Wiring the Industrial Internet: How Control Panels Hold the Key to Industrial Transformation
We first wrote about the Industrial Internet of Things, or the “Industrial Internet” when Evan Coulter detailed his experience at a seminar sponsored by Roche exploring the topic.
Evan said then about IIoT, “It’s a real game changer in our industry with the advantages of reduced costs, faster installation and real-time data.”
Things evolve quickly in the information age. Luckily, so do we. Less than one year later and we’ve launched UCEC Smart, a brand-new division through which we can begin providing these advantages to our customers. In addition to what Evan mentioned, GE predicts the benefits to the global economy through the IIoT will be:
- 46% of global economy that can benefit from the Industrial Internet
- 100% Industrial Internet potential impact on energy production
- 44% Industrial Internet potential impact on global energy consumption
What is the Industrial Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things involves devices that have likely already invaded your daily life. It includes heart rate monitors, fitness bands, or smart home appliances. They are functional items that increase convenience in your life by providing you with more accurate, timely data on things like your sleep cycle, exercise level or whether you’re out of milk or eggs.
In the same way these devices leverage the interconnectivity of the internet to make your life smarter and more efficient, the Industrial Internet of Things strives to do the same thing across several industries such as manufacturing, logistics, oil and gas, transportation, energy/utilities, mining, agriculture and many more.
The IIoT has the potential to radically transform industry through automation, optimization, greater industrial control, and better data that can help business leaders obtain smarter strategic positioning.
This graph outlines some of the predicted benefits of IIoT and the main drivers of adoption for business leaders.
Source: Morgan Stanley
Smart Control Panels Hold the Key to Industrial Transformation
IIoT will revolutionize industry by enabling the acquisition and accessibility of far greater amounts of data at far greater speeds. And smart control panels are what’s needed to manage the sensors, data collection and data storage that will herald in this transformation.
Presently, control panels are a critical component of industry, assisting in controlling and monitoring machines that package food and beverages, collecting data from sensors measuring volume flow in an oil and gas pipeline or measuring chemicals for mixing in pharmaceutical facilities. By enabling even more connection via wireless communication, more advanced sensors and next-gen tech, smart panels provide a singular hub to control all processes, monitor all sensors and track all data in the Industrial Internet.
To get a sense of the true potential impact of the Industrial Internet, review this heat map from Forrester that breaks down the opportunities by industry and application.
Source: Forrester
The Unknown Potential of IIoT
The known potential of the Industrial Internet is improving efficiencies and identifying problem areas faster and with more accuracy. The unknown potential revolves around all of the opportunities lying in the massive amounts of data IIoT will enable the largest companies in the world to collect.
Beyond improving operational efficiency, the Industrial Internet will serve as a tool for finding growth in unexpected opportunities. Simply put, the IIoT will provide answers to questions you never knew to ask.
At UCEC, our smart panel solutions can optimize operations within a factory, improve city-wide public transportation, help utility companies predict and respond to outages faster or even connect an automated smart home for the consumer of the future. Our smart capabilities help make our customers more intuitive, predictive and optimized. Learn more at UCECSmart.com.