15 IoT Examples for Business Applications
The IoT, or Internet of Things, is all around us, from consumer IoT applications such as connected cars and wearables to robotic lawn movers. But what about industrial or smart city IoT examples, that might not get much hype, but provide real benefits?
On this page, explore 15 Internet of Things use cases and several case studies.
Smart Cities Internet of Things Examples
Smart cities are quickly expanding and there is a growing need for connected solutions that support the management of urban infrastructure, parking and traffic, electric vehicle charging, waste handling, information sharing and security services. Smart city technologies and IoT smart city solutions present a compelling solution to the problems caused by urbanisation.
1. Smart Pest Removal
Rats and mice are a major problem to citizens and businesses, and it is very costly in man-hours to get rid of the pests in an efficient way.
Digital rat traps can reduce a large part of the working time by manually checking if traps are filled. With the help of small sensors and automatic status messages the trap gives notification when a rat has walked in or has been near the trap.
IoT-powered traps digitize the manual work with small sensors and instant messages. This gives a full overview of the traps and improves the ability to take early action against the pests.
How does it work?
1. Rat traps are equipped with IoT devices
2. Sensors monitor whether there are rats in or around the traps
3. Devices send data, e.g. via an NB-IoT connection
4. Service personnel monitors the traps remotely
5. Service personnel visits only the traps that require emptying
What are the benefits?
The digital traps eliminate wasted time for manually overhauling empty traps, and they help to speed up maintenance of traps.
- Save time on unnecessarily checking traps
- Reduce transportation costs
- More efficient rat control
- Reduce CO2 by less transportation
- Better understanding of the rats' whereabouts
Related Case Studies
2. Smart Meters for Utilities
Challenge
Collecting meter data is expensive, and it is difficult to get 100% correct data for production and billing.
Solution
IoT-sensors in electricity/water/gas/heat meters send the precise data to the supplier’s back office who can track consumption in real time.
Value
Insight into consumption and distribution paves the way for great savings and efficiencies. At the same time, leaks are detected more quickly.
Read more about IoT for Utilities.
Related Case Study and Blog Posts
3. Smart Road Signs
It is dangerous when signs overturn on highways and elsewhere in traffic, and it is very expensive to manually check that all signs are in place.
Internet-connected road signs that, for instance, are placed at roadworks or other places, can save a big part of the time spent manually checking if the signs stand upright as they should. Using smart tilt sensors and a digital monitoring platform, service personnel just drive out to the signs that actually require service.
With NB-IoT trackers, signs can automatically notify if they are overturned or in any way relocated.
How does it work?
1. Road signs are equipped with IoT device
2. Sensors monitor, whether the sign stands upright as it should
3. Devices send data, e.g. via an NB-IoT connection
4. Service personnel gets notified when a sign is overturned
5. Service personnel only moves out to overturned signs
What are the benefits?
Digital monitoring of signs provides increased security and massive savings, avoiding manual inspection of the signs.
- Reduce man hours on controlling the signs
- Reduce transportation costs
- Increase security in traffic
- Reduce CO2 by less transportation
4. IoT Smoke Detectors
Challenge
The consequences are fatal when smoke detectors do not function effectively in the event of a fire – either because the battery is flat or because no one hears them.
Solution
IoT-powered smoke detectors communicate digitally so that all relevant people are notified quickly in the event of a fire. The smart sensors detect smoke, temperature and battery levels.
Value
Digital smoke detectors can save human lives, minimize damages and help protect business-critical assets for companies.
5. Smart Climate Control
Challenge
Poor indoor climate translates into bad business. A strained indoor climate results in inefficient meetings, poor concentration and more sick days.
Solution
Small IoT devices can monitor the indoor climate and automatically notify if airing is bad or the heat should be lowered in the room.
Value
A good indoor climate is key to optimize the well-being and productivity of employees, students, healthcare professionals, etc.
6. Smog, Noise and Traffic Monitoring
Challenge
Noise, smog and traffic jam are all harmful to public health and an economic burden to society.
Solution
Intelligent sensors that detect everything from air pollution and noise levels to the number of cars on the roads provide valuable insights that can be used for better infrastructure planning.
Value
There are great benefits from improving the environment and space on the roads in cities – both economically and in terms of creating a more clean and healthy city.
Related Case Studies
7. Digital Sewers
Challenge
Heavy rainfall and clogged sewers typically cause overflow and spillage of sewage into the natural streams.
Solution
Level sensors under well covers can monitor sewers and alert if a too high-water level is detected.
