Learning about Industry 4.0 can quickly be overwhelming, especially with many misconceptions surrounding smart factory technology. In this exploration, we debunk common misconceptions about Industrial IoT manufacturing solutions, from the role of humans in the age of automation to the accessibility, affordability, and integration of smart factory technology.
Our goal is to reveal the truths that can propel manufacturers toward a future of efficiency, innovation, and success. Let’s step into the world of intelligent manufacturing as we debunk the myths that may be holding back your operations.
Industrial IoT Manufacturing Myths Debunked
Myth 1: Technology Will Replace Humans
In automation terms, the mechanical muscle of robots and cobots has become an integral part of manufacturing industries such as Food and Beverage, CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), Automotive, Steel, Industrial Packaging to name a few. However, today’s automation goes beyond the physical creation of goods.
The threat of these automated machines is often seen as a risk to job security for manufacturing workers, and while this may be true regarding physical labor requirements on the shop floor, there is a whole world of digital technologies, such as IIoT smart factory technology, that still require human intervention.
While it’s true that implementing smart factory software will reduce the amount of labor needed during operations, workers are still required for some supervisory control, data acquisition, and management.
Workers are still needed to ACT on the real-time data that is automatically collected by smart factory technology to make smart decisions. Smart factory software provides the necessary visualization of this data throughout the factory, however, it’s up to the workers to make smart, data-driven, decisions around day to day process optimization.
Workers are also needed to develop a continuous improvement culture that utilizes information gathered from smart factory technology to create, experiment, implement, and measure process improvement ideas.
Investing in IIoT technology is investing in your future workforce. Having an ecosystem of complex and sophisticated new tools, such as a smart factory IIoT platform with reporting and analytics, is key to attracting the right skilled workers and sustaining younger workers who are seeking more than a job and aiming to build their careers and advance their skills in the industry.
Myth 2: Smart Factory Solutions are too Expensive
One of the most common myths is that smart factory IIoT software costs too much. In reality, IIoT solutions can end up saving you money and resource time. Today’s innovative smart factory technology is primarily cloud-based which means no additional hardware is necessary to get the system up and running. You also don’t have to waste precious resources and IT time installing complex infrastructure.
How exactly does smart factory technology help save manufacturers money? Think of it this way. Shop floor machines can generate mountains of data every minute. Using inexpensive IoT devices such as smart sensors, smart factory technology can tap into the pulse of these machines (even legacy machines) to extract meaningful real-time data to provide actionable insights to reduce bottlenecks, improve productivity, and employee engagement.
These improvements, in turn, create a significant positive financial impact on your operations’ bottom line. With the right smart factory technology vendor, manufacturers can realize fast ROI and establish long-term, sustainable process improvements to future-proof operations. The question is, can you afford to miss out on this opportunity in such an increasingly competitive market?
Myth 3: IIoT Solutions Cannot Integrate With Existing Systems
It’s not uncommon to see systems such as MES, MRPs, ERPs, and even legacy manufacturing systems on factory floors. These systems often have a long-standing history with the operations. The myth that IIoT solutions cannot integrate with these existing systems often deter manufacturers from implementing new i4.0 technology.
The truth is that with the right smart factory technology vendor, existing systems such as MEs, MRPs, and ERPs can be integrated with the solution for bidirectional information exchange creating seamless data flow with centralized information.
Myth 4: It’s too Difficult to Implement the Systems
The beauty of cloud-based software is that you can quickly connect all types of machinery and systems to enable accurate real-time data collection, immediately. Working with the right software vendor is also important to gain extensive industry-specific experience which means that they will know how to help you quickly create intuitive and customized dashboards within the system that deliver actionable information to the right person at the right time.
Cloud-based smart factory solutions are typically rolled out with ease across multiple lines, areas, factories, and locations, eliminating the high price tag often associated with on-premises solutions. Also, deployment of cloud smart factory technology usually takes 3 months to implement, which is significantly shorter compared to the full year it often takes to roll out on-premises solutions.
Myth 5: Smart Technology is not Accessible Shop Floor Wide
This myth couldn’t be further from the truth. Smart factory technology enables access to all information on the production process at any time, whether it’s on your smartphone, shop floor monitors, or computers. Critical real-time operations data can also be viewed remotely by management and executives 24/7 for advanced monitoring. The ability to view actionable insights in multiple facilities, lines, and locations at any time also enables executives to make decisions beyond just a single plant to determine the most efficient way to drive smart factory projects forward to become innovative champions.
This type of intelligent production system provides immediate and broader data access throughout the entire production process and from the shop floor to the top floor. Being able to access production data in real-time enables manufacturers to optimize their processes, increasing efficiency, and reducing waste and machine downtime. This leads to impactful improvements in productivity, energy consumption, quality control, greater labor management, and scheduling, and more!
Myth 6: IIoT Systems are not Safe Enough
In light of misleading information about Internet of Things (IoT) security, manufacturing companies have voiced concerns about the technology’s vulnerability. However, a collaborative effort among enterprises, security vendors, startups, and device manufacturers is paving the way for enhanced Industrial IoT (IIoT) security.
As these entities work closely together, they are prioritizing the development of secure IIoT devices, and ensuring safe data transmission between them. Security standards bodies are also actively developing processes and frameworks for secure identification in IIoT. Additionally, managed security measures and processes are providing incentives for applications, aiding production companies in reducing threats to secure data transfer.
Final Thoughts
The realities behind these misconceptions reveal the transformative power of IIoT solutions in revolutionizing the manufacturing landscape. Now armed with the truth, manufacturers can confidently unlock new opportunities and propel their operations into a realm of unprecedented productivity. It’s time to take that leap, contact us and discover the potential within smart factory software.
