The Internet of Things Can Help Stabilize Your Supply Chain

The Internet of Things is an amalgamation of countless connected devices that all perform various functions. Many of these devices are being used in ways that businesses never thought possible. In fact, the Internet of Things and its boundless amount of connected devices have given manufacturers and corporations even more opportunities to get birds-eye views of operations, inventory management, and supply chain management.

Imagine this scenario; you run an automobile factory where vehicles are assembled, tested, and ultimately shipped to dealerships for purchasing by consumers. You can imagine how tricky managing such a factory might have been in the past, with countless parts being used for assembly, inventory tracking practices for keeping tabs on all of it, and shipping information for all of the finished products. Nowadays, with the Internet of Things, all of this could be made much more simple.

Take, for example, inventory management. When items are pulled from the inventory, they could be scanned automatically through the use of connected sensors, removing them from the inventory when they are used for assembly. Doing so removes the burden of painstakingly tracking each individual piece one-by-one, and it frees up time and resources for other tasks or responsibilities.

The Internet of Things can also be used for diagnostic purposes. With connected devices and sensors, important benchmarks on new products can be monitored for quality control and assurance. Connected devices in this sense can also be used to determine potential pitfalls and shortcomings in the production process, preventing issues from developing further down the line.

Finally, Internet of Things devices can be used to track the shipping of products to their eventual destinations. Imagine that each of these devices passes through various checkpoints that automatically add or deduct them from the inventory management system, which is updated in real time. The IoT is perfect for making these kinds of changes to operations.

Truth be told, the Internet of Things can be a bit dangerous and concerning, but it does offer some great opportunities for your business to step up its operations. Just like manufacturers and corporations use smart devices to keep track of inventory in their factories and warehouses, you too can use these same devices to keep tabs on your own inventory and practices. With the appropriate technology solutions in place, you can monitor various parts of your organization’s operations.

Of course, the extent to which this is true depends on which industry your business falls into. To find out how your company can utilize the Internet of Things to its advantage, we recommend a comprehensive network audit performed by JensenIT. With our help, you can identify opportunities for improvement within your organization, including inventory management, supply chain management, and so on. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (847) 803-0044.