Every human tries to avoid mistakes.
But now — with smart devices and intelligent machinery enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) — things can avoid mistakes, too.
Which is good, because there are lots of mistakes being made in manufacturing facilities:
- 16% of plants report scrap and rework rates that are 10% or more of plant sales
- On-time delivery is 90% or worse at about one-third of plants
- 12% of plants had manufacturing cost increases (exclusive of purchased materials) of more than 10% in the last three years.
It doesn’t have to be this way. With IoT technologies, machines can supervise themselves and prevent problems:
- An overheated machine can warn maintenance that it needs repairs before failure — and a fulfilment delay
- Stamping equipment can detect a tiny variance in product specifications — and stop for recalibration before a high volume of poor-quality product moves downstream.
- Intelligent motor controls report data that allows ongoing analysis of manufacturing costs — helping managers to improve asset availability, labor allocation, energy management, etc.
A Connected Enterprise — with intelligent machines communicating with information technology systems — also offers insights for senior executives to develop long-term operations strategies.
For example, will improved asset management and production leveling lessen the need for investments in additional capacity — in effect, finding a “hidden factory?”
Best of all, the IoT and Connected Enterprise benefits are available to manufacturers today.
Rockwell Automation has proven their effectiveness repeatedly, with both an internal implementation, as well as ongoing deployment within customer operations.
The new efficiencies are real — and are changing the very nature of competition in market after market.
Intelligent results start with an intelligent decision to get connected. What are you waiting for?
