The hype around smart manufacturing, otherwise known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), tells us it is possible to IMPROVE asset reliability, OPTIMISE production operations, INCREASE product quality, remotely MONITOR operations, or trial and ENABLE new business models. But why is only a small section of the market adopting these strategies? Most executives intuitively see the potential for solutions that turn plant data into information but are reluctant to invest. Why is there is so much fear?
A manufacturer has two choices. To proceed or not proceed, that is the question! In other words, they can buy on faith (proceed) or wait and see (not proceed). Not surprisingly, most companies have waited. However, the longer you wait, the higher the risk that you will not remain competitive, and you will be forced to take drastic actions such as closure, moving offshore or sub-contracting to manufacturers.
At Mescon, we use the term MES for various concepts, including IoT and Industry 4.0. We have heard many reasons given for not seriously considering implementing an MES solution. These include:
- Burnt before: “We have tried it before, and it didn’t work!”
First, you need to find the real reason why it didn’t work. It is typically political reasons such as lack of communication between departments, sometimes referred to as silo mentality. Getting a clear understanding of past failures will give more confidence going forward that the result will be different.
- Believing the sales talk: Sales talk is often full of empty promises or dreams, and it results in half a solution being sold (very common in the MES market). There is currently a lot of HYPE coming from people
who do not understand manufacturing. You are being sold an empty promise when the product does not match the application or fulfil the requirements; the dream is when you are being told to implement something that is currently impossible and so may never become a reality. Talking to someone who you know knows what they’re talking about will overcome the fear of being sold a white elephant. - Lack of knowledge: We typically do not know what the salesman is not telling us.
We have to ask, what are the hidden gotchas? What do we need to do alongside the proposal to make it work? Usually, the salesman doesn’t know, or if they do, will not volunteer information about any shortcomings in their solution. The most common ‘gap’ is data collection. Most solutions will take data and analyse it well but require the data to be digitised by other means. - Justifying the business case: If you are trying to work out the
ROI, you are missing the main advantage of MES, which is finding out what you don’t know. We use the phrase “seeing what you don’t know and knowing what you don’t see”. Most savings have been made from implementing a simple change after someone sees the blindingly obvious that no one noticed. You can only calculate the ROI beforehand if you already know how to save the money. If this is the case, then implement the change, not an MES solution! 
Over complication: Some of the IoT talk is innovative and useful, but most of it screams to us at Mescon of making things more complicated, and more expensive, than they need to be. For example, we have been told that you need ten layers of software code to inform the necessary people that a tank is low. For us, low-level alarming is very basic automation and the person who needs to know, in the first instance, is the operator. It is not a scenario that needs solving by the IIoT.
- Security: How do I know that my data, my people and my equipment will be secure? This is a
genuine concern and needs to be considered. The things that are important need to be kept under lock and key. Security considerations include Intellectual Property, personal data, physical equipment, and the safe operation of that equipment. You can be attacked through terrorism, sabotage, accidental damage, or remote access. Cybersecurity needs to be considered at all levels of any solution.
- Fear of the unknown: In the automation industry, we talk about
implementing a black box; most people have no idea of what is happening inside and only notice when it doesn’t work. A great automation system will go unnoticed. The first step towards an effective solution is often obtaining visibility into the black box in a meaningful, context-rich manner. An MES or a SCADA solution can provide this.
It is very hard to trust the hype. Building a business case requires executives to know what they don’t know. As Mescon has several years of experience in building MES systems that have worked, as well as having been involved in failed projects, we have a good grasp on what works and what doesn’t. We can help you implement a successful solution and help you realise the savings that can be made by putting the right information into the hands of the right people. But we can’t do it without you.
Please talk to us if you want to see what you don’t know and know what you don’t see.
