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How Equipment Manufacturers Grow Services with IoT

Debbie Altham

Aug 9 2021

3 min read

Digital technology helps equipment manufacturers and their trading partners extend the value and life span of their products. Asset management and field service management are already quite popular, but there’s another way digital technology helps equipment manufacturers grow. You can make your industrial products intelligent by fitting them with connected sensors in the internet of things (IoT). Sensor data can provide insight into equipment performance, wear and tear, and customers’ real-life workloads.

How IoT Helps Equipment Manufacturers Grow

What happens as a result of these technological enhancements? Your field service managers can send out replacement parts or schedule a maintenance appointment long before a part may fail or performance degrades. Your field service teams don’t have to travel to customer sites just to see how the equipment is doing since the sensors already informed them. And, to make everything work more seamlessly, you can provide your field service employees with mobile devices that give them anywhere, anytime access to information, diagrams, and documents that help them do the best possible job for your customers.

From proactive maintenance, you can take a larger step into digitally-enabled design, deployment, and repair of industrial equipment by using augmented-reality devices like HoloLens. With the HoloLens tech, engineers and technicians can collaborate and receive training in secure workspaces in the cloud. Even your customers and employees can use this technology to interact with one another as they model equipment enhancements.

Here’s a quick example of how Mercedes-Benz transforms their technician support using this technology.

Think about creating digital replicas of your equipment. These “digital twins” can emulate the physical assets and provide real-time, enhanced visibility of the equipment in operation at customer sites.

But we’re an equipment manufacturing company, not a software company.

And you’re right, you’re definitely an equipment manufacturer. However, in this day and age, being competitive means keeping software and new technology at the forefront of your minds.

Every company is a software company. You have to start thinking and operating like a digital company. It’s no longer just about procuring one solution and deploying one. It’s not about one simple software solution. It’s really you yourself thinking of your own future as a digital company.” – Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

What additional services could you offer, given that level of access and transparency? By using these technologies, you can tap into new revenue sources, strengthen customer relationships, and leave the competition behind.

Have any questions about how equipment manufacturers can leap ahead of the competition with IoT? We have a free ebook available, but we also encourage you to contact our equipment manufacturing technology experts at any time.

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Debbie Altham

The manufacturing industry is speeding its way into the age of digital, bringing fantastic new opportunities along with serious new risks. With over 30 years of experience in technology, in both client and vendor roles, Debbie Altham offers industry leaders a clear perspective on how to navigate the road towards digital transformation; a perspective that marries strategic vision with a very clear value compass. Helping clients realize the promise of business application technology has been a primary career objective. As an industry senior director, Debbie focuses on manufacturing and services industries. With Debbie running point, the team at Sikich can help manufacturers meet their most pressing business technology needs, drawing from a wide portfolio of industry tailored products and services.