We live in a digital era. Data is all around us and, at the manufacturing level, the vast amount of real-time information available offers new perspectives into processes. Smartly used, the data can provide a roadmap to continuous process progress and a drastic increase in production efficiency.
The significantly reduced cost of sensors and the growing computing capabilities have made IoT (Internet of Things) omnipresent, widely available and scalable.
Nevertheless, collecting loads of data from the manufacturing sector is no longer enough. It is rather about being able to understand the data and act upon consequences. Thus, digital elements converge into some sort of superior meta-entity, eventually eliminating limitations related to distance, time and accessibility.
There is not only huge potential market value, but there is also an opportunity to build revolutionary models of human-machine and machine-machine collaboration, generate profit with creative business models, anticipate and avoid operations that could be harmful to people and the environment.
Even though a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is the first form of a digital twin, the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 manufacturing technologies have created new opportunities for how real-time data can be used to help monitor and optimize production.
Manufacturing operations are becoming extremely complex as the real-time, optimal performance of various assets is indeed a requirement and competitiveness is becoming a crucial operational strategy through digital transformation.
IoT adoption in manufacturing
The industrial IoT offers huge possibilities in an industry where time is money, automating procedures and optimizing production yields. Shortly, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) represents a way to digital transformation in manufacturing. Industrial IoT uses a network of sensors to capture important production data and uses cloud software to transform the data into valuable insights about the performance of the manufacturing operations.
The main adoption drivers for IIoT include:
- Cost reduction
- Shorter time-to-market
- Mass customization
- Improved safety
Here are some of the main ways IoT impacts manufacturing:
- the creation of intelligent machinery
- improve data collection and analysis
- more efficient resource management
The Industrial IoT enables manufacturing companies to improve performance through increasing scalability in production, reducing costs and minimizing waste. Using IoT data, manufacturers gain a deeper appreciation of the procedures in the manufacturing and supply chain, enhance demand forecasting, gain quicker market time, and maximize customer satisfaction in an ever-competitive sector.There is no longer a choice; the IoT in manufacturing is here to stay.
The IoT sensor boom is part of what makes digital twins possible. And as IoT systems are developed, smaller and less complex components may be used in the digital-twin scenarios, giving companies additional advantages.
As industrial IoT’s technology trend grows, digital twin technology is more essential now than ever before.
Digital twin technology has gone beyond manufacturing, into the merging worlds of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Digital Twin can make every process more efficient
Digital twins operate by reflecting different manufacturing processes (assets and business logic) that exist in places where the results of a whole product lifecycle are hard to predict. They can be produced for all kinds of things, from the processes of business management to the distribution and supply chains.
Digital Twins’ benefits do not stop with the optimization of manufacturing processes — after all, they can make any operation in an organization more efficient.
Advanced procedures and structures deliver substantial quantities of data, in general. For example, if several of these processes or systems are connected through the Internet, the amount of data grows dramatically. Analysis software can make use of the data for statistical assumptions, while a rule model transforms them into concrete actions.
You can find out more about the most important benefits of the digital twin in the manufacturing industry from our article How Digital Twin Technology is Transforming the Manufacturing Industry.
Going on a digital transformation trip, it begins with determining the biggest business value and increasing organizational needs, then choosing a reliable partner for digital transformation with a common vision and suitable approach. Digital twins will continue to be the most powerful business strategy in the industrialized world and a crucial stakeholder factor for revolutionizing manufacturing operations.
The digitization and connectivity of manufacturing assets are making it highly possible for manufacturers to meet customer needs with much more flexibility, deliver faster-to-market solutions and reduce their production costs.
The benefits for manufacturers of digging into this form of business process automation are huge. Not only will they be able to reduce the time spent struggling with the daily challenges, but they will be able to spend more of their time examining how they can improve their business as a system.
The manufacturing digital twin generates a higher level of visibility that provides a clear picture of what is happening on the shop floor. It is a portal to identifying where issues lie, where changes can be made and how to better optimize production.
To sum up
In short, it can be stated that digital twin technology, a cutting-edge technology innovation, will play a key role in developments for industrial IoT applications in the manufacturing industry.
Digital Twin is already helping businesses meet their consumers’ needs better and respond quickly to emerging consumer demands and there is still a lot to be explored.
The advanced technology will also continue to provide the industry with improved revenues, decreasing unnecessary costs originating from equipment and process issues.
The rise of digital twin-technology also helps reduce maintenance expenses at several levels. It also improves the quality of an organization’s production line. Ultimately, this technology trend also increases customer satisfaction, which is the manufacturing industry’s ultimate goal.