Industrial IoT solutions allow seamless integration of equipment data with the existing IT infrastructure thus connecting various systems together thus making factories Industry 4.0 enabled. The pervasiveness of such solutions lies in its ability to provide real-time as well as prescriptive data analysis, which will help the authorities to make proactive decisions for the betterment of the company. Still, many manufacturers are clueless about how to implement a “Smart Factory” at their premises. Moreover, there would be old and legacy machines that would stand no chance to fit in the latest technology architectures. By choosing a right IoT partner, any machines, legacy or non-legacy ones could be connected in one single platform. It is safe to say manufacturing is one industry where IoT can have a major impact and can help achieve innovative results
Let me go through a few factors which can help you choose the right IoT partner for your manufacturing unit.
Flexible Solutions
A plant manager may have to deal with hundreds of machines and portable assets which will be drastically different from one another. The parameters to detect issues in these machines may be different. Also if we need to keep an eye on the supply chain department as well, totally different parameter sets are involved. So clearly, the solution should be flexible and should involve sensors to cater various parameters which range from vibration to movement to environmental conditions.
Security
Security is a big issue these days and each factory authorities are obliged to keep their data safe and secure. It is extremely important to store securely the data coming from the sensors and connected machines. Most people are still apprehensive towards storing the data in a cloud platform and many still prefer having an on-premise data server set up. The data could be also integrated into an existing manufacturing suite like KepWare
Real-time Data
The machines and the factory premises should be monitored 24*7 and the data coming should be real-time and live. This will allow plant authorities to make instant decisions and be proactive in handling maintenance issues.
Improved visibility through prescriptive analysis
It is extremely important for companies to get good visibility into the plant machines and human resources. The performances, efficiency, security threats, maintenance issues etc. should be highlighted in a daily or weekly reports and send to higher authorities as e-bulletins. The dashboards should be self-explanatory, easy to use and should provide a plant-wide view of the machines and systems.
Breakdown Warnings
Usually, the manufacturing units lack the capability to provide real-time notifications in the case of an equipment breakdown or failure. A better solution would forecast the impending breakdown in a machine thus allowing the authorities to take proactive decisions to avert the same. This can lead to an increase in overall equipment effectiveness.
Evaluation Kit
It would be advisable for the companies to start off with a trial or evaluation kit before implementing the real deal. This would give the authorities ample time to test and learn the solutions and would minimize the risk rather than going for a full-fledged implementation. Ultimately they can give their inputs to their respective IoT partners thus formulating a better and stable solution.
Implementation and Maintenance
It is the most crucial factor to select an IoT partner, they should have a good implementation and maintenance team and should be able to work in your ecosystem and with your employees. Ultimately it is a team work and building a rapport is extremely important.
WeMakeIoT specializes in leveraging IoT technology to create end-to-end solutions not just in the automotive manufacturing ecosystem, but also across every manufacturing ecosystem. Building efficiency across the manufacturing network through industrial IoT applications is one of our core areas of specializations. Connect with us at https://www.wemakeiot.com/ to explore further options in IoT-driven manufacturing solutions.