K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
Everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to global instability has companies across sectors racing to shore up supply chains. The lessons learned over the past several years have been hard ones – and there’s no going back to the way things used to be. More visibility, along with more transparency, more security and more redundancies will all be top of mind for businesses who rely on a complex network of suppliers to bring their products and services to life.
Key to that visibility is a steady stream of real-time data. Companies need a strong ecosystem of connected devices to gather that data, and a reliable, fast and secure communications network to store, process and analyze it, providing instant, actionable insight. The Internet of Things (IoT), particularly Massive IoT applications, as well as a subset of the broader IoT referred to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), will be critical for manufacturers moving forward. Implementing IoT in the supply chain can be a transformative tool. Combined with private cellular networks as the engines that power this data gathering ecosystem, supply chain can be leaner, more efficient and more resilient.
Data-driven solutions help manufacturers manage the supply chain
This transformation will depend on an advanced network of sensors and other monitoring devices, as well as automated small robots like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and drones.
It’s important to note that there are two distinct IoT infrastructures supporting these technologies – fitting the right system and the right network to the task will be crucial. Massive IoT involves wider area use cases and simpler devices like temperature sensors.
For instance, one of the most common IoT supply chain solutions monitors temperature inside vehicles transporting goods, tracking in real time things like pressure, humidity, and more. IoT devices cannot only monitor but also trigger automatic condition adjustments to protect the integrity of what’s being transported.
Industrial IoT is generally a network of smaller, smart devices that connect to form systems that can collect, exchange and analyze data in real time in settings like a warehouse or factory.
For example, at Ericsson’s 5G smart factory in Lewisville, Texas, a digital asset tracking solution integrates with factory floor sensors to track critical assets’ location, condition and status, providing real-time visibility of finished goods into the production floor. The program has delivered a 2-5 percent cost avoidance on indirect spare purchase items – critical during the current supply chain shortage.
Asset condition monitoring is another key area for manufacturers as global supply chain issues make obtaining spare parts more difficult. These programs can make predictive maintenance more effective, by collecting data to determine exactly when maintenance needs to be performed. Ericsson’s research has found that manufacturers can reduce the number of spare parts required by 10 percent with asset condition monitoring.
Continue reading: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2022/5/how-iot-in-the-supply-chain-can-help-manufacturers
Key to that visibility is a steady stream of real-time data. Companies need a strong ecosystem of connected devices to gather that data, and a reliable, fast and secure communications network to store, process and analyze it, providing instant, actionable insight. The Internet of Things (IoT), particularly Massive IoT applications, as well as a subset of the broader IoT referred to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), will be critical for manufacturers moving forward. Implementing IoT in the supply chain can be a transformative tool. Combined with private cellular networks as the engines that power this data gathering ecosystem, supply chain can be leaner, more efficient and more resilient.
Data-driven solutions help manufacturers manage the supply chain
This transformation will depend on an advanced network of sensors and other monitoring devices, as well as automated small robots like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and drones.
It’s important to note that there are two distinct IoT infrastructures supporting these technologies – fitting the right system and the right network to the task will be crucial. Massive IoT involves wider area use cases and simpler devices like temperature sensors.
For instance, one of the most common IoT supply chain solutions monitors temperature inside vehicles transporting goods, tracking in real time things like pressure, humidity, and more. IoT devices cannot only monitor but also trigger automatic condition adjustments to protect the integrity of what’s being transported.
Industrial IoT is generally a network of smaller, smart devices that connect to form systems that can collect, exchange and analyze data in real time in settings like a warehouse or factory.
For example, at Ericsson’s 5G smart factory in Lewisville, Texas, a digital asset tracking solution integrates with factory floor sensors to track critical assets’ location, condition and status, providing real-time visibility of finished goods into the production floor. The program has delivered a 2-5 percent cost avoidance on indirect spare purchase items – critical during the current supply chain shortage.
Asset condition monitoring is another key area for manufacturers as global supply chain issues make obtaining spare parts more difficult. These programs can make predictive maintenance more effective, by collecting data to determine exactly when maintenance needs to be performed. Ericsson’s research has found that manufacturers can reduce the number of spare parts required by 10 percent with asset condition monitoring.
Continue reading: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2022/5/how-iot-in-the-supply-chain-can-help-manufacturers
