ABB Joins Industrial Internet Consortium to Help Drive Best Practices and Robust Standards

ABB has announced that it is joining the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), a group of more than 100 companies, organizations and universities working to accelerate growth of the Industrial Internet by identifying and promoting best practices and robust standards.

According to ABB,  it has been advancing the Industrial Internet for years via its control systems, communication technology and industrial sensors that help end-users across a range of sectors leverage data to optimize their operations. The company will be joining the IIC in 2015 to foster collaboration among technology companies as they seek to establish global standards for the Industrial Internet and ensure that end-users reap the benefits of improved efficiency, reduced costs and higher revenue.

“This (joining in IIC) gives us more opportunities to influence what is happening in the development of the Industrial Internet,” said Claes Rytoft, ABB Chief Technology Officer. “The Industrial Internet holds incredible promise to transform manufacturing, energy and resource industries.”

ABB’s participation in the IIC should come as no surprise: The company centrally monitors thousands of industrial robots and for decades has helped utilities collect data crucial for a deeper understanding of how to make their electricity grids safer and more reliable. And it has thousands of software developers dedicated to improving the functionality of the Industrial Internet, leading to leaner operations and faster response times.

As Rytoft points out, “The Industrial Internet makes it possible to collect and integrate much more information than we ever have before. The question is, what will that lead to going forward? While it may be a bit to early to tell, he says, “there are many exciting opportunities.”

Editor’s Note: The Industrial Internet is at the core of Industry 4.0, Germany’s strategy for increasing the computerization of manufacturing. ABB has actively contributed to the creation of the Industry 4.0 vision and is working toward its implementation.