Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

The industrial revolution was a turning point in human history where machine automation aided humankind in exponentially increase production outputs reducing the reliance of workforce for the process of manufacturing. The stages of this revolution are distinctively defined by the illustration:

Stage 1 -> Industrial Mechanization with Steam/Water Power

Stage 2 -> Mass Production Assembly Line with Electricity Power

Stage 3 -> Computers, Machine Automation on Manufacturing

Stage 4 -> Cyber Physical Systems, Interconnected & Intercommunicating Systems (Industrial Internet-of-Things)

One key objective in the industrial revolution has not changed (even to this day) is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of production, reduce manufacturing costs.

However, through the stages of the industrial revolution, the systems and processes have become exponentially more complex; and multiple fields of science and engineering has converged together in the modern manufacturing and production industry. And this complexity is clearly represented with ideological manufacturing example where Manufacturing Systems from logistics->operations->manufacturing->inventory are interlinked with one another to provide an entity overview.

This complexity and the efforts to meet the challenge head-on is what we come to know as the 4^th stage of the industrial revolution (other terms used are Industry 4.0, etc).

Download KEC Smart Manufacturing with National Instruments and LabVIEW Platform presentation here.