What is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)?

Introduction

As a factory manager or executive, you often hear the terms "Industry 4.0"¹, "factory of the future", "machine connectivity"², and "IIoT". They're frequently mentioned and presented as the next steps in business development, but they're rarely explained concretely. IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is not just about technology, but also about visibility and philosophy. It's the difference between making decisions based on gut feeling and making them based on real-time data.

Machines That Talk: The End of Industrial Silence

Most factories in Quebec have "mute" machines. Whether it's a press, conveyor, automaton, or PLC, these machines generate enormous amounts of information that unfortunately remain locally confined and eventually disappear. It's difficult to access this information, and we often only become aware of a problem at the end of the month when we realize we've produced less than expected, or when the machine breaks down.

IIoT is based on the principle of giving these machines a voice so they can communicate with you and tell you what's happening. For example, a connected watch can tell you if your heart rate is abnormal before you have a medical incident. Similarly, IIoT measures your machines' "heartbeat" and warns you before a breakdown or when there's abnormal data.

The big difference between IoT and IIoT is that the former is intended for the general public (to connect a smart home, for example). The latter is specifically designed for the industrial sector because its protocols are more secure, more reliable, and much more robust.

How Does It Work?

Concretely, we can attribute three main responsibilities to a complete IIoT and machine connectivity system: data capture, information transmission, and decision-making.

Capture involves installing sensors on the machine. This concerns both the most recent equipment and old machines dating back several decades. The beauty of IIoT is that it doesn't discriminate based on your machines' age. With industrial connectivity, a 1990 press can become as smart as a brand-new machine fresh from the factory. Once your machines are connected, the sensors act as eyes and ears in the factory.

Transmission is simple: data collected on the machine or via sensors is sent to a server. This server is generally hosted in the cloud, so this data must be sent via a secure network protocol to be stored there.

Decision-making is the final step. This process can be automated or AI-assisted. However, it can also simply consist of aggregating collected data into meaningful graphics and dashboards. We can therefore transmit information to a human to make a decision, or to an automation process. This choice will generally influence a connectivity project's complexity.

The Bottom Line: Where's the Return on Investment (ROI)?

Let's be honest: this is the section that interests you most. How much does it bring in?

The truth is that industrial connectivity is not a magic pill for all company ailments. What matters and brings real added value is what we do with the information provided.

Thanks to IIoT, we can do preventive and predictive maintenance. We can predict the exact moment when a part needs to be changed, rather than replacing it every X predetermined periods. This reduces unexpected downtime and unnecessary replacement of unworn parts. Studies show this can reduce maintenance costs and unexpected breakdowns by 30 to 70%³.

Productivity is also much easier to calculate. We can get a real, instantaneous overview of production and productivity differences between two lines or two work teams.

Finally, IIoT enables energy savings. For example, it becomes possible to identify which machine continues running idle during breaks or which equipment abnormally overconsumes energy.

Conclusion

The Industrial Internet of Things is an accessible project for any manufacturing company, regardless of size. Connectivity will definitely allow you to get a return on your investment. However, you must use the captured data to make concrete decisions. It's the shift from a factory that suffers its operations to one that masters them.

Discover how Artemis Link can connect your factory.