The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) — the environment in which people, objects, and systems are interconnected and can communicate — is already enabling innovative solutions for many industries, including manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and health care. This connectivity is poised to completely change the way companies manage supply chains. In 2017, we can expect to hear a lot more about IIoT solutions such as autonomous shipping, completely networked warehouses, and global asset tracking. In the near future, the IIoT will touch nearly every aspect of the supply chain from facility management (think automation, environmental control, lighting, transportation, IT-services, furniture, and other user-specific equipment and appliances) to production processes and best practices, for example, asset tracking, indoor location awareness, communication, wearables, safety equipment and procedures, sensors and scanners, and handhelds.
These are big changes, and any company interested in investing in IIoT needs also to be investing in the people managing these solutions. Over the next year, it will become imperative for supply chain organizations to staff with people that have the ability to implement and manage these new smart systems. As the IIoT starts to connect all of the business functions within an organization, there will be an influx of data that offers an opportunity to improve the visibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of supply chains. The supply chain and other departments need to accelerate training initiatives so that teams not only understand the data but can translate it into insights that will add value and vision to the organization.