Welcome to The Innovation Threshold!
Introduction to the Site and Industry 4.0
As we stand on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, commonly known as Industry 4.0, it is only fitting to describe this journey as crossing a threshold.
According to a survey by McKinsey & Company, 75% of CPG manufacturers plan to increase their investment in Industry 4.0 technologies by 2025. Yet, fewer than 30% have successfully scaled these initiatives beyond the pilot phase. This translates to hundreds of thousands of ideas and projects—each one needing to be conceived, designed, piloted, expanded, and standardized.
Most of these efforts will falter somewhere along the journey, never realizing the benefits envisioned by their innovators. But a select few will scale into revolutionary improvements, delivering significant economic value to their organizations.
This site is dedicated to unpacking that journey—offering insights, tools, and methods to reduce the barriers associated with launching and scaling innovation. By making the path from idea to execution more accessible, we can help lower the Innovation Threshold for teams across the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry—turning the Fourth Industrial Revolution from a concept into a tangible, transformative reality.
The Role of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
The concepts of Industry 4.0 and the Innovation Threshold capture the essence of the transformative changes defining the era we live in. Today, nearly every company is launching initiatives aimed at reducing costs, accelerating speed to market, increasing automation, and optimizing operations.
In many cases, these initiatives are either enabled by—or entirely dependent on—the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
“Companies that have successfully scaled IIoT use cases report up to a 30% increase in productivity and a 20% reduction in maintenance costs—yet over 60% of CPG manufacturers say legacy systems are holding them back.”
— Source: Deloitte, 2023 Manufacturing Industry Outlook
IIoT is a foundational element of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Can you achieve impactful, transformative change in your organization without IIoT? Probably—but your results may be incremental rather than revolutionary.
If your goal is to transition from Industry 3.0 (or earlier) to Industry 4.0, then your team must lower its Innovation Threshold around IIoT initiatives. That means removing barriers, simplifying pilot projects, and making it easier to test, deploy, and scale connected solutions.
How This Site Will Help You Navigate Industry 4.0 and IIoT
This site—along with its blog posts, curated links, and recommended readings—explores how Industry 4.0 and IIoT are impacting CPG manufacturing and what lessons we can learn from other industries already further along in the journey.
Most importantly, this platform exists to help you—whether you're a leader, operator, engineer, or curious observer—understand how to implement Industry 4.0 in practical, achievable ways.
My hope is that you’ll find valuