The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has been described as the basis of the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution, otherwise known as Industry 4.0. IIoT is essential to manufacturing. But why? What benefits does the technology bring to the industry?
IIoT brings connectivity, automation, and data analytics to the factory floor. Embedded or attached sensors gather data, which is then used as the basis of analytics and machine learning processes to create a “smart factory.”
Smart factories employ a number of different technologies, including
machine learning to analyze data
sensors and other monitoring devices to improve production efficiency through real-time decision making
integrated robotics that can work alongside human workers
All of these technologies integrate with or rely on IIoT.
We’ve attached an infographic below to answer the question of what makes IIoT so valuable to manufacturing. If you find it useful, feel free to download and use the high-resolution version available at the end of this article.
Despite a shrinking job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the manufacturing sector showed job growth in twelve states.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, US manufacturing jobs showed growth in twelve states.
Over 700,000 workers lost their jobs in March across all sectors of the economy; 34,000 of those were manufacturing jobs. While news of large manufacturing layoffs and furloughs like ones at GE and Boeing have sparked alarm about the strength of the industry as a whole, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows manufacturing posting significantly less than 1% job loss across all states. Twelve states, including Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Utah all posted gains in employment that totaled 9200 jobs during the month of March. Additionally, four states reported no job losses.
Data below is broken down by state and compared to February 2020 employment numbers. All data was sourced from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Updated March employment numbers can be found in our next post regarding April unemployment. These numbers were updated and released by the BOL on May 22, 2020.
Manufacturing Jobs Data by State
State
Feb 2020
March 2020
change
% change
Alabama
270,400
272500
2,100
0.78%
Alaska
11,200
10900
-300
-2.68%
Arizona
176,900
177300
400
0.23%
Arkansas
159,600
158100
-1,500
-0.94%
California
1,306,600
1,304,500
-2,100
-0.16%
Colorado
150,500
149,000
-1,500
-1.00%
Connecticut
161,300
162,100
800
0.50%
Delaware
26,800
26,600
-200
-0.75%
District of Columbia
1,400
1,300
-100
-7.14%
Florida
388,100
389,100
1,000
0.26%
Georgia
402,000
401,100
-900
-0.22%
Hawaii
13,900
13,900
0
0.00%
Idaho
67,500
67,700
200
0.30%
Illinois
573,300
573,200
-100
-0.02%
Indiana
532,900
530,100
-2,800
-0.53%
Iowa
222,300
221,800
-500
-0.22%
Kansas
167,500
168,200
700
0.42%
Kentucky
252,200
251,700
-500
-0.20%
Louisiana
133,900
135,300
1,400
1.05%
Maine
52,300
52,100
-200
-0.38%
Maryland
113,700
112,500
-1,200
-1.06%
Massachusetts
243,000
242,800
-200
-0.08%
Michigan
621,600
619,200
-2,400
-0.39%
Minnesota
318,100
317,400
-700
-0.22%
Mississippi
148,600
147,700
-900
-0.61%
Missouri
276,300
274,600
-1,700
-0.62%
Montana
20,200
20,000
-200
-0.99%
Nebraska
99,000
98,900
-100
-0.10%
Nevada
59,000
58,400
-600
-1.02%
New Hampshire
71,200
70,800
-400
-0.56%
New Jersey
251,800
252,700
900
0.36%
New Mexico
28,800
28,800
0
0.00%
New York
436,600
435,800
-800
-0.18%
North Carolina
476,700
473,000
-3,700
-0.78%
North Dakota
25,600
25,700
100
0.39%
Ohio
700,900
698,300
-2,600
-0.37%
Oklahoma
137,600
137,400
-200
-0.15%
Oregon
193,200
192,300
-900
-0.47%
Pennsylvania
573,700
571,000
-2,700
-0.47%
Rhode Island
39,200
39,500
300
0.77%
South Carolina
258,400
258,400
0
0.00%
South Dakota
43,400
43,800
400
0.92%
Tennessee
354,100
353,900
-200
-0.06%
Texas
910,500
900,700
-9,800
-1.08%
Utah
135,400
136,300
900
0.66%
Vermont
29,300
29,000
-300
-1.02%
Virginia
241,400
240,100
-1,300
-0.54%
Washington
290,900
290,000
-900
-0.31%
West Virginia
46,200
45,800
-400
-0.87%
Wisconsin
477,600
477,400
-200
-0.04%
Wyoming
10,000
10,000
0
0.00%
Puerto Rico
75,300
75,000
-300
-0.40%
Virgin Islands
800
800
0
0.00%
Totals:
12,778,700
12744500
-0.27%
A chart showing manufacturing job numbers by state.
Creating a training video for your HMI doesn’t have to be difficult. Here’s an easy hack.
If you’ve ever wanted to create an instructional machine training video for one of your HMIs to use in operator training but aren’t sure how to go about doing that, we have a simple hack for you–actually, two.
The first hack is to use software that allows you to record the screen of your computer and edit it as you need to, like OBS Studio or Flashback Recorder. This type of software will allow you to easily record, edit, and share your machine training video even if you have little video production experience. Many of these software platforms have free versions that are entirely adequate to create your training video, as well as premium versions with more bells and whistles, like the ability to record from several monitors, add a watermark to protect your work, and to create a higher performance recording.
The second hack is to use the Game mode on your computer. This only works if you are running Windows 10, as it was a new feature with the Creators Update. But once you’ve activated this built-in tool you will have the option to record by pressing the red record button. You can toggle this button again to stop recording or use the Windows Key plus Alt+T. Then you can record the screen as you access the HMI remotely. Videos are automatically saved in your Videos\Captures folder as .mp4 files. There is also an option in settings that allows you to toggle on background recording.
If you need to repair or replace your current HMIs or PLCs, contact AX Control for more information.
AX Control Inc has a wide variety of surplus and reconditioned HMIs in stock.
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