4 Myths of IIoT and Industry 4.0

Recently, we had the pleasure of participating in the speaker series with the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium to discuss the 4 Myths of IIoT and how Industry 4.0 is collecting real-time data on older analog machines.

Business owners interested in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are looking for ways to explore an asset performance management system for engaging employees, connecting machines and increasing productivity.  In today’s world, attracting, retaining and empowering employees through new technology must be a core focus.

Let’s take a few moments and break down the 4 myths of Industry 4.0 and IIOT.

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5 Reasons You Need IIoT Technology In Your Factory Today

The business of manufacturing is rapidly evolving. Being coined the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, it’s all about retrieving big data that couldn’t be accessed before. By bringing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) into factories across the globe manufacturers can streamline production and push products to market faster. Are you ready to gain a competitive edge?

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How Narrative Software Helps Your Operators Feel Heard

As a plant manager or team lead, you have the essential responsibility of keeping your operators motivated. Helping them gain new perspectives on their work can improve employee engagement and, ultimately, your bottom line. When employees are provided with narrative software resources to see how their contributions make a difference, they become much more interested in putting in a productive day.

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Recruiting Millennial Employees: How To Make Your Factory Next Generation Ready

The face of manufacturing is changing. As older workers retire, millennials (aged 18 to 35) are the biggest workforce available to manufacturers today. Is your plant ready?

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You Can Connect All The Machines On Your Shop Floor Today!

You’ve likely heard the term Internet of Things (IoT) in reference to smart home technology but how does it relate to your shop floor? In its simplest definition, IoT means “things” that are connected to the internet, physical objects such as your home, office or car. In smart manufacturing, it’s known as Industrial IoT (IIoT) or Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution. It provides manufacturers with the ability to connect all machines and equipment in their plant to the internet to gather real-time, actionable data. With Freepoint, connecting machines is quick and easy on both legacy and new machines.

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FreePoint Is Featured In Manufacturing Automation Magazine!

FreePoint was recently honored to be featured in a double-page spread article in the March/April edition of Manufacturing Automation magazine. The article focuses on the many benefits that machine monitoring brings to companies who suffer from excessive downtime. It explores the increases in efficiencies that machine monitoring systems glean for companies that struggle to meet targets or demand and details the advantages of obtaining a clear overview of the factory floor, as well as the increased productivity margins that are almost instantly observed.

One of the common concerns about machine monitoring is the perception that it represents the acceptance of Big Brother into the workplace. Employees are, sometimes, concerned that this technology is there to monitor them, rather than the machines. It’s a natural concern, of course, but one that’s not substantiated by reality when applied to the workplace.

The article, Improvement Through Engagement, focuses on the installation of machine monitoring hardware and software for hot stamp die manufacturing business, Massiv Die-Form, who introduced the technology into their factories to overcome machine downtime and inefficiency problems they were experiencing within their processes. It examines the consultation process between FreePoint and Massiv Die-Form that help to ensure that the client receives a bespoke system that directly serves their immediate needs.

Jason Sultana, machine shop manager of Massiv Die-Form, explains how management went through a consultation process with their employees to ensure that concerns were met directly –

“When we switched to FreePoint, we made the transition about the employees, and about what they wanted to see. We made them understand that it wasn’t there to track their performance; but it’s there to help us, as management, make their job easier. And make their lives easier while they’re at work.”

Once installed, workforce and management alike discovered a flexible solution that enabled the operator to report downtime issues to management; reinforcing the importance of operator expertise. They recognized that they’d introduced a flexible solution to their manufacturing problems that benefited everyone; a more efficient workplace equals a more fruitful environment for everyone, after all.

The system – built to accommodate their needs directly – had been quickly installed and expeditious in helping them develop their scheduling processes, so that efficiency savings could rapidly be found, along with a tangible method of gauging improvement on the factory floor.

It’s a great read, and we’re very proud to have been featured. To read the full article, click here.

