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What is Big Data?
The concept of Big Data was initially conceived to describe gigantic volumes of data collected and stored for analysis and application. Experts highlight that since 1980, people have created more than 2.5 exabytes of data every day. This amount has grown enormously over the years and now doubles roughly every three years. Today, professionals describe this concept through five factors: volume, variety, velocity, variability, and connectivity.
The volume can be Terabytes or even Petabytes of data. Traditional databases cannot process such massive amounts of data. The variety comes from the many sources and formats in which these files are collected. Variability, on the other hand, refers to the variety and increase in data production daily; a good example is social networks.
Speed is a fundamental part of Big Data use. This means updating the system daily and, in many cases, collecting and processing data in real time. With this amount of data that needs to be processed at great speed, managing and connecting this data can be challenging. It is necessary to create links and correlations so that this data truly makes sense for management decisions.
In other words, data becomes the basis of decision-making, making it more accurate and efficient. Big Data is all the information that a company, for example, stores on the world wide web. A good example to make this topic clear is YouTube. Every day, hundreds of data points are stored in YouTube databases on the internet.
For the industry, the 5Vs has been revolutionizing many sectors. As data production grows, along with the variety of data sources and the speed required for processing, previously used methods such as spreadsheets no longer work. Companies now need to update and systematize several areas of their operations.
What is Industry 4.0?
The term Industry 4.0 alludes to the fourth industrial revolution. In the other three situations, society followed the emergence of the first production lines and steam engines, then electricity, and information systems, respectively.
First used in 2011 in Germany, the term was part of a government strategy to promote the computerization of factories, which led to the concept of the smart factory. Roughly speaking, its objective is to optimize production processes, making them more efficient, autonomous, decentralized, and customizable.
However, to turn this project into reality, the use of data represents a fundamental step in the process. Factories must integrate these systems into their operations so managers and industrial software can monitor and control each machine in real time.
Other concepts such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and virtual reality (VR) complement this technological infrastructure.
This approximation between the physical, digital, and biological worlds takes place on a robust technological foundation. We can also mention, for example, Additive Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Synthetic Biology, and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).
Organizations that still do not use all the resources that Industry 4.0 brings are left behind in competition and service quality. According to Brazilian organization SENAI, “the use of digital technologies in industry has allowed us to increase by 22%, on average, the production capacity of micro, small, and medium-sized companies in the food and beverage, metalworking, furniture, clothing, and footwear segments.”
Another important agent for the industry is the arrival of Industry 5.0, which promises to further optimize and qualify human resources, while 5G internet will increase data speed. So, if you haven’t updated your company yet, this is the last call to optimize these resources.
What are the impacts of Big Data and Industry 4.0 on the market
Rapid technological advances have caused profound changes in the way of thinking about production lines. Companies achieve these goals by creating a mechanism that collects, processes, and applies data efficiently as it is generated.
Today, it is possible to discover new information and identify patterns that allow improvement of each process in the industry, which includes increasing the efficiency of the supply chain, mapping variables that affect production, and making decision-making increasingly assertive.
Even the public sector has already opened its eyes to the opportunities generated by these technologies. Smart surveillance cameras, automated garbage collections, and automated traffic lights are some examples already seen around the world.
Currently, establishing Industry 4.0 as a strategic goal and starting to innovate is a matter of survival in the market. Updating and systematizing processes is no longer a differential, but a necessity for maintaining the company’s competitiveness.
Importance of Big Data and Industry 4.0 in maintenance management
Maintenance is no longer a sector that simply “puts out fires” and has taken on a more strategic role in companies. Today, its performance generates significant impact on the results of any business.
In this sense, the role of Big Data is to allow the analysis of historical data from equipment and each process. This enables a predictive maintenance analysis that allows the adjustment of maintenance schedules, acting before problems occur. This entire process no longer depends on analysis in several spreadsheets. The information is even processed in real time for greater productivity of each employee and equipment.
The rate of downtime tends to drop substantially, reducing the costs of downtimes and corrective actions, one of the great enemies of the sector. Breakdown and service times become shorter, ensuring efficient and continuous production.
A Honeywell-KRC study shows that Big Data analytics can cut failures by up to 26% and reduce downtime by almost 25%. These results highlight how this technology delivers strong productivity and financial returns.
Therefore, it is essential to invest in an innovative culture, fostering the implementation of solutions that optimize industrial processes and make your company more efficient. Combining Big Data and Industry 4.0 is a strategy that generates competitiveness in the face of competition.
Another point that deserves attention is the evolution of new solutions. If your company was stagnant back then, it would be increasingly difficult to compete with companies that have already been specializing in and creating space for new technologies and resources, such as 5G internet.
For maintenance, companies need to rely on industrial software that ensures reliability, mobility, and connectivity for the company. It is also necessary that this software adapts to the specific needs of your company to ensure better performance of your processes and individualities, thus ensuring faster data generation and processing, equipment quality, and cost optimization.
All this can be found in Engeman®, which offers more than 280 reports and several modules that enhance your maintenance.
If you want to know how this goal can become a reality in the specific context of your company, contact Engeman® and talk to those who understand the subject the most!
