Moving from an automated plant to a smart factory is a leap forward but well worth the effort to enable a fully connected and flexible system—one that can use a constant stream of data from connected equipment and production systems to learn and adapt to new demands.1
Manufacturing plants are facing a convergence of extreme challenges: an aging workforce coupled with the transfer of knowledge, increased demands for higher quality products utilizing fewer resources and the pandemic. Navigating these issues is critical to maintaining ongoing operations and controlling costs. If something additional happens, such as unplanned equipment downtime, the results can be a logistical nightmare and financial disaster. But it’s certainly not all doom-and-gloom. Recent trends in IIoT, machine connectivity and monitoring solutions are playing a critical role in mitigating unexpected problems and staffing challenges.