How Manufacturing Is At The Cutting Edge

The world of industry and technology are merging and expanding exponentially, forming a connected network of people and machines that maximize productivity, innovation, and possibility. For those of us in the manufacturing industry, we’re living in amazingly exciting times, but it’s certainly not without the fear that we might get left behind.

Moore’s Law is the belief that the processing power of computers doubles every two years. But recent advances in Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality have progressed with such processing power to literally blow Moore’s Law entirely out of the water.

Woah! Slow down

All this progress can feel a little intimidating, to say the least. But there’s a huge amount to be excited about.

The “inter-connected factory” is a conduit between our existing manual (and digital) machinery and the productivity of our people. Through machine-monitoring technologies, these innovations provide real-time oversight of the entire manufacturing process that helps us to increase productivity and efficiency in a way never before possible.

Let’s Put This All Into Context –

First, we had steam and the first wave of mechanization. It was met with initial panic because it was believed that the machines would put workers out of work. Whole gangs of Luddites gathered together to protest and smash up the machines. Nonetheless, progress overcame, and human labor found new roles within the same industries.

Next came electricity, assembly lines, and the advent of mass production. Machines became more powerful, able to produce more, with higher efficiency, and in new ways. It was met with initial panic because it was believed that it put jobs at risk. But, again, industry adapted, and human resources were redeployed in new areas made possible by the new paths that those innovations had forged.

Then came computers and the introduction of robots onto the production line. Again – met with initial panic that humans were going to lose out.

There’s a Pattern

So, there’s a pattern, here. And it’s understandable.

But manufacturing has always embraced change, and has always been at the cutting edge when it comes to the application of new technologies. And as technology frees up human resource, we find new ways to re-deploy the unique skills and talents of the workforce.

Utilizing the Unique Skills of the Workforce

Where machines have made production more efficient, human labor has become more valuable in skilled areas; employing potential, rather than just headcount.

Machine Monitoring

Machine monitoring is the next leap forward in mechanization, unifying repetitious machine-driven processes with the workforce while creating a monitoring system that consolidates human and mechanical processes together in a data-center that provides a real-time window into the productivity of your factory.

Machine monitoring is compatible with old-school, manual machinery and up-to-the minute networked machines alike. It creates a digital infrastructure that connects real-time production efficiency with the needs of your customers, helping you to avoid the big 7 (or in our case 10) wastes of manufacturing. It helps empower your staff by allowing them to monitor their own productivity, and gamify their work-day to add a little competitive spirit into their daily role.

Machine monitoring provides you with a real-time oversight of the entire production line – letting the machines tell you when they require maintenance; recognizing areas in production that are over-producing or under-producing; and using the interchangeable skills of the workforce to keep production at maximum potential.

And the future?

The future never stops, of course. And manufacturing will continue to evolve, finding new ways to employ the unique talents of the individuals we employ.

The truth of the matter is that to stay current, you need to look ahead – and consider human and machine as allies. The evolution of production is something to embrace, to protect the jobs and the securities of those we employ.

FreePoint Technologies has a comprehensive suite of machine monitoring technologies that help you stay at the forefront of manufacturing innovation.

 

Why Employee Engagement Matters in Manufacturing

The term “employee engagement” might sound like just one more inaccessible management consultant’s buzzword but, in actuality, the importance of positive employee engagement certainly can’t be overstated. Companies that fail to take employee engagement seriously often suffer from poor productivity, worrying staff retention, and weak profit margins due to fast staff turnaround and disenfranchized people functioning at minimum velocity in under-valued jobs.

What do we mean by “engagement”?
Engagement is about focus, presence, enthusiasm, and, perhaps, most importantly, purpose. If you can provide reward in ways additional to the obvious financial, some surprising things will happen.

Job satisfaction is that intangible product of a positive environment that might surprise and enthuse when present, but certainly dishearten when absent.

