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Minimizing unplanned downtime in manufacturing requires a focus on both production assets and human behavior. Influences include increasing the overall availability of production assets and implementing fault-tolerant systems. Human influences include training to eliminate human errors and improving coordination between manufacturing processes at multiple layers. However, one common denominator that will positively affect both production assets and human behavior is the implementation of IIoT and standards-based technologies, which can help simplify hardware, software, infrastructure, systems, and training, all essential when deploying low cost sensors into production assets to, for example, pro-actively monitor asset health and indicate when service will be needed, when spare parts need to be ordered, or when the asset itself will need to be replaced. IIoT and standards-based technologies provide manufacturers with greater asset flexibility, enable easier upgrades, and speed up integration between third-party products. IIoT and standard-based technologies can also make it easier for manufacturers to gather data to better understand and monetize hardware lifecycle upgrades and how they impact ROA over time.
IIoT Technology Implementations Enhanced by Fault-Tolerant Solutions and Virtualization
The battle to reduced unplanned downtime using IIoT technology is enhanced by deploying fault-tolerant solutions and virtualization. All manufacturing systems must be designed to eliminate any data losses, especially important for regulatory compliance in many industries. A move towards deploying IIoT technology, which will leverage low-cost sensors to provide additional data and information on asset health, can be used to help eliminate unplanned downtime by predicting a problem based on changes in an asset’s parameters, such as asset temperature, vibration, etc., and making plans to have the asset repaired or replaced before the asset fails. However, that means IIoT connectivity and server platform reliability is especially critical since any downtime impacts all applications running on that server or system. That is where virtualization becomes critical. This server platform consolidation as a result of virtualization can reduce complexity, power consumption, IT support and network infrastructure. It also simplifies system management and maintenance, and eases migration. Virtualization helps to enable non-disruptive, scalable upgrades and application additions, especially when those upgrades involve assets with built-in IIoT technology.
IIoT Technology used in Disaster Recovery to Provides Additional Protection
To supplement high-availability solutions for minimizing unplanned downtime, manufacturing plants should implement IIoT technology as part of disaster recovery solutions where geographic redundancy makes sense. This ensures that plant and IIoT data is backed up in off-site servers in public or private clouds that would not be impacted by a physical disaster at the plant. Control room, MES, ERP, and asset management applications would all be appropriate for disaster recovery solutions, which should be used to complement – but not replace - fault tolerance to protect plant and IIoT data that manufacturers cannot afford to lose. Disaster recovery applications will help restore critical operations due to catastrophic failures, such as power outages, fires, natural disasters etc. However, it generally will involve some potential loss of data and recovery times can range from many minutes to hours.
IIoT Technology Deployment Must Accelerate to Reduce Unplanned Downtime
Most manufacturers today are certainly aware of IIoT technology and realize that they could use IIoT-enabled asset information to help eliminate unplanned downtime. However, many manufacturers must greatly accelerate their IIoT deployment if they want to leverage this technology in the near term. This means that automation suppliers must do a better job of educating manufacturers of the potential benefits and ROI of IIoT technology for addressing unplanned downtime so these companies can plan and justify the purchase of these solutions. Unplanned downtime has many potential consequences, including reduced productivity and profitability that could negatively impact equipment, the environment, and safety. These also lead to lower ROA, OEE, and other KPIs. Real-world experience indicates that industrial organizations can minimize or even eliminate unplanned downtime by applying IIoT and standard technologies that provide flexibility and enable the use of off-the-shelf hardware, software, and network infrastructure. Appropriate use of fault-tolerant systems and virtualization along with IIoT technology can also help minimize unplanned downtime while maximizing flexibility and simplifying management. Fault-tolerant hardware minimizes unplanned downtime and prevents data losses. Finally, as the previously separate OT and IT worlds are converging; IIoT technology helps to provide a common ground around unplanned downtime, security, and platform efficiency.
IIoT Technology Implementations Enhanced by Fault-Tolerant Solutions and Virtualization
The battle to reduced unplanned downtime using IIoT technology is enhanced by deploying fault-tolerant solutions and virtualization. All manufacturing systems must be designed to eliminate any data losses, especially important for regulatory compliance in many industries. A move towards deploying IIoT technology, which will leverage low-cost sensors to provide additional data and information on asset health, can be used to help eliminate unplanned downtime by predicting a problem based on changes in an asset’s parameters, such as asset temperature, vibration, etc., and making plans to have the asset repaired or replaced before the asset fails. However, that means IIoT connectivity and server platform reliability is especially critical since any downtime impacts all applications running on that server or system. That is where virtualization becomes critical. This server platform consolidation as a result of virtualization can reduce complexity, power consumption, IT support and network infrastructure. It also simplifies system management and maintenance, and eases migration. Virtualization helps to enable non-disruptive, scalable upgrades and application additions, especially when those upgrades involve assets with built-in IIoT technology.
IIoT Technology used in Disaster Recovery to Provides Additional Protection
To supplement high-availability solutions for minimizing unplanned downtime, manufacturing plants should implement IIoT technology as part of disaster recovery solutions where geographic redundancy makes sense. This ensures that plant and IIoT data is backed up in off-site servers in public or private clouds that would not be impacted by a physical disaster at the plant. Control room, MES, ERP, and asset management applications would all be appropriate for disaster recovery solutions, which should be used to complement – but not replace - fault tolerance to protect plant and IIoT data that manufacturers cannot afford to lose. Disaster recovery applications will help restore critical operations due to catastrophic failures, such as power outages, fires, natural disasters etc. However, it generally will involve some potential loss of data and recovery times can range from many minutes to hours.
IIoT Technology Deployment Must Accelerate to Reduce Unplanned Downtime
Most manufacturers today are certainly aware of IIoT technology and realize that they could use IIoT-enabled asset information to help eliminate unplanned downtime. However, many manufacturers must greatly accelerate their IIoT deployment if they want to leverage this technology in the near term. This means that automation suppliers must do a better job of educating manufacturers of the potential benefits and ROI of IIoT technology for addressing unplanned downtime so these companies can plan and justify the purchase of these solutions. Unplanned downtime has many potential consequences, including reduced productivity and profitability that could negatively impact equipment, the environment, and safety. These also lead to lower ROA, OEE, and other KPIs. Real-world experience indicates that industrial organizations can minimize or even eliminate unplanned downtime by applying IIoT and standard technologies that provide flexibility and enable the use of off-the-shelf hardware, software, and network infrastructure. Appropriate use of fault-tolerant systems and virtualization along with IIoT technology can also help minimize unplanned downtime while maximizing flexibility and simplifying management. Fault-tolerant hardware minimizes unplanned downtime and prevents data losses. Finally, as the previously separate OT and IT worlds are converging; IIoT technology helps to provide a common ground around unplanned downtime, security, and platform efficiency.