The Fourth Industrial Revolution is well underway, with automation, AI and machine learning becoming a reality
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, has created boundless opportunities to make improvements to existing processes. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in particular promises to revolutionise manufacturing and engineering businesses.
The IIoT is a technology solution. It relies on sensors and smart devices to collect and collate data from equipment relating to its performance and operation. It simply wouldn’t exist without the technology platform that enables it.
But success in the use of the IIoT demands more than just technology. While it is important to understand the potential benefits of IIoT, a mature strategy for its adoption acknowledges the presence of some of the wider organisational challenges to its adoption.
Clear benefits
The IIoT is all about the flow of data. Now, collecting and analysing business data isn’t an especially new idea. But when there are very large datasets involved, it is necessary to be able to handle high volumes of data, and more particularly to be able to analyse that data effectively. Assuming that established data analytics processes will automatically be able to cope with IIoT data could be short-sighted.
In the maintenance sector, the value of IIoT can be seen in the way it can help avoid unwanted downtime. If a machine is getting too hot, or generating excessive vibration, readings taken from that machine can be spotted immediately and action can be taken. It might be something as simple as a part needing to be cleaned or required adjustments to the lubrication. The sooner it is dealt with the less likely a problematic failure will occur.
“When it comes to maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), so much of what takes place today would have been familiar to anyone working in the field 10 or 20 years ago,” says Richard Jeffers, Solutions and Technical Director at RS. “Something stops working, an engineer is summoned to fix it, they identify the problem, source the relevant parts and get everything back on track.”
There’s little doubt that smart machines and sensors are better than people at capturing data like that in real time. They can also transmit it in real time too, providing accuracy, reliability and consistency of information. Maintenance can become a proactive, preventative measure rather than a break-fix initiative.
The IIoT also offers opportunities for increased automation. Resources can be better planned and allocated, with routine, mundane operations taken on by robots, leaving people time to do more valuable tasks. Twinned with a pro-active maintenance strategy based on condition monitoring, this can lead to increased productivity and efficiency as well as reductions in downtime.