Industrial IoT was at the heart of the workshop organized by the Internet of Things Observatory of Polimi, entitled “Smart Factory: IoT & AI at the center of innovation”, held at the Kilometro Rosso Innovation District on December 16. The event also featured the participation of FibreConnect, with an address by CEO Renzo Ravaglia, to discuss how sensors, connected machines, and monitoring systems are transforming industrial processes.
IoT and Industry: a rapidly evolving landscape
The data presented by the Observatory highlight an industrial ecosystem that is increasingly oriented toward IoT:
- More than 70% of large enterprises and nearly 60% of mid-sized companies have already launched Industrial IoT projects or plan to do so by 2025.
- Projects are no longer isolated experiments: the number of multi-departmental and enterprise-wide initiatives is growing, with deeper integration into factory processes.
- Two out of three companies use data collected from connected machines to improve operational efficiency, after-sales services, and the development of new offerings.
This evolution significantly increases the volume of data generated on the factory floor and sent to the cloud, making fiber-based connectivity for manufacturing essential to ensure operational continuity.
Concrete IoT applications: why low-latency connections are essential
The most widespread Industrial IoT applications require symmetric broadband connectivity, low latency, and maximum reliability.
Real-time monitoring
Sensors distributed across production lines and industrial plants continuously collect data on performance, energy consumption, and machine status. The value of this information emerges only if:
- data is transmitted without interruptions;
- dashboards are updated in real time;
- alerts reach operators immediately.
Fiber optics make it possible to handle large volumes of data in both uplink and downlink, overcoming the limits of asymmetric connections.
Predictive maintenance
Among the most mature applications discussed during the workshop, predictive maintenance is one of the main areas of IoT and AI adoption. Advanced analytics and predictive models require:
- continuous and reliable data flows;
- low latency to detect anomalies in a timely manner;
- integration between the factory floor, IT systems, and cloud platforms.
Unstable connectivity can compromise the accuracy of forecasts and undermine the expected benefits.
Traceability and supply chain
IoT enables real-time traceability of materials, components, and finished products. According to the Observatory’s data, the use of Industrial IoT data is growing to:
- improve visibility across the machine fleet;
- optimize logistics and supply chain operations;
- support servitization models.
Here again, fiber optics provide the foundation needed to ensure continuity and security in data transmission.
AI and Industrial IoT: more data, more value (if the network can handle it)
The integration of Industrial IoT and Artificial Intelligence is one of the most significant trends emerging from the workshop:
- Around 40% of companies already have pilot or production AI projects supporting Industry 4.0 initiatives.
- Key applications include predictive maintenance, production optimization, predictive analytics, and cybersecurity.
These use cases further increase dependence on stable, high-performance, and scalable network infrastructures, capable of supporting growing workloads and increasingly complex data-driven models.
Fiber connectivity for manufacturing: a strategic enabler
In the scenario outlined by the Observatory, connectivity is no longer a supporting element but a true competitive lever. Fiber optics provide:
- Symmetric broadband, essential for the continuous transmission of machine-generated data;
- Low latency, critical for real-time and AI-driven applications;
- Reliability and service continuity, even in complex industrial environments;
- Scalability, to support the evolution of IoT projects over time.
As reiterated during the workshop, investing in IoT technologies without an adequate network risks limiting ROI and slowing down innovation.
The connected factory starts with the network
Industry 4.0 is built on data, automation, and distributed intelligence. But all of this rests on a fundamental prerequisite: reliable fiber-optic connectivity.
At FibreConnect, we design and deploy fiber-optic infrastructures dedicated to the business world, engineered to support Industrial IoT, AI, and advanced monitoring systems. Because the connected factory is not just about sensors and software, but above all about robust networks on which to build the future of industry.