6 Benefits of Automation in Manufacturing

Advantages of automation in production

Automation has a lot to offer the manufacturing industry, from improved maintenance to reduced costs and improved safety. As technology advances, manufacturing companies around the world are using automation tools and techniques to streamline their processes and increase workforce productivity.

Minimal or no human intervention is required in automated manufacturing processes that can autonomously perform material handling, inspection, processing and assembly operations.

Today, automation in manufacturing companies is complemented by the Internet of Things (IoT), which has now become a global technology that is revolutionizing a wide range of industrial processes. Manufacturing process automation involves IoT devices or a network of sensors to collect important production data, store the data in the cloud, and use analytical techniques to turn that data into valuable insights.

So, it can be said that IoT has greatly facilitated automation in the manufacturing process, but from a business perspective, the benefits of automation in manufacturing through the use of IoT have remained unclear.

Product quality control

Checking the quality of the manufactured product before it reaches the target audience is the most important responsibility of manufacturing industries. Without quality control automation, people are employed to manually inspect the product for defects. Through automation, the highest quality products are distributed to the market. IoT makes the quality control process highly proactive and automated.

Environmental conditions, machine conditions and equipment calibration are the main parameters for monitoring the quality of an automated manufacturing process. For example, if an IoT sensor value reaches a threshold that can lead to a potential product defect, then the automated quality monitoring system generates alerts while identifying the source of the problem. The system enables manufacturers to take appropriate measures to correct quality errors and reduce the production of substandard products.

2 Effective inventory management

Inventory management processes in the manufacturing industry are highly automated today. However, effective inventory management is not possible without integrating IoT devices into production processes. In this regard, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) makes inventory management a seamless and efficient process. In such processes, an RFID tag is attached to each item in the inventory, which in turn consists of a unique identification number (UID) that contains digital information about the product.

The role of IoT in this regard is to convert data collected through RFID sensors into valuable information. For example, based on the data collected on the location and quantity of inventory, an automated inventory management architecture can be used to calculate the type and quantity of raw materials needed to complete a product's life cycle. This ultimately reduces product waste and costs.

With the help of IoT, supply chain managers have ensured complete transparency regarding the production in progress, raw material supply and realistic estimates of available material etc. This in turn reduces product handling time and ensures efficient processing of materials for production.

3 Plan for effective maintenance

Manufacturers typically use time-based procedures and approaches to develop a plant and machinery maintenance plan. It can be said that the time approach for the maintenance plan is neither cost effective nor efficient. With this in mind, manufacturing companies can use automation, data science and industrial IoT for predictive maintenance and avoid inefficient maintenance routines. IoT sensors can be connected to the device to monitor the operating environment and determine the need for maintenance.

Rapid equipment repairs and service can streamline the maintenance process, lead to substantial cost savings, avoid downtime, and easily assign work to field technicians. This predictive maintenance modeling can make it easier for managers to easily identify system discrepancies and perform root cause analysis to prevent production delays and machine failures. It can therefore be said that IoT not only automates production, but also helps in the long-term maintenance of heavy equipment.

4 Safety of workers

worker safety must be a high priority. Automation helps manufacturers maintain high safety standards for their workers by using machines instead of humans to perform dangerous work. This manufacturing automation combines IoT and data analytics to ensure worker safety. It uses a combination of the above technologies to monitor various KPIs, such as machine damage, hazardous material presence, vehicle accident or worker absence, which can impact worker well-being and normal operations. Automation and wearable IoT devices are the perfect solution for worker safety.

With the help of such devices, the health status of workers can be continuously monitored. For example, instead of manually identifying hazards, IoT automation tools can be used to determine a worker's exposure to harmful fumes, fatigue, heart rate, stress level, and things in the environment that can harm workers' health. This information can be used by business owners to improve the work environment.

Conclusion-

Thus, automation in manufacturing processes using IoT devices can prevent workplace injuries as well as the risk of workplace accidents, which in turn helps manufacturers in building a safe work environment.

For more details about products that have eased the work of humans by improving the material handling system, please visit our official website -https://nandan.co.in/