Top 5 Reasons Manufacturers Choose IIoT

Written by

A recent survey from the Aberdeen Group reveals that companies are, indeed, interested in the benefits that can be achieved by implementing IIoT (industrial internet of things). The top five being:

  1. Reduced costs
  2. Improved operational equipment uptime and availability
  3. Increased operational speed
  4. Improved product quality
  5. Improved safety

But, what organization doesn’t want to reap those benefits? These benefits are a given (and goal) across most industries. Yet, here we all are – in a time where it has never been more critical to find ways to do business that will cut operating costs, lengthen operational uptime, boost operation speeds, enhance quality control, and mitigate safety risks. As we’ve briefly touched in a previous post, the ever-evolving changes in society spark each new phase of the industrial revolution. So, while we understand the technology drivers that brought us Industry 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, we must understand the technologies involved in getting to Industry 4.0.

To that point, steam power, electric power, and computer power aren’t nearly as complex as the kind of power that fuels Industry 4.0. For one thing, it’s not concrete or tangible. Also, And, because we know more about how helping our manufacturing clients use technology to do more with their business, we were able to develop the right suite of solutions for IIoT.

We know more, and we’re prepared to help you do more.

Quick Take: Industry 4.0

Written by

In our last post, Top Innovations in the History of the Manufacturing Industry (Until Now), we took a quick tour of our industry’s impressively innovative and ingenious history. So, where are we today? The manufacturing industry stands on the precipice of an era filled with MORE possibilities, MORE inventions, MORE applications, MORE productivity, and MORE profitability than ever before. It’s an exciting time, ripe with opportunities. And, we at Sonaria are prepared to share everything we’ve learned (and developed) to help your manufacturing organization prosper. A quick look at what’s ahead as we delve into Industry 4.0:

  • The Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of IIoT
  • Manufacturing solutions that allow systems to share and analyze data
  • Guided (or intelligent or smart) technology applications
  • Cutting-edge additive manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and more
  • Solutions-as-a-Service that make transition and implementation seamless (and affordable)

For now, let’s explain Industry 4.0, IoT and IIoT.

You’re busy running a manufacturing organization, which means you’ve got a lot on your plate. And, while you’re good at staying up-to-date on all things that might affect your business (clearly, or you wouldn’t be reading this), it’s sometimes challenging to keep up with all of the new tech terms – and even some of those that have been around awhile. We picked THREE terms that you’ve already heard, but may not feel entirely well-versed on their definitions. And, here’s what – we’re still going to keep them brief. Our goal is to keep things moving quickly, so you can get back to your business at hand: growing it.

Industry 4.0

The current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems (we’ll save that for another time), the Internet of Things (IoT … we’ll hit that next), cloud computing and cognitive computing.

Source: Industry 4.0 – Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_4.0

Internet of Things

Andrew Meola from Business Insider (May 10, 2018 1:06 pm) gives one of the easiest to digest definitions, so we’ll work with his.

“The Internet of Things, commonly abbreviated as IoT, refers to the connection of devices (other than typical fare such as Sonaria and IoTcomputers and smartphones) to the Internet. Cars, kitchen appliances, and even heart monitors can all be connected through the IoT. And, as the Internet of Things grows in the next few years, more devices will join that list.”

It’s likely many of you are already using IoT in your homes – such as the doorbell/network surveillance app. We think those applications are pretty “cool,” but at Sonaria, our focus is centered on IoT for our industry,

Industrial Internet of Things

 The industrial internet of things, or IIoT, refers to the internet of things technologies that specifically integrate with manufacturing and industrial processes.  As you might imagine, this is much MORE than a “tech term” for Sonaria. As your trusted systems integrator, our mission is to help you leverage IoT technology to transform your organization to Industry 4.0. Do we have an app for that? You bet!

Next up – much MORE about IIoT, what it can mean for your business, and how we can help you achieve it.

Industry 4.0 is here. It’s now. And, you can count on our partner, Lowry Solutions, to help you transform your business to it. Contact them today to see how Sonaria can help your business jump into Industry 4.0

 

Top Innovations in the History of the Manufacturing Industry (Until Now)

Written by

Simply put, Industry 4.0 represents the next step in the evolution of both manufacturing and the global supply chain.  But, before we take a deep dive into Industry 4.0, which we’ll do in upcoming posts, (get your scuba gear ready) let’s review the past three generations of our industry.

 Industry 1.0 = Water & Steam Power

Innovators harnessed the power of heat energy to water, thereby creating steam. In turn, the steam exerted pressure and created momentum to do work. Steam power reduced the need to be close to bodies of water – creating new opportunities for businesses, employment, and more inventions. This technology advancement was such a game changer – or so revolutionary – it became known as the Industrial Revolution.

Industry 2.0 = Electricity

 With the dawn of the twentieth century, electricity became the primary source of power. It was much easier to use than water and steam, and it enabled manufacturers to channel power sources to individual machines. This innovation gave way to a host of new, efficient machinery – including those used for the mass production of goods (and, in our area of interest, automobiles) on assembly lines.

