Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have taken measures to continue business operations. The solutions that support efficiency at every level of work processes are now highly valued.
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To make this possible, we can thank the recent developments in IoT technologies that support more agile, agile and capable solutions for businesses. From the application of artificial intelligence to the rise of energy efficiency, read on to discover how recent industrial IoT trends are driving business optimization.
Top 5 industrial IoT trends
Digital twin
Digital twin technology is a virtual model that digitally represents a physical device. This technology enables organizations to take advantage of the data gathered through replications of real-world products and scenarios in digital form.
By applying data obtained from sensors to a particular object, the technology can mimic the object’s operation and track its status. That means organizations can easily maintain and monitor the performance of the systems and assets that enable their workforce to thrive, resulting in greater overall efficiency.
In addition, digital twin technology can support companies in their product development. Through aggregated data, they can more efficiently predict the outcome of their product’s performance and develop data-driven insights about potential areas for improvement. This can save companies the effort and resources required to test these scenarios on an existing asset.
Many industries use digital twins to ensure the success of their work activities. An example of this can be seen in manufacturing as digital twin prototypes allow organizations to maintain the equipment by analyzing and tracking data on their performance. The behavior of products and components is also tested using digital models in sectors such as the automotive and healthcare sectors.
Developments in network connectivity
Connectivity is essential for IoT technologies and recent network developments result in faster communication between devices. These trends are intended to support secure and efficient data processing, even over disparate networks.
Low-power wide-area network connectivity allows for communication between IoT devices that are far apart. It is an economical and energy-efficient option for organizations that use many assets that communicate machine-to-machine.
Satellites can enable IoT technology communication between geographically separated networks for connections over even greater distances. Satellite-powered devices can be especially useful in rescue scenarios and emergency alerts, as these situations can arise where maintaining connections would otherwise be challenging.
While industries can benefit more from different connection options depending on their needs, speed and reliability are always preferred. Using Wi-Fi operating in the 6 GHz band can enable faster communications for IoT technologies, and IoT networks benefit from Wi-Fi 6 for its speed, reliability and increased bandwidth.
Automated quality assurance and predictive maintenance
Ensuring quality within an organization’s business operations is important in all sectors. Fortunately, IoT technology enables organizations to monitor and predict the performance of their equipment. By performing predictive analytics using sensors and advanced connectivity, organizations can anticipate and address potential issues with their machines before they can negatively impact their operations.
Data insights collected through IoT technologies also help organizations understand their equipment and pinpoint the root cause of problems. In addition, insights from data and performance metrics enable companies to take a proactive approach to maintaining their equipment.
Equipment failure can cause downtime and loss of productivity. However, they can also have a negative impact on the efficiency and quality of an organization’s production, especially for companies in the manufacturing sector. IoT allows organizations to remotely monitor and track their systems with automated quality assurance.
IoT AI also supports businesses through innovative technologies with automated visual inspection capabilities. These features use IoT sensors, cameras and AI to detect anomalies and pull them out of production lines. In this way, companies can guarantee top quality in their operations and output.
Energy optimization, sustainability and consumption
Optimizing industrial power and consumption through IoT can bring more benefits than just saving money. A sustainable approach to business operations can lead to a safer and more efficient society and reduce our environmental footprint.
The recent inclination towards environmental awareness has led to the creation of optimized solutions that use IoT technologies to transform the industrial landscape. These are also supported by the implementation of transformative environmental efforts that have called for a shift in how organizations use resources and energy.
IoT-powered technology can enable organizations to manage their energy consumption with smart systems for the energy consumption of their equipment. Even heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can be monitored and managed to help businesses save energy and reduce carbon emissions.
A popular theme around green IoT is using the technologies to refine multiple components within a society, ideally resulting in a smart city. This concept focuses on reducing the CO2 emissions produced in cities by implementing energy efficient and carbon neutral systems. The successful adoption of internet-driven energy management and smart systems has the potential to change the practices of many areas, such as public transportation, public safety, traffic and even street lighting.
Production and agricultural business technology
Manufacturing and agriculture are industries that often incorporate IoT technologies into their operations. Through IIoT technologies, companies within these sectors can optimize many aspects of their functioning.
The digital transformation and adoption of IoT assets can make it easier for manufacturing and agricultural companies to develop sophisticated tools and processes to deliver their products and services. This is made possible by the newfound ability to make data-driven decisions that will boost their productivity and help them mitigate risk.
These IoT technologies may include the trends and concepts discussed earlier, but are formatted for use specific to certain industries. For example, systems designed for manufacturing industries use IoT devices to monitor their production floors. IoT sensors and connected devices can also help agricultural organizations ensure the efficiency of their processes by tracking weather trends and other conditions that affect their production.
Manufacturing, agriculture and several other industries have processes that can put workers in potentially dangerous situations. Wearable IoT devices are now being used to ensure employee safety. These smart devices allow organizations to monitor employee health and safety by tracking their temperature, close contacts and even their locations in the workplace.
Read further
If you’re working to deploy IIoT in your enterprise, selecting the right software is critical. There are hundreds of IIoT platforms and each is slightly different from the next, so how do you choose? This one articleincluding links to TechRepublic Premium resources, may help.
