Top 10 Concerns for Manufacturing

Manufacturing is going through one of the biggest set of changes since the Industrial Revolution. It can be difficult for organizations to know what to do first.

by Isabell Berry

Manufacturing is experiencing a diverse set of challenges – from supply chain shortages to the push for automation, the manufacturing landscape is looking very different from what it looked like as little as 3 years ago. COVID notably exacerbated some of the issues, but it also exposed some of the gaps and weaknesses that had been allowed to proliferate in a sector that is historically reluctant to embrace change. The reality is, if companies in North America want to be competitive in a global market, they need to have a focus on modernization and be willing to invest in technology and infrastructure. They need to put aside their inherent distrust of AI and allot time and money into projects and training.

We have spent a great deal of time reading and talking to a variety of people about what this top 10 list should consist of, from executives to plant managers, consultants and engineers. Without further ado here is the list we came up with:

Top 10 Concerns of Manufacturing Companies in 2023

1. Workforce availability

2. Controlling Costs (esp. energy and taxes)

3. Capital availability

4. Project management/deployment

5. Automation and cyber security

6. Increasing production levels

7. Fluctuating economic and supply chain conditions

8. Worker and product safety

9. Competition and globalization

10. Sustainability

And this doesn’t just apply to manufacturing, these concerns are also valid for other businesses that have a brick and mortar presence. We are happy to see that sustainability made the list, we predict that it will continue to move up as we get closer and closer to legislative deadlines.

Workforce challenges is an interesting one, whether it started or continued with COVID, the reality is that everyone is struggling to find enough people to work, and work life balance is no longer just a perk. Automation helped, it has reduced teams slightly and made work more interesting and safe for the rest. Now the next phase of automation is having its’ time. AI, machine learning and data analytics are the icing on the automation cake.

Controlling costs is not new, but energy costs have never been as big a concern, and now there are new taxes and fines which are narrowing margins to a very difficult degree.

Capital availability has diminished as well, many investors and financial institutions are taking an extremely conservative position due to the current economic climate. Domestically interest rates and debt has decreased consumer spending significantly. Globally we see political unrest and economic crises cultivating unprecedented volatility.

Project Management and deployment is really a sub set of workforce shortages and training issues. With more and more demands on time projects are reluctantly being scheduled with very little room for error or unexpected delays. Then that project ends up pushing the next one and so on.

67% of companies currently use automation for repeatable and/or dangerous tasks. We were a tiny bit shocked at that number, we actually thought it would be much higher than that. Demand is causing production expectations to exceed capacity everywhere. Combine that with fluctuating supply chain conditions and you have a steam cooker of stress waiting to blow (pardon the steam pun).

Worker and product safety sometimes takes a back seat when there are so many competing demands to deliver on. The financial reality is that workplace accidents cost a lot. They cost money in workers compensation as they recover, they cost productivity as someone else has to fill in for the injured worker and often is slower at doing that job, organizational insurance costs go up, and it impacts morale and retention rates.

Competition is always a factor of concern, but now it impacts even more. If you can’t keep up to and exceed your competition in speed of delivery, reliability, quality, customer service and price you can quickly find yourself falling further and further behind as news travels quickly and a reputation can be lost in a matter of light speed. Investing in sustainability measures makes organizations more competitive here and around the world.

And then when you are finally feeling like you have things in hand, you get thrown the goal of sustainability. Make more, make it for less money, but make it faster and better, plus using less energy and made out of recycled, ethically sourced, biodegradable products. Sure.

Let me quickly synopsize how we can help with each of these concerns:

1. Workforce - Pulse’s steam trap monitors don’t need to be checked, data is sent automatically to the gateway and the dashboard and alerts sent to users via email. And as an extra note, their accuracy better even than manual testing as the AI engine can analyze each trap based on its unique data profile which varies depending on many factors.

2. Controlling costs – our solution can save tens or even hundreds of thousands in energy costs, carbon taxes and fines

3. Capital – our solution is the most cost effective one on the market today, we even have a pilot program that can be implemented for less than 4k

4. Deployment – our solution can be installed in a matter of hours by inhouse staff or our expert installers

5. Automation – our solution can be integrated with other analytics or stand alone

6. Production – the pulse solution decreases down time significantly

7. Fluctuating supply chain – our products are made right here in NA so you don't need to be concerned about global shortages

8. Safety – not only will pulse monitors protect workers from dangerous closed failure situations, but by eliminating annual inspection necessity you don’t risk worker who need to access traps which may be in hazardous locations

9. Competition and Globalization – investing in sustainability measures makes organizations more competitive here and around the world. Plus having fully functioning steam traps saves you downtime and reduces costs which will enable you to be more competitive

10. Sustainability – repairing failed steam traps quickly allows companies to significantly reduce their energy consumption and emissions

That was fun, We look forward to the next top ten list!

To see how Pulse can save you money click here for a demo

5 Proven Energy Saving Tips in Manufacturing

Manufacturing organizations are doing their best to cut energy costs to save money and be more green. It isn’t easy but it is necessary!

by Isabell Berry

I think the key is to constantly be searching for new ways to save. Each measure will save a relatively small percentage of your energy costs, 2%, 3% but when you add them all up you are looking at significant amounts of money as well as CO2 emissions reductions.

In 2020 there were 35 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions created worldwide. 2% of that is 7 million metric tons which is equal to the weight of 6 of the world's biggest natural gas drilling platforms or 1,750,000 hippos or 70,000 Boeing 757’s. So 2% is huge. Now let’s look at some ways to save energy.