Value
With real-time digital monitoring service providers can act in time and do proactive clean-ups at blocked sewers.
IoT Examples in Healthcare
IoT in healthcare use cases is growing rapidly. According to a report by Grand View Research the global IoT in healthcare market size is projected to reach USD 534.3 billion by 2025. IoT devices can for instance help medical device manufacturers identify operational problems and save lives during emergencies, they can remotely monitor the status of patients or provide cold chain monitoring of pharmaceuticals.
8. Better Care for Dementia Patients
Challenge
The Danish society spend billions every year on dementia and the decease creates great insecurity for patients and relatives.
Solution
With smart trackers in watches and bracelets, healthcare professionals and caregivers can easily locate any missing dementia patient.
Value
Tracking solutions save society resources and minimize the risk of dementia patients are putting themselves and others at risk.
Industrial IoT Devices
Explore a couple of B2B use cases that highlight how IoT is being used by enterprises to lower costs by reducing working hours, minimizing down-time in production and machines, and avoiding waste of expensive equipment.
Lower Costs by Reducing Working Hours
What
Every day, companies use many hours on manual workflows. It can be service checks of products at the customer, supervision of equipment and machines in production, or similar tasks. Much of that time can be reduced with IoT.
Why
Manual workflows are often critical for companies to deliver quality service to their customers. However, manual working hours sometimes result in high costs, including labor costs.
How
By equipping your products and equipment with IoT devices that are connected to the internet, they can be monitored digitally, for instance directly via a mobile application.
Here are some instances of IoT applications that help to lower costs by reducing working hours.
9. Reduce Downtime on Production Sites
Challenge
Downtime on the production site can be very expensive, e.g. if the assembly line needs service or if components are to be replaced.
Solution
By installing trackers on critical production machines, you can collect important usage data and get the machines to notify you well in advance before they need service.
Value
IoT trackers and predictive maintenance can cut downtime and deliver serious savings by better maintenance planning.
10. Fill-level Sensors for Silos and Tanks
Challenge
Manual fill-level monitoring in tanks and silos is costly, time consuming and can be expensive if supplies run out.
Solution
Small sensors in tanks and silos can read the fill-level in real time and proactively send alarms when it’s time to fill up the tanks.
Value
The remote fill-level monitoring saves man-hours, transport costs and avoids expensive emergency fillings.
Related Case Studies
Save Costs and Avoid Waste of Expensive Equipment
What
Every day, companies lose expensive equipment when transporting goods to and from customers or when carrying equipment to perform work outside the company. It can be anything from roller cages and pallets to machinery and tools. IoT offers new opportunities to digitally track equipment so that it automatically sends notifications when it disappears.
Why
There are big gains to reap for companies that track their equipment through IoT. They save time and money on the purchase of new equipment, they avoid wasted time on manual tracing, and better utilization of existing equipment.
How
By installing small IoT devices on the equipment, they can easily and quickly be tracked digitally. The devices can be configured, so that they automatically send messages, when they move, stand still at places where they should not be, or disappear.
11. Digital Tracking of Roller Cages
Companies often waste resources on handling their assets, such as pallets and roller cages, when they are left unused in a warehouse or disappear during transport. Many companies use a large number of roller cages to move goods between customers and suppliers. It is often difficult to know where the assets are located and how many the company has available.
How does it work?
By installing small battery-powered trackers directly on the assets you can track their location and status at any time.
1. Roller cages are equipped with IoT devices
2. GPS tracker monitors the roller cage location
3. Devices send data, e.g. via an LTE-M connection
4. Employees get message when a roller cage disappears from the route
5. Roller cages can effectively be retrieved as needed
What are the benefits?
Insights like these deliver great savings, for instance by reducing lost assets, improving the inventory management or reducing ‘bottlenecks’.
- Fewer lost roller cages (less cost for replacements)
- Save time on manual tracing
- Avoid bottlenecks by lack of roller cages
- Minimize costs for unused roller cages (tied capital)
- Reduce costs for handling roller cages
12. Efficient Logistics with Smart Containers
Challenge
It is expensive and inefficient for suppliers if they are driving around in half-empty trucks or if they cannot deliver due to low inventory.
Solution
With IoT suppliers can equip their containers with smart sensors so that they can always be tracked throughout the value chain and automatically report on fill level data.
Value
Digitization of containers, e.g. for chemicals or water, gives the supplier opportunity to provide new services and to streamline their logistics and inventory management.
Related Case Studies and Blog Posts
13. Tracking Machinery and Equipment on Construction Sites
Downtime is expensive on the construction site, e.g. when excavators needs maintenance or when tools disappear from the site.
