As investment grows in IoT , Dynabooks and Ericsson talk us through the current trends , use cases and challenges , alongside its importance in the industry
SMART MANUFACTURING
As investment grows in IoT , Dynabooks and Ericsson talk us through the current trends , use cases and challenges , alongside its importance in the industry
WRITTEN BY : GEORGIA WILSON
Despite being one of the hardesthit industries of COVID-19 , facing slowed economic activity , reduced demand , and the inability to cover on-site jobs remotely , “ manufacturing executives remain optimistic as the COVID vaccine roll-out raises hopes for a return to some kind of normal later this year ,” says David Sims , Solutions Sales Specialist at Dynabook Europe .
Over the last year , Gartner research has shown that manufacturers in response to the outbreak have “ invested in IoT faster than expected ,” says Kyle Okamoto , General Manager of IoT at Ericsson , in order to weather the disruption , “ to reduce spending , increase employee safety , improve output and create new revenue streams . Lockdowns and travel restrictions mean businesses have adapted to get things done remotely and find new ways to interact with customers . Product manufacturers ( OEMs ) are the major drivers of IoT adoption . In fact , Gartner expects that by 2022 , 75 % of OEMs will use their IoT solutions to sell new services or consumable offerings to their customers .”
While it ’ s difficult to determine the length of time it will take for manufacturers to recover , Sims emphasises that “ it ’ s likely digitalisation - focused on facilitating greater efficiency and automation of production - will drive manufacturing ’ s return to profitable growth .” Echoing Sims ' words , Okamoto adds , “ we ’ re seeing strong trends among manufacturing companies to digitise their business processes , both in connecting their sites and connecting their products .” manufacturingglobal . com 69