Glossary

What is a Connected Factory?

A connected factory is a manufacturing facility that uses digital technology to allow seamless sharing and communication between all devices, information, and elements involved in the production, including people, machines, materials, kits, and sensors. A connected factory leads to more innovative manufacturing solutions and is possible using the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart factory IoT solutions can provide real-time data insights, automated processes, and integrated operations.

With a connected factory, manufacturers can make decisions quickly and respond to changes in demand, increase operational efficiency, and reduce costs. The intelligent factory is made possible by automation and connected systems, including advanced sensors and robotic solutions. The result is an open, connected environment that enables full collaboration throughout the entire value chain.

What are the Benefits of a Connected Factory?

A smart connected factory provides manufacturers with a comprehensive view of their manufacturing process by implementing structures that create connected operations. The connectivity gives manufacturers more control over their processes, improving product quality and reliability. Ultimately, the technological capabilities of IoT in a smart connected factory afford many benefits.

  • Improve Safety – Manufacturers can gain real-time insights into process safety by using elements of smart factory IoT and automatically collecting data. Systems use the data to detect and prevent potential issues, ensuring the safety of both employees and customers.
  • Reduce Downtime – Thanks to automation, manufacturers can anticipate any issues that may arise in their operations, allowing them to take proactive steps to mitigate risk and reduce downtime. Connected factories can also minimize downtime through predictive maintenance, resulting in improved uptime and cost savings.
  • Improved Security – Manufacturers can also improve security in their operations by leveraging predictive analytics. By identifying indicators of malicious intent, factories can anticipate, detect, and prevent security threats in real-time, protecting their data and systems.
  • Improves the Workforce – Connected operations empower floor workers to gain complete control, visibility, and flexibility offered by new digital solutions. The solutions help them approach processes differently and open up the possibility of further production paradigms.

Innovation is critical to creating value for customers. Connected manufacturing empowers employees by giving them access to historical data they can use to optimize and unlock the true potential of production.

Why Connected Factories Are the Future?

Overall, factory connection is the future of manufacturing; enabling full connectivity allows manufacturers to reach an ideal state of sustained productivity, self-correction, and increased quality, leading to higher profitability. In addition, adopting connected manufacturing achieves complete visibility into their production process and the ability to monitor and control their machines remotely.

As more technological advances improve and become more prevalent such as edge computing, AI, and 5G, factories of the future will be able to optimize production processes in new and innovative ways. Today’s emerging technologies will create more powerful and flexible connected factories in the future, but manufacturers must ask themselves questions before choosing an industrial IoT solution.

  • What is the right technology for their application?
  • Will the chosen technology be compatible with other existing systems?
  • How will the new system improve the overall efficiency of production? 

Factory connection is changing how modern businesses operate, allowing them to achieve greater competitiveness, sustainability, and efficiency. By answering these questions, manufacturers can ensure their connected factory is primed for optimal performance to reduce the environmental impacts of production. In addition, companies can change how we produce and consume with advanced technologies and data-driven insights. The icing on the cake is that manufacturers can do all this and remain competitive in today’s complex world.

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