Engaged people naturally go above and beyond what is required of them because they feel a part of something important; they want to contribute to the bigger picture; and they can see how the end product benefits society in some way (perhaps by just making everyone else’s lives a little easier, or more pleasant). Engaged workers feel included, and they feel valued, so they repay you in dedication, loyalty; all with the unifying power of the positive person.

Some facts
It’s estimated that over 25% of all workforces are subject to reduced staff retention, and a third of those are amongst the most talented, motivated employees (under the right conditions). It’s a commonly recognized belief that nurtured talent thrives, while ignored talent and enthusiasm diminishes.

A piece of research carried out by recruitment website, Glassdoor, concluded that 54% of currently employed individuals felt confident that if they were to quit or lose their job, they’d be successful in finding a comparable job within six months.

If employees know that there’s something equivalent or alternative just around the corner, then we have to make the manufacturing industry an engaging employer who trains, invests, and retains their most valuable resource – their people. In short, if you don’t make the workplace a satisfying, rewarding, and engaging place to work, you’re going to lose your staff. Or continue to achieve low or mediocre productivity.

So, how do you keep hold of your most talented employees? And how do you nurture the dedication and enthusiasm of the rest of the workforce? Everyone deserves to feel valued, so here are some tips on methods to keep your workers happy and engaged.

So, how do you engage your staff?

Recognition
A bit of civility doesn’t cost a penny, but it could surprise you. Words of encouragement and appreciation go a long way in nurturing a positive working environment. It’s said that “a thank you is worth its weight in gold” and it’s undoubtedly true that verbal recognition for a job well done is a great morale booster.

A “thank you” card might feel a little “soft-skill” but who wouldn’t appreciate a personal note from their boss recognizing their contribution? A team night out can help amalgamate a disparate workforce, as long as it remains optional and there is no sense of social rejection for those that choose not to attend.

Opportunity
There is very little in life guaranteed to stultify more than repetition and the prospect of eternal, monotonous servitude. Engage your workforce by listening to them and involving them in change. Workers who operate machinery, for example, are most likely to have lucid, valid perceptions of how to improve productivity, so invite and listen to their suggestions. But listening isn’t enough – make efforts to implement the improvements that they have instigated and credit them for their input.

Training
Enthusiastic individuals who have proven their mettle on the work floor should be offered opportunities to develop, and training them in new roles (or offering secondments to other departments) is a great way to reward dedication. Of course, not everyone wants to progress, and this should certainly be respected if they’re performing well in their current role.

 

Likewise, forcing the workforce to carry out training courses that feel irrelevant or counter-intuitive to their current role can be disenfranchizing.

Flexibility
Everyone has a life outside of work and accommodating people’s family lives goes a long way to garnering a positive working environment. Flexibility goes both ways, of course, so if you can help your workers when they need time off to attend something important, they’re going to be much more likely to go out of their way to help you out when you most need them.

Employee engagement tools
Machine monitoring is an employee engagement tool that doubles as an efficiency monitor. Machine monitoring hardware is compatible with most analog and digital machines, so adopting this technology costs much less than you might think.

metal machining industry. Worker or service engineer operating cnc milling machine at factory

In essence, machine monitoring software collects efficiency data that can help improve productivity and increase employee engagement by putting the individual in control of their daily activity. Data collated from machine monitoring can be used to justify incentives and reward the most hard-working, while giving those who might naturally sit in the background to recognize that greater contribution brings better rewards.

Machine monitoring introduces gamification into the workplace as a means of incorporating data into productivity. You can encourage a little friendly competition into daily production by recognizing the best performers and the best improvers; all backed up with a transparent, irrefutable data stream.

Contests
Running contests on the shop floor is an excellent way of engaging your workers; encouraging a sense of healthy competition and camaraderie if the contest requires teamwork.

There are lots of ways of helping promote a positive working environment with engaged employees who are likely to go the extra mile for you. Most require a just change in culture as opposed to a financial investment, so can you really afford to deny your workforce the opportunity to fully engage with your workplace?