 Industry 3.0 = Electronic hardware & software

 The second half of the twentieth century ushered in a wave of innovation, resulting in the invention and mass manufacturing of electronic devices and integrated circuit chips. The possibilities for ingenuity became endless as scientists began developing software systems to integrate with electric hardware.

This (super) quick look at our history reminds us that as society continues to evolve, so does technology – and our way of doing business. Each evolution enabled us to work with more efficiency, flexibility, and energy.

What’s next? You know what’s next – Industry 4.0, and it’s happening NOW.

Welcome to MORE – our exclusive blog by Sonaria on everything IIoT and Blockchain

Written by

Welcome to MORE, your newest source for industry information brought to you by Lowry Solutions!  Our goal is to provide valued customers like you with technology insights related specifically to the manufacturing industry. Here is where you’ll find the most relevant information on emerging technologies, trends, and opportunities that can affect your organization – positively and (for those unprepared) negatively.

 

To that end, we believe that when you know more, you can do more. And, as we anticipate significant disruption in the coming months, we want to provide you with every piece of information you need to make informed decisions about how to best prepare your organization for nothing but positive outcomes.

 

Check back often – there is so much more to come.

Lowry Solutions Announces New Software Platform Sonaria™

Written by

Brighton, MI – April 9, 2018 – Lowry Solutions, a world class Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 solutions provider, announced the launch today of their own brand of software as a service, Sonaria™. Lowry’s new offering, Sonaria, is a hybrid cloud and on-premise IoT platform providing Industry 4.0 capabilities for end-to-end supply chain traceability, manufacturing executing, work in process tracking, packaging automation, inventory management and asset tracking.

Mike Lowry, President and CEO, Lowry Solutions

“Sonaria can accept input from nearly any device or data source for real-time process automation, error proofing and optimization. In addition to orchestrating improved operations, Sonaria provides analytics and dashboards allowing managers to gain insights for further improvement. The result is the ability to manage a company’s value chain more quickly and more effectively then was ever possible before combined with the flexibility to scale and reconfigure their operations with ease. We are beyond excited to introduce this technology to the ever evolving marketplace.”

Sonaria incorporates the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology as key elements. Both technologies are receiving considerable attention and are expected to fundamentally change the world. Currently over 78% of the world’s products have no way to identify themselves. This is where Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies, like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors, barcodes, PLC’s and machine vision offer tremendous promise. Using AIDC technologies, the IoT will track and manage all of the important assets and resources in the value chain and blockchain will process and manage the transactions and smart contracts providing permissioned transparency and trust across organizational boundaries, improving supply chain efficiency.

With more than 44 years of experience implementing AIDC hardware, software and solutions across a multitude of industries, no one knows more about keeping track of items using these technologies like Lowry Solutions. Their knowledge of software integration with a broad range of devices, protocols and other software makes them uniquely positioned to leverage the intersection of these trends.

Lowry Solutions is unveiling Sonaria this week at the industry tradeshow, RFID Journal Live, in Orlando Florida at booth number 807. They will be providing live demos, registering attendees to their Sonaria based webinar and giving two presentations on Tuesday April 10th by each Lowry Chief Technology Officer, Joe Leone and Sonaria Product Manager, Chris Pritchard. Following the tradeshow, Lowry Solutions will host a webinar, Software for the IIoT Era- Making IIot into Blockchain, on April 25, 2018 at 2pm EDT. The webinar is free and registration is open to anyone wanting to learn more.

About Lowry Solutions
Lowry Solutions is a global systems integrator of complete IoT, Blockchain, RFID and barcode solutions for supply chain applications. As the industry leader for over four decades, Lowry has been implementing real-time asset visibility solutions that simply traceability and improve business outcomes. The company continues to evolve alongside its customers to provide the most complete and modern data collection solutions available. For more information, please visit lowrysolutions.com or call +1 888-881-2477

About Sonaria
Sonaria™ is a complete supply chain solution as a service that is built on the Internet of Things and blockchain that will find, monitor, and control fixed and mobile assets, from anywhere in the world and is the next generation of enterprise-level track and trace technology for today’s leading global manufacturers and suppliers. Sonaria is a robust, flexible and intuitive solution that can track and manage virtually any element in an operation’s value chain. Only Sonaria brings together AIDC technologies, IoT and blockchain technologies, seamlessly, to deliver true business transformation. For more information, please visit Sonaria.com or call +1 877-256-9962.

Follow Sonaria: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook
Follow Lowry Solutions: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+

Copyright ©2018. Lowry Holding, LLC. Sonaria is a registered trademark of Lowry Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.

###

Media Contact
Michelle Shook, Marketing and Sales Development Manager
Lowry Solutions
michelles@lowrysolutions.com
+1 810-534-1669.