to revitalize your business with the amazing benefits cloud has to offer.
