Cathie Hall, MD of business solutions provider K3 Syspro, warned: “Whether manufacturing businesses are ready for the IoT or not, it is already starting to be implemented across factories nationwide. Many manufacturing businesses already operate predictive maintenance, and have taken steps to enhance the connectivity of their business critical systems inside the plant.
“As the UK moves even closer to the smart factory of the future, it is important that manufacturers board the IoT train quickly, in order to arrive at the next industrial revolution as soon as possible, or risk being left behind.”
The International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed that the IoT market in central and eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMA) is expected to expand 22% by the end of this year, reaching $14 billion in total value.
“However,” said K3 Syspro, “with this industry change comes a whole host of challenges for manufacturing businesses including connectivity, cloud storage, automation, and data analysis – challenges that must be overcome quickly if manufacturing businesses are to implement successful IoT strategies.”
The advice from K3 Syspro is for manufacturing businesses to take small steps towards IoT adoption, rather than taking a big bang approach to factory automation. Integrating the factory floor to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and business intelligence applications, can start to better connect suppliers, customers and end users in the value chain.
The latest version of SYSPRO ERP is modelled on Windows 10 technology and highlights the ascendancy of the Internet of Things, with mobility and devices that are all key elements in the application’s roadmap. K3 Syspro also has its own DataSwitch tool, which can aid Internet of Things adoption by seamlessly integrating data and connecting systems, to generate one single version of the truth throughout an enterprise.
Hall’s advice is for manufacturers to talk to technology experts to better understand the beneficial role of IoT in the modern supply chain, and use it to its maximum potential: “Many manufacturers are already utilising the IoT on the factory floor and not actually aware of it. Others are still operating slow supply chains and struggling to integrate disparate systems.
“Wherever your manufacturing business is in its automation journey, it’s worth building an IoT strategy sooner rather than later, to make sure your business remains competitive, as the sector heads even closer towards Industry 4.0.”
