When speaking to our customers over the past few weeks it has been valuable to understand their side of reality and especially to hear how our IoT solution in this crisis time is proving its worth. Below I am sharing my thoughts generally how IoT efficiencies are keeping workers safe and machines working during COVID-19.
Today, even essential workers avoid where possible physical site visits. Many factories are now shut down whilst others work to serve populations’ needs for food, healthcare products and many other essentials. Similarly, providers of vital infrastructure from energy to water and mail to connectivity, are continuing to operate. It’s inevitable that workers are needed to enable the continued operation of vital businesses.
IoT is stepping up to the challenge organisations face like minimising unnecessary physical visits to sites other issues. Predictive maintenance enabled by IoT is helping to identify which equipment needs maintenance most urgently and ensuring as much maintenance as possible is performed remotely.
IoT sensors on a factory machine can communicate the exact status of the machine and service alerts allows the organisation to know whether routine or other maintenance can be postponed. For example, service items such as filters may still be performing adequately or lubrication may still be at the required level so a site visit may not be required until after lock-down is ended.
There’s no getting away from the need for people to put themselves at risk in order to provide the services and products the majority of the population need to get through the challenges of the virus, but we have a common responsibility to do all we can in order to minimize risk and keep people safe. The Internet of Things is helping by reducing the need for physical interactions as we all adapt to the restrictions of this new situation.
One of the positives that I take from this challenging time is yes, our mission and strength is about connecting things, but even more so it is truly about people. We know that we may be faced again with a crisis like this but in the end it is the thinking that we share that makes us all more robust in preparedness and flexibility.