The message we have been bombarded with, especially within the technology sector for the past few years, is that in the very near future, everything will be connected to everything else.  This is a very basic and encompassing way of describing what the industry has coined the “Internet of Things” (IoT). 

The IoT is not just a new set of technologies that have been developed, but it is a radical paradigm shift that has far-reaching implications into almost every business domain.  There are, however, some areas of industry that, because of their nature, can more readily benefit from IoT and can be considered early adopters of the movement.  This is definitely the case for the manufacturing industry.

IoT can be defined as the inter-networking of physical devices (also referred to as “smart devices”), buildings, and other objects, with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect, exchange and send data.  To a certain extent, the manufacturing industry has already been using many of the components that make up the IoT.  Sensors, control systems, actuators, motors, control cables and centralized databases are just some of the components that have been used to create limited IoT-like environments on the factory floor.  As a result, IoT is a very good fit for manufacturing, because manufacturing has needs that IoT can readily fulfill with very little adjustment to the status quo.

These traditional factory control systems have often been expensive, difficult to upgrade and have historically used proprietary hardware and software that cannot easily interact with devices and machinery of a different vendor.  IoT changes all of that.

Whether it is for a food processing factory, a clothing manufacturer or an electrical appliance producer, the purpose of employing IoT is to provide quicker and more efficient production while maintaining the same level of quality.  This is accomplished with standardization in the method of communication and data acquisition as well as the drastically falling prices of smart devices.  Consequently, IoT on the factory floor is becoming more accessible and compatible than ever before.

IoT technology can provide real-time inventory and production rate information, connectivity and control from anywhere in the world and can monitor quality control levels.  IoT can enable staff to track both historical and real time data related to performance, identifying problem areas more readily and reducing maintenance costs and downtime.  Add to this the fact that there is considerable evidence that indicates that a smart factory is a safer factory.  Problems can be identified faster and communication can occur far more effectively when an issue arises.

Harriet Green, OBE, general manager of IBM’s (News - Alert) Internet of Things division, has said concerning IoT in the manufacturing industry: “This is an era of unprecedented industrial transformation defined by factories, machines and parts capable of self-assessing, triggering actions and exchanging information with each other, and with the people who manufacture and maintain them. [We are] literally redefining approaches for designing, producing and maintaining machines–making them safer and more reliable.”

Everything is becoming connected to everything else.  IoT is penetrating the vast majority of industries.  However, several years from now, when IoT has sufficiently matured, we may look back and say that it all really first came together on the factory floor.

About the Author

Gareth Mooreland is a full-time writer and a content marketing expert and has previously worked for technology companies in the U.S., UK and Australia. He is the go-to expert to write about technology and business. When not writing, Gareth enjoys taking landscape photos around the world. His lifetime ambition is to visit every country in the world. Only 128 to go!