Building Smarter Industries with Industrial Intelligence Platforms

Industrial systems today are fundamentally different than they were a decade ago. Connected sensors, Industrial IoT, cloud, and AI are changing how manufacturers, utilities, logistics companies, and other industrial asset owners operate.
But simply gathering and analyzing this data is only one part of the challenge. To get value out of this data, companies must leverage it to drive better business and operational decisions.
That’s where Industrial Intelligence Platforms come in.
What is an Industrial Intelligence Platform?
An Industrial Intelligence Platform is a suite of technologies and tools that connects industrial equipment, sensors, enterprise systems, and other operational data. It consolidates this information, eliminating the need for organizations to use disparate dashboards and tools to analyze their data.
An Industrial Intelligence platform allows companies to unify their data and make smarter decisions based on actionable insights about their operations or physical infrastructure.
Why Are Industrial Intelligence Platforms So Important Now?
Today’s interconnected and automated industrial systems generate gigabytes of data every day. This deluge of information can quickly become overwhelming without an intelligent platform to help organizations analyze and make sense of it. Industrial Intelligence Platforms make it easier to monitor and maintain industrial equipment while also helping companies get the most out of their operations.
Some of the many ways manufacturers and industrial asset owners use Industrial Intelligence Platforms include:
Monitoring and analyzing equipment and production data in real-time
Improving operational and infrastructural visibility
Identifying and addressing equipment performance issues
Driving predictive maintenance strategies
Gathering and analyzing data from past and present operations
Making better use of existing resources
Minimizing machine downtime
Making smarter, data-driven decisions about operations
Industrial Intelligence Platforms can help companies get more out of their operations by enabling them to shift from being reactive to proactive in how they handle equipment performance issues and other concerns.
Key Technologies Used in Industrial Intelligence Platforms
Industrial IoT (IIoT)
IIoT sensors generate much of the data used by Industrial Intelligence Platforms.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is often used to help analyze operational data, spot trends and patterns, and make recommendations that would be impossible for humans to identify on their own.
Edge Computing
Edge computing helps make industrial operations more efficient and responsive by allowing some data processing to occur closer to the source.
Cloud
The cloud makes it easier to store, analyze, share, and monitor enterprise data.
Common Use Cases for Industrial Intelligence Platforms
Industrial Intelligence Platforms can be used in a variety of industries. They’re commonly used in smart manufacturing, industrial automation, power utilities, warehousing/logistics, oil and gas, mining, smart infrastructure, and transportation.
Some common use cases for these platforms include:
Predictive maintenance
Asset performance management
Production analytics
Remote equipment monitoring
Energy management
Quality analytics
Operational analytics
Challenges When Building Industrial Intelligence Platforms
In addition to the rising costs of sensors and other connected devices, there are also several challenges that companies must overcome when using Industrial Intelligence Platforms.
Some of the most common ones include:
Connecting and integrating sensors and other systems
Making use of data from legacy equipment
Protecting data from cyber threats
Making these systems scalable
Making use of massive amounts of data generated by these platforms
Connecting operational technology to information technology systems
Organizations must think through these challenges and how to avoid or mitigate them when building Industrial Intelligence Platforms. It’s also important to remember that these platforms are only one part of a larger system. Companies must invest in building scalable systems and also work to get buy-in from the relevant stakeholders.
The Future of Industrial Intelligence Platforms
As AI becomes more advanced, industrial infrastructure becomes more digitized and interconnected, and more companies adopt these platforms, the value they provide will continue to grow. Over the next decade, Industrial Intelligence Platforms will become even more intelligent, allowing organizations to maximize their operational potential.
Future versions of these platforms will be more autonomous while also providing more actionable insights for humans at all levels of an organization.
Looking Ahead
Industrial Intelligence Platforms represent a major opportunity to help organizations make their operations safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
By leveraging AI and Industrial IoT sensors and systems, industrial asset owners and manufacturers can make more informed decisions that lead to smarter business choices.
Aperture Venture Studio (AVS) is a venture studio focused on AIoT, connected ecosystems, and venture building. We’re interested in how industrial intelligence platforms and smarter systems fit into the future of AIoT and emerging tech. If you’re interested in learning more about how to build future-ready platforms and systems that enable safer and more scalable technologies, visit our blog at:.
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