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Data Protection for Manufacturing

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Manufacturers manage employee data, supplier information, customer records, and increasingly IoT sensor data across global operations. IQWorks helps manufacturing companies discover and protect personal data across ERP systems, supply chain platforms, and industrial IoT environments.

Industrial cybersecurity standard

IEC 62443

Export control regulations

ITAR

EU critical sector directive

NIS2

Avg. manufacturing breach cost

$5.56M

NIS2

EU directive classifying manufacturing as an essential sector with mandatory incident reporting

Source: Directive (EU) 2022/2555

The Challenge

The Challenge

Manufacturing companies collect personal data across human resources systems, supply chain management platforms, customer relationship management tools, quality management systems, and increasingly through industrial IoT sensors and connected factory environments. Global manufacturers must comply with privacy regulations in every jurisdiction where they operate, employ workers, or sell products.

Employee data governance is a significant challenge for manufacturers with large workforces across multiple countries. HR systems contain sensitive personal information including health records, performance evaluations, and biometric data from time-tracking systems. GDPR, state privacy laws, and labor regulations each impose different requirements on employee data handling.

IoT and Industry 4.0 initiatives introduce new personal data flows as connected systems collect data that can be linked to individual workers. Wearable safety devices, access control systems, and production monitoring tools generate data that may constitute personal information under privacy regulations.

Global Employee Data Compliance

Manufacturers with operations in multiple countries must comply with local employment privacy laws in each jurisdiction, from GDPR employee data rights to state-specific biometric privacy laws.

Supply Chain Data Governance

Supplier and vendor management systems contain personal data of contacts, representatives, and workers throughout the supply chain that must be governed for privacy compliance.

IoT and Connected Factory Data

Industrial IoT sensors, wearable safety devices, and access control systems collect data that may constitute personal information when linked to individual employees, requiring privacy governance.

ERP System Data Discovery

Enterprise resource planning systems contain personal data across finance, HR, procurement, and customer modules. Discovering and classifying PII within complex ERP schemas is challenging.

The Solution

The Solution

IQWorks provides manufacturers with data protection that spans ERP systems, supply chain platforms, HR tools, and IoT environments. DiscoverIQ scans SAP, Oracle, and other ERP platforms to map personal data across all modules. ClassifyIQ applies jurisdiction-specific classification rules for employee data, customer data, and supplier data.

ProtectIQ applies appropriate protection controls based on data type and jurisdiction, including pseudonymization for European employee data and masking for sensitive HR records. SearchIQ automates employee and customer data subject requests across all manufacturing systems.

ComplyIQ manages multi-jurisdiction compliance for global manufacturers, tracking requirements in every country of operation. RetainIQ enforces retention schedules that account for employment record requirements, product liability considerations, and industry-specific regulations.

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How It Works

How It Works

1

Connect Manufacturing Systems

IQWorks integrates with ERP platforms like SAP and Oracle, HRIS systems, supply chain management tools, CRM systems, and IoT data platforms.

2

Discover Personal Data

DiscoverIQ scans all connected systems to identify employee PII, customer data, supplier personal data, and IoT-generated personal information.

3

Classify by Jurisdiction

ClassifyIQ applies jurisdiction-specific classification rules, ensuring German employee data is governed under GDPR and BDSG while US employee data follows state-specific requirements.

4

Apply Protection Controls

ProtectIQ enforces jurisdiction-appropriate protection including pseudonymization, encryption, and access controls tailored to the data type and regulatory environment.

5

Automate Compliance

ComplyIQ tracks compliance requirements across all operating jurisdictions and generates audit-ready documentation for local data protection authorities.

Key Benefits

Key Benefits

Key Takeaways

  • Manage employee data privacy compliance across all countries of operation
  • Discover personal data within complex ERP systems like SAP and Oracle
  • Govern IoT and connected factory data that may constitute personal information
  • Automate employee data subject requests across HR, ERP, and operational systems
  • Enforce jurisdiction-specific retention schedules for employment records
  • Protect supply chain partner personal data with appropriate governance controls
  • Generate compliance reports for local data protection authorities worldwide
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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