Tuesday 1 September, 2026
Navigation
IIoT
Start with the full system view showing how sensing, processing and action connect.
01 / 08
Industrial IoT (IIoT) turns isolated machines or dark assets into connected assets that tell you what is happening on the factory floor, as it happens. Machines, workstations, tools and materials become connected assets that help people understand what is happening on the factory floor.
That journey starts with visibility. Sensors act as the digital equivalents of human senses, collecting signals such as vibration, temperature, images and environmental conditions. This can help identify CNC misalignment through visual inspection, reveal temperature drift, detect hidden vibration faults or warn that conditions could lead to a line stoppage.
The information is then interpreted and used to support action. Instead of relying only on manual checks, gauges or individual machine displays, manufacturing teams can gain a clearer view of equipment condition and performance. This helps them investigate problems, make informed operational decisions and respond earlier. Explore the 3D factory environment to see how IIoT can help a manufacturing operation sense what is happening, process the information and support people to act.
What is IIoT?
Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT, is the journey from isolated machines to truly smart manufacturing. Machines, workstations, tools and materials become connected assets that continuously sense, interpret and share what is happening on the factory floor.
That journey starts with visibility. Sensors become the digital equivalents of human senses, collecting signals such as vibration, heat, sight and environmental conditions. Those signals are then organised through the server layer, prioritised, and turned into information teams can use.
Once that foundation is in place, manufacturing teams can move from reactive responses to informed action.
IIoT: The Foundation of Smart Manufacturing
Explore how connected manufacturing turns machine signals into action. Sensors capture live conditions from the CNC station, the server layer organises and prioritises that data, and the control desk turns the resulting insight into practical decisions for people and systems.
1. SENSE (CNC Machine)
2. PROCESS (Server)
3. ACT (Control Desk)
Sight
Touch
Hearing
Smell
Phase details
Overview
…
Function
…
Aim
…
Sensing is the first step towards smart manufacturing. At this stage the factory builds digital equivalents of sight, touch, hearing and smell so it can sense machine condition before data is processed and teams respond.
Live data stream Normal
Inspection view
Overview mode. Click a stage label to begin.
You cannot improve what you do not measure. In traditional factories, many assets are dark assets: machines and processes that go unmeasured until something goes wrong. Sensors shine a light on these hidden variables.
The formula is simple: sensors plus connectivity let you listen to your factory in real time. First, we listen by gathering data. Then, we learn by analysing it. Finally, we act by automating or adjusting processes. This tightens feedback loops and replaces paper-based operations with digital ones.
Grounded in reality: sensors on the industrial IoT factory floor
The shift from dark assets to sensor-driven intelligence is transforming global manufacturing.
x
faster response speed for remote crane operators
%
reduction in production line floor space
%
reduction in crane CO2 emissions (50 kg → 33 kg)
Schneider Electric: visual sensors and flexible manufacturing
At its Shanghai smart factory, Schneider Electric needed highly adaptable production lines. It also needed large amounts of visual data for quality control. Traditional wired networks made this difficult. Cable restrictions and the high bandwidth required for video created significant obstacles.
They deployed a private 5G network as the wireless backbone. This let them embed high-resolution cameras directly into their machinery as advanced IIoT visual sensors. These sensors stream live video over 5G for AI-powered diagnostics, automating defect detection and preventing costly disruptions.
Replacing fragile communication cables on their hoisting cranes with wireless industrial IoT connectivity also delivered major results. Response speed for remote operators doubled. The production line load rate rose to 80%. Required floor space halved. Carbon emissions from the cranes dropped from 50 kg to 33 kg of CO2.
IoT Resources
