Latest use of Sensors in Supply Chains
Introduction
A sensor is a device that provides feedback on a physical process or substance in a predictable, consistent, and measurable way.
Smart sensors are different from sensors in that smart sensors are advanced platforms with onboard technologies such as microprocessors, storage, diagnostics, and connectivity tools that transform traditional feedback signals into true digital insights.
These smart sensors can provide the timely and valuable data underpinnings to power analytical insights that can in turn drive improvements in cost, performance, or customer experience.
A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer. The supply chain also represents the steps it takes to get the product or service from its original state to the customer.
Integrating smart sensors and supply chain can decrease operating costs, increase asset efficiency, improve demand planning, and provide critical insight into customer behavior.
Key levels for smart sensors in the supply chain
Benefits of the Smart Sensors in the Supply Chain
Smart sensors increase the level of automated collection and processing of data and broaden management visibility across the supply chain to help companies reduce operating costs, improve asset efficiency, and generate incremental revenue.
Primary potential benefits of the smart sensors in the supply chain can be defined as below.
Smart sensors lead operational efficiencies that can help reduce labor, logistics, and quality control costs. Processes like inventory counting and materials sorting have become more automated with the assistance of smart sensors, thus helping to improve the productivity of human labor.
This also helps to Asset Management within the organization. Companies that have integrated smart sensors in their manufacturing operations have achieved competitive advantage through improved asset management and predictive maintenance of industrial machinery. For example, every asset is connected, allowing management to track each step of production in real time in a performance management system and monitor critical equipment to proactively address potential interruptions.
Apart from above mentioned benefits this helps to measure of the true cost of operations as indirect costs become more quantifiable.
Conclusion
For any stage of the supply chain we can use smart sensors. Smart sensors have the potential to improve supply chains to end. It,
· Replace manual with automated processes and thus drive added efficiency and reduced labor costs
· Provide asset performance and predictive maintenance capabilities
· Introduce real-time inventory tracking to improve demand planning
· Offer data around customer behavior to inform product development and accelerate speed to market
· Enable closer connection to the customer for better service offerings
