In the past, I have written how M2M increases productivity. Quite simply, workers will do more with less when:

  • you give them better access to information
  • they can do more work over the air (as opposed to on-site)
  • you make it easier to complete paperwork

I enjoyed this article in Bloomberg which highlights much of the gains that can be had from a wireless M2M solution. 

We all like pretty graphs and according to a recent SNL skit, all businessmen build them on planes! This graph below highlights the US economy, but I am sure that there is overlap to other developed nations. It specifically highlights much of the gains of the past 50 years in terms of productivity per hour.  The last (and longest sustained) one was during the dot.com boom when companies found ways to use the Internet to let their workers do more.  The thinking is that there is a new wave of productivity gains coming, thanks to the proliferation of M2M.

My personal opinion is that M2M could cause a permanent gain in the level of productivity.  My sentiments have been echoed by many large companies (see my previous articles on GE, SAP and Cisco).  I like GE's analogy of how the "Industrial Internet" will be as big of a revolution as the actual Internet has been over the past few decades.

My thinking

The Internet has been a wonderful thing to humanity.  Yes, it has been used for a lot of bad things, things that have proliferated violence and other cruelties. But for the most part, it has brought down many walls allowing people to communicate for less cost to more people.  This isn't just teenagers using Facetime....businesses have seen great gains by the use of email, tools such as Webex and they have seen increases in online business from consumers that might not have dealt with them in traditional ways.

The "Industrial Internet" will not be as sexy or widely used by people, but it may actually have a larger impact on our day to day lives.  It will affect how we drive (better optimization of traffic means less delays), it will affect our "comfort" (more intelligent HVAC systems means better temperature alignment with less use of energy) and it will affect how we are "serviced" (less downtime on products, more reliable products in general and less annoying time in IVR hell!!).

All of these gains will lead to a more productive life for all, not just during the work day.  We will be better informed, meaning that we can make more educated decisions.  We will be safer, have better access to health care and we will have less impact on our planet.

There is no doubt that the new world with M2M will be more productive...but will the gains rival other "planet-changing" events, such as the combustion engine, the invention of electricity and even the introduction of the wheel?  Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I think that the Industrial Internet will change the way we live, even if most people don't know much about it.

Bottom line

The gains that we see from the Industrial Internet will help companies deal with certain demographic changes such as being able to get more work done per person by jobs where the average age is reaching retirement.  The trick will be for companies to be able to actually make this happen by utilizing the data, otherwise, it is just noise.  With the push from companies like IBM, I don't see this being a problem!

As always, Novotech is ready to assist with your M2M needs. Whether you’re looking to control, track, monitor or back-up, Novotech has the solutions and products you need. View our Line Cards and let us know how we can be of assistance.

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