Cloud-Based Services
At the moment, systems based on cloud storage are gaining more and more popularity. Service-based software architectures and technical solutions are being actively explored by various researchers because of their potential prospects for many manufacturing benefits (Kayday et al.). The main advantages of cloud services are the reduced cost of the equipment combined with immense computing power. Thus, it becomes possible to create a vast and reasonably cheap infrastructure, which, nevertheless, will fulfill all the load assigned to it. Besides, cloud services themselves already have a reasonably organized structure, making it easier to integrate other systems into it and monitor devices. An additional advantage of cloud services is the ability to combine them with the Internet of Things. In a production context, this collaboration simplifies the interaction between individual devices and enables the implementation of analysis and statistical data collection systems (Kayday et al.). With the help of IoT and cloud services, all devices are connected to one network. Since there is a continuous exchange of information, it becomes possible to achieve a high system automation level.
Automated ERP Systems
As their name suggests, ERP (enterprise resource planning) should be directly used in various kinds of enterprises and organizations. Since such systems are understood more as a concept, each organization can have an ERP system designed to solve specific problems that are relevant in a given place. ERP has several main uses, including customer service, financial accounting, and supply chain management. The latter example can be successfully combined with the Internet of Things, thereby increasing the entire system’s efficiency and effectiveness. Warehouses are often highly complex schemes that require a tremendous amount of effort to manage effectively. This process can be optimized, for example, by using automated guided vehicles (AGV) (Siedler et al., 683). Such robotic machines can perform heavy and dangerous humans work with machine precision, thereby increasing efficiency. However, the introduction and use of the Internet of Things, in this case, can further increase the efficiency of the system. Since one of the IoT features is the constant bi-directional exchange of information, an entire closed ecosystem can be created in which the automatic redistribution of materials and resources is carried out.
References
Kayday, Kerem, et al. A Workflow and Cloud Based Service-Oriented Architecture for Distributed Manufacturing in Industry 4.0 Context. 2018. Web.
Siedler, Carina, et al. “Modeling and Assessing the Effects of Digital Technologies on KPIs In Manufacturing Systems.” Procedia CIRP, vol. 93, 2020, pp. 682-687.