FINAL WORD
“
DIGITISATION
AND IOT HOLD
ENORMOUS
OPPORTUNITIES
AND IF
COMPANIES DON’T
WANT TO FALL
BEHIND, THEY
NEED TO ACT.
single animal, including movement patterns,
milking results or eating behaviour.
This visibility of the entire herd enables
farmers to act quickly when necessary or
to monitor specific animals more closely.
And it helps farmers provide the best care
for their cattle, while ensuring seamless
production processes.
IoT solutions such as this are already serving
multiple purposes in all kinds of industries.
According to IDC, the number of connected
devices will increase by almost 70%
between 2015 and 2020 – from 12 billion to
over 30 billion IoT devices.
Data generated from these ‘things’ is
collected and analysed automatically
by computers, helping humans – and
increasingly self-learning machines – make
better decisions based on actionable insights.
To many companies, it even feels threatening.
Yet, the digitisation and IoT hold enormous
opportunities and if companies don’t want to
fall behind, they need to act.
A connected ‘intelligent’ enterprise connects
the physical with the digital world, increasing
productivity, efficiency, growth and
innovation. Any industry can benefit from
the IoT.
The logistics industry
Many logistics businesses use the capacities
of their trucks insufficiently, which has a
negative impact on their efficiency.
With the help of 3D-cameras on the loading
docks and suitable analytics software,
companies can collect and analyse a variety
of data about the loading process and
gain valuable information on metrics such
as loading density and speed, fill-rate and
employees’ loading techniques.
When the system detects mistakes or
inefficiencies in the loading process, it
sends a notification to the dock manager
who supervises the process with a tablet or
from his desktop. Based on these insights,
the manager can intervene if necessary,
improve employee training and thus the
loading quality.
Other logistics solutions use Bluetooth
Low Energy (BLE) beacons to signal to
employees whether they are loading parcels
into the right truck.
Correct loading and improved efficiency
helps deliver parcels faster and increase
customer satisfaction while reducing costs
for fuel and maintenance as well as reducing
companies’ environmental impact.
time, access inventory information in real-
time and improve the availability of items on
the sales floor.
In addition, tagging items helps prevent
theft as tagged products can set off an
alarm when they are brought near the exit
without having passed the checkout first – a
theft prevention method that is especially
relevant in the luxury sector. Leveraging this
technology, retailers can significantly reduce
lost merchandise and revenues due to out-
of-stocks.
The healthcare industry
The complex network of individual players
– doctors, nurses, hospitals, insurance
companies – makes consolidating, sharing,
and analysing medical data extremely
challenging. But the IoT and data analysis
can improve information gathering and
processing to ensure better care for patients.
The Leiden University Medical Center
(LUMC) in the Netherlands uses an IoT-
based time tracking solution for acute
myocardial infarction patients. Internet-
enabled patient wristbands send heart
rate data to doctors, who track the crucial
‘door-to-balloon’ time of a patient with a
heart blockage.
This covers the period between entering
the hospital and surgically removing the
blockage. By analysing that data, healthcare
providers hope to better understand how
quickly patients receive treatment, inform
staff planning procedures and provide
critical information more accurately to
physicians in real-time.
What’s next: An intelligent
connected future
IoT: A growing force
The retail industry
Thousands of new use cases are in
development right now; innovative ideas
that can deliver a real added value to
businesses. According to IDC, although
most companies are still in the planning and
evaluation phases of their IoT projects, 37%
have already implemented IoT projects and
have thus already taken a big step toward
the digitisation of their businesses.
This sort of evolution is essential since
technological progress is fast and irreversible.
104
INTELLIGENTCIO
Approximately 4% of potential revenue is
lost every year because stores can’t satisfy
customer demand for specific products in their
inventories. Fashion retailers are particularly
affected by this problem with items often
being left or forgotten in the changing rooms
or restored in the wrong places.
If items were equipped with radio frequency
identification tags (RFID), staff would be
able to locate items anywhere and at any
These are just a few examples of how the
IoT works in today’s connected enterprise.
The abundance of available data,
thoroughly analysed, enables companies
to develop a deeper understanding of their
business processes, improve planning and
discover new sales opportunities or even
business models.
IoT solutions create real-time visibility,
fostering innovative developments that
bring enterprises closer to an intelligent
connected future. n
www.intelligentcio.com