There is an abundance of data all around us. Up until recently most of this data was unable to be collected for any number of reasons. Perhaps it was too labor intensive to monitor and track it, or perhaps the data was not useful enough to justify purchasing and installing equipment. Enter the Internet of Things, or IoT.
The IoT is something you are probably already using in your personal life. Perhaps you have a smart thermostat, or maybe you use your wearable fitness device to help determine the best exercise plan for you. While using the IoT for simple things around the house is convenient, the technology is capable of much more and is currently being used in almost every industry!
Using sensors that connect to the IoT allows operators and managers real time data to assets all over the globe. For Example, a cold storage facility that stores frozen foods can leverage temperature & humidity sensors to see what is going on at their facility in real time. They can also set up alerts that push to their mobile devices or activate emergency procedures if temps start to climb and the foods they are storing are at risk of spoiling.
The IoT’s uses are even greater than just detecting emergency situations. Using the example of the cold storage facility again, those same sensors can also be used to achieve the optimum temperatures needed to preserve the foods. This in turn can help reduce the facilities operating costs by not over cooling their spaces. Additional benefits of monitoring include longer equipment life, greater precision, and process optimization for product moving in and out of the facility.
Almost any kind of facility or process can benefit from leveraging the technology encompassed by the internet of things. Leveraging sensors and logic to develop automated processes and controls can reduce equipment fatigue and catastrophic failure, reduce labor costs, and streamline operations by giving the operator the ability to manage systems from anywhere in the world. All these benefits of the IoT are directly correlated to increases in profitability and operator job satisfaction.
If you’d like to learn more about how the IoT can improve a process or facility in your portfolio please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Engineering Team!