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Implementing the Internet of Things incrementally

Optimizing existing technologies to integrate data is a way to increase productivity and efficiency, and it doesn’t have to all happen in one fell swoop.

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Promising as it does to transform manufacturing as we know it, the Internet of Things (IoT) has created a lot of buzz. It may sound like hype or something that will only come about in the distant future; however, there is some practical truth to the sensationalism. And it’s a lot closer to reality than many realize.

First, let’s take a look at exactly what the IoT is. The Internet of Things is an environment in which smart objects such as sensors have the ability to transmit data to each other and to centralized databases without any human interaction required. While the days in which every electronic device is somehow tagged and transmitting data are unlikely to occur in the next few years, we will see more integration of data and systems in the near future.

Starting from zero and creating complete IoT requires a substantial investment in hardware, software, and networking systems. Fortunately most manufacturers already have several of the key components of IoT currently on their plant floor, and can therefore implement IoT concepts incrementally.

IoT will begin with leveraging existing technologies to create a more comprehensive manufacturing environment; one that can quickly react to changes in the marketplace. This new paradigm relies on smart equipment and flexible networking, both common enough in today’s plants.

Moreover, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies are typically more affected by market conditions than many other manufacturing operations due to their close ties with suppliers and retailers. Therefore, these companies must remain flexible and lean, making them among the businesses most likely to benefit from IoT. Furthermore, they don’t need to achieve complete IoT to benefit from its premise of integrated communications. They can instead see gains with each step taken toward the goal of complete and automated integration.

Greater visibility into operations
The biggest benefit to implementing IoT is greater visibility into machine operation and plant performance. Industries have been collecting massive amounts of data for years, but it’s been a challenge to analyze this data so that it can lead to actionable items.

Once sensors and other sources of data are connected to controllers, the next step is connecting these controllers to advanced PC-based HMI packages. These packages offer insight into parameters such as optimal speed for quality through Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) dashboards (Figure 1) and other presentation tools.

According to Marcia Gadbois, Vice President of Schneider Electric’s InduSoft, β€œHMIs can offer much more than viewing of simple process values. By creating OEE dashboards for applications, machine operators can evaluate a process for its efficiency and make decisions based on information that is graphically displayed in an easy-to-understand context.”

Packaging is among the manufacturing environments most primed to gain from adopting OEE monitoring. Companies can use OEE dashboards to discover micro-level inefficiencies such as slowdowns and packaging defects, and they can use other HMI tools to drill down to find the root cause of these issues.

A study by a global advisory service EY called Unwrapping the Packaging Industry: Seven Factors for Success states that OEE monitoring is a differentiator in top packaging performers because it helps maximize availability and performance, while reducing quality losses.

According to the study, β€œTop performers use the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) metric hierarchy. OEE is widely used in manufacturing, but is particularly applicable to packaging given that value creation is driven by the efficient conversion of a small number of costly raw materials into a product using expensive machines and a fairly fixed labor cost.”

M2M: integral step to IoT
One of the ways to see how IoT is becoming a reality is by looking at machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. M2M refers to machines communicating directly to other equipment without any human intervention, usually through real-time controllers and HMIs. M2M is also an integral step in the development of IoT.

In today’s world, almost half of networked connections occur solely between devices, as opposed to through the Internet. From embedded sensors communicating to controllers to vision systems reporting defective parts, M2M technology is becoming more prevalent in manufacturing.

Gadbois explains, β€œMore than ever, it’s important to explore how M2M connections can help the automation industry further improve processes.” She adds that manufacturers can benefit from this technology by taking β€œproactive steps to improve everything from supply-line efficiency to preventive maintenance.”

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