PackIOT, Author at PackIOT

PackIOT Talks: Digital Transformation In Action with José Mauricio Coelho, CEO of C-Pack

Digital transformation is a topic that has been following us for quite a while. Since February/March 2020, we all saw how technology plays an important role in our lives, when we were saw ourselves forced to be in quarantine for two or more months straight. Suddenly our home became our office as well and seeing friends and family was only possible through a screen. Technology was our lifesaver during that period as it allowed us to keep in touch with each other. Companies who had not digitalized themselves until then, were forced to do so, in order to survive. “I know this is a hard moment but it is also an important one, where all the technological resources are more required than ever before, not only in the industry 4.0. I think now we are talking about family 4.0, work 4.0. Everybody is migrating to 4.0”. - José Mauricio Coelho, CEO of C-Pack José Mauricio Coelho, CEO of C-Pack Creative Packaging SA, has been following the evolution of technology over the years. He has been managing the implementation process of digital transformation projects. On this talk, he approaches the several obstacles he has come across with and…

Innovation: Not As Fancy And Complicated As It Sounds

Written by Pedro Kirk, Project Specialist at PackIOT Most companies are seeking innovation and new ways to present their products and services. That is an undeniable fact. However, there are huge misconceptions around innovation, like what is it, how to achieve it and finally the biggest and the worst of all: “it doesn’t suit my company”. The definition of innovation might be confusing and abstract, probably if you ask 10 different people about it, you will hear 10 different answers. This article does not intend to define it, that is a subject for another post. The idea that matters and is important to keep in mind is: innovation is a continuous process, a way to rethink standards and allow changes to happen. Innovative vs. Inventive To be innovative does not (always) mean to be inventive! Disruptive concepts and products are the highest level of this process, it does take a while to achieve it. Until then, there is still a lot of value in the journey. Car sharing services, like Uber, or Tesla’s electrical vehicles, among several other examples, have been changing our lives and are considered references to innovation. But does that mean they…

12 billion IoT connections, surpassing non-IoT for the first time

Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the market for the Internet of Things continues to grow. In 2020, for the first time, there are more IoT connections (e.g., connected cars, smart home devices, connected industrial equipment) than there are non-IoT connections (smartphones, laptops, and computers). Of the 21.7 billion active connected devices worldwide, 11.7 billion (or 54%) will be IoT device connections at the end of 2020. By 2025, it is expected that there will be more than 30 billion IoT connections, almost 4 IoT devices per person on average. This is one of many findings in IoT Analytics’ latest reports State of the IoT Q4 2020 & 2021 outlook as well as the updated Cellular IoT connectivity & LPWA Market Tracker 2010-2025 (Q4/2020 update). Compared to an analysis performed in mid-2018, IoT Analytics has now raised its forecast for the number of connected IoT devices in 2025 (from 21.5 billion to 30.9 billion). Several factors are driving the growth, most notably: China. IoT has been booming in China at levels that seemed unimaginable a few years ago. While in 2015, for example, Chinese telecom companies accounted for roughly one quarter (27%) of all cellular IoT connections, this number has shot up to 75% in 2020 with China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile leading the global cellular IoT connections market. Personal and home devices. The pervasive use of personal IoT devices such as fitness wearables further accelerated in the last 2 years and is expected to continue to…

Online Packaging Events And Webinars: The Ultimate List Of 2020

Traditionally, the packaging industry has a strong culture of events and tradeshows. That's where engineers, marketing and sales professionals, account managers, and executives meet to keep an eye on the latest news. But, as you know, the pandemic caused by Covid-19 has changed a lot in this sector (and in almost all others). Face-to-face packaging events are increasingly rare and the whole industry has had to reinvent itself. And this was a good opportunity to migrate a bit from trade shows to the digital environment. To help you get organized, we've created a list of the main packaging events. It's a live catalogue and we'll always update it so you can stay on top of the news. Online Events Webpackaging LIVE - The virtual Packaging Exhibition The virtual exhibition of Webpackaging LIVE starts on the 1st of September. You will have access to the showcases for three months and it can be a great opportunity for you to acquire leads and contacts of other companies who are visiting the online event as well. While the event is running, you will be able to discover and explore new packaging products that were developed by the companies who…

How An Analytics System Can Help You Reshape The Culture Of Your Manufacturing Team

Written by Leonor Rocha | Customer Success at PackIOT Every organization has its own definition of culture. Even though we live in a globalized world, there will always be specific characteristics connected to the local and national culture that will define an organization. Culture can be regarded as a collaborative journey of sensemaking, which can be described as a process that involves the cooperation of all parts that compose an organization, in order to raise awareness and understanding from different perspectives and interests of their individuals. The culture of an organization has to be something in constant development, always shaping itself to the circumstances lived, as well as to the changes and to the evolution that occurs. So, whenever you decide to implement anything in your company, you should first think about your cultural roots. "It says that a crucial purpose of culture is to help orient its members to “reality” in ways that provide a basis for alignment of purpose and shared action." Creating the perfect data-driven team by reshaping the one you already have Data analytics is probably one of the buzzwords of this century. Everybody wants to be part of a data-driven…

