2016 Internet Of Things 50: 5 Coolest Vendors With Industrial IoT Solutions
Industrial Solutions
The industrial market presents some of the most wide-ranging opportunities for solution providers in the Internet of Things, as manufacturing and factory environments need to blend to­gether IT tools and operational technology.
Solution providers investing in operational technology are following up on sweeping trends in the IoT market as verticals require large data sets that are used to optimize operational processes and extend the life of high-capital cost assets.
According to a report from research firm IDC, industries such as manufacturing and transportation, which largely use opera­tional technology, are leading the way in U.S. IoT investments, with $35.5 billion and $24.9 billion, respectively, in 2016.
Following are the five vendors with the coolest industrial IoT offerings.
GE
Top Executive: Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman, CEO
GE, which is moving its headquarters to Boston, is doubling down on asset performance management through its cloud-based industrial analytics platform, Predix Cloud.
The platform is designed specifically for industrial data and analytics as a Platform-as-a-Service. GE has said the platform enables operators to use machine data faster and more efficiently, which will save companies billions of dol­lars annually.
GE last year also unveiled plans to build a new energy business, Current, using the Internet of Things to bring to­gether its LED, solar, energy storage and electric vehicle business onto Predix. Using the aggregated data and analy­sis, GE will give recommendations on how to reduce pow­er levels, generate power on-site and create new revenue streams through offerings such as sensors and networked systems in buildings.
Honeywell
Top Executive: David Cote, Chairman, CEO
Honeywell has been zeroing in on the industrial Internet of Things space by focusing on optimizing users' existing au­tomation investments. Honeywell says it delivers the widest range of secure, ready-to-deploy technology across all ele­ments of the industrial internet, including smart, connected assets and devices, data management and on-site control, analytics, and smart and secure collaboration.
Morristown, N.J.-based Honeywell's Tridium division has a purpose-built operating system for IoT, Niagara Frame­work, which connects and translates data from any device or system that manages and optimizes performance in build­ings, factories or even cities. The platform contains enter­prise security, analytics and professional services.
KMC Controls
Top Executive: Jon Hilberg, CEO
KMC Controls touts its KMC Commander platform, which enables customers to easily connect building automation sys­tems. The company also manufactures edge devices, which it dubs KMC Conquest, with embedded sensors, such as smart thermostats.
These tools plug into industrial environments, helping cus­tomers build automation offerings and form open and scalable systems in industrial settings.
New Paris, Ind.-based KMC Controls has been targeting the IoT channel through partnering with Dell and pairing with Intel to offer control solutions as part of Intel's IoT Solutions Alliance.
Rockwell Automation
Top Executive: Blake Moret, President, CEO
Milwaukee, Wis.-based Rockwell Automation, which focuses on industrial automation and information solutions, has built up offerings and services in the connected enterprise to help operations managers manage and improve manufacturing and industrial processes.
The company's portfolio, which includes connected compo­nents, intelligent motor control capabilities, integrated archi­tecture and on-machine solutions, helps drive the industrial Internet of Things for OEMs. Now the company is building on a tight partnership with Cisco to help push its IoT agenda even further.
Schneider Electric
Top Executive: Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO
Schneider Electric, an electricity distributor and global en­ergy management company based in France, wants to help organizations shift to an "operations-centric" view around the Internet of Things with proactive and predictive maintenance capabilities in industrial settings. The company provides a comprehensive Enterprise Asset Performance Management offering to help companies reduce unscheduled downtime, increase asset utilization and reduce maintenance costs. This helps industrial customers collect, visualize and analyze data in real time.