Productivity is about working smarter, not harder, and that’s just what the Internet of Things (loT) helps so many businesses do. By harnessing the power of loT, a connected facility can positively transform the way an enterprise operates. loT makes it possible to overcome connectivity and productivity challenges, especially during a time when digital transformation is on almost everyone’s agenda.
According to Entrepreneur, factory productivity and production downtime are closely correlated. In fact, a factory can lose up to 20% of its productivity due to downtime, with the most common cause being a malfunction or breakdown of equipment. It’s in this instance, and many others, that a connected facility powered by loT can make a huge difference. Here are five ways loT boosts productivity in a connected facility:
1. Remote equipment management
Connected facilities make employees more productive by ensuring essential equipment stays up and running with minimal effort. Automation also reduces labor challenges and increases operational efficiency. For example, solutions like SiteSage make it possible to control lighting. signage and other equipment remotely. With the ability to schedule and proactively service equipment, performance improves, and energy expenses are reduced. In addition, loT makes data capture analysis more efficient. Operational leaders can monitor and control equipment in real-time, from anywhere, without having to travel to a long list of different locations.
2. Automated data collection
With automated data collection, there is no need to step away from the pressing demands of running a business to take data samples (a responsibility that can sometimes take hours). Data automation also helps eliminate clerical errors or pencil whipping. which can yield inaccurately recorded data points and leave potential equipment failure undiagnosed.
3. Proactive maintenance
When employees have greater visibility over refrigeration units, HVAC systems, lighting, and kitchen equipment, the team can shift from reactive to proactive equipment maintenance. A broader facility overview, paired with key insights into critical equipment, also enables employees to spot equipment issues in real-time. As a result, repairs can be made before catastrophic failures occur, so productivity isn’t threatened by unplanned downtime.
4. Adherence to food safety procedures
Using a loT-enabled approach to food safety and loss prevention reduces the time operational leaders and their teams spend on asset monitoring, which makes them more productive. By harnessing the power of real-time data and feedback loops, it’s possible to collect and act on guidance for different storage environments. Simply put, when things like back-of-house freezers, customer-facing refrigerators, or ready-made food bars operate outside their acceptable temperature thresholds, it’s easier to act immediately.
5. Automated menu and recipe distribution
Distributing recipes is a time-intensive task. Ensuring hundreds of locations and employees are all on the same page can be a quality assurance nightmare. Automated menu and recipe distribution increases productivity and saves time and money, especially for food service establishments with multiple locations. Solutions like Open Kitchen make it possible to push recipes directly from the cloud, eliminating stress while enhancing consistency across the brand.
Learn more about how your organization can increase productivity when you start a conversation with a member of our team.