The industrial Internet of things (IIOT), usually refer to a network of machine, devices, infrastructure and other things that can communicate autonomously, and real-time decision-making in advanced systems.
This is a huge market just predicted by the Boston consulting group in a report: by 2020, related spending of IOT will exceed $300 billion, half of which will come from transportation, manufacturing and utilities industry. Some experts even estimate that IIOT will have an economic impact of more than $11 trillion by 2025.
This technology trend will promote innovation in the next decade as significant economic value generating by IIOT .
1. Industrial analysis and predictive maintenance
In an industrial environment, the IOT can connect multiple devices with entire system in a large geographical area, where each device can act as a collection point of data, the data collected can be aggregated timely and used to identify problems before they occurred.
While, because many industries are inherently passive and can only be solved when problems arising, predictive maintenance is one of the biggest areas that can benefit from the IIOT.
For example, Caterpillar started using data from its internet-connected machine engines and other equipment to analysis, so as to enable dealers to anticipate problems and schedule maintenance, and generate to $18 billion in revenue.
2. Use sensors to improve industrial efficiency
Sensor drive calculation is developed to another huge IIOT area in recent years. it mainly include using of sensors to monitor the external conditions, such as temperature and pressure, and converts it into measurable insight. As the sharp decline in size and cost of sensor, we will see a new advanced method of data collection in the field of IIOT, it will promote the next innovation wave of manufacturing industry and related industries.
In addition, advanced algorithms and energy-efficient sensors (or ‘things’) will help to promote product innovation and dangerous and highly technical industrial processes, such as high-pressure testing and fuel efficiency testing will benefit greatly from sensor-driven computing.
ZF Group is one of the global brands launched these advanced sensor technologies, it has helped trucking companies save millions of dollars in maintenance and fuel costs by analyzing driver behavior and combining terrain data to effectively reduce gearbox related maintenance and fuel consumption.
3. Smart factories and machines
Industrial analytics and next-generation sensor is one of the industrial internet of things (IIOT) trends, it will help to generation of smart factories or ‘industry 4.0’.
IIOT provides the necessary infrastructure for real-time data analysis, which is an important element of plant applications and processes, such as employee safety and quality control. Real-time decision also means greater responsiveness and efficiency, it will ultimately enable the enterprises to increase overall value for end users.
Except improving data analysis, intelligent networked machines can change the way consumers interacting with products.
For example, back in 2014, BMW and SAP launched a pilot project to connect BMWS around the world to take the whole concept of IOT to a new level. When a car passes a store certified by BMW, it will receive offers and promotions, or get a first-hand information of available parking spaces
Summary
There is no doubt that companies, professionals, study institutions, and all participants in the affected industries have to prepare for the inevitable future of connected devices.
From the improvement of network infrastructure to adopting IIOT friendly communication and marketing strategy, and then to scalability testing of the existing security and network design, all affected industry must adjust its current content with integrated IIOT, because all of these are the most important elements of successful IIOT integration.
