Technological advancements have generated a true revolution in industry. The concept of Industry 4.0 is already a reality, and its main characteristic is the use of exponential technologies in the production of consumer goods. Among these technologies is the Internet of Things (IoT). But, ultimately, what are the impacts of IoT on... Production Engineering? 

In this post, we'll explain what IoT is, how this technology influences the production process, and how future production engineers can prepare to work with the Internet of Things. Keep reading and find out!

What is IoT?

Internet of Things is the term used to describe objects that incorporate technologies, such as sensors and software. These objects can range from household appliances to complex industrial machines. 

Advances in connectivity, in cloud processing platforms, in technology Machine learning and neural networks have made the Internet of Things possible. Today, this technology is already used in industrial environments (Industrial IoT – IIoT) and even in "smart homes". 

Without a doubt, this is one of the main technology trends for the coming years. According to data released by the consulting firm... Gartner, It is estimated that the world will have around 100 billion objects interconnected by the IoT by 2025. 

What are the benefits of IoT?

The Internet of Things tends to provide great benefits to the market in general. "All sectors can benefit from IoT solutions. The problem is that sensors are still too expensive for wider use in home applications.".

In this sense, the sectors that benefit most from IoT are healthcare, with a growing number of patient monitoring solutions, and industry, with machine monitoring solutions.

In industry, this type of technology can monitor machine operation and generate a large volume of data, which is extremely important for optimizing production processes. IoT allows, for example, the use of sensors to manage the factory and predict when a machine will need repairs, which tends to generate cost savings and increased productivity.  

What are the main impacts of IoT on Production Engineering? 

Considering the emergence of Production Engineering, associated with changes in industrial organization at the time of the rise of Fordism, we can highlight that this area always seeks new ways to manage parameters to rethink factory organization, increasing the overall efficiency of the process.

At this point, IoT tends to help the production engineer find the best solutions for manufacturing processes. The emergence of IoT technologies can completely change the way we do our work, as it allows the capture of a huge number of parameters, which was not possible before.

This data can generate important insights for decision-making. The IoT is largely responsible for building cyber-physical systems. From this, it is possible to monitor discrete events in real time, such as the production of goods, geographical distribution in the city, traffic, etc. The Internet of Things captures information and makes it available for decision-making. 

Therefore, we can affirm that IoT tends to impact Production Engineering in various spheres. Currently, there is a great demand for technologies that add value to the product lifecycle, capturing information that can be incorporated into the development process and improve production efficiency. This impacts not only design but also the manufacturing process, especially with the use of advanced technologies, electronics, and computing.

How can a Production Engineering student prepare to work with IoT? 

Amidst so many innovations and benefits offered by the Internet of Things, it's natural that great opportunities arise in the field of... Production Engineering For professionals with knowledge in this technology. Therefore, future professionals must prepare themselves to meet market expectations.  

To excel in this environment, students need to be curious about new technologies and willing to learn programming. Future engineers must be prepared to tackle unprecedented and, consequently, difficult-to-solve problems.

To know manipulate and analyze data It is also an essential skill for future production engineers. Dealing with this new quantity and variety of information means that production engineers need to seek knowledge in new data manipulation techniques.

Now that you know the impacts of IoT on Production Engineering, take the opportunity to check out... 15 areas to work in technology.