The survey conducted with VDC Research analyzes how IIoT solutions allow companies to overcome operational challenges, develop new business models and offer a better customer experience
Ivanti Wavelink, Ivanti's supply chain solutions business unit, presents the results of joint research conducted with VDC Research on the status of industrial supply chain activities and the adoption of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. The research found a general trend towards increasing greater automation, connectivity and intelligence in industrial supply chain activities. For organizations in this sector, IIoT platforms offer the possibility to develop new business models, guarantee better customer experiences for customers, manage the effects of downtime and ensure operational continuity of the company.
“Today, warehouses are much more complex than they were 10 years ago,” he says David Krebs, EVP di VDC Research. "This is mainly due to the increase in products, channels, late-stage customization criteria, temperature-controlled environments and the growing turnover of warehouse workers which has created a shortage of labor. The pandemic has accentuated all these aspects, leading manufacturers and distributors to seek new ways to optimize services, to react quickly and effectively to market changes. IIoT can help organizations automate processes, improve performance and reduce inefficiencies, ensuring reduced costs and higher revenues."
The advantage of this technology is the simplicity of implementation. The main factors driving IIoT investments are: improved manufacturing (27%), advances in asset monitoring and maintenance (14%), operational cost reductions (14%), and more efficient operational intelligence (13%). These results can be achieved with activities related to productivity, sustainability, business flexibility and market strategies. Organizations are also taking advantage of major technology trends that are making the adoption of IIoT solutions much easier. These trends include improved functionality and ease of use of the IIoT platform, simplified IIoT application development through access to established communication protocols and APIs, reduced sensor and data storage costs, and the development of edge computing that moves computing processes from the cloud to on-site operations.
However, although many companies are about to adopt IIoT solutions, there are still critical issues that allow only a few companies to be able to make IIoT enabled solutions completely scalable. There are mainly two reasons: technical and organizational. The former depends on having to manage heterogeneous systems, determining which functions are supported by which applications, how to implement the systems and how new solutions manage security requirements. At an organizational level, however, the governance of IT systems compared to OT (Operational Technology) is often cited as the main source of conflict, as is the difficulty of not being able to regulate business processes to encourage the use of a more extensive application and not reaching the potential of the solution.
“In general, industrial supply chain activities are progressively growing along the IIoT technology curve,” he said Brandon Black, Senior Vice President and General Manager di Ivanti Wavelink. "This is great news because IIoT transforms business operations by providing optimal business outcomes, focused work experiences, reduced costs and increased revenues. Maximizing the value of IIoT requires internal management commitment to ensure this technology is not just seen as an IT initiative, but as an organization-wide effort. At Ivanti Wavelink, we are excited to continue supporting our customers in digitally accelerating processes, revolutionizing supply chain operations with IIoT."
Ivanti Neurons for IIoT connects machines, devices, workers and systems, maximizing productivity, deepening insights and improving visibility. The solution allows customers to gain a complete view of their IIoT assets, facilitating simpler and faster decision-making with real-time data and in-depth analytics, driving operational efficiency. Additionally, Ivanti Neurons for IIoT enables you to build low-code and no-code applications to automate existing supply chain processes and maximize asset value. Simplified information collection improves operational decision making and allows customers to cross-connect applications with new systems – quickly automating warehouse processes and optimizing workflow operations.
