Industrial IoT : What does it mean in practice ?

IoT entails the development and manufacture of a particular object requiring in-depth knowledge of a broad spectrum of technologies spanning everything from onboard electronic systems, mechatronics, secure networks and communications, to services and applications in the cloud. 

IoT also means industrial production, deployment in the field and operation of a fleet of objects, requiring significant investment and operational expenditure.  

The difficulty from a technical point of view is covering all aspects of IoT, a raft of expertise which is rarely found within one single company. Industrial IoT also has specificities in terms of market knowledge, product quality and reliability, manufacturing flexibility and product cycle management which make the choice of an EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) industrial partner very important. 

There are four stages involved in the development and manufacture of a connected object (product conception, product development, product industrialisation, product manufacture). 

Handling and completing each stage independently with the various stakeholders increases the risks of project delay or failure. 

Having an idea which is wonderful but unattainable from an electronics cost perspective; a brilliant design which is unachievable in the factory; an optimised industrial process which is impossible to complete within the required deadlines. 

– Thierry Neveu, CTO, Electronics activity of LACROIX

A Contract Design for Manufacturing approach (CDM) offers a solution to the problems mentioned above, making it possible to take account of industrialisation and manufacturing constraints related to the industrial tool as early as possible in the development cycle, as of the product conception, specification and design phases. 

Thanks to an integrated design and manufacturing process, CDM ensures that the product designed is optimised for production and delivers the expected functions at good levels of quality, cost and turnaround times.