Manufacturing – Opportunities for Innovation
1. INTRODUCTION
In a global economy, countries across the world compete to gain market share of the manufacturing sector. For a country and for an organization, productivity in manufacturing is an important measure that determines its prospects for growth and its ability to compete globally. Productivity, which is a measure of output compared to input, could be improved by the introduction of digital technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things( IIoT). A leading management consulting firm estimates the value from the Internet of Things will arise chiefly from productivity improvements through equipment maintenance, inventory optimization, energy savings and labor efficiencies 15. This paper discusses the role of IIoT in improving productivity in manufacturing.
2. IMPACT OF IIOT ON PRODUCTIVITY – INFERENCE BASED ANALYSIS
As per Moore’ s law( higher circuit density at reduced cost), the cost of MCU( microcontroller unit) and platforms( cloud-based, scalable, highly available, distributed solution) will keep falling, which will reduce expenses. The availability of financially viable sensors, software and devices( modules and gateway) enables manufacturers to sense more, analyze more and generate compelling business value. Additive manufacturing technology such as Aerosol Jet technology is providing an innovative printing solution for the production of 3D antennas and 3D sensors that are tightly integrated with underlying products such as industrial components( turbine blades, airframe struts, etc.). This technology effectively produces 3D printed electronics: It is highly agile and eliminates the need for the series of operations involved in manufacturing 16. The output produced by this technology is driven by CAD data. Such printed sensors will enable data collection from areas that are not easy to reach. Statistical treatment of data will result in the quantification of processes and this, in turn, will assist in the discovery and elimination of inefficiencies.
The advancing technology provides an evolving platform where innovation can thrive. Use of technology will impact operational efficiencies, business models and market boundaries. Intel already has wins to show 17. In one of its factories, Intel installed sensors on equipment known as
15
James Manyika, Michael Chui etal, Unlocking the potential of the Internet of Things( June 2015) accessed on 3 April 2016, http:// www. mckinsey. com / business-functions / business-technology / our-insights / the-internet-ofthings-the-value-of-digitizing-the-physical-world
16
The Internet of Things, Accessed on 12 June 2016, http:// www. optomec. com / printed-electronics / aerosol-jetcore-applications / internet-of-things /
17
Tata Consultancy Services, Internet of Things: The Complete Reimaginative Force( July 2015), accessed 20 March 2016, http:// www. tcs. com / SiteCollectionDocuments / White % 20Papers / Internet-of-Things-The-Complete- Reimaginative-Force. pdf
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