The IoT in the real world Mar 29, 2019
Last week we discussed the Internet of Things and how to prepare for the digital workplace in the near future.
Here are some real-world examples of business in different sectors utilising the IoT to improve their business efficiencies but also to become disruptors in their sectors.
1.United Parcel Service (UPS)
UPS installed GPS devices in its delivery vehicles in 2008. They have developed an On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (ORION) system that identifies the shortest and most fuel-efficient routes, allowing them to save an estimated 1.5 million gallons of fuel over 10,000 courses. The company plans to expand this system to cover all its routes by 2018.
2. Fitness First
Fitness First employs IoT technology to track who is entering their gyms. They can then have information sent to them automatically. The company envisions growing their business by reaching out to current customers, who regularly visit the gym and encouraging them to invite friends. Tracking usage of particular exercise machines can help the company make better choices when outfitting new gyms.
3. Siemens
Global industrial giant Siemens is utilizing IoT technologies in several enterprises. The company is heavily invested in renewable energy and generating power from wind turbines. They employ sensors on the turbines that keep them running at peak efficiency and can help protect them when faced with powerful winds.
The ability to monitor and control wind turbines is critical as the technology expands and wind power installations are constructed in areas that are not readily accessible by maintenance crews.
4. BT and the Internet of Cows
The BT Group has developed a collar that can be worn by livestock that can monitor their health. Named the Silent Herdsman, this system employs a collar that can report on the amount of milk a cow produces, its fertility cycle, and when it has given birth. The collar can also locate animals that have wandered away or been stolen.
5. Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker parent company Diageo, is interested in using the IoT to bolster its marketing strategy. In March of 2015, they introduced a smart label to be featured on its flagship Blue Label Whiskey. The smart label can assist consumers when purchasing the product, but the smart label has uses that go beyond the point of sale. The label can sense if the bottle is opened or closed, and after opening it can send information to the consumer on the best way to enjoy the product.
6. John Deere
John Deere manufactures equipment for agricultural, construction, and forestry industries. It is using big data and IoT to monitor the level of moisture in soil to help farmers ‘make timely irrigation decisions’. The data gained will help farmers produce better yields and will essentially tell them when the soil is at its best or when irrigation is needed. This should result in reduced running costs and better produce.
7. Walt Disney World
Disney World have created ‘MagicBand’, a wearable wristband containing RFID tags. Disney World visitors can check-in to the park, buy food, and gain fast pass on rides by tapping the band on receivers. Disney can then use this data to track the movement of visitors though the park and determine which areas, rides and attractions are the most popular and which areas of the park require more attention. This technollgy is being used more and more at various festivals around the world.
8. Eddie Stobart
Transport and logistics company Eddie Stobart has a workforce of 6,000 and some 2,200 vehicles, 3,800 trailers and 24 distribution centres across the UK and Europe. As with many transport companies, the potential for IoT is huge. By using IoT, Eddie Stobart can monitor its internet-connected forklift trucks and fit temperature sensors to its refrigeration units.
9. Amazon
Amazon is already famous for its IoT consumer products such as Alexa and Dash, and the company has over 500 million stock keeping units (SKUs) and millions of other centres and warehouses. Amazon has introduced IoT-enabled robots to carry out this work instead, powered by Kiva Systems, which Amazon acquired in 2012. So far, these robots have cut costs by 20 percent, saving around $22 million every year
10. Arsenal FC
Arsenal FC has been using the internet of things and other emerging technologies to improve coaching techniques and use data in its analysis of games. Arsenal FC’s IT Director Hywel Sloman told CIO UK last year: “I have been driving the experimentation with IoT and virtual reality as a way to improve the quality of coaching we provide to our players.”
11. Aviva
Aviva is using IoT to its advantage to set its home insurance service apart from competitors. The company has been working with HomeServe Lab’s LeakBot since 2015, as well as Canary’s smart home cameras which were given to new home insurance customers to help them harness insights from the experience.
12. Ericsson Maritime ICT
Swedish communications company Ericsson houses ‘Ericsson Maritime ICT’ which provides infrastructure for ships, ports and terminals. Via its ‘Maritime ICT Cloud’ system, the company uses sensors on its ships to monitor vessel location, speed and the temperature for heat sensitive cargo, all in real-time. The data can then be shared with companies that are shipping goods, from production and warehouse distribution to final delivery.
13. Rolls-Royce
Announced at the Hanover Messe Trade Show 2016, Microsoft and Rolls-Royce will collaborate to support Rolls-Royce intelligent engines and offer ‘advanced operational intelligence to airlines’. Rolls-Royce will integrate Microsoft Azure IoT Suite and its Cortana Intelligence Suite to gather information on flight operations, fuel usage and maintenance planning. Previously, Rolls-Royce has invested in jet engine sensors to produce real-time data, and report back on the condition of the engine and even maintain it remotely.
14. Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance is setting their sights on the internet of things to help the automobile claims resolution proccess. CIO Ron Guerrier says a sensor-equipped car that gets hit by a shopping trolly in a car park could notify the owner, via an alert to their smartphone, about the incident and offer to contact a Farmers Insurance claims representative.
15. William Tracey Group
The William Tracey Group is one of the UK’s largest recycling management companies. Their strategy enables chipped wheelie bins, smart weighing arms on collection trucks and on-board computer to collect the data. This data should aid enterprises to protect the environment while creating new business opportunities.
Is your business looking at better integration of appliances and devices? Do you need an analysis of your cloud integration and recommendations for meeting trends in device integration? Are you IoT ready?
SBA Business can help arrange the resources to move from a smart home to a smart office.
References
http://www.corporatelivewire.com/blog.html?id=ten-examples-of-the-internet-of-things-in-business