Despite operating in an age where smart technologies have become integral to our lives, manufacturing and production facilities have been historically slow in implementing technological advances. Yet, it’s the implementation of smart strategies, such as the internet of things (IoT) and machine learning, that will enable those brave enough in Industry to realize Industry 4.0 and create market disruption.
Smart production strategies make it possible to automate and transform business processes, enable informed decisions on actionable insights, and create new revenue streams and business models. This begins with IT/OT integration and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Gartner reports that only 10 percent of IIoT analytics is currently derived from on-premises IoT platforms, and less than one percent of manufacturers have developed or acquired IoT platforms at all. However, the rate of adoption is increasing, and these percentages are predicted to grow exponentially within just five years.
As we move into an age where data is king and networked devices and systems are key to making big data accessible, IIoT as a standard seems inevitable. But it’s not just a matter of time, it’s also a matter of strategy.
How can you get ahead of the curve and implement an IIoT strategy which brings you that much closer to market disruption?
Here are three tips for successful IIoT implementation:
- Plan. Devising a plan and strategy are how you are going to get to value fastest. Work with an IIoT solution provider with deep domain experience to identify the insights and outcomes you are looking for.
- Implement comprehensively. Implementing only one or two components of smart production undermines and minimizes the impact of these advancements. For instance, why integrate IT and OT to collect big data if you don’t have the tools and strategy in place to do something with it? IIoT platforms help with this.
- Keep things moving forward. Implementation of IIoT is ongoing. Avoid stall-outs in advancement by executing integration and analysis continuously and consulting with IIoT experts.
The road to Industry 4.0 and digital transformation will surely be paved by IIoT—enabling other technologies such as AI and machine learning to transform business using the data and analytics IIoT taps into. To learn more about how to best use IIoT to your advantage, read our new article on Leveraging Digital Transformation in Manufacturing.