Small and potentially mighty

We live in a world dominated by information, technology and ingenuity and one where leveraging data is big business.

Indeed, ‘Big Data’ is at the heart of what many process engineering firms are trying to achieve – particularly given the enduring need to maximise production, cut costs and boost efficiency.

The internet is evening the playing field and allowing all these new companies to come in and change the world

Honeywell chief technology officer Bruce Calder

There are, however, some companies that could stand to gain the most by adopting data technologies and implementing industrial internet of things (IIoT) strategies.

That is according to Bruce Calder, chief technology officer at Honeywell Process Solutions, whom I spoke with at Honeywell’s annual user group conference this week.

Calder told me that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have the potential to “leap frog” major process firms.

How do they do it? – by deploying IIoT technologies (in the right way).

“I think the biggest benefits could be for the little guys,” Calder says.

“It’s something that hasn’t really come up before but I am actually more excited for the smaller players because [the IIoT] is a revolution for those guys.”

Calder says SMEs need to “flip their opinion” if they think IIoT technologies are not designed for them.

Utilising software as a service in the cloud is just one of the technologies SMEs can readily employ and one which Honeywell can offer – as Calder was quick to point out.

“If the big guys want to do an upgrade and start deploying IIoT-ready technologies, it’s going to take them one or two years because they would have to do it across their entire operation,” Calder says.

“A little guy could have it done within weeks…how do you compete against that?”

It is easier for smaller firms to manipulate the power of the internet and use it to their advantage, Calder suggests.

“The internet is evening the playing field and allowing all these new companies to come in and change the world.”

Changing the world is a great sentiment, and whether you’re fascinated or fed-up with it, the IIoT seems to be firmly planted at the centre of that change.

There is a lot of buzz and a lot of hype around the IIoT (and its derivatives), as anyone who attended Honeywell’s user conference, or anyone with a internet connection, will confirm.

And although I shouldn’t play favourites, a small part of me is really rooting for the SMEs to take the IIoT world by storm.

After all, competition is healthy.