The Industrial Internet of Things, also known as IIoT, is helping to redefine the manufacturing setting and what efficiency and productivity can entail for this sector. Through enhanced data, intelligence and analytics, this technology is giving operators a proactive edge in maintaining the functionality of facilities. Due to such benefits, the adoption rate of IIoT is skyrocketing. According to Automation.com, the global market for IIoT products and services reached around $263 billion in 2021, and it is expected to grow to $1.1 trillion by 2028. So, as IIoT picks up speed, we dive further into the other innovations it has to offer and the trends to expect.
IIoT Benefits
As we mentioned, one of IIoT’s main perks is its boost to efficiency. For instance, if a machine within a factory were to stop working, the industrial computers and connected sensors on the plant floor can instantly detect where the issue lies. Furthermore, IIoT can even pre-warn which machine is likely to malfunction. Doing so saves time and money, and it can even prevent workplace injury. As pointed out by Wired, another key benefit is location tracking. Essentially, IIoT has the power to help reduce the effort put into locating items such as tools, equipment and inventory.
On top of efficiency, IIoT also has the potential to enhance visibility like its kind IoT does. IoT Business News highlights the example of freight shipments. As they put it, IoT has made it possible to access data on elements of the supply chain ranging from individual products to trucks within a fleet.
IIoT Adoption and Staged Rollout
It has been more than 10 years since the concept of Industry 4.0 was first introduced, and that vision of smart industrial settings is the foundation for IIoT. According to IoT Business News, searches for Industry 4.0 on Google are 140 times higher than they were in 2011. Funding for startups in the field increased by 319% during that same period. For a plant weighing the move, that growth means the interest and the money behind these systems are well established.
Adoption tends to work better in stages than all at once. Eric Whitley, writing in Security Magazine, advised, “Before shifting to the smart factory mode, companies must identify operational gaps and relevant technologies to address them.” He recommended that a company implement those solutions in small steps, scaling them once they yield positive results. Alongside that pace, a plant can take several concrete measures.
- Establishing system access control
- Learning and adhering to relevant regulations
- Seeking out tools for tasks including intrusion detection
As IIoT implementation expands, it is also making way for other advances in plant floor capability, including Autonomous Guided Vehicles, and it supports the progression of 5G networks. Those advances are already shaping what comes next for the sector.
IIoT Trends
As IIoT continues to evolve to even better serve the shifting manufacturing landscape, there are a few trends that experts predict will likely guide the future of this tech. Based on a report published by TechRepublic, one of those trends will be the further use of digital twins, which act as digital replicas of physical devices and can assist tasks such as equipment management. Another item on the trend list is the development of faster communication between devices. Greater speed will further boost the performance of IIoT. Lastly, IIoT is projected to continue reducing the environmental footprint of operations.
While these trends unfold, it will be extremely important to keep in mind IIoT cybersecurity, however. It is true that there are many advantages to these innovations, but they also come with significant risk to exposure. Therefore, one of the most important trends to focus on is deploying methods to strengthen the protection of such devices from hackers and other cyber threat actors.
Sources
- “Eight Key Trends for the Industrial IoT” – Henry Martel, Automation.com
https://www.automation.com/article/eight-key-trends-industrial-iot - “Industrial IoT: How Connected Things Are Changing Manufacturing” – Robert Schmid, Wired
https://www.gevernova.com/software/blog/iiot-how-connected-things-are-changing-manufacturing - “How the IoT Can Make Shipping More Efficient” – IoT Business News
https://iotbusinessnews.com/2022/11/24/09445-how-the-iot-can-make-shipping-more-efficient/ - “The rise of Industry 4.0 in 5 stats” – IoT Business News
https://iotbusinessnews.com/2022/10/20/01453-the-rise-of-industry-4-0-in-5-stats/ - “4 cybersecurity considerations for smart factories” – Eric Whitley, Security Magazine
https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98496-4-cybersecurity-considerations-for-smart-factories - “Top 5 trends to watch in industrial IoT” – Madeline Clarke, TechRepublic
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/industrial-iot-trends/
