11 amazing success stories to prove that Internet of Things(IoT) is not a verbal tic

You are in the year 2020 (not far off actually!) and your refrigerator ensures that you have a fresh supply of milk when you run out of it. And you thought that IoT is just hype in the world of technology? If you fear this unknown technology, here are some success stories that are inspirational to start thinking about using it in your industry.

1. ALEX AND ANI’s connected AppMost of you might own an Alex and Ani bracelet. What you did not know is that the Alex and Ani is not only awesome at jewelry but also in harnessing the power of IoT to increase sales. Utilizing iBeacon (location-sensing technology of Apple) they attract nearby users into their jewelry locations. Their new app tracks customer purchases and makes smart recommendations to them in store. It is also ensures increased revenue, since this technology tracks where shoppers are walking in a store and determines the best place to showcase certain products. 

 2. Healthsense’s eNeighbor A senior care health service provider’s eNeighbor utilizes sensors integrated with remote monitoring capabilities. They can sense when seniors have wandered or had a fall or even forgotten to take medication. Additionally, the system includes an emergency call pendant, allowing patients to call for help if needed. This has been a boon to the senior health care market.

3. First Responder Apex Program    In this pilot program by Dept. of Homeland Security, sensors from smart devices like smart shirt, smartwatch, vehicles, cameras conveyed crucial situational awareness information to first responders (fire, law enforcement and emergency medical assistance). This would assist in expedited response at a disaster site.

4. Disney world Magicband You have either heard of or used Disney’s Magicband. Guests use Magicband to access all amenities in the park, whether to check-in to their hotel or reserve rides or buy food. The Magicband is embedded with sensors that use RFID to track the actions of guests. This helps Disney to optimize their services according to the demand.

5. Schindler elevators’ smart systems We have all ridden Schindler elevators. Used by a billion people in 100 countries, this 141 year old business is always ahead in innovation. Using IoT, their real-time maintenance system connects sensor technology with mobile applications, creating a "digital tool case" for the company's more than 20,000 field workers. This allows their service engineers to correct the issue before the customers can notice the problem.

6. King’s Hawaiian FactoryTalk Manufacturing has always used sensors in their equipment. With the advent of IoT, these sensors are now connected to the Internet. King’s Hawaiian were able to double their food production in their connected facility in Georgia compared to a similar unconnected facility in Hawaii. The machines were connected to a software platform called FactoryTalk, which allows managers to view real-time information, providing a production-wide overview of plant operations. The result was faster time to market, workforce efficiency, and smarter cost expenditures.

7. City of Dubuque’s Water Management System A lot of cities are vying to become a smart city but only very few have implemented a tangible IoT solution. The City of Dubuque’s DBQ IQ Watermanagement system is an excellent example of the social use of IoT. Utilizing Neptune Technology’s radio frequency meter interface unit, the residents of the city were able to view their water consumption and leaks. This resulted in a 6.6% reduction in water usage and a 11-fold increase in the amount of reported leaks.

8. Airbus Factory of the Future You can only imagine the number of parts that go into manufacturing an airplane. Aerospace industry has tons of automation in their assembly process but also has an abundance of manual processes. Hence, Airbus introduced smart tools that use visual algorithms to monitor complex functions like precision drilling as well as automated testing. This helps Airbus to deliver their airplanes faster to customers. With a nine-year backlog of orders this would be greatly appreciated,

“If I can get [the airplane] one day earlier to the customer, I would be very happy. I would receive my check one day earlier and the airline would be able to put the airplane into service one day earlier,”says Hentz, the Director of Innovation at Airbus.

9. Remy Martin’s Connected Bottle A fun and successful example of IoT is Remy Martin’s (the French cognac producer) introduction of the “Connected Bottle”. By introducing a solution that detects bottle opening, they managed to reduce counterfeit alcohol in China. In addition, they have also had increase in their Club customers. These high-end customers are providedan app that includes loyalty membership and an interactive platform.

10. Port of Cartegena, Colombia One of the busiest ports of Colombia engaged Cisco-IBM partnership to create an interconnected hub of data. By installing thousands of IoT devices on cranes, vehicles, and shipping containers, data is sent for predictive analysis using IBM’s Watson platform. The port utilizes this solution to get ahead of equipment degradation, predicting maintenance and keeping machines running efficiently avoiding costly equipment failures.

11. Airport’s BlipTrack Cincinnati’s regional airport (CVG) installed BlipTrack , a technology that utilizes wireless signal tracking that collects locations of passengers based on their smart devices. This is helpful in optimizing traffic flows and reduced wait times at check-ins and security. CVG has noticed a reduced security line wait time by about 33% after implementing this solution. In conclusion, if you have been thinking of IoT, NOW is the time to act. To get a fundamental overview on this topic, check out our session next Wednesday, June 15th.