Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 - Why do I care?
Manufacturers have more information available to them today than at any other point in history. The issue for most leaders and decision makers is the relevancy of that information. In its simplest form, the Internet of Things is the capability of a device to post key or critical information about itself over a communication link to other systems, either on in internal network or out to the cloud, for the purpose of decision making or controlling other activities. In the manufacturing world, whether it’s an oven baking ceramics, a machine stacking bottles or time critical operations reporting an input conveyor being empty, the ability to better deliver the information from those devices to those responsible for the systems performance, is the reason the Internet of Things has moved from your house or car to the manufacturing floor.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Capital equipment being purchased today often has the capacity to be connected to the rest of the production process. This equipment is able to send key information and data points to systems that are monitoring production via a Virtual Dashboard. The IIoT is the networking of a multitude of devices connected by a variety communications technologies that report measurements and results to systems that can monitor, collect, exchange, analyze, and deliver valuable relevant data.
The driving philosophy behind the IIoT is that smart systems are better than humans at accurately and consistently capturing and communicating actionable data for making decisions. This data can enable companies to analyze inefficiencies and problems more rapidly, saving time, money and supporting business with real intelligent data from which to make the best decisions.
How Northern Apex fits Into the IIoT Landscape
Northern Apex provides the technologies that take isolated, disconnected machines or work center processes and connect them with the rest of the production landscape. In addition, we connect all the things that move around your facility, (raw materials, products, tools, people, fork lifts, and delivery trucks) the types of things that don’t have an Ethernet port, WiFi or Bluetooth connection, to collect their associated data to provide a more complete understanding of the production environment. Northern Apex has demonstrated the ability to gather these new data points with scanners, encoders, readers, sensors and id tags. We provide the hardware, software and expertise to capture and store the data then connect it to pre-existing business management systems like ERP, MRP, and MES.
The insights derived from the captured data can then help drive smarter, faster business decisions for industrial companies. The Industrial Internet connects machines and devices in industries such as oil and gas, power generation, and healthcare, where there is more at stake or where system failures and unplanned downtime significantly impact the bottom line of the business.
These interruptions can result in life-threatening or high-risk situations for employees or equipment. For example, the Industrial Internet creates machines that tell operators how to optimize productivity or detect a failure before it occurs, potentially saving companies billions of dollars a year.
It doesn’t matter which area of manufacturing and industrial control someone is responsible for, this type of system and device connectivity brings unprecedented value to the decision making process.
The IIoT, Data Collection and Item Identification in Practice In the area of Tool Tracking, systems are now being fielded that not only have decreased the amount of time required to keep track of tool issuance but the tools contain enough data about themselves that systems can immediately notify a service tech if the tool is out of calibration.
In the larger general area of production process control, methods exist to keep automated paint systems from painting parts the wrong color while at the same time reporting time critical WIP visibility of components needed to keep downline processes flowing. Production environments are also greatly impacted by misidentification of items. In this next generation of the manufacturing world the items and tools tell the world what they are and how they’re configured.
Order Fulfillment
Within the Supply Chain getting the right items for an order heading to the correct destination allows shipping and receiving to look totally different. The new shipping process, with the solution in place, begins as before with the retailer placing an order and the warehouse filling the order. The change occurs after the box is sealed and a shipping label is applied. The shipping label is scanned for the order destination information. The destination is then used to access the order details in the system. The contents of the box which have been RFID tagged are then scanned with RFID and compared to the order confirming that the right sizes and colors of clothing are in-fact being shipped. If there are any errors the order is diverted to be corrected.
Property Asset Management
Maintaining accurate records of fixed assets can be a time consuming and expensive task for any company. Items like IT equipment, office equipment, and tools all have value. Tracking these items can increase bottom line profits. Rather than wasting time searching for and replacing lost assets, you can keep track of all your valuable assets with a convenient, easy to use complete asset tracking system that is regularly managed. Often, solutions in this field are integrated into larger ERP systems, but they can be stand-alone solutions too.
The bulk of assets that are tracked can generally be tagged with a barcode or RFID label. In some cases, pictures can be used to track assets that cannot be tagged with other methods. This is viable if your software choice supports that option.
The software that you choose to drive property asset tracking will require you to consider how the application will be used. Do you have a need to not only track the asset but its last known location? Was it a piece of property assigned to a person and how is that transaction recorded?
Spending time at the beginning of the process to answer questions will allow you to make the best decision on what your solution needs to provide.
Tracking products doesn’t end at the factory wall. Traceability and Authentication solutions help to protect the company brand after items ship from the facility. This is vitally important to many manufacturers whose products may be resold or counterfeited, eroding the trust and damaging the reputation which has been so carefully built and maintained over years. For product identification, there are several factors to take into consideration. Do you need to identify a specific product through serialization or just verify it is not a “knock-off”? What technology would work best for your application? Many choose barcodes but some find RFID has a better overall return on investment. Tying this identification into your manufacturing process will require hardware and software. Those choices are driven entirely by your specific needs. The solution can be as simple as a bar code reader or perhaps a more complex solution like an RFID tunnel to scan many items very quickly. All of this information can easily be fed back into your data systems for long-term tracking of warranty and manufacturing data.
Companies make a huge investment in Totes and Bins but often struggle with loss prevention and tracking. Hooking these items into the Internet of Things and making them part of the ‘Smart Factory’ allows you to automatically track a returnable transport container throughout its cycle- from the time it arrives into your facility, as it moves through your processes, and when it ships back to your supplier. This automated tracking provides accurate management of mission-critical parts- keeping your work flowing.
With Smart Personnel Tracking manufacturers install readers at a workstation or defined area which allows them to monitor which employees are present and for how long. This provides measurements of labor efficiency and allows insights into workflow productivity. Once captured the data makes it possible to analyze employee movement patterns to identify inefficiencies and bottle necks in production, automate piece rate accounting per employee, account for employees in emergencies and much more.