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How is IoT & Industry 4.0 changing business processes?

What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the next phase in the industrial revolution timeline. It references the major advances in connectivity, automation, machine learning and IoT (Internet of Things) that are making our processes more efficient and productive.

IoT within manufacturing and production is enabling huge leaps in deliverability and connectivity by providing companies that deploy IoT SIM technology with access to real time data, machine learning and automation.

How we got to Industry 4.0

1.0 - First industrial revolution

The initial industrial revolution happened between 1760 and 1830. It is a time when manufacturing improved efficiencies by leveraging technologies that refined accuracy and consistency in production.

2.0 - Second industrial revolution

Also known as the technological revolution, the second industrial revolution took place between 1870 and 1914. During this time, advances in steel production and fuelling (electricity & petroleum) drove a series of innovations that changed manufacturing, including the rise of rail and telegraph lines.

3.0 - Third industrial revolution

The digital revolution is a time period in manufacturing where production shifted away from mechanical and analogue tech to digital electronics. The adoption of digital computers and record keeping advanced as a result of technical progress and the meteoric rise of the internet.

4.0 - Fourth industrial revolution & the future

The fourth industrial revolution is here. As the manufacturing industry and a wide range of industrial applications up the entire supply chain continue to adopt new technologies, more businesses are harnessing smart automation and interconnectivity to streamline their operations and processes.

How Industry 4.0 will turn regular manufacturing into smart manufacturing

Over the decades, industrial production has evolved to become more and more efficient. The next leap in efficiency is going to come from the implementation of IoT and smart machines to aid in a wide variety of applications.

Process Optimisation

Monitoring every step in the production and delivery of your product/service will allow you to identify where process bottlenecks are creating inefficiencies. Use this information to improve pacing above the bottleneck or implement new procedures to remove the bottleneck entirely. This will help you reduce overheads, giving your business the edge over competition who aren’t optimising their manufacturing processes.

Big Data Analytics

The person who has the most data knows the most about their business. Industry 4.0 enables you to leverage massive amounts of data from your production process, delivery systems, customer feedback and more. Big data’s advanced analytics allow you to manage all that information to produce outputs, creating a roadmap to business growth and customer satisfaction.

Predictive Maintenance & Repairs

Issues lead to losses in revenue. So whether there’s a problem with your production line or an issue with your deliverables, by equipping your facility with IoT, you’ll be notified when an problem arises. Well-implemented IoT systems take this even further, proactively identifying issues ahead of time and ordering their own repairs/maintenance procedures to protect themselves from breaking or experiencing further problems. Minimise downtime with IoT.

JiT taken even further

Just In Time is an inventory management system that ensures the delivery of raw materials when production is scheduled to begin. By ensuring these materials don’t arrive prior to production, businesses are able to avoid enormous storage costs whilst having sufficient stock to meet demand. If your operation runs multiple production facilities, using a wide variety of systems (including JIT), Industry 4.0 technology can manage those supply chains smartly and even more efficiently.

Benefits of becoming an early adopter of IoT in Industry 4.0

There are a wide range of benefits to implementing IoT-backed Industry 4.0 technology across your business. Gain even more of a competitive edge by implementing it before your competitors.

Reduce costs

By improving efficiency when it comes to stock management and automatically shutting machines off when they’re not in use, businesses can drastically reduce overhead costs and minimise wasted spend.

Reduce machine downtime

By turning your production machines into smart devices with IoT connectivity, you’ll know when they are due to be serviced or repaired. What’s more, your smart machines can self diagnose issues and order the remedial parts/servicing at a time that best suits your business. Reduce hold-ups from happening in your production line and maintain up-time to guarantee maximum productivity.

Greater consistency

Collect and use the data from your Industry 4.0 implementation as well as IoT data to forecast production hurdles and manage stock whilst maintaining strong quality control. Deliver the same high-quality product your customers are used to, whilst reducing production costs.

Easier scaling

With reduced overheads, in-depth IoT management and greater consistency comes a more direct route to scaling. By saving on your production process, you’ll free up the financial resources to invest in other areas of the business, driving horizontal and vertical growth.

Stronger communication

The beauty of big data and real-time connectivity is that teams can collaborate more effectively than ever before. Take advantage of granular business intelligence by harnessing the Internet of Things.

Improved trend analysis & forecasting

With the deployment of big data, the information and valuable insights at your fingertips allow you to blend data sources and identify trends within your processes, from manufacturing to delivery. Analyse data in much more detail and access the information you need to make and deliver on realistic forecasts.

Industry 4.0 Challenges

Just like every other revolution and mass-scale technology deployment, Industry 4.0 faces its own set of unique challenges.

The biggest challenge with implementing Industry 4.0 in your business is knowing what processes to focus on. Businesses should start by identifying their most or least profitable/efficient areas and harness the benefits of Industry 4.0 and IoT to make improvements and reduce wastage.

Get started with Industry 4.0 with InfiSIM, the IoT and M2M SIM experts.

Industry 4.0 FAQs

Book a free consultation with one of our IoT experts who will talk you through the entire process and offer you a no obligation 30 day free trial.

There is no fixed price for Industry 4.0 deployments, there’s a wide range of factors that impact the cost of implementation. This includes the number of SIMs being deployed, what information is being monitored and utilised, and the complexity of the set-up. During our free IoT consultation we’ll recommend the most effective and cost-efficient connectivity solution for your unique project, outlining all a full breakdown of the costs involved.

Speak to one of our consultants about your business processes and we’ll help you identify the areas that would benefit from an IoT implementation. We’ll then help you develop, execute and optimise a rollout plan.

Smart production is another term for a factory or facility within the manufacturing sector that has implemented Industry 4.0 technology and processes within it.

2023-07-27T11:24:52+01:00

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