There is a huge shrinkage of tools on construction sites. It costs the contractor dearly in the purchase of new tools and lost working hours when their employees are looking for the tools. By installing IoT devices in everything from screwdrivers to angle grinders, tools can automatically send notifications when it disappears.
With IoT trackers, tools and equipment can always be tracked and localized. Additionally, sensors provide usage data that can be used for optimizing maintenance plans.
How does it work?
1. IoT devices are installed in the tool, e.g. in a screwdriver
2. Sensors monitor the location of the tool
3. Devices send data, e.g. via an NB-IoT connection
4. Company is notified if tools disappear from the construction site
5. Tools can easily and effectively be tracked down and retrieved
What are the benefits?
There are big savings to be made – partly by avoiding downtime, and partly by tracking expensive machines and equipment that are stolen or lost.
- Save costs for new-procurement of tools
- Reduce downtime at the construction site
- Achieve better utilization of the available tools
- Minimize the amount of stolen devices
Asset Tracking
Asset tracking IoT systems enable companies to track assets in a smart way. With connected devices expected to rise from hundreds of millions to billions over the next few years, smart tracking with cloud service, analytics and alarms functionalities is becoming a clear expectation for asset owners and companies transporting high-value goods.
Minimize Transportation Costs
What
Many companies make a living from transporting goods, equipment and services to customers and business partners. With IoT, businesses can deliver their service with fewer miles spent on the road – and most often with a higher quality for the customer as a result.
Why
Transportation costs are one of the major records in many companies’ budgets. In addition, there are increasing pressure – both politically and from customers – for businesses to reduce their CO2 emissions. Therefore, IoT solutions that reduce transportation time, are increasingly in demand by companies across industries and sectors.
How
Remote data reading with IoT technology typically works by installing small IoT devices in the places where one wish to obtain data from, and monitoring can take place remotely.
14. Waste Management with Smart Bins
Today, waste is collected inefficiently. This is expensive to citizens, the government and not least the climate due to CO2 emissions.
Garbage trucks drive out every day to empty and half-filled garbage cans, although they do not require emptying. It is expensive in transport and working hours, creates traffic jams and discharges unnecessarily a lot of CO2. IoT can eliminate wasted time on the road.
By installing IoT sensors in the bins, the garbage collectors can measure the fill level in each container remotely and use data for better route planning. By mounting fill level- sensors in the containers the garbage collectors get insight into which bins require emptying and which they can disregard on their route. Data from all the bins are analysed and translates into an optimized route plan.
How does it work?
1. Garbage cans are equipped with IoT devices
2. Sensors monitor the fill level in the bins
3. Devices send data, e.g. via an NB-IoT connection
4. Data is analyzed and translates into daily routes
5. Garbage trucks only drive out to the places where buckets are full (dynamic emptying)
What are the benefits?
Better route planning can deliver significant savings by lowering transportation costs, CO2 emissions and by cutting inefficient man hours on the road.
- Save man hours
- Save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions
- Better use of capacity and fleet
- Minimize queues around garbage trucks in traffic
15. Digital Moisture Meters
Water damage is one of the most frequent damage to both companies and consumers. Damage service companies are helping customers dehumidify their buildings. After installing dehumidification equipment at the site of damage; damage service companies use a lot of their time with transport from customer to customer, in order to measure the moisture values. It takes various readings until they know when the place is dry, and the customer can come again back to everyday life. A lot of this transportation time can be saved with IoT.
How does it work?
By installing small IoT devices in floors and walls, service employees can remotely read the moisture values, without having to visit the customer.
1. IoT devices with moisture sensors are installed in walls and floors
2. Sensors monitor the moisture values in the room
3. Devices transmits data, e.g. via an NB-IoT connection
4. Service Officer is notified when the place is dehumidified
5. Service Officer visits damage site and uninstalls dehumidification equipment
What are the benefits?
- Save working hours
- Save fuel and CO2 emissions
- Better utilization of fleet and dehumidification equipment
- Customers come back faster into their home after a moisture damage
Conclusion
IoT devices are all around us. Innovative enterprises and consumers are finding creative ways to leverage on the power of IoT and disrupt industries and traditional business models. From our daily work providing IoT Connectivity and IoT Cloud services, we have selected 15 real-life Internet of Things examples together with concrete customer cases for you to get inspired.
Many of these use cases were published for the first time in a white paper by Telenor Denmark (Note: The white paper is in Danish).
