Industry Week‘s new survey of manufacturers has uncovered a lot of tech procrastinators.
When it comes to the Industrial Internet of Things, 75% of respondents from companies with revenues under $100 million are either in the planning stages or waiting for the right time to start planning. 30 percent of companies larger than $100 million a year have had their systems in place for a year or more — and more than half of that group has had their systems in place for more than four years.
Only 7% of the smaller companies had hit the four-year mark.
Getting down to specifics, the belle of the tech ball in this survey is robotics. Wearables are the wallflowers. 44% said smartglasses are “a waste of time.”
Robots are everywhere, and nearly all the respondents were planning to increase automation. About a third want to do more with their data, too. So what’s the obstacle for adoption of IIoT?
Money was the first answer. Freeing up the up-front cost in the budget was an issue, and being unsure about the ROI kept plenty of companies from getting started. Larger companies were naturally more flush and more likely to give it a shot.
But one of the experts quoted in the report had a different take on the hesitation many companies feel for implementing IIoT. It’s all down to bad press, he said.
DataCenterKnowledge points out that IIoT is usually cheaper than new machinery. Wire up the legacy units you already have and you give them a new lease on life. Use IIoT to increase the safety and reliability of older machines and you can save a bundle.
Rexroth has been a primary innovator and supporter of IIoT, taking simple examples on the road to help manufacturers see the value.
When your Rexroth electric industrial motion control systems need service or support, contact us immediately. We’re specialists, and we have the nation’s largest inventory of emergency replacement parts on hand.