For some time now, technologies have been revolutionizing the history of the industrial sector by optimizing processes. However, no matter how advanced the factory ecosystem was, nothing that had been used before could compare to IoT applications in Industry 4.0.
But how does this impact your business? In the midst of the digital age, the immersion of machines in the experience of autonomy is creating a panorama that is increasingly coherent with the dynamics and urgencies of the market. Therefore, in time those who don't adhere to the new model may cease to exist.
Given the relevance of the topic, we've put together a post to help you understand, once and for all, the importance of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 for your company's competitiveness. Read on and check it out!
What is the Internet of Things?
The Internetof Things ( IoT) is a concept that aims to integrate digital, physical and biological technologies, creating a scenario in which objects are able to establish a connection with each other. In other words, IoT devices communicate with each other in real time.
Then, based on this exchange of data, the network of machines is able to create response actions and point out the most pertinent solutions for each situation faced. Bringing this methodology into the industrial sphere, IoT represents, above all, an improvement in manufacturing processes.
Considering the growing volume of demands, as well as the need to be agile and efficient, we can say that this technology allows companies to scale their productivity - measuring machine performance in real time, indicating the strengths and weaknesses of each sector and pointing out solutions for improvement.
What's more, without the help of an intelligent system, much of the data that is generated and stored on a day-to-day basis is not analyzed accurately.
With the automation of the Internet of Things, it is possible to make better use of this information, to have a broad view of everything that happens in that environment, making decision-making easier.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is known as an evolution of information in the production chain. The concept is basically the same as IoT, but with the detail that its information is connected via cloud computing.
Furthermore, in addition to connecting IIoT things, it forms a critical layer of the production process, and can be used to manage assets, analyze trends, contact a supplier directly, analyze the quality and use of products.
In short, it is a much more complete and specialized system to meet the peculiarities of an industry.
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution, as it is also known, consists of an extremely impactful technological advance, marked by the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence into mass production processes.
Its main hallmark is the elimination of barriers between the physical and virtual worlds. And thanks to the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 applications are gaining the power of autonomy, i.e. they are being controlled without the need for human participation in their processes.
The idea is to create a connected and intelligent factory, in which the equipment itself has the ability to prevent and report any problems. It is applied to activities such as
- monitoring the production flow;
- stock management;
- safety and personal protection;
- quality control, among others.
As an example, imagine a company that works with a large volume of prints, and operates a machine capable of contacting the supplier whenever it detects low ink levels.
This is the reality of Industry 4.0 - the supply chain connected to the production line in real time. But the industrial revolution goes far beyond equipment that can communicate with each other.
IoT-connected sensors make it possible to monitor environmental conditions, measuring levels of waste in the air, unhealthy conditions, among other elements that contribute to a healthy workplace, and above all in line with sustainability guidelines.
What are the impacts of IoT on industry?
The first impact of IoT on Industry 4.0 is to provide the necessary resources for organizations to put new business models into practice, so that this new automation profile becomes the industry standard.
With these advances, the manual and repetitive jobs that were already being replaced by technology and intelligent systems are gaining more and more space in the infrastructure of factories, and the trend is for them to reach other more technical areas.
Although many people think that machines already dominate industrial production, and that there won't be a big difference with the implementation of Industry 4.0, the big difference is that they will no longer be controlled by people.
The expectation is that they will be able to make decisions on their own - when to switch on or off, when to order supplies, when to speed up or slow down manufacturing, etc.
Thus, professionals must also adapt to this reality, given that many tasks that are now part of the organization's daily routine will cease to exist.
Industry 4.0, combined with IoT, favours the lean production model, organized to meet immediate demands rather than mass production, which means cost savings and competitiveness.
How can it help in the management and maintenance of assets in this industry?
When it comes to asset maintenance, many managers may also imagine that the current automation structure already generates enough data to analyze machine performance and direct teams towards good predictive maintenance.
However, with the Internet of Things in action, it is possible to obtain better monitoring conditions, considering that the system itself warns of any problems in advance.
If any stress is detected during the operation of a resource, for example, IoT solutions can send an alert to those responsible for maintenance. They can even provide data for planning the purchase of materials and parts, should the need arise for a repair.
In addition, the Internet of Things is also very useful for virtual simulations. This will help the maintenance department to understand the behavior of machines in the face of wear and tear.
