Holding any sort of senior position in a manufacturing business is difficult – and being in charge of the whole company is even more. There are so many things that you need to keep on top of, whether it involves the machinery and equipment you use, or people who work for you – all while trying to keep on top of overheads and expenses.
Anything that makes this easier has got to be a positive move forward, but knowing where to start might be difficult, especially if your expertise lies in other directions. By using the IoT to take care of some aspects for you – you could find running your business easier and take some of the weight off your shoulders.
Using IoT to decrease accidents in the workplace
One area where the IoT can help with safety is by identifying problematic machinery, that could break down and potentially cause harm to those operating it or standing nearby. By fitting machinery with sensors in key areas, potential problems can be spotted long before they become larger, more expensive, and potentially dangerous problems.
Repair services and maintenance can be called automatically to deal with issues, cutting down the chances of injury. In the wider scope of things, unplanned downtime, or machinery breaking unexpectedly, has a negative effect on the mental well-being of workers. They are likely to become frustrated and question whether or not you know what you are doing, and possibly seek employment elsewhere.
Using IoT to increase the health of your employees
This can be achieved by monitoring not only the health of the employee but also the environment they work within. For example, monitoring the air quality in manufacturing areas to make sure that it does not reach uncomfortable levels. This can include areas where chemicals are used or the levels of exhaust fumes in warehouse loading bays. One overlooked area is that of meeting rooms, where the CO2 levels can rise if the meeting goes on too long, which in turn impairs cognitive function.
In addition to this, by fitting out employees working in harsh environments with wearables, you can monitor other health factors like heart rates and the number of steps they take during the course of the day. This data could then potentially be fed directly into employee benefits software to come up with bespoke packages for each of them. Getting the right software here will also mean that the benefits will be managed going forward, which is one less thing on your plate.
Final thoughts
The IoT might seem like science fiction for non experts, but it can be implemented to provide practical solutions to improve the well-being of everyone. This is no more apparent than in a manufacturing business, where it can be used to monitor machinery to cut down on accidents and machine breakdowns. It can also monitor air quality to keep both short and long term health problems in check, as well as use the data from personal devices to tailor benefits packages to an employee’s precise needs.
