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There is a rise of a new digital industry that brings with it many promises.
There is a rise of a new digital industry that brings with it many promises. Known as Industry 4.0, it is a transformation that at its very core, is a wave of advancement that utilises technology for efficient production – regardless of the industry. Through the integration of smart devices and connecting sensors, machines, and IT systems, Industry 4.0 makes possible the enhancement of the manufacturing process that was once unreachable by manual labour.
Labelled as a competitive differentiator, 91% of manufacturing leaders believe that the application of Industry 4.0 technologies will increase productivity levels per headcount but also take industrial growth to new heights and modify the workforce. As a matter of fact, according to the MIT CISR, these future-ready companies enjoy margins 16% higher than industry average.
Turning challenges into opportunities, Industry 4.0 is posed as a strategic priority for industry leaders to leverage.
Slips and lapses, as well as errors in judgement, are some of the few types of human errors that can occur in the workplace. Of all 463 major injuries that were reported to the MOM in 2020 – including slips, trips, falls, and extreme temperatures – 110 were from the manufacturing industry.
Given the limitations of human behaviour in terms of attention, perception, memory, and logical reasoning, it comes as no surprise that these inevitably influence the working environment. However, that is not to say that the full extent of mistakes and oversights that occur on shop floors are caused by human performance – or the lack thereof.
New research has revealed that most blunders can be linked back to a problem in work systems. Lacking the flexibility and agility to manage operations, rigid processes and production lines act as hindrances in achieving accurate job standards. This is where any one of the nine foundational technology advances, like the industrial Internet of Things (IoT), comes into play.
A thermal imaging technology designed to protect assets and prevent dangerous situations, Smart Monitoring by Konica Minolta allows you to see the unknown. Making the thermal radiation of an object or body visible, the thermal images captured – that would have otherwise been invisible to the naked eye – detects threats early.
A highly robust and durable system, this intelligent video solution forms part of our proprietary range of end-to-end security solutions. Pushing businesses to rethink process digitalization, this tool is built on powerful IoT functionalities for data analytics and a reliable video system for high availability of video recordings.
With this use of AI video analytics bringing about several workplace operations benefits, the adoption of the Smart Monitoring technology also offers advantages to entire industrial systems in various ways.
With EDGE computing, the Smart Monitoring video system can verify movements in the warehouse even when there are IP network outages. When cameras are installed in locations such as the picking and loading area of a warehouse, managers can isolate specific timestamps and gather information on a visualisation dashboard to extract insights like identifying the bottleneck of a process for improvements.
Workplace safety remains the key consideration as businesses try to resume from lockdowns. With the automated body temperature verification and enhanced mask detection capabilities, the cameras used for Smart Monitoring can play a pivotal role in maintaining workplace safety while minimising the burden on businesses to ensure compliance with Safe Management Measures.
While the hybrid in-office and work-from-home arrangements will be a lasting transition, utilising Smart Monitoring can allow related stakeholders to receive alerts remotely should there be anomalies at the workplace. Smart Monitoring enables the authorised stakeholders to access the cameras via Cloud securely, even through their mobile phones.
Monitoring on customised operating procedures such as using gloves while handling certain materials can also be established using Smart Monitoring’s deep learning (AI) capabilities.
Designed with an inexhaustible number of technical possibilities, the Smart Monitoring technology can be used for anything from occupational health and safety in industrial and manufacturing facilities to machine and equipment monitoring. Efficiently connecting to other software and hardware, this IoT imaging and monitoring solution is the epitome of Industry 4.0 advancements. For more information on our IoT smart monitoring solutions, get in touch with our experts.