The internet has influenced and revolutionized many industries in the past few decades, and manufacturing is no different.
Here is an examination of the improvements that connected technologies have brought to the table for manufacturers around the world.
Equipment is more accessible
In the pre-internet era, the process of buying and selling the machinery used in manufacturing was complex to the point of being convoluted, and many businesses were limited in terms of equipment choice.
With the rise of online marketplaces, it is far more straightforward to buy and sell gear both domestically and internationally. The sheer variety available is also a boon, as proven by Revelation Machinery’s inventory of units. Getting high quality second hand equipment allows manufacturers to optimize their budgets and make their operations more sustainable in one fell swoop.
Data collected in real time can drive decision making
Modern machinery is kitted out with a cavalcade of sensors that generate data whenever they are in use. The number-crunching can occur on local servers or be outsourced to remote, cloud-based solutions, but in either instance the result is the same; information about equipment efficiency, the condition of key components and everything in between can be harvested and interpreted in real time.
This has a range of implications, from allowing businesses to detect which machines are costing the most in terms of energy consumption, to giving them a prior warning when a part is close to failure and needs to be replaced.
Without the interconnectedness of all these systems, such insights would be impossible to glean. With them, manufacturers can avoid costly downtime and increase productivity as well.
Build quality is improving & waste is decreasing
Leading on from the real time data-driven decision making that can be achieved thanks to the use of connected equipment in manufacturing, it is worth singling out another advantage of this state of affairs; that faults in products are becoming less common and material wastage is being reduced as a result.
This is not only relevant on a minute-to-minute basis on the factory floor, where well maintained, properly functioning machinery is a cost-saving measure for the business, but also in the broader context of maintaining the reputation of the brand in the marketplace.
Problems can be pinpointed at their source and eliminated before products leave the factory and end up in the hands of customers. This saves businesses from embarrassment and also actively enhances their reputation because they will become known for the higher quality of their offerings.
Innovation is achievable
Manufacturers could be slow to innovate in the past because of the challenges involved with making changes to production practices, let alone finding issues and inefficiencies in the first place.
Now with a rise in automation and the perks that come with a growing number of aspects of production being integrated with network connectivity, companies can be bold in their adoption of innovative new ideas, rather than aiming for caution and modest growth instead.
In short, the bright future of manufacturing is largely a result of internet connectivity making its practices easier.