M2M systems have conventionally been deployed to solve asset-intensive processes spread over considerable geographical areas. With every passing year, the prices of the associated equipment have followed a downward trend allowing manufacturers to expand their market base. Today, the technology is rampantly used within consumer solutions, with examples being energy meters, smart housing and security systems.
Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Some people don’t see a difference in these three terms, and treat them as the same. One must understand that while some concepts of these technologies may overlap, they must be looked upon independently and studied according to their applications. AI suggests automatic generation of insights when applied to Big Data, offering results with little to no effort. The data analytics user experience on the other hand has a user experience that’s different altogether.
Many of the technologies that are changing the fabric of the society are also entering other sectors such as material handling. Warehouses and distribution centers are now faced with concepts such as Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data. These concepts can greatly improve the efficiency of the establishment, but they can possess a steep learning curve.
While still new to the industrial world, these concepts are already finding use within industries that will serve as proving grounds for new material handling technologies. The future of warehouse management is dependent on a handful of key technologies that include Big Data and the Internet of Things.
Winners of the 2017 System Integrator of the Year award were asked to provide valuable advance on system designs and technologies including HMIs, wireless, cloud, Industrial IoT, etc. so that others may get better insight and get acquainted with best practices.
The ultimate goal of Internet of Things based technologies & equipment is to phase-out manual processes and replace them with efficient, automated ones. With the introduction of IoT to industrial environments, new automated systems are emerging that are able to take care of all processes involved with asset management, right from collecting data to carrying out inspections through in-depth analysis.