Introduction to Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things

Change is the only constant and it should be the technology world that takes it even further where there is always a new technology or new innovation every hour. Every industry from supply chains to manufacturing to heavy industries like automobiles and heavy electronics today is standing just in front of the industrial revolution 4.0. So what is industry 4.0? It is a phase in the history of technology where huge machines in factories to small tech innovations will go through massive changes. We will talk about it here in Introduction to Industry 4.0.

The rise of the industrial internet of things is heavily influenced by interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. It encourages more informed decision-making, more productivity, and less waste. All of them together bring a more holistic approach to all industries. Let’s bring more light to the Introduction to Industry 4.0 and find out how the industrial internet of things brings the 4th industrial revolution

What is the need for the industrial revolution 4.0?

We have been doing great since the IT revolution in the 1970s and robots have been working just fine do we really need to bear all the costs of developing industry 4.0 software and equally capable hardware. Yeah, it may seem to provide so much information sometimes that might seem to be too much. It might even seem like information overload sometimes. Do we really need this?

Here is a good reason to reconsider the industrial internet of things

The mentality of “Don’t fix if it ain’t broken” does not really comply with the modern world. We would still be riding horses if we followed that. Today when all of your competitors are thriving for new innovations for getting more efficiency and making more profits a wise business owner should use the time when they have to crush the competition and dominate the market. Here are the things you can expect from the influence of revolution 4.0.

• connected devices that can sense, communicate and store information about themselves
• public and/or private data communications infrastructure
• analytics and applications that generate business information from raw data;
• storage for the data that is generated by the IIoT devices

How did the evolution towards industry 4.0 come?

1st Industrial evolution: We don’t want to make you read history but we believe once you see how the previous industrial revolutions have changed the course of history it might be easier for you to realize the significance of industrial revolution 4.0. The 1st industrial revolution came back in the late 1700 century when steam-powered motors replaced manual labour from humans and animals.

2nd Industrial Revolution: The second industrial revolution came in the early 20th century from the introduction of electricity which made the huge industrial machines in factories became more efficient and more importantly more mobile. It boosted productivity and made mass production possible bringing the 2nd industrial revolution.

3rd Industrial Revolution: Factories drifted off from mechanical dominant to electronic dominant. After the 1950s drifting started becoming faster and faster and with electronics came the game-changer. Welcome the computer. During this period, manufacturers began experiencing a shift that put less emphasis on analogue and mechanical technology and more on digital technology and automation software.

NOW The 4th Industrial Revolution: We used to think the previous 3rd industrial revolution was the ultimate when the machine took most of the efforts away and what people mostly do was putting all the thinking work into the machine. Until the industrial revolution, 4.0 started to emerge on the horizon. Here the effort from robots takes to the new limits where it also takes away some of the brain work from the humans as well. Here interconnectivity makes everything from managing to controlling things so much easier.

Significance of industry 4.0: With the introduction of industry 4.0 a new concept came of real-time data availability, it made required maintenance possible. Saving money from not required routine maintenance. Here all the data helps get a more comprehensive approach and takes a more holistic approach all over the manufacturing process. It connects physical with digital and allows for better collaboration and access across departments, partners, vendors, products, and people. As a business person that means you will have better control and understand every aspect of their operation with the help of the instant data to boost productivity, improve processes, and drive growth.

IIoT vs IoT, how IIoT is diffrent from Iot ?

IoT and IIoT have more commonalities than they have differences most of them use the same kinds of technology like cloud platform sensors and actuators, the connectivity layer, the software layer, etc.

When some connecting applications are used for connecting devices across multiple platforms of different industries like agriculture, healthcare, enterprise, and consumer utilities using smart applications connective hardware, and cloud servers to back it up it is called IoT. IoT is something that is used in industries that don’t create a sudden emergency situation that can claim lives.

On the other hand, IIoT applications connect machines and devices where if things go wrong it can cause many problems and even be lethal. Like oil and gas industries. Here IIoT applications are made more premium and more sophisticated which are more efficient and safer to use in such places. It’s not that user-centric instead it focuses more on health and safety.

Where IIoT can be used?

How much benefit IIoT can have in the market right now can be easily understood if you put that into the use of current industries and see what difference it brings. Here are the top 3 ways it can be used in current industries in the manufacturing sector.

Supply chain management and optimization: As we said before it enables greater insights, control, and better data visibility across their entire supply chain. By leveraging supply chain management capabilities, companies can deliver products and services to market faster, cheaper, and with better quality to gain an advantage over less-efficient competitors.

