The data analysis that occurs with these systems allows company leaders to gain insights into many areas of the company's operations.
Harley Davidson has completely reconfigured its York, PA facility to allow all logistics machines and devices to be equipped with sensors and location awareness. The factory reduced the production time for customized motorcycles from a 21-day cycle to 6 hours.
Greater customization is of particular value in an age when customers are clamoring for more personalization. IoT sensors allow manufacturers to maintain more diversity in production and inventory and track it using real-time data.
These improvements can be used not only with customized products, but also with standardized products, providing a more consistent service that leads to greater customer trust and loyalty. Given that customer experience (CX) is the biggest asset of any company today, even small improvements in this area can make a big difference in beating the competition.
3. Better quality
Given that manufacturers must often choose between quality and cost, reducing costs through the use of IoT technology offers more options for increasing quality. Furthermore, better calibrated machines can make the same process produce better results. Plus, fine-tuning operations are quick and easy with sensors that can detect small changes in machine functionality that can make a big difference in product quality.
Finally, IoT sensors can measure different things during the quality control process. Examples include thermal and video sensors that collect more complete product data. Products can also be tested at different stages throughout the development cycle for more complete quality assurance.
4. Better Employee Experience
By measuring things like heart rate, fatigue and movement, wearable devices can monitor workers' health and alert them when they engage in risky behaviors that could lead to accidents. Additionally, IoT devices can be attached to equipment to monitor it for dangerous conditions, alerting workers to resolve any issues or clear the area before a disaster occurs.
Employees can also benefit from device-generated data that shows productivity and needs for each shift. So things like removing people from an overly busy shift can give remaining workers a greater sense of purpose, while adding them can give them a sense of support. Particularly productive workers can be identified to help others learn their techniques.
5. Supply chain visibility
Supply chain visibility entails internal asset management on a broader scale, with information shared between manufacturers and supply chain components. Operators can find the location, status and condition of each element, such as a product or package, at any time during shipping. Manufacturers can find additional information, such as how many of the same product are also being shipped and how many were produced in a given period.
This data can be particularly useful with sensitive products like drugs that must be kept at a certain temperature. Additionally, with medicines, an IoT temperature sensor could detect that a refrigeration system inside a truck is failing, giving the driver the opportunity to adjust it or use a backup system based on an alert.
6. Better decision making
Every IoT device generates data and manufacturers must be ready to manage it. The data analysis that occurs with these systems allows company leaders to gain insights into many areas of the company's operations. These insights can lead to improvements and better decision-making on issues such as financial planning, scheduling and supplier choices.
For example, the quality of similar products from several different suppliers can be monitored throughout the manufacturing process to determine which are associated with the fewest quality control problems. And more efficient asset management can help finance personnel plan for needed equipment repairs and replacements.
The following video offers several good suggestions for using data to make decisions:
IoT solutions adapt to operations of all sizes
IoT devices can be used in operations of all sizes. Companies can start with one IoT system and migrate to another. This way, making use of technology doesn't have to be overwhelming or seen as more trouble than it's worth. As employees learn to use software that interprets IoT data, they can receive greater complexity and efficiency, leading to ever-increasing benefits like those listed above.
If you liked this, be sure to check out our other IoT articles.
- IoT: 5 predictions
- Internet of Things: The next level of security
- IoT trends
- Is your IoT security robust enough?
