SMART MANUFACTURING
Microsoft
Azure IoT manufacturing solutions
The importance of IoT and how manufacturers can drive smarter operations When it comes to driving smarter manufacturing operations with IoT , Okamoto breaks down the benefits into three categories : 1 . Agility : this includes not only operational flexibility and efficiency but also responsiveness to demand / market changes and shorter time-to-market .
2 . Advanced operations : automation with data analytics to reduce production errors , provide predictive maintenance , and improve worker safety , for instance .
3 . Intelligence : timely insights to make decisions on both day-to-day operations and on new products / services / business models to grow revenue .
“ One of IoT ’ s great strengths is that it generates huge amounts of data which can then be used to make smarter decisions . Using tools like artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine learning ( ML ) in conjunction means manufacturers can leverage insights from collected data to increase efficiencies and speed up the rate of development , while at the same time reducing errors and ensuring the highest quality of production ,” says Sims .
“ While IoT in the manufacturing industry has been on the cards for some time now , it will see renewed importance as we emerge from the pandemic ,” says Sims , who further explains that by introducing newer concepts alongside AI and ML , like edge computing solutions , manufacturers
72 August 2021