1. Well of course install steam trap monitors. That’s a given. Installing the world’s best steam trap monitoring solution - Pulse - is fast, easy, inexpensive and saves you money very quickly. How could you not do it? With the rate of failure of steam traps (through no fault of their own, I mean they are under a lot of pressure) it just doesn’t make sense not to do it. It’s like buying a cell phone and then not getting a cover for it, or only having one pair of socks that you wear every day. If your building is heated, or your equipment is powered using steam, it makes even more sense to monitor steam traps to ensure maximum production line efficiency.
   

2. Replace all your old halogen and incandescent lighting with LED. On average, LEDs consume 80% less energy and last 25 times longer. They come in many different sizes and shapes and are so much better in so many ways that it is getting harder and harder to find non LED bulbs. This is an excellent example of a technology that has reached the tipping point. The savings are just too good to ignore, so out with the old, in with the new.
   

3. Control building heating and cooling. This includes a variety of smart solutions including limiting drafts, making sure doors are closed when not in use, moderating temperature fluctuations (some buildings have their ac set very low in summer and heat very high in winter, it is healthier and more efficient to keep this temperature range less extreme). When employees are not in the building these can be turned to even more of a power saver mode. Also make sure you clean or replace filters regularly to ensure the system is running at top capacity.
   

4. Reduce Waste. Find ways to re-use offcuts or to incorporate recycled materials into your processes. Packaging is a huge cost for many manufacturing companies, more and more organizations are finding ways to make their packaging out of recycled or compostable materials, to make their packaging less bulky, and to melt or grind offcuts and put them back into the packaging creation process. It has been found that excessive packaging in the food & bev industry for example, often does not lead to longer shelf life and is damaging to consumer opinion. If you can find a way to reduce packaging you can market that fact and use it as a differentiator that is becoming more and more important in people’s buying choices.
   

5. Audit your supply chain and distribution channels. There are many points of wasted energy in most supply chains. It may be a time consuming process to look at your supply chain, but it can be very productive. Comparing the cost savings of one vendor of a component may very likely be offset with transportation and logistic gains you can get from another, and coming to the negotiation table armed with this kind of data may be an excellent bargaining chip in getting a better rate. Buying local is another way to gain favour with many consumers and other businesses as well. It makes your supply chain less vulnerable, by diversifying your options and making it impervious to the volatile fuel market as well as extreme weather and/or political conditions.

Saving energy brings many rewards. Use that money to reinvest in your company, feel good that you are helping the planet and then market that fact to your buyers as well as investors and vendors. Being green is a trend that is not going away and in fact it is gaining momentum and influence across the board. It’s win win.

To see how Pulse can save you money click here for a demo

Top 6 Predictions for IoT in 2023

We’re always trying to stay on top of the latest in IoT. This is what we see coming down the pipe (pun intended):

by Isabell Berry

MarketsAndMarkets projects the global IoT market will more than double from 2021 to 2026, growing from just over $300 billion to over $650 billion. I see many reasons for this including the widespread acceptance in the market, no longer is it just early adopters. This technology is now generally accepted as necessary and beneficial and the devices and sensors are now often very reliable and, when partnered with AI to manage the huge amounts of data, is very practical. Here are my top 6 predictions for 2023:

1. Saving Money: As lending rates continue to increase globally, organizations will be forced to find ways to save. With limited capital investment, IoT sensors are an obvious choice. Sensors help to save money through load balancing, performance analytics and failure alerts. Plus they save money in labour costs as they can replace manual inspections and assist with maintenance scheduling.
   

2. Sustainability: Companies will continue to look at environmental initiatives, feeling marketplace pressure to green up. We see the massive energy savings and CO2 emission reductions that they experience by installing Pulse monitors on their steam traps. If you multiply that by the utilization of other IoT sensors, you see how organizations can make huge inroads into their sustainability mandates. And we see more and more consumers and businesses making vendor choices based on environmental policies so the benefits are exponential.
   

3. Safety: IoT sensors will be integral to maintenance modeling resulting in increased safety in inaccessible areas. Not only do IoT sensors increase safety by alleviating the need for manual inspections in dangerous or inaccessible areas, but real time exception reporting and maintenance modeling to ensure timely interventions will help to reduce emergency situations and accidents.
   

4. Security: IoT solution security will be stronger, with a focus on ease of deployment without increasing risk. Limiting the need for human intervention means fewer opportunities for unwanted access to IoT systems. Add to that the increased focus on encryption and certificate based authentication, and utilization of separate LoRaWAN networks, and we will see almost impenetrable systems in place (I say almost because well you know, nothing is impenetrable, just ask the Mission Impossible team).
   

5. Supply chains: Supply chains will continue to add connected devices, allowing them to react quickly to upstream and downstream changes. The story of 2022 will have to be the supply chain, we all saw how vulnerable it is and how maddening it can be to be reliant on it connecting seamlessly. The key to success in 2023 will be in being able to quickly notice and react to changes (breaks).
   

6. Predictive Analytics: AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine learning) and big data will be partying with IoT to increase efficiency and productivity. Now that we have a handle on collecting and interpreting absolutely massive amounts of data, the next step is to use that to be proactive and predictive and preferably do that in a non-human format. This predictive analytics will help to be more efficient, more productive and more accurate in determining output as well as scheduling human and non-human resources and so much more.
   

2023 is a new year and an exciting time. The IoT is a new frontier and hopefully we will know how to balance being connected with being able to disconnect and trust that technology can help us to focus on what's most important.

To see how Pulse can help click here for a demo