1/18/2014

Logistics Business IT Magazine | Industry Talk - How companies can exploit the Internet of Things

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How companies can exploit the Internet of Things

18-Dec-2013

Mark Morley director of industry marketing for manufacturing GXS

Dock Scheduling and the Grocery Industry

he Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a keyphrase around the world this year for conscientious CIOs and executives. A termused to describe complete machine to machine (M2M) connectivity across the internet, formerly only evoked thoughts of The Matrix or Terminator films. However, with a report by Cisco that the IoT market will be worth $14.4 trillion by 2020, it represents a business opportunity that companies should be taking seriously. With the technology usable across virtually any industry sector, a report by McKinsey & Company recently stated that the manufacturing sector is likely to see the most benefits from the IoT. They went on to predict that we are about to enter the fourth industrial revolution. The industrial internet will see the world of manufacturing become more and more networked until everything is interlinked with everything else. In light of this, the IoT could add value to supply chain strategies not just in manufacturing, but in sectors such as retail as well. We are at the very early stages of understanding how the IoT will impact the enterprise, but from a supply chain management point of view, here are three initial areas where the IoT could impact global supply chains: Pervasive Visibility relates to the way in which shipments are tracked at every stage of their supply chain journey. The IoT not only provides information everywhere, but will offer visibility everywhere too. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is one such technology that was introduced to provide this improved visibility. However, results have been mixed, and it has sometimes struggled to offer full end to end visibility across a supply chain. With the IoT, as more pieces of equipment, infrastructure and vehicles are connected to the internet, it means that thesetraditional black spots or visibility gaps will begin to disappear. The IoT will also allow companies to have two way communications with their shipments at each stage of its journey across the supply chain. For example, a piece of equipment could be remotely contacted and instructed to go into an installation mode before it is delivered. Proactive Replenishment efficient inventory management has always

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Yard Management Systems

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1/18/2014

Logistics Business IT Magazine | Industry Talk - How companies can exploit the Internet of Things
Proactive Replenishment efficient inventory management has always been a challenge across the retail industry, especially when one considers the various channels that consumers can purchase goods through today. Thus, managing inventory levels and being able to replenish stocks efficiently is a constant challenge. This is not just consigned to retail outlets however, with ensuring vending machines are stocked up another area that could be considerably improved. Many of these machines are located in remote locations, with the only way to monitor stock levels througha physicalvisit. What if the vending machine could be connected to the IoT? Then when the vending machine detects low stock, it could automatically place an order for new stock before it runs out. The same principles could beexpanded and applied to normal retail outlets, revolutionising the way in which retail outlets manage their inventory levels.

Preventative Maintenance theIoT could support the replacement of parts in serviceable products, such as industrial and office equipment. If a piece of equipment is able to self-diagnose a potential problem and then place an order for a replacement part, it could be fitted before the part fails. For example, imagine a car engine detecting reduced flow rates across a water pump. A seal on the water pump could be leaking, causing inefficient operation of the cooling system. Before the water pump completely fails, the car would send information via the internet to a local garage, while also placing an order for a new seal to be delivered directly to the car owners normal location. The garage then automatically checks the service schedule, booking an appointment and emailing the owner of the car to notify them ofthe impending issue. Direct integration with a B2B platform would also allow all orders and shipment related documents to be created and tracked automatically, so that service centres know exactly when the replacement parts will be delivered. Key to all three of these areas however is the ability to integrate the physical and digital supply chains. Consequently, companies will need access to a cloud based integration platform that can integrate to a wide variety of connected devices, equipment and services. Anothercrucial challenge to ensure widespread adoption of the IoT relates to developing seamless interoperability and common worldwide standards. These must not only allow machines to communicate at a technical level, but alongside across different borders and cultures too.Currently being discussed across Europe, in China and North America, an alliance of ten companies from the latter are currently working to lobby the US government on the importance of developing open standards that will encourage this adoption. The alliance is aiming to address the following IoT related issues: Co-engineering cyber and physical systems Identifying cyber-security issues and solutions Addressing concerns about interoperability Identifying ways to maintain robust wireless connections Setting standards for real-time data collection and analytics Pervasive, Proactive and Preventative, three words that begin to define the benefits of the IoT, especially from a supply chain perspective. The IoT will allow the seamless exchange of information in real time between a shipment, its surroundings and a common, cloud based, integration platform that is used to connect all trading partners across the extended enterprise.

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Logistics Business IT Magazine | Industry Talk - How companies can exploit the Internet of Things
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