Why real-time data matters for the packaging industry

I don't even think we should start this article by telling you the benefits of real-time data. The best approach is to begin by showing you what happens when you don't have it. A good way to explain this is to imagine a scenario where you're driving your car: not having real-time data is the same as looking through the rearview mirror while driving, without paying attention to the road. Can you imagine pilots, air traffic controllers, and airport managers relying only on data collected 12 hours ago? Or two weeks ago? They need to make decisions on real-time. It seems an exaggerated example (and it is), but it's just to make a point and warn you that your plant might be losing a lot of money if you keep on using data collected on paper and excel spreadsheets (which have become obsolete). Manufacturing plants that do not have real-time data are always one step behind of the resolution of any problem. Or worse, they are always one step behind of finding out they have a problem. Real-time data in the packaging industry (manufacturing) The evolution of technology makes changes happen at an ever-increasing speed and in…

Photo by Remy Gieling on Unsplash

How To Get A High Engagement Level From Operators On A Production Line

*By Fernando Pacheco - COO at PackIOT First of all, I would like to make something clear: I don't wish this article to be another one of those "guru" posts that you read on the internet (10 things to do to keep your operator engaged).To write this text, I tried to compile the years of experience of our team of production specialists (at PackIOT), combined with my background as a manager and researcher. I really hope this can turn into something useful for you and your team. For whom this content is intended: line supervisors, shift coordinators, plant managers, industrial directors, business managers, operators, and future leaders. In a recent survey, TTI Global has released some choking data on engagement and satisfaction in the manufacturing sector. "According to these new insights - which canvassed employees across 11 industry sectors between December 2018 and 31st May 2019 - Manufacturing employees provided the lowest employee satisfaction score (7.4/10) overall". Based on the data they have collected, they analyzed what Manufacturing employees expect, as well as what they value the most. The highest of these continues to be ‘Understanding what is required from you’ (39%), followed by ‘Support from your line manager’ (30%).…

Intelligent Automation: The Future In Manufacturing

Written by Leonor Rocha | Customer Success at PackIOT Everything moves so fast that, if we needed to wait for someone to process high amounts of information that are generated every hour, it would take ages to come to a concrete conclusion. Intelligent automation and other technological processes were created with a purpose: simplify processes of data analysis. We live in a fast-paced world, with a natural tendency to become faster and faster as technology evolves. Even though many might still believe it came to replace us, one thing is for sure, technology was certainly designed to simplify our lives and change them for the better. In the industrial sector, it is often regarded as an invention conceived to take over the jobs of people who work in the field. I personally prefer to see it as an assistant tool conceived to work along with humans. It contributes to strengthening our intelligence and helps us to limit our exposure to intensive and monotonous activities that no one enjoys, but which are a necessity to forge ahead. Intelligent automation has as a core benefit, the capacity to improve the efficiency of certain processes, which are often unachievable by…

15 Essential KPIs And Metrics For Packaging Manufacturers

Every day, plant managers and executives are constantly receiving tons of information about the production of their factories, making it difficult to analyze everything and decide which metrics are the ones that make more sense to be used in their business. Manufacturing metrics and KPIs help you, monitor, analyze, and consequently, optimize your production processes, contributing to an improvement of the quality and quantity of the produced goods. They provide valuable insights that will help you meet your goals. To know which ones are the most useful for your enterprise, take a look at the fifteen metrics we selected. This blog post is part of an Online Free Guide, with more details about all those KPIs. Download now for free. 01. Throughput This metric is the rate of how many units are produced on average, by a machine, cell or line over a certain period. 02. Manufacturing Cycle Time Also known as throughput time, this metric consists of the length of time from the start of the production to the delivery of the final product. 03. Machine Setup Time (Changeover) Time spent on setting up a machine or a production line, with the specifications of the new…

IPackEXPO is gathering high-level packaging specialists in a global digital event

By Ruwen Moodley - The Open Packaging Network When we’re faced with a global pandemic such as the latest COVID-19 outbreak, this gives us the opportunity to reassess if our organizations are truly flexible enough to overcome obstacles. With the recent outbreak, all sorts of events have been canceled worldwide, including many major international trade-shows and global sourcing events that businesses rely on for the constant growth opportunities they present. According to the World Trade Organization, world trade is set to plunge by between 13-32% this year and this highlights the need for innovative solutions to induce trade within the packaging industry to combat the effect of the pandemic on the industry. The Open Packaging Network (OPN Platform) - already proven global leader of packaging industry digitalization, is ready to support packaging related companies in this trying time and host a First-Ever permanent virtual digital Trade Show - IPackEXPO for packaging industry stakeholders and decision-makers to meet and showcase their products, and continue to drive business. The rise of virtual events has given us the opportunity to off-set the effects of the pandemic as well as presented many new opportunities within the industry. Here are some of…