Cloud Based Infrastructure for Manufacturing

Courtney Durler ● Oct 20 ● 5 min read

School campuses and manufacturing facilities have a lot in common. Both have ample space, a lot of moving bodies, and daily activities that may require constant monitoring for safety reasons. It makes sense to streamline as many points of operation and security as possible. Cloud based infrastructure does exactly this. 

In my previous blog post, I discussed “Connected Schools” and how they will shape the future of education. Like education, the manufacturing industry has a lot of data points that could be connected.

Cloud-Based Infrastructure

To understand what cloud-based infrastructure is, one must first know the meaning of “cloud computing.” Cloud computing is the distribution of computing services over the Internet. These services include servers, networking, backup storage, data, software application, and analytics. Cloud based infrastructure refers to the set of hardware and software applications that work together to enable cloud computing.

A manufacturing facility that is 100% running from cloud based infrastructure will have the following  solutions:

Access Control

Access control for a manufacturing facility is a given. To protect workers and assets, it’s important to give specific people physical access to certain spaces in the facility. Monarch’s cloud based access control solution makes it easy for owners and other admin to set building entrance permissions, create staff scheduling, and pair with cloud based video cameras to have visual evidence of door events.

Cloud based access control gives business owners a flexible and easy way to monitor everyday door access of their buildings.

Video Security

Monarch’s cloud based video security cameras record and retain footage for up to a year. They provide powerful and analytics, facial detection, search features, and one step footage file sharing via email or SMS.

These cameras do not require a NVR or DVR to store video footage. It’s all stored in a hybrid format on the camera and in the cloud. This completely removes the need for recording hardware and its installation and maintenance costs. Cloud based video infrastructure allows business owners the flexibility to manage their security and operations from one central platform anywhere, on any device.

Equipment Monitors

Built to monitor and display levels of facilities’ electrical and water usage, Equipment Monitors transmit equipment data is accessed from the cloud based centralized platform. The daily operations of any average manufacturing facility rely on a lot of overhead utilities. If the building’s electrical or water outputs malfunction, Equipment Monitors pick up on the change in vibration of the equipment internally, and report the issue instantly with automatic alerts.

With these alerts, response time is cut down and action can be taken at once to repair the issue. That way, business operations are not too heavily affected. This cloud based infrastructure can help companies get ahead of major maintenance issues.

Environmental Sensors

Monarch’s Environmental Sensor can be implemented to capture the physical presence of smoke and other abnormalities in air quality in real-time. With this cloud based infrastructure, owners and foremen can see spikes in the Air Index. This measures against a range of onboard sensors to identify the presence of smoke, C02, and more. Custom thresholds can are to send real-time alerts via SMS and email to pre-selected employees.

All sensor data is accessed from the cloud based centralized platform. Then it’s put against a timeline to give a clear and complete view of when these events took place. Pairing the Environmental Sensors with cloud based video cameras also provides a layer of visual evidence, so owners and foremen can see exactly what happened.

GPS Tracking and Dash Cams

It’s common for many manufacturing businesses to have their own truck fleets to move their assets. So with millions of dollars tied up in these assets, it’s important to be able to monitor the journey once the trucks embark on their delivery routes.

But cloud based infrastructure is not limited to a physical facility. Cloud dash cameras allow business owners to see live footage of their drivers’ journeys in real time. The cameras’ AI features detect when harsh movements are made, speeding occurs, and when drivers are distracted. And with it’s cloud-based design, business owners are then alerted of these instances immediately and can initiate in-cab coaching for their drivers.  With Monarch’s line of cloud-based dash cams and GPS sensors, the entire trucking route can be monitored and surveilled, all from the same cloud-based centralized platform that all of the other connected solutions are managed from.

There is a lot at stake in the daily operations of a manufacturing facility. The health and safety of employees, millions of dollars in assets and equipment, the environmental security of the building itself.

And because there are so many moving parts operating together in such a hazardous environment, owners have a responsibility to do everything in their power to optimize these operations in a safe and easy way. Cloud-based infrastructure for the manufacturing industry is the future. This is only the beginning for an entirely new cloud connected world.