Industrial IoT or IoT is undoubtedly the upcoming future of practically all industries and businesses around the world. In fact, IIoT or the ‘ industrial internet of things is a term gaining rapid use as more and more industries adapt to using smart sensors and actuators -empowering their ROI, lower manufacturing costs, deploying predictive maintenance, and fastening their overall industrial processes in general.
Advanced data analytics tend to capitalize using the IoT machine generated ‘big data’, which can potentially help industries make intelligent choices and shift to a more energy efficient operation system while achieving a higher productivity rate.
Smart metering and smart manufacturing can help make IIoT deployment seem more rewarding and cost effective for practically any industry out there.
IoT enabled systems can make a ‘smart factory’ skyrocket scalability at an unimaginable rate. No wonder several industries are showing off dozens of IoT use cases.
IIoT mostly uses robotics, remote sensors and even long haul smart trucks among other wireless technologies. This heavy data driven and so called fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) relies solely on IIoT devices and equipment for running a seamless ‘smart factory’ automation, data collection and communication in its entirety.
Here we list the top 7 Industrial IoT use cases that are turning heads.
Industrial IoT applications and use cases are vast and varied.
IIoT applications are all over the place. Cherry picking the handful of important industrial IoT solutions and use cases can demonstrate the economic and productive viability of a successful deployment.
1. Predictive maintenance or condition monitoring
Environment sensors can work continuously to monitor quality checks and also have in-built system alerts that can call in the management in case threshold limits are crossed.
For example, maintaining factory unit temperature and humidity via sensors can include several variables that can be monitored in real-time and instantly alerted if they cross the set or expected parameters.
Machine monitors help you review units periodically and assess asset health and performance. IIoT helps monitor and measure important KPIs such as OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) and OPE (overall process effectiveness). These regulated metrics can reduce unplanned or unexpected downtime and also provide predictive maintenance for the units helping in better machine utilization.
Study shows that sensor data can prevent losses by analyzing a predictive machine failure in a manufacturing environment, which can significantly reduce costs as much as 41% and cut downtime by half.
2. Location trackers
With in-built GPS systems, RFID tags, and other wireless technologies, IIoT can help industries track their assets at any time.
Smart logistics help companies track their shipment, guide enroute drivers, and troubleshoot if required. Warehouses and factory units can deploy location based IIoT to track supplies and map material flow. Real-time updates and precise location movements eliminate confusion and help achieve targets faster with no time lost.
3. Work environment analytics
Includes supply chain optimization as IoT sensors can track inputs, equipment, and products.
RFID tags and sensors can track inventory logistics and supply chain management. This helps set realistic production goals and timelines, promises on-time deliveries, tracks manufacturing cycles and maps material flow.
It can also potentially help in reducing overproduction, storage issues and unplanned capital investment. All inventory information is stored in a no-code table which automatically updates during live factory operations.
4. Quality control
A good QMS or Quality management system can take a while to implement and maintain. IIoT can significantly cut costs via simple automation of streamlining process control plans. Sensors can keep critical variables in check. This reduces the overall manufacturing cycle time and simplifies an excessive resource driven QMS.
Even manual quality inspections can easily be well handled by IoT sensors to further fasten and streamline the production processes.
5. Better facility space management
A successful IoT deployment leveraging the use of actuators and sensors can significantly help improve facility management and reduce the overall operational cost of running a factory unit.
RFIDs and trackers can optimize space usage, save time and cut labor intensive costs. Maintaining optimum manufacturing environment variables like temperature, heat dissipation, and automated machine cooling can conserve industrial energy bills to a huge extent while improving asset health and performance.
6. Sustainability and energy optimization
Operators using IIoT enabled tools can manage workflows faster without compromising quality. For example – more than often pick to light devices are used to identify target pieces reducing overall recycling time. Torque drivers speed up work adjusting operations settings as per production requirements.
Apart from operators, even engineers (process, manufacturing, and frontline) all seem to benefit as well. Without IoT automation, manual data collection, analysis, and aggregation are time consuming. An IoT led system can easily automate all processes to help optimize production at its best.
7. Visibility
IoT connects all devices via sensors to integrate into its ecosystem. This allows managers and engineers to have a better eye on shop floors or factory units. This much needed visibility can make production way easier and more effective.
The tracking of parts while they move through break beams or RFID can help manage factory automation to a whole new level. Supervision and real time view of factory yields can help optimize resources, resolve bottlenecks and improve production at a faster rate in general. Dashboard data helps teams resolve and identify errors while seamlessly tracking production stages as they move in real time.
The above IoT use cases and applications are just the tip of the iceberg.
There are practically no shortages and shortcomings in the heavily IoT driven smart industry setups. A good IoT deployment and skill-set with foundational groundwork can undoubtedly help IIoT work better in the long run and achieve a long term ROI for practically any industry vertical in the economy. Even small scale shifts allow industries to upscale their IIoT deployment as they start to gain long term ROI.
Technosphere is an IoT product engineering company that focuses on providing smart product design, engineering services, and end to end IoT solutions. With expertise in IIoT fields including industry specific IoT, smart city solutions, enterprise IoT, smart farming, wearables, and wireless communication solutions.
With offices based in Bangalore, India, and Dallas, TX USA, Technosphere offers reliable and secure data aggregation with seamless cloud automation using various IoT platforms. The list includes industrial IoT, machine learning, AI, business automation solutions, smart factories, industrial automation solutions, data analytics, smart logistics, and smart retail.