IoT and Industry 4.0 - what do they have in common?
Among the most popular acronyms in real-world technology are Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things. Although they are sometimes considered interchangeable, there is no real interchangeability between the two.
Manufacturing is already taking advantage of advanced digital technology. The advent of Industry 4.0 technology however has the potential to revolutionize the industry. Old manufacturing processes will be transformed, and efficiencies will increase. A crucial role of the Internet of Things (IoT) in this shift of production is that it allows factory workers to use more smart devices to enhance their efficiency and productivity.
IoT implementations are underway in the real world, and the promise of Industry 4.0 is now beginning to manifest itself, with smart factories and digital supply chains fuelled by data, insights, and automation.
IoT is touching our lives in every way, every day. You have a mobile device and connectivity that transmit data, means you are also a component of the Internet of Things.
Like mobile phones, there are industrial devices that are used in enterprises. Manufacturing is one such enterprise. In discussing how Industry 4.0 will benefit manufacturers, I am met with many types of questions.
The simplest explanation Industry 4.0 can be
A switch from traditional manufacturing processes to a data-driven process managed by connecting people, products, and processes while utilizing advanced technology.
What is – the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of things (IIoT)
What is IoT
The goal is to turn a dumb machine with no processing capabilities into a smarter, internet-connected device with sensors that can send and receive data over the internet and convey real-time information without the involvement of a human.
What is IIoT
IIoT is a subclass of the Internet of Things. The word relates to Internet of Things (IoT) technologies utilised in industrial contexts, such as manufacturing plants. The Internet of Things (IIoT) is a critical component of Industry 4.0, the next phase of the industrial revolution. The core difference is these sensors that are used are more rugged, goes through multiple types of tests considering the factory environment.
The Industrial Internet of Things (iIoT) is a paradigm that combines smart manufacturing machinery, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced analytics to make every factory and every worker more efficient.
By enabling the faster and more efficient collection and analysis of bigger amounts of data, the Internet of Things (IIoT) will revolutionize manufacturing. In some factories, warehouses, and workshops, manufacturers have already implemented IIoT products and processes.
Businesses are increasingly adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and machinery that can be continuously monitored, analysed, and distributed through communication technologies to collect, monitor, and analyse important insights. This technology is used differently by different firms, but the goal is unchanged: to improve operational efficiency through analytics, automation, and connectivity.
Wearable devices can give companies insights into shop floor performance, such as by providing wearable devices to shop floor employees. Industrial companies can use these important data to make more timely and well-informed decisions.
How is IIoT related to Industry 4.0?
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) involves the integration of IoT-enabled devices into manufacturing processes to improve manufacturing efficiency, product quality, comply with regulatory requirements, and make products more innovative and faster.
With the industrial Internet of Things, manufacturing businesses have access to increased visibility throughout the manufacturing process, and data is available instantly to consumers and applications.
In a manufacturing facility there are different formats of machines that are used for production. All these machines have a programmable logic controller (PLC). PLC is the heart of the machine and stores ample amount of data. These traditional machines are not connected and thus all the data of the machines lies in the PLC.
Automation, Control Systems, IoT, MES, Analytics, and Machine Learning will all be combined in this discipline. A true digital transformation requires connecting things together. There is more to devices than machines and sensors. In order to provide management with a holistic view of an organization's current operations, things also include servers, applications, RFID, BLE, machines, sensors, SCADA, HMI, mobile applications, etc.
For digital transformation to be possible, IoT devices need to be connected to the vendor's assets - and their trading partners - such as data, applications, and processes.
It will be impossible to address the diverse IoT Integration strategies by using a single application.