The quest for extreme optimization in manufacturing from days of Frederick Taylor’s “Scientific Management” in the early twentieth century to Business Process Reengineering a few decades back, resulted in significant efficiency improvements in all spheres of economic activity. These efficiency improvements stretched well beyond manufacturing and resource industries. The Logistics Industry is a good example. With the coming of Internet of Things, IoT’s application to the Industrial world was imminent. Fortunately, much of the foundational work were already in place with PLCs, SCADA and M2M networks. The Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT) was a natural progression.

What exactly is Industrial IoT?

It has been defined as the use of IoT principles to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes. Moreover, IIoT incorporates machine learning and big data technologies to harness sensor data, and machine-to-machine communication.

Its main strength lies in its accuracy and consistency in capturing and also analyzing real-time data for instant optimizations and course corrections, minimizing time lags inherent with pre-IIoT methods. Hence, the applicability and use cases are many, which would be the focus of my next blog.

Why is it so important?

The same reasons which led to the early days of Taylor’s Scientific Management. How to improve productivity and operational efficiencies, how to reduce costs and finally how to gain competitive advantage. Technology and process improvements provide first mover advantages before leveling out with mainstream adoption. Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 is today in the early stage of its life cycle. Early adopters, even with pilot implementations, have seen significant gains. There are now enough successful proof points across different industries to propel its adoption from the visionaries to the early majority.

GFS Crane CIM – an Industrial IoT application – comes with advanced monitoring, controls, analytics and management capabilities for mission critical physical infrastructure systems, machines & sensors.