Iot-based architecture to improve workflow in bricks manufacturing

For thousands of years, bricks have been considered as one of the most important and indispensable materials for most construction projects. Nevertheless, bricks manufacturing is mainly composed of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that still need to make greater efforts to adopt automation and digitized solutions to face the difficulties that face the industry and create improvements related to efficiency, quality, and wastes and cost reduction. This article proposes an internet of things (IoT)-based platform to improve workflow in bricks production. The platform aims to detect the number of stoppages in the production process, report these stoppages, and identify the sources for variability and inconsistency in the workflow. The article explains the development of the platform and its different components, its use in a family SME in the north of France, and the faced challenges during the use of this platform.