There is an enormous amount of buildup around Internet of Things and the rise in this hype can be attributed to an environment of connected everyday objects that IoT promises to create. Well IoT can not only revolutionize the way of everyday living but also a lot of industries. And Manufacturing being one of them.

Manufacturing has been evolving as technology improves and with Internet of Things, a radical change can be bought in the entire process of manufacturing from the production to the delivery of final product.

IoT India Magazine puts forward 5 ways which can transform the manufacturing industry.

Way#1: Smart Manufacturing

Internet of things can help in making manufacturing smart. By smart manufacturing we mean an environment where the manufacturers would have all the information available with them right from the plant floor, through the entire supply chain and till the customers using the product. With IoT devices like sensors, each unit that is being manufacturing can be tracked right from its manufacturing process to its final destination. All this information can be made available on a real-time basis thereby improving the visibility of the entire manufacturing chain. Such visibility will help in taking quick actions and business decisions to improve the overall process of manufacturing.

Way#2: IoT and Customer Service

Products manufactured do need service and providing post-sales service is an important job on the part of the manufacturers. IoT can help to improve the service experience and have happier customer. With the help of IoT, product’s performance can be tracked and in case of functioning issues or manufacturing defects, manufactures can take quick actions. Also if possible they can remotely fix the defect.

Apart from this, manufacturers can set service alerts which notify the customer when the performance of the product dips below a certain level. These quick action on part of the manufacturer will definitely delight the customers and keep them loyal.

Way #3: Avoiding Plant floor Failure

When it come to the plant floor, lot of coordination is required to get an error-free product without any defects. Internet of Things can aid in creating a network which can link all the assets being manufactured from the parts that are being produced to the assembly of final products. And from those final products being packed and loaded in a truck to smart shelves in a warehouse. This can give the plant floor manger all the detail of what’s going on the plant and help him take timely decision with respect to production so that the entire process flows smoothly.

For instance, Cisco has developed a “virtual” manufacturing execution system platform (VMES) to monitor their outsourced production plants globally. With this they are able to get data on a real-time basis about the production machines, products, and spare parts. With IoT, they have real time visibility of their entire manufacturing process and can take timely actions to avoid any failures.

Way #4: Efficient Supply Chain

Supply chain is an important aspect of any manufacturing unit as it is through the supply chain that the final product reaches the customers. An efficient supply chain is extremely important and by using IoT, manufactures can monitor the entire supply chain to have an effective system in place.

By utilizing IoT devices, manufacturers can give a digital identity to each of their physical product. This in turn allows them to know the exact location and condition of those products and that too on a real time basis throughout the supply chain. Also IoT can help optimize warehouse space utilization and planning of production.

Way#5: Product Improvement

Internet of Things has the potential to collect data which can help for product improvement. With the help of IoT, manufactures can capture data from sensors on the usage of the product by customers. They can get information like which features are being mostly used by customers, which features of the products are not helpful or not user-friendly. Is the product’s overall performance satisfactory? Is the product durable? And things like these.

All this data can help the research and development department of the company to make the changes that will have more user-acceptance and they can benefit from more sales and more customers.