IoT Trends in Manufacturing: Moving Beyond Smart to Virtual

Note: This blog post was previously published on IoT For All.

From the early 1900s to the 2000s, the manufacturing industry underwent significant innovation, beginning with the advent of lean manufacturing that introduced efficient assembly line production and specialized machinery tailored for specific tasks. Moving into the 2000s, the focus shifted towards the “smart factory”, integrating connected devices and automation to enhance equipment effectiveness and employing predictive maintenance to get ahead of failures.

Looking ahead, the next 5–10 years are poised to introduce the digital or “virtual factory”, leveraging technologies like digital twins and virtual modeling for risk-free optimization, and autonomous operations that predict and resolve issues proactively, setting the stage for an even smarter manufacturing environment. But for this innovation to occur at scale, IoT teams in manufacturing need to be aware of the trends, pitfalls, and best practices in this evolving space.

In this article, we’ll define IoT, discuss key market and technology trends in manufacturing today, unpack the common IoT-related pain points experienced by tech teams within the manufacturing space, and provide considerations and best practices to apply to your IoT efforts.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects, or “things”, that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies with the purpose of exchanging data with other devices, or “things”, and systems over the internet. These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools.

IoT in manufacturing

In the manufacturing industry, IoT often comes in the form of industrial robots and machinery on the factory floor. With both hardware and software becoming increasingly sophisticated, these connected devices require more frequent updates, and have become a bigger target for malicious attackers, putting greater demands on the teams that own them. As outlined above, the landscape of manufacturing has undergone significant transformations over the past century. The introduction of IoT marks a key phase of innovation.

Key market & tech trends in manufacturing today

Zooming in on the technological trends in the manufacturing market today and near future, we see the following patterns emerge:

Digital transformation accelerates: Factories are moving from smart to a virtual industrial metaverse with heavy utilization of immersive technologies such as AR/VR. Manufacturers are moving from simply having visibility into big data toward discovering the benefits of big data using AI/ML.
AI-powered devices, sensors, and robotics: Gartner speculates that by 2028, there will be more smart robots than frontline workers in manufacturing. In-device software is scaling up with increasing complexities, dependencies, and embedded machine learning (ML) models. “Things” now require more frequent updates.
Gaps in cybersecurity: Manufacturing is one of the sectors most targeted by cyberattacks. Exploited software vulnerabilities is the 2nd-largest attack vector, representing ~24% of all incidents. In order to adequately combat and prevent these attacks, manufacturers require software curation and software supply chain security practices.
Manufacturing in Cloud: Manufacturers are increasingly moving workloads to the cloud, containerizing software to ensure scalability (i.e. moving away from monolithic applications), adopting SaaS solutions, and focusing on their security strategy. And they tend to prefer cloud-agnostic software that reduces vendor lock-in.
Intelligent edge: Computer vision systems and autonomous robotics generate massive amounts of multi-dimensional data. Gartner predicts that in 2025, more than 50% of enterprise data will be both created and processed outside the data center or cloud at the edge.
Digital twin technologies trending as virtual factory enablers: A digital twin is a virtual replica of physical objects, processes, or systems enabling the creation of virtual prototypes, simulations & testing. Over 70% of businesses don’t have a digital twin strategy in place for IoT devices.

IoT pain points in manufacturing

In response to the industry changes discussed above, there are three critical areas where manufacturers struggle to keep up with the evolving IoT landscape:

1. Slow and costly time to market

Just like mainstream applications, edge devices are evolving rapidly, becoming increasingly software-driven and intelligent. This shift has led to more frequent software updates, which introduces both operational challenges and additional costs; updating devices that are often difficult to access due to their physical location or lack of external IP addresses can be particularly cumbersome and expensive.

2. Security risks

As the frequency of updates increases, so does the exposure of these devices to potential security threats. It’s crucial to meticulously manage and monitor the software that’s deployed on edge devices, especially since they’re often located in critical environments such as manufacturing lines, vehicles, and aircrafts. The stakes are high, as the failure of an edge device in such settings can have more severe consequences than a simple server malfunction.

3. Operational limits and inefficiencies

Companies typically source their devices from various vendors, which makes device management more complex. To effectively oversee a diverse array of devices, organizations need comprehensive visibility into their entire fleet. This includes understanding which devices are updated and what software is running on each device. Tools like digital twins or software avatars can provide a detailed representation of the devices’ software setups, helping to address both security and operational needs. That said, a lack of clear software inventories, or a unified Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), makes these efforts more complicated.

Companies must navigate these challenges to ensure robust and secure operations across their network of edge devices. One of the most effective ways to address these challenges is by choosing a universal platform for managing your IoT software releases. In fact, it’s estimated that 75% of organizations will have switched from multiple point solutions to platforms to streamline application delivery by 2025 – that’s up from 25% in 2023.

JFrog Connect for IoT in manufacturing

As part of the JFrog Platform, JFrog Connect provides end-to-end software supply chain management and security to the world of IoT. By integrating natively with JFrog Artifactory and JFrog Security, Connect provides comprehensive control over all software being developed or imported into the company, and extends it right to the devices themselves.

A key feature of JFrog Connect is its server and agent architecture, which automates application processes. The agent initiates the connection, which is particularly useful for devices without an external IP, facilitating remote access to these devices from the server. Its other benefits include:

Device Management and Control – Ensure ongoing operation of the devices by addressing a variety of operational and distribution use cases.
End-to-End Trust from Dev to Device – Create synergy between JFrog products to provide a managed and controlled single source of truth for all the software that’s released in the company.
Fleet Management at Scale – Enhanced analysis and managed CD of software to the entire fleet, assuring business continuity and efficiency.
Centralized Platform Administration – Streamline platform governance by centrally orchestrating user roles, permissions, and administrative functions.

In sum

The integration of IoT in the manufacturing industry has entirely revolutionized how operations are conducted. As these technologies continue to evolve, the importance of managing and securing fleet device software becomes increasingly critical.

JFrog Connect emerges as an ideal solution for deploying trusted software releases to edge devices. Its ability to seamlessly integrate with other components of the JFrog Platform ensures that all software is scrutinized and secure before deployment. With features like remote access and the capability to analyze active processes, JFrog Connect not only enhances operational efficiency but also fortifies the security framework of IoT devices in manufacturing.

To learn more about JFrog Connect for managing and securing your edge device fleet, chat with us.