Well, 2013 was a whirlwind and the first month of 2014 has flown by with hypersonic speed.  We are definitely living in very unique and interesting times.  As I reflect on the past year, one obvious theme or revelation always comes to the forefront.....technology and the use of it is the common fabric that enables change in our lives, whether its social, economic or environmental. The use of or the abuse of technology has always been the underpinning foundation for change.

The beginning of the New Year is always interesting and fun for me.  I'm always intrigued, fascinated and often times amused by the pundits, prognosticators, "experts", fortune tellers and the like who have never been shy about offering their viewpoints and perspectives on the trends and movements of the coming year.

Predictions:  Do You Hunker or Bunker Down?

In fact a very interesting....amusing story came out during the end of last year about a gentleman named Norman Feller,who went into a bunker for 14 years over the fears of the fallout from the Y2K virus.  Mr. Feller emerged from his bunker absolutely sober and of sound mind. In fact, Mr. Feller had the wherewithal to visit his local KFC restaurant and be absolutely amazed by the innovation of KFC's "Double-Down" sandwich. The combination of putting together bacon, cheese and chicken fillets was earth..."bunker" shattering for Mr. Feller .  Now, I'm not sure if this story is actually folklore or true, but I do know that people and societies have various emotional responses to technology trends, predictions and/or "hype"

2014 Manufacturing Trends and Predictions

Manufacturing is no exception.  There are no shortage of predictions and trends being applied to the manufacturing industry.  One of the common technology trends being cited is the Internet of Everything's impact on the industry. My colleague Chet Namboodri wrote an outstanding blog entitled, "Predictions 2014: Wager on the Internet of Everything"   He leverages the expertise and research from Bob Parker,  IDC Group Vice- President, to provide insights and predictions on how IoE will have a profound impact on manufacturing markets and industries.

I think we can all agree that we are living in amazing times with wonderful possibilities.  The world is "smaller" and more connected.  The changes we promote and execute against will affect not only our next-door neighbor, but our trans-continental neighbors.

IoE: Endless Possibilities

Manufacturing has always been and always will be the indispensable engine that drives the financial, environmental, and social fabric of communities and societies.  The way we design, build, manufacture, deliver and connect with one another will never be the same.  The IoE revolution will have an even greater impact than the very influential and significant Industrial Revolution Era.  IoE will tightly integrate the intersection of people, process, data and things creating unprecedented possibilities.  The question is will you go into a bunker and shelter yourself from this revolution or will you embrace the IoE movement and "double down" to address the amazing challenges and opportunities that lie before us?   Remember its all about putting "things" and connecting "things" together to create something wonderful.

I must say though.  Anything put together with bacon is always a good thing.  In fact, I think I'll ask one of my Cisco colleagues to come up with a SDK (software development kit) that will enable our smart phones partners develop a hickory smoked bacon emitting smart phone.  So, instead of a customized ringtone, one will be alerted by the glorious smell of bacon.  Hey, don't laugh, IoE will create wonderful possibilities that we can not even imagine.

What is your IoE "double down" strategy?  The possibilities are endless.