Predictive maintenance/analytics: Routine maintenance costs so much and most of the time problems cant be found before they happened also it leads to more increased downtime which obviously hampers the overall manufacturing process. Industry 4.0 give manufacturers the ability to predict before it actually happens. Here systems can sense if something is even partially malfunctioning and then it sends a notification telling something needs to be replaced or repaired. With the help of modern data analysis software, it can collect data from servers on what symptoms cause what problems. Also, it can be prevented i the future is also suggested.

Asset tracking and optimization: Asset tracking is one of the hardest things to do while in the industry. What becomes so easy with the help of IIoT. At any stage of the supply chain, IIoT enables easy tracking of inventory quality, optimization opportunities, and other information. With the IoT in place in the manufacturing plant. With IoT in place at a factory, employees can get better visibility into their assets worldwide. Standard asset management tasks such as asset transfers, disposals, reclassifications, and adjustments can be streamlined and managed centrally and in real-time.

Pros and Cons of IIoT

What are the benefits of the industry 4.0 model factory and IIoT?

More competitive edge: E-Commerce giants like Amazonis always putting so much effort into making their delivery system smoother. Though their drone delivery was supposed to come near about a decade ago and we still haven’t seen them it’s quite safe to admit that their delivery system has quite a lot evolved in the last decade. Most probably the same thing is happening from the end of your other competitors as well. If you want to see such growth you have to keep in mind that Amazon is one of your competitors. So in order to compete and get a more competitive advantage implementing IIoT can be a great idea as all the data available can be used in your favour.

Attract a newer new workforce: Modern tech-loving generation who always has all the information in their hands always this time implementing IIoT can attract the new young workforce into your facility. It is also helpful to retain the remaining workforce.

Making team more collaborative:  After implementing IIoT you can expect more efficiency in your facility more effective collaborative actions in departments and predictive analysis that allows employees and management to use the full leverage of real-time data as a byproduct. It enables more efficiency and easy managing of day-to-day responsibilities.

It allows you to address potential issues before they become big problems:  Predictive analytics, real-time data, internet-connected machinery, and automation can all help you be more proactive when it comes to addressing and solving potential maintenance and supply chain management issues.

It allows you to trim costs, boost profits, and fuel growth: Industry 4.0 technology helps you manage and optimize all aspects of your manufacturing processes and supply chain. For example, you will get all the information about the location and condition of a product. It also gives you a notification. It gives you access to the real-time data and insights you need to make smarter, faster decisions about your business, which can ultimately boost the efficiency and profitability of your entire operation.

What are the drawbacks of the industry 4.0 model factory and IIoT?

Security Risks: Being connected all the time in the amalgamation of so many technologies always comes with the risk of security threats in IoT. Speciality when so many devices are connected the vulnerable attack surface gets so much wide that means more vulnerabilities to infiltrate. So in order to achieve security, you must have to keep an eye on this aspect. Using tools like multi-factor authentication, encryption protocols, and proper IT infrastructure to maintain a wall against outside threats.

Technology challenges: Some people believe they need to rip out serviceable legacy systems in order to achieve IIoT benefits and max out security. Not only is this untrue, but there are also multiple avenues available to integrate IIoT connectivity with legacy systems, including the use of parallel gateway systems, video cameras, and edge devices.

Employees may have a hard time figuring out:  Sometimes IIoT might come with this drawback. While a new workforce might get attracted to the high-tech connected environment there will always be some people who won’t prefer this. This might cause some minor problems in dissolving the problems. Though some communication will be enough to resolve it.

Cost:  Many companies are already struggling with costs vs. revenue,  so investment in IoT infrastructure at this time may seem overwhelming, especially when the benefits feel unclear.  However, operators who use good research and planning to integrate IoT technologies into their existing operations can see significant improvements in their key performance indicators including reduced production costs, decreased time to market, and increased outputs of up to 200 per cent.

Do you Need Help?

If all the information above got your attention and looking for someone who can make that for you, Here at Kotai Electronics as one of the best IoT development companies in India with more than 4.8 ratings and over 10years of experience can help you with that. If you want to know how much the implementation might cost and how much time it will take or how the IIoT development will take place head to our services page for more information.

Conclusion

In order to take everything in line and get the most efficiency out of your production line choosing IIoT will be the best bet for you. Probably if you are thinking about the vulnerabilities, you don’t need to worry about them. We have already done that for you. As we know what are the vulnerabilities we know how we will solve that as well. You just need to find a company with good experience in that field and have a good long-term business relationship with them as managing it will be on them. Hope you had a great time reading our article. Thank you for reading. Have a great day.