Connected Factories : The Changing Face of Manufacturing Industry

Sep. 16

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Manufacturing is one of most complex engineering fields and bringing innovation into it makes things strenuous. The need for manufacturing organisations to be hyper-efficient while providing extreme flexibility with mass production capabilities for individual customization is driving companies to consider IoT in creating connected factories.

Transition from Traditional to Connected Factories

However, moving from a traditional factory to a next-generation factory is a difficult task. It is not possible without an empowered management team who can bring the change and implement the vision. Also, it requires overhauling of the traditional organisation with substantial investment in new technologies. All of which need to be fully integrated to realise the benefits optimally.

Mobile Materials Management at all stages of Supply Chain

Mobile materials management is used to perform inventory, receiving, and shipping transactions – taking over the supply chain of the product. A mobile material management solution allows users to process inventory routines on a handheld terminal. Once the terminal is connected to the cloud server of the factory, it is able to access the functions of material management.

Mobile Management eliminates the paper forms for stock transfers, receipts, and issues, enable the user to work more productively and reduce errors. Real-time information and process visibility and tight inventory controls improve operational efficiency. The mobile app captures transactional data and uploads it to the back-end system.

IoT & Business Intelligence using Data

All these connected devices together produce the enormous amount of data. This data is valuable only when it can be analysed to something vital that can streamline the process. If using electricity sensors can help save 15% on bills, imagine what different business intelligence tools can do.

Many analytics processes, which are responsible for identifying trends, pinpointng waste and predicting maintenance requirements, will be automated. It would also encompass areas outside of the manufacturing sphere, such as at the wholesale and retail stages. This will just ensure effective use of the data for the better manufacturing and reducing the waste.

Security & Accuracy

Another important concern of any enterprise especially for the manufacturing one is the security. Security is not just of the physical devices but more the data that is used to run the manufacturing process.

With centralised control of infrastructure and the merging of vast amounts of data, the need for effective security is at the forefront of users. The ability to remotely update enterprise-wide security software, along with powerful encryption capabilities, are both important characteristics of modern connected factories.

The combination of technology, business process and company tradition is the key to success. It requires considerable effort to drive through the change required to create a connected factory – the future of manufacturing.