There is hardly an industry today that has not been impacted by technological advancement. Technology increases productivity and improves quality across hundreds of industries, from transportation to agriculture to—you guessed it—manufacturing. This interconnectivity of technology and everyday objects used within companies is known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Let’s explore how technology has up-leveled our approach to manufacturing, and what this means for our customers at American Manufacturing.

What Does IoT Mean for Manufacturing?

The impact of IoT on the manufacturing industry is substantial. The ability to integrate the Internet into manufacturing processes makes it possible to track and record potential issues in a much faster manner.

Instead of the traditional “Circulate, Check and Correct” model, our quality control process can skip over the circulate step and move on to checking computer records to identify any issues and then correct them. Manufacturers can now leave the circulation and review of processes to the computers, which can better pinpoint issues in real-time and ensure everything is performing moving forward exactly as it was designed to.

How IoT Contributes to Advancements in Manufacturing

Because the IoT speeds up processes and adds automation to quality control, advancements in manufacturing naturally follow. With Internet connectivity aiding in oversight and analyzing equipment and processes, we can more easily track the number of parts being produced and determine almost to-the-minute lead times. This adds more transparency to the entire process for manufacturers internally, as well as for their customers who can rest assured their orders are actively being processed and moving successfully toward their anticipated lead times.

How IoT Manufacturing Improves Productivity

Not only does implementing the IoT improve oversight, but this connectivity also increases productivity by expediting the process from start to finish. Since we can more accurately track how we’re doing, we can better quote lead times to our customers and increase on time delivery.. Our automated technology is connected to the internet and back to a server, from our plasma cutter to our robotic welders, and laser

This enables us to track how quickly they are moving and know when motors or other components are overheating and wearing down. Instead of waiting for a part to fail or break—creating an emergency maintenance situation that shuts down an entire production line—we can see how our machines are doing and replace weakened components during scheduled downtime.

How IoT Manufacturing Benefits Customers

IoT’s impact on our industry stretches beyond the manufacturing plant, directly improving the customer experience. Because our processes are more efficient, customers can order products in higher volumes and expect us to meet their forecasted needs. Not only that, but customers can get more products that are robotically welded and built with higher-quality processes, knowing that the quality control measures are top-of-the-line. It all contributes to how we serve our customers with top-tier manufactured products.

How We’re Taking Advantage of the IoT

As a high-volume automotive supplier that manufactures racks, pallets, containers and more for the safe and reliable shipping of parts and products, we are big fans of how technology and automation can improve the quality and efficiency of our process.. At American Manufacturing, we’re constantly researching different software programs and reporting tools that can help increase visibility throughout our production process. The technology that we’ve already implemented has practically doubled our productivity.

For example, having our lasers connected to the Internet allows us to transfer data files to the machine for what needs to be cut. We can send commands to machines, monitor machine reliability, and track lead times all from computers, allowing us to grow even more into the advanced manufacturing industry.

Over the next few months, we’re beta testing a new software program that will allow us to link in and create a dashboard to analyze exactly how we are using our equipment, showing us areas where we can improve or where we are underutilizing the tools we already have. We are excited to see how this software will change our approach to manufacturing and help us to deliver even more high-quality products more quickly to our customers. Take a look at our production services to see just how advanced manufacturing is making our customers’ lives better!