Internet of things technologies in manufacturing: Application areas, challenges and outlook

This paper discusses the latest developments in the area of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies with regard to their potential application in the manufacturing sector and logistics. A series of enabling technologies are identified and described in relation to how they may foster the further development and wider adoption of IoT technologies. A number of potential application areas together with some early prototype IoT-based developments are reviewed and the major challenges to be addressed in the near future are listed. IoT technologies may play a very important role towards improving the performance and flexibility of manufacturing operations and logistics processes and may also enable the more efficient design and lifecycle management of products.