Top-level viewpoint: Unleashing the potential of industrial and commercial IoT to accelerate application implementation

How can we use the digital transformation of Industry 4.0 to increase production capacity, reduce downtime, reduce costs and drive future growth? The answer may lie in leveraging the power of industrial and commercial IoT. In this regard, Ross Sabolcik , senior vice president and general manager of industrial and commercial IoT products at Silicon Labs , recently wrote an application trend article, which explains from a macro perspective how to promote the application of IoT technology in the industrial and commercial fields, and shares several customer success stories based on Silicon Labs solutions, such as Smart lighting control systems , electronic shelf labels ( ESL ) , asset tracking and factory monitoring equipment . Click the Read original text button at the end of the article or visit the website to read the full text: https://www.ednchina.com/technews/29193.html

We are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, often referred to as Industry 4.0 , where advanced technologies are reshaping the manufacturing and business landscape. The idea of ​​machines communicating with each other, robots running around, and factories operating almost autonomously no longer seems like a science fiction concept.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the digital and physical worlds are merging to improve the industrial and commercial ( I &C ) sectors. The Internet of Things ( IoT ) plays a key role in this revolution, disrupting every aspect of the global economy and laying the foundation for a comprehensive transformation of production, management, and governance systems.

The annual economic impact of the factory and retail industries is expected to reach $ 1.6 trillion to $ 4.9 trillion by 2025. As advances in connectivity open new doors for innovative use cases across industry and commerce, the growing potential of the Internet of Things is becoming increasingly apparent.

Despite the rapid advancement of wireless networking technology, enterprises are unable to maximize efficiency and productivity due to some operational challenges. Many companies in the industrial and commercial fields are facing a lot of downtime, production delays, high operating costs, low energy efficiency and process inefficiencies.

So how do we leverage the digital transformation of Industry 4.0 to increase capacity, reduce downtime, lower costs, and drive future growth? The answer may lie in leveraging the power of the Industrial and Commercial Internet of Things.

What is Industrial and Commercial IoT?

The Industrial Internet of Things is the integration of smart technology and sensors into the industrial field so that data can be collected and analyzed to optimize processes, improve worker safety, increase energy efficiency, improve production capacity and predict potential problems. To cope with global competition and strike a balance between acquiring new business opportunities and ensuring sustainable operations, IIoT is indispensable.

The commercial Internet of Things includes the application of connected devices and technologies in the commercial field, integrating digital solutions in the commercial field to improve retail efficiency, reduce labor costs and create a seamless omni-channel experience. These advances in smart retail technology are helping to change traditional business models and improve overall profitability for companies around the world.

Devices like these may sound far-fetched, but many of them already exist today and are being used in more and more industrial and commercial applications. In the commercial sector, facility managers often use commercial lighting devices such as the INGY intelligent lighting control system when upgrading properties to achieve cost-effectiveness. The system integrates sensors into lamps and can achieve a variety of smart building services without the need for additional investment in infrastructure.

• INGY intelligent lighting control:

  https://cn.silabs.com/applications/case-studies/ingy-enhances-smart-lighting-control-with-wirepas-and-silicon-labs

Retailers are also adopting electronic shelf label ( ESL ) devices, such as RAINUS InforTab , to automate price tag management throughout the store and reduce operating costs by eliminating time-consuming manual labor. In addition, asset tracking devices such as Zliide Intelligent Tag can provide fashion retailers with extremely precise location information on the movement of goods, thereby improving the user experience.

• RAINUS Electronic Shelf Label : https://cn.silabs.com/applications/case-studies/electronic-shelf-label-technology-improves-retail
  

• Ziilde Bluetooth Security Tags: https://cn.silabs.com/blog/iot-hero-zliide-brings-virtual-shopping-experience-into-retail-stores
  

Of course, the commercial sector isn’t the only application area for asset tracking devices. Machine builders and contractors can also use asset tracking devices like the Trackunit Kin tag to help connect their entire construction fleet through a simple platform, thereby reducing downtime and the costs associated with asset management.

• Trackunit asset tracking devices:

  https://cn.silabs.com/applications/case-studies/trackunit-and-silicon-labs-bring-iot-to-the-construction-industry

Manufacturers also use smart factory automation equipment, such as CoreTigo ’s IO-Link , to provide cable-level, fast, and scalable connectivity to millions of sensors, actuators, and devices anywhere in the world, enabling real-time control and monitoring of the entire operational technology.

• CoreTigo IO-Link wireless industrial solution: https://cn.silabs.com/applications/case-studies/waites-transforms-industrial-iot-condition-monitoring
  
  

Similarly, plant and facility managers who want a comprehensive understanding of their operations can use predictive maintenance equipment such as the Waites plug-and-play online monitoring system, which monitors and analyzes data through a series of sensors and gateways, thereby simplifying the setup and installation of equipment.

