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Heard the term \u201cSmart City\u201d yet?<\/p>\nHeard the term \u201cSmart City\u201d yet?<\/p>\n
In researching the 2017 MHI Annual Industry Report<\/em>, to be released on April 5 at ProMat 2017, Deloitte Consulting\u2019s Patrick Salemme was surprised to discover that 47 percent of the more than 1,100 survey respondents (all manufacturing and supply chain professionals) were aware of the concept.<\/p>\n \u201cFurther, of that 47 percent, 24 percent reported they are already planning, investing and collaborating to develop capabilities within their supply chains that leverage Smart City technologies,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re among the 53 percent of manufacturing and supply chain professionals as yet unaware of Smart Cities, you can expect to be hearing more about them (and not just in this article or at ProMat).<\/p>\n What exactly is a Smart City? It\u2019s a vision for the future wherein multiple information and communication devices and technologies are securely integrated with Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled solutions in order to better manage a city and its assets, says Bruce Stubbs, director of supply chain marketing at MHI member Honeywell Safety & Productivity Solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this ecosystem are local departments\u2019 information systems, such as schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement and other community services,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe goal of building a Smart City is to improve quality of life by using actionable insights and technology to improve services, monitor infrastructure and proactively create maintenance and repair orders.\u201d<\/p>\n