Discovering Industrial IoT potentials

Digital optimisation to keep up with competition

All manufacturing companies are challenged by increasing demands for a stable, cost-effective and high performing supply chain. Supply chain problems can have significant impact across the whole business. But the on-going digital transformation has also started a race to go beyond stability and sourcing best practices. High performance in the supply chain has become an important competitive advantage.

The answer to the high-performance demand is digital supply chains and digital factories,  achieved by deploying and combining new digital tools under industrial IoT. But how does an analogue manufacturing company take advantage of the new digital possibilities? Which technologies and approach provide the best return-on-investment? Where to start – and how to start? 

FORCE Technology can answer these questions for you. Our experts within industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 can help you analyse your current supply chain to provide the best possible customised approach for applying the right digital solutions for your factories, warehouses and distribution systems.

The digital factory

At FORCE Technology, we identify potentials for digitalization by analysing your existing factories, production lines and production equipment using our method: Digital Factory Mapping. This method has been proven in action under the MADE Digital program. 

The method creates an overview of the digital level of your equipment and the possible level of digital integration and control across a production line. Supplemented by other analysis tools like ADMA, LEAN, Value Stream Mapping and BPMN, we can identify the digital gaps and thereby create an overview of the possible digital improvements in your manufacturing processes including costs and benefits.

Using Digital Factory Mapping, a digitalisation plan for a production line or a full factory can be delivered to management for execution.

Additionally, by using digital tools such as IoT and AI, you can improve preventive maintenance on key production equipment. Please find more information on preventive maintenance here. 

Digital warehousing and distribution

Sourcing, warehousing and distribution have different digital challenges from manufacturing. The processing in these areas is often handled by automated standard solutions purchased for a given purpose such as end-product warehousing, picking, loading, etc. - very often integrated with and controlled by the ERP system.

The demand for more specific and customised digital solution is mainly in the area of tracking and monitoring of end-products and mobile distribution assets. The tracking challenge is in customer service, planning and optimisation – while the monitoring challenge is in ensuring quality of end-products under transportation.

IoT is the key digital technology for tracking and monitoring. The main challenge here is the mobility. For this, we also have a method: Digital Mobility Mapping. The possible routes for a product or a distribution asset is mapped. Also, the demand for monitoring of asset properties like temperature, pressure, vibrations, etc. is mapped with a time schedule. This then forms the basis for analysing solution possibilities including choice of network technologies.

If you want to learn more about IoT solution, please contact us or read more about IoT solutions here.