Five ways the Internet of Things is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry

By Jason Ballenger

The fourth industrial revolution is upon us.

Dubbed Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things (IoT) is alive and well in the manufacturing industry, and it continues to grow. Manufacturing dominated the growth of IoT network connections in 2017, growing 84% according to Verizon’s annual study of IoT adoption.

Here are five ways the Internet of Things is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry.

1. Supply chain advancements
Omnichain and blockchain solutions are poised to make supply chains more efficient, and it allows manufacturers to react quickly to changes in their industry.

  • Omnichain
    In an omnichain approach, experts suggest having one cloud-based environment built around a unified data set which fully integrates all supply chain business processes. Manufacturers and stakeholders alike have access to all the relevant data in real-time which helps decision-makers pivot quickly if any problems arise.

    Cloud application services for the supply chain management market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 18.1% from 2013 through 2018 and is set to become a $4.2 billion opportunity in 2018, according to industry analyst firm Gartner.

  • Blockchain
    Blockchain, on the other hand, is a peer-to-peer distributed ledger that adds greater visibility and efficiency across the entire supply chain. It can be used to build transactional applications that establish trust, accountability and transparency while streamlining business processes and legal constraints.

    Some of the benefits of blockchain are:

    • Reduction or elimination of fraud and error

    • Improvement of inventory management

    • Minimization of courier costs

    • Faster identification of issues

    • Increased consumer and partner trust

      At its core, these kinds of technologies aim to reduce the cost and complexity of getting things done in the real world.

2. Digital Twins

Digital Twins is a process that pairs a machine with its identical digital counterpart. The twins experience the same working conditions and depletion, and sensors collect data that helps manufacturers.

In essence, the digital twin is the test subject to help the original function correctly and efficiently. The computerized clone allows manufacturers to optimize their machines to enhance safety, efficiency and profit.

The Digital Twins concept is helping companies like GE Aviation in a huge way. They have 30,000 Digital Twins of jet engines, giving them an incredible amount of data.

“Using the fleet data, algorithms are developed that help us spot trends, identify anomalies and see into the future—to be predictive. We can create a digital twin and predict how an engine will perform in the future. This predictability helps us identify potential problems before they happen,” said GEnx Program General Manager at GE Aviation Kathy Mackenzie during a message at the 2017 Paris Air Show.

3. Sensors

Sensors are arguably the foundation for the Internet of Things for the manufacturing industry.

“If the concepts of IIoT are to succeed, we need more effective, powerful sensors. The leaders in the Industrial Internet of Things race may well be innovators in the development of new sensor technologies,” said automation.com editor Bill Lydon.

Sensors transform the physical world into digital insights, and arm manufacturers with real-time information about their inventory, machinery, and purchased materials. They assist in the creation of analytics that can be used to understand and anticipate demand, while optimizing sourcing.

Sensors have become more advanced in the past few years, bringing on the advent of smart sensors. They are more powerful because they do the heavy-lifting of data analysis at the sensor itself. Smart sensors can be embedded in products to inform the supply chain, but they can also be used to measure temperature, humidity, vibrations, and more in factories.

4. Customer Service

By 2019, 50% of manufacturers will be collaborating directly with customers regarding new and improved product designs through cloud-based crowdsourcing, virtual reality, and product virtualization. This will lead to a 25% improvement in product success rates, according to an article on industrytoday.com.

Customer service has been improved drastically by smart sensors. They are able to gather data to improve field service scheduling and ensure that the right technicians and tools are dispatched for the job. Artificial intelligence and predictive maintenance also help deliver a better experience for the end user by learning about and correcting problem areas before a product gets too far down the line.

5. Augmented Reality

Volvo, Ford, and Lockheed Martin have all been using Augmented Reality (AR) in their manufacturing processes. Microsoft’s Hololens is a mixed-reality product that Volvo has been using in its assembly line, and it allows interaction with 3D models integrated into the physical world.

AR can also be used to transfer data on the fly. It comes in handy when assembly line workers need to refer back to a technical document.

“Your work instructions tend to be these PDFs that are hard to work through, plus they’re static documents, so they may be out of date,” Ash Eldritch, CEO and co-founder of Vital Enterprises, told engineering.com.

“We take those instructions and make them glanceable in your field of view at all times, hands-free and voice-controlled,” Eldritch continued. “So we break down the work instructions along with associated technical drawings and even video from the last person who did the procedure and put all that onto the [AR] glasses. That means you can keep your hands on your task and you don’t need to walk over to a work station to check something.”

As the hardware and software for AR improves, we are sure to see more of how it can be used in a manufacturing setting. And with a new deal to bring AR glasses to the market next year, there’s no indication it’s slowing down.