• Waites Factory Monitoring System: https://cn.silabs.com/applications/case-studies/waites-transforms-industrial-iot-condition-monitoring
  

Benefits of Industrial and Commercial IoT Devices

The increasing use of industrial and commercial IoT devices is helping businesses in the commercial sector to make informed, real-time decisions, achieve better access control, and develop smarter, more efficient, and secure IoT applications.

For example, before the advent of advanced industrial and commercial IoT technologies, if the price of an item in a retail store changed, staff would have to go and change the labels on the shelves. Now, with electronic shelf labels, retailers can provide real-time updates.

In addition, by using connected devices and sensors to collect data about various business systems, companies can automate processes and improve supply chain management efficiency. For example, a large retail chain operating hundreds of stores across the country can integrate smart shelf sensors, connected delivery trucks, and warehouse management systems to monitor the movement of goods in the supply chain in real time. The insights gained from this data can enable retailers to reduce out-of-stock situations, optimize delivery, and improve warehousing efficiency.

Businesses can also improve control by adopting commercial lighting solutions and wireless access points. With these solutions, businesses can enable indoor positioning services to track assets and consumer behavior, and accelerate the " click- and -collect " process through store navigation .

Industrial and commercial equipment can also have a positive impact on the industrial sector by helping companies optimize operational efficiency, route configuration and scheduling. Before the use of predictive maintenance equipment, if a pump suddenly failed and the manufacturer had not planned for it, the production line would have to be shut down for hours or days. The impact of this is huge, as unplanned machine downtime can cost manufacturers up to $ 260,000 per hour in lost production .

Today, with predictive maintenance systems, manufacturers are able to identify early failures. In addition, recent advances in edge computing are unlocking new capabilities for IIoT devices, enabling efficient communication and data management.

Integrating machine learning ( ML ) capabilities in edge devices can transform data analytics, providing real-time insights for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and automated decision making. This shift is particularly important in the smart metering space, where wireless connectivity can enable comprehensive monitoring and reduce the need for human intervention.

Challenges facing industrial and commercial IoT devices

Industrial and commercial IoP ​​devices have made significant progress due to the widespread adoption of wireless networking technologies, the integration of edge computing, the implementation of predictive maintenance systems, and the expansion of remote monitoring and control capabilities.

Despite the many benefits that industrial and commercial IoT devices can bring to consumers, these technologies have yet to realize their full potential in today’s industrial and commercial scenarios because four major challenges hinder their large-scale implementation:

Interoperability and reliability

The fragmentation of proprietary IoT ecosystems is a major barrier to its adoption in the industrial and commercial sectors, and solution providers are addressing this challenge by developing multi-protocol hardware and software solutions.

Multiprotocol capabilities are particularly important for industrial and commercial IoT devices, as reliable connectivity ensures seamless data flow and process optimization in factories, and stable connectivity in vast retail locations helps maintain consistent sales and operational efficiency. Due to the long product lifecycle, it is also critical that devices are compatible with legacy protocols and can be upgraded to future standards as needed.

Security & Privacy

Security and privacy issues have always been a huge obstacle to the development of industrial and commercial IoT. Potential vulnerabilities can not only endanger data, but also the entire network and brand reputation. Fortunately, solution providers are working to provide developers with powerful tools. Secure wireless mesh network technology provides strong defense against attacks, and chip-level data encryption paves the way for the future development of trusted devices.

This foundation of trust, established by prioritizing cybersecurity from the outset and selecting reliable vendors, is critical to unlocking the full potential of the next generation of IoT. By proactively shaping their environment and setting up risk management strategies, companies can confidently unlock the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead in the connected world of the future.

Network Scalability

For a variety of industrial and commercial applications such as electronic shelf labels, street lighting and smart meters, building large-scale networks with more than 100,000 devices is a key requirement. In addition, these networks may be located indoors and subject to severe RF interference, or need to span long distances in harsh environments. This requires significant investment in testing large networks to ensure robustness and reliability in different environments.

User and Developer Experience

Bridging the gap between ambition and reality in the industrial and commercial IoT space depends on two key factors: improving the user experience and the developer experience. If we want to scale and deploy this market at the level we believe it should be, we need solutions that simplify deployment and management for users and enable developers to build and scale applications faster and more efficiently.

Initiatives such as Matter and Amazon Sidewalk are paving the way for more convenient wireless connectivity and edge computing, but more progress is needed. Solution providers can play a vital role by providing pre-built code and edge-based reasoning capabilities, accelerating development cycles and unleashing the industry’s true potential.

Looking ahead

As the Industrial and Commercial Internet of Things (IIoT) sector develops, we will usher in a vibrant, connected future. With the advancement of wireless connectivity, edge computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies, the IIoT industry is expected to achieve continued growth and innovation, and promote further developments in industrial automation, supply chain optimization, predictive maintenance systems and the expansion of remote monitoring and control capabilities.

The semiconductor industry has been quietly helping the world progress by providing solutions that will help set standards for the future and enable interoperability across the ecosystem.

This article is also published on the EDNC website. The original link is: https://www.ednchina.com/technews/29193.html

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