From those caused by natural agents such as rain and intense heat, to those related to the operation itself, such as temperature, pressure, speed and other parameters.
With this model, the machines themselves work to preserve their useful life, as well as saving resources and supplies. They can learn to distribute the effort of the production line.
How important is it in preventing faults?
When it comes to the relationship between the Internet of Things and failure prevention, the first aspect that should be mentioned is that most repetitive and bureaucratic tasks are no longer interfered with by the human factor and, consequently, are less susceptible to errors.
This is because, in this digital and connected environment, devices are programmed to process a huge amount of data and identify any deviation from the standard
Using information and images collected in real time, the system identifies dangerous situations such as:
- overheating;
- malfunction;
- toxic spills;
- wear and tear on parts;
- lack of lubrication, etc.
In the event of any of these situations, IoT sensors will stop working and contact the manufacturer. This not only reduces financial losses, but also prevents employees from suffering any kind of injury or having their lives put at risk due to these failures.
How to plan systems for IoT in Industry?
When we think about digitizing industrial production, it's important to bear in mind that the architecture of an automation system structured for Industry 4.0 must already be designed according to the operational characteristics of each business.
In general, the entire control framework is made possible by the Internet of Things, which depends on the support of a Big Data system, where all the data collected will converge and create the possibilities for autonomous actions.
In general terms, to establish a connection between sectors, as well as to bridge the gap between the internal and external world, the way forward is: the Internet of Things produces and sends data, and Big Data does the processing. But this won't necessarily be applied throughout the factory.
Managers must then analyze in which areas they intend to implement the technology - in production methods, logistics, maintenance - and check the essential resources to run the system.
Another extremely important point to consider when planning is security. You need to think about automation mechanisms that drastically reduce problems related to malfunctions.
In this regard, it is also necessary to think about protecting against virtual vulnerabilities, considering that the servers and all the operational systems in the factories are migrated to cloud processing.
How to connect the supply chain, complementing the interconnection of the industry?
For the Internet of Things to work fully, much more is needed than an integrated database - the industry must extract intelligence from this information.
As a result, Big Data will be a key element in processing the data extracted from the machines and bringing it to the attention of the professionals responsible.
Furthermore, the infrastructure needed to put Industry 4.0 into practice will depend on the peculiarities of each sector in which it will be implemented.
In the production department, for example, more than new technologies, a change in company policy is also a must, given that the 4.0 model operates with lean production.
In view of this, the automatic processes are programmed to level their operations according to immediate customer demand, without neglecting to forecast long-term demand.
Another extremely important resource for the viability of Industry 4.0 is Machine Learning, which makes it possible for machines to learn how to distribute effort on the production line, helping to increase the useful life of equipment and save resources and inputs.
Security is also high on the list of priorities for interconnecting an industry by investing in heavy-duty protection software. After all, all the information will be generated and stored on cloud servers and cannot be vulnerable.
To do this, they need a series of security systems such as antivirus, firewall, encryption, access authentication, etc. This helps prevent any information leaks from going unnoticed.
Finally, it is worth considering that the success of improvement strategies can be tested beforehand, in the virtual model, and if they are successful, they can be applied.
Which management tools operate at the level of production digitalization?
As mentioned, the Internet of Things is the driving force behind the digitized management of the production chain. However, this model would not be possible without the complement of other technologies, such as Machine Learning.
Another indispensable component for the Industry 4.0 process are the so-called RFID Radio Frequency Identification Systems - they are responsible for all digital plant tracking - such as monitoring quality in real time and enabling the machine to act in advance, making the necessary corrections.
In this context, we also have IoT Watson, IBM's cognitive intelligence that proposes more efficient business management with data collection in the field, use of devices as work tools and analysis of all types of faults in a device.
Big Data Analytics is also on the list of indispensable digital production tools. It offers different ways of collecting, analyzing and managing data.
IoT in Industry 4.0 is undoubtedly a big step towards excellent performance and significant cost savings. Therefore, the tendency for companies that insist on old business models and fail to exploit the opportunities offered by this technology is to gradually lose market share.
Have you seen how important it is to stay on top of the Internet of Things and the 4th Industrial Revolution for your company's results? Then take the opportunity to contact iT.eam and find out about some customized solutions for your business!
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