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2017 Manufacturing: A Year In Review

The political landscape of 2017 has been a portrait of peaks and troughs. Brexit in the UK presents potential possibilities for trade deals with the US and beyond, and (love him or hate him) President Trump’s tempestuous first year in office was preceded with promises to rebuild North America’s industrial sector. Whether his ambitious promises yield fruit is yet to be seen, and it’s rather too easy to get lost in the crowd hysteria that big change conjures. However, significant transformation brings significant opportunities, and in the manufacturing sector particularly, we’ve seen increased adoption of digital technologies, harboring a new dawn in manufacturing processes.

In the same way that the Industrial Revolution had a major impact on manufacturing and society, digital transformation within manufacturing houses is set to change the way we produce and cater to our customers. Not since Henry Ford developed mass-production manufacturing have we seen changes like those that 2017 has exposed us to; but “digital” represents a move away from mass-production, toward a leaner, less wasteful, bespoke, and customized production approach.

However, only 5% of manufacturing executives are satisfied with their existing digital strategies, or even recognize the importance of this digital revolution. Digitization helps to overcome the “Seven Wastes” of lean manufacturing by making more affordable the bespoke production approach; as opposed to over-producing, under-engaging employees and keeping customers waiting while we produce against demand.

Internet of Things (IoT)

At the heart of the change in manufacturing processes in 2017 was the implementation of IoT processes, providing live reporting of incremental production data, defect and damage.

By effectively connecting our analog (and digital) machines to monitoring networks, companies have found an essential, competitive edge in consistency, efficiency, employee engagement, and instant visualization of project progress; yielding benefits to the manufacturing process and to the customer, as the price of wastage drops as a result of digital monitoring.

Industry 4.0 and mass customization

Scary as it sounds, Industry 4.0 presents a reverie of the interconnected factory, and this has developed exponentially in 2017. Machines are online and capable of making decisions.

Now, don’t run for the hills, here – this is good! Industry 4.0 presents a hybrid approach of actual and virtual content-producing warehouses, freeing up workforce to focus on mass customization which can directly react to consumer demand.

IoT and Industry 4.0 are developing the way we interact with our customers post-sale, by providing immediate and consistent support online.

Machine Learning

AI is nothing new – IBM’s supercomputer defeated the world’s best chess player over ten years ago, after all. Advanced algorithms are collecting data on the factory floor, performing skilled labor, and predicting consumer behavior, so that we, the manufacturer, can better cater to their needs. Smart factories can increase production capacity by 20% by gleaning live information from integrated IT systems. And FreePoint Technologies can help!

Quality becomes more consistent as machine learning determines the factors affecting service and quality of product.

Growth

Manufacturing continues to be an essential contributor to Canada’s GDP; providing 1.7 million quality, well-paid jobs, and contributing over 10% of Canada’s overall GDP (around $174 billion).

The manufacturing industry, therefore, has massive potential for strengthening Canada’s economic future. We have the skills, innovation and exports of more that $354 billion each year, which represents 68% of Canada’s entire merchandise exports. Competition is healthy and success breeds success: where our industry grows, we attract new investment.

Growth is dependent upon continued innovation, and the more we adopt new technologies, the more our healthy manufacturing sector continues to grow.

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How To Recruit Top Manufacturing Talent in 2018

Can’t fill those empty shifts? Perhaps you have permanent roles for the right people, but you just can’t recruit the right people?

Manufacturing is one of the longest-standing industries, yet we struggle to recruit top talent to fill our highly specialized jobs. Whether it’s finding casual labor to fill open shifts or hiring talent for permanent roles, the manufacturing and logistics industries are struggling to find the right people for the right jobs.

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to recruit.

So we’ve compiled a list of suggestions from some of the top people in the recruitment industry, to help you find the top manufacturing talent in 2018.

Social Media

Social media is the principal means of communication for millennials, so becoming familiar with Facebook and Twitter is the way to capture their imagination, and find new talent.

The key to a successful social media campaign is engagement – just posting one-way pictures and videos don’t demand a physical response. Run competitions, quizzes, get people to apply for jobs on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and you’ll find that the freshest talent will come to you. Offer your existing employees bonuses or perks if they share your posts with their friends and followers.

Facebook advertising is cheap and can be directly targeted so that the right people will see your post.

Explore Playbuzz for ideas for engaging online quizzes and games.

LinkedIn is a networking platform for professionals, so it’s a rich resource of existing talent. You’ll be able to see people’s CVs and get in touch with them directly. Everyone is flattered by head-hunting, so don’t overlook it as a method of recruiting top talent.

Go to where the talent is

Creating partnerships with local schools is a great way to “go to the talent.” Your local community is the key, so make sure that your business is visible, with a favorable image.

Develop a positive image

One of the significant problems facing recruitment in manufacturing is the perception that the workplace is dangerous, dirty, noisy, poorly lit, and a purgatory of unskilled, repetitive tasks. If you can help to change that perception, people will come to you.

Obviously, the first thing is to make sure that your workplace isn’t dangerous, dirty, noisy and poorly lit. Have open days, where the local community is invited in to see how things are done. Present the workplace as a laboratory for commerce with a skilled, dedicated workforce, and perceptions will change. And so will the empty mailbox.

Offer incentives

Strategic employee referral programs are an excellent way to find new talent. Incentivize your existing workforce to help you find new talent – for every employee that gets taken on, as a result, offer a reward.

Be clear

Nobody’s impressed with business speak, so avoid jargon and keywords when you’re putting your job spec together, especially if it’s a job that you’re offering training for.

Clear language gives the impression of transparency, while overly technical business-speak can trigger suspicion. If the job role is for a cleaner, don’t advertise it as a Habitat Contaminant Removal Executive, because they’re going to be disappointed when you hand them a bucket and a mop on their first day.

Gamification

This is a methodology to employ after you’ve recruited, but if you introduce it onto the floor now, you can use it as an enticement for new talent.

Gamification is a motivational technique that introduces gaming mechanics into existing business processes. It’s a way to engage and incentivize the existing workforce, using machine monitoring technologies to facilitate self-assessment, gameplay, and target setting; by putting the employee in charge of their progress.

Training

Metal worker teaching trainee on machine use

The potential for training is enticing for potential new talent – conscientious workers always welcome the development of new skills. If you can present progression opportunities, you’re going to attract top talent, because top talent is ambitious.

Courses, seminars and coaching sessions are great ways for the company to come together to share skills.

Investing in existing employees is a sensible approach to enticing new employees to the fold.

Building a team

A supportive team is a valuable resource for any business, but if you can demonstrate an existing support network to potential employees, then new talent will come.

Developing a positive workplace culture is important – you get more out of your existing employees, who will, in turn, invite new people to the team.

Social events are good team-building activities – team quizzes, sports events, days out. It definitely doesn’t need to be that whole “build-a-bridge-out-of-3-sheets-of-paper” type situation. And social events don’t have to cost a lot of money – it’s just a way of showing some appreciation for hard work, and it will repay you in dedication and drive.

Flexibility

Work/life balance has been shifting over the past decade, in favor of work over life. However, a little appreciation of an employee’s home life goes a long way in creating a culture of goodwill, which will be repaid with flexibility and hard work from your employees.

Develop your workplace culture

Developing a positive workplace culture is one of the most significant ways that you can make the workplace an inviting place for top talent.

The problem with top talent is that they’re sought after – not just by you, but by everyone.

Making changes in your workplace to create a positive culture is your way of ensuring that they choose you – as much as you choose them.

Help recruit the right talent by having a modern, innovative workplace. Bring your shop floor into the 21st century with machine monitoring technology.

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