The Internet of Things in Manufacturing: Key Issues and Potential Applications

With the globalization of the world's economy, manufacturing enterprises are facing severe competition from their worldwide counterparts in terms of product price, function, quality, cost, and lead time. They are also experiencing growing pressure to meet higher environmental standards due to enhanced producer responsibility [1]. Meanwhile, consumers have more diversified and demanding needs, e.g., customized products. These challenges have pushed the manufacturing industry to embrace new technologies to remain competitive and meet user demands. The Internet of Things (IoT), which has great potential in transforming the manufacturing sector [2], has attracted tremendous attention from both academia and industry.