IoT supporting sustainable manufacturing

The Internet of Things, known as IoT, is crucial for modern-day societies, but what’s the importance of sustainable manufacturing? 
Why is sustainable manufacturing important? Why is IoT important to sustainability? 

What is Sustainable manufacturing?

According to UNESCO,

“Sustainable manufacturing is a process of creating products with minimal negative environmental impact. It is a strategic method to “meet the needs of the present, without compromising the capability of the future generation to meet theirs.” The prime objective of sustainable manufacturing is to conserve energy and natural resources while minimizing waste.”

According to aPriori,

“The key objectives include conserving energy, minimizing waste, and using natural resources efficiently.”

According to iLink Digital,

“Sustainability is gaining hold in the manufacturing industry. Customers are looking for products and partners who follow eco-friendly practices, adopt green policies, and share a commitment to sustainability.”

Why IoT is Needed in Sustainability?

The real benefits of IoT or the Internet of Things is a real-data collective tool and acts as a game-changer in the world of sustainability. The real-time data collection by IoT sensors supports manufacturing processes, equipment, and supply chains with in-depth insights into energy usage, resource consumption, and also impacting the environment.

Process optimization is possible and achievable via IoT devices to monitor and adjust the parameters in real-time with predictive maintenance reducing downtime and also minimizing waste and energy consumption.

Sustainability is a big arena where IoT plays a game-changing role due to the ability to sense the complete action of the products from start to finish. Transparency also identifies any areas for improvement.

Sustainability manufacturing is important as the manufacturing unit is not just focused on the production part without concerning the future effects.

How does IoT support sustainable manufacturing?

Energy management

• The used energy is monitored via IoT sensors in factories by identifying opportunities for optimizing the process.
• Smart lighting, HVAC systems, and equipment adjustment based on real-time demand.

Waste reduction:

• The material usage is tracked by using IoT sensors to minimize waste during production.
• The overproduction is prevented from predictive analytics to ensure just-in-time manufacturing.

Supply chain efficiency:

The inventory management was improved due to IoT-enabled supply chains and also reduced lead times.

Water Conservation:

• The water usage is monitored with IoT devices to detect leaks and optimize irrigation systems.
• Smart water management also reduces waste water.

Case Study

General Electric (GE) optimized energy usage in manufacturing facilities.

Solution:

·       IoT sensors are deployed across factories to collect data on energy consumption.

·       The data are analyzed to identify energy-saving opportunities.

·       The equipment settings are adjusted with lighting, and HVAC systems based on real-time demand.

Overall, the energy costs are reduced significantly with lowered environmental impact by optimizing energy. The overall scenario empowers manufacturing units to promote sustainability as well as data-driven decisions, to reduce waste.

It looks promising with a greener planet, a greener future with healthy companies following the protocols of sustainability just not paper, but introducing innovative ways to be responsible for a greener environment and greener planet.

The environment of the company also introduces more eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions. A major target for every country with their manufacturing unit is to control the cost not just by using robots but overall also.

Sources:- apriori, iLink digital, Expand My Business, iot insider, soracom, check point, telnyx, safetyculture, machinemetrics