Production planning is critical for the effective running of any manufacturing plant. Without planned production, you will not be able to forecast what, when and how you will produce anything. A long-term view of the production process is necessary for a fully optimized workflow.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has provided a revolutionary way to understand your manufacturing plant, giving you access to instant data that would have previously been inaccessible.
By having a clear view of your resources, your available machines, and manpower, you can accurately map the amount of time it will take to turn your raw materials into a valuable product. This means you can always ensure the timely delivery of your product. Failing to meet your planned production demands and deadline can lead to wasted inventory and can lead to costly damage to your business’s reputation.
Procuring too much or too little raw materials before you start your planned production process can be a costly mistake. If you procure too much, then not only have you paid for unnecessary resources, but you also have to invest in storage, transportation, and sometimes, the disposal of that resource. If you procure too little, then you will not be able to reach your production targets, which can also result in wasted time and expenditure. With a thorough production plan, you will always procure the exact right amount of raw material, avoiding costly miscalculations.
By having a thorough understanding of your inventory requirements, you will not need to invest in excess materials or stock. Excess inventory leads to other forms of waste, as you have to pay for storage, electricity, and transportation for materials you won’t need.
A thorough and reliable production plan will iron out any expensive inefficiencies you currently have in your workplace. Once you have accurately planned your requirements for production, you will not waste expenditure on excess materials, staff, or machine operation time. Inaccurate planned production can result in too many or too few staff being shifted to work at the same time, further wasting resources or causing a strain of manpower.
The Industrial Internet of Things is the connection of everyday objects to the internet, allowing them to send and receive data. PTC's Thingworx platform is making production planning even more efficient as it gives you real-time information on the location and operation of all the elements within your manufacturing line. Here are some ways that the IoT can aid your production planning.
By attaching sensors to your inventory and raw material warehouses, production managers and floor workers can know exactly how much inventory a manufacturing plant has at any one time. This provides more accurate information and is more efficient as it removes the need for frequent and time-consuming stock checks.
You can only plan production when you know how your machinery is performing. By attaching sensors to your machinery, you can predict exactly how long each process will take.
Accurate production planning can be difficult if there’s any chance of unexpected downtime. By attaching your machinery to the cloud, you can reduce any chance of downtime as you’ll be able to maintain your machinery much more efficiently. The Internet of Things also allows you to conduct predictive maintenance on your machinery, which makes the chance downtime even less likely.
You can only plan production when you know how your machinery is performing. By attaching sensors to your machinery, you can predict exactly how long each process will take. A connected manufacturing line can also give you access to large quantities of data that can help inform the planning of the process of future production routing.
The Industrial Internet of Things can give you vast swaths of historical and real-time data on your machinery. This can be used by both project managers and engineers to create the best machinery and the most efficient workflows, giving you the potential to transform your manufacturing capabilities.
Leah Gourley is a Digital Content Marketing Specialist based out of PTC's Boston office. She enjoys creating and sharing content surrounding the latest technologies that are transforming industries, including augmented reality and the industrial internet of things.
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