Industrial Applications Of IoT
In this article, we will go over various industrial IoT applications. We shall first look at how IoT can enhance manufacturing and industrial processes, take a brief look at IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and then look at ten mind-boggling applications of IIoT. So buckle up, take notes and read till the end of the article.
What is IIoT?
IIoT stands for “Industrial Internet of Things”. It is a widely used application of IoT that uses smart sensors and devices to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes. IIoT is also referred to as “industry 4.0”.
One of the major advantages of IIoT is that it enables companies to pick up on inefficiencies and problems sooner and save time and money while supporting business intelligence efforts. Industrial IoT also helps in processes such as Predictive maintenance (PdM), enhanced field service, energy management, asset tracking, and a lot more.
Industrial IoT is mainly used to reduce human intervention and supervision over machines as these devices communicate important information that can drive business decisions faster and more accurately.
To know more about the fascinating topic of IIoT, you can read my other article, where I have explained IIoT in immense depth. I have covered its working, vendors, future, benefits, risks, etc.
Applications of IIoT
IoT constantly changes the way industries manufacture, transport, and maintain their assets and materials. IoT devices can keep track of resources, usage, and product quality while providing opportunities to automate specific tasks and generate actionable insights about the supply chain. Let us look at some applications of IoT in the industrial sector:
1. Product Enhancements
IIoT enhances product quality and collects and stores large amounts of information and data that owners can access. Hence, IoT acts as a reliable source of information about any product, ensuring better profits. Moreover, it completely changes old methods, as previously, developing products would require heavy market research and customer suggestions.
2. Quick Responding to Market Demands
Industrial and manufacturing companies’ job is to meet and satisfy market demands. Factors like taste and preferences, the population’s income, consumer expectations, and country capital should be considered to respond to market demands.
To obtain such information, constant research could cause heavy losses to businesses and future decisions. It is where IoT comes to help. IIoT can store and collect information continuously and does not require much human intervention. Moreover, the data collected by IoT is accurate to a great extent.
3. Waste Reduction
Since IIoT replaces manual labour in many places, it reduces the dependency on humans to perform background checks for products. Even maintenance checks are time-consuming and usually require manual labour.
But IIoT manages and optimises the usage of resources, such as raw materials, time, minerals, etc., which is excellent for reducing waste and offering cost-effective and feasible methods for complicated problems.
4. Quality and Safety Control
Manufacturers can predict the breakdown of certain machinery parts and offer solutions instead of waiting for the machine to collapse. It is because IIoT enables real-time monitoring of appliances and products in the industry through sensors and security webcams.
IIoT also reduces the dependency of certain automation on manual labour as it benefits systems by monitoring the status of engines, machinery, and their mechanism.
IIoT can avoid hazardous scenarios that imply a threat to the workers. Machines that are part of IIoT can generate real-time data can help monitor equipment damages, plant air quality and the frequency of illnesses in a company, and many more
5. Managing Inventory
When paired with Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID), IoT technology can represent inventory management as a seamless and efficient process. Why? Well, each inventory comes with an RFID tag, and each tag generates its own Unique Identification (UID), which we can use to recognise and access for various purposes.
The RFID tag collects various data that are vital in running most organisations. The system also sends notifications to users in case of missing inventory.
6. Predictive Maintenance
As discussed above, IoT devices keep a constant tab on machines that allow individuals to monitor the status and conditions of the machines. With IoT’s routine automated checks, manufacturers need not check machines and engines regularly.
With the help of IIoT, machines are now carrying out their own maintenance without outside support and informing the users about threats through mobile applications.
Predictive maintenance is an automated process where the device schedules a routine self-maintenance check to keep track of its functionality. Upon finding bugs and damages, it reports the same to respective authorities, who then take action to fix the ongoing issues.
7. Smart Packing
Another great application of IIoT is smart packing, which is used to do more than just pack products. Smart packing also allows users to interact with the package and resolve their queries regarding the product, or delivery. Smart packing involves IoT technologies like sensors and QR codes to interact with consumers and collect necessary data.
8. Smart Metering
Smart metering is an excellent application of IIoT that allows the consumption of resources more effectively and reduces the wastage of these precious resources.
Smart meters track the consumption of various materials like water, fuels, electricity, and many more. Apart from measuring the usage of these resources, they also deploy methods to consume them more efficiently.
9. Monitoring Production Flow
We all know that it is manually challenging to manage and track production. Thus, we use IIoT to provide owners with real-time data to monitor the prediction, give information about the parts of machines and initiate service calls when they notice a breakdown or damaged parts.
10. Monitoring Workshops
Manufacturing workshops have a complicated energy flow in manufacturing tools and substances, leading to high energy consumption with less efficiency.
However, with the help of IoT, we can design effective monitoring systems to gather and trace energy consumption by these workshops to improve the conditions.
These are only a few scenarios and fields in which the industrial sector uses and can use IoT to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes. However, there are countless more examples where we can use IoT to develop a nation.
11. Automation
The biggest and most common application of IIoT is automating processes. Why? Because automation in the industrial sector improves accuracy, and efficiency, reduces errors, easy to control, and is remotely accessible through applications.
There are numerous automation tools like PLC (Programmable Logic Control) and PAC (Programmable Automation Control), and many more. These tools are used with smart sensor networks connected to a central cloud system which collects a vast amount of data.
12. Robotics
Nowadays, most companies are developing smart robot systems for IoT-enabled factories to ensure the smooth handling of tools and materials in the manufacturing line with precise accuracy and efficiency.
Summary
You have now learned many applications for the industrial Internet of Things. In this article, we have seen ten examples: enhancing products, waste reduction, smart packing, managing inventory, monitoring workshops, responding to market demands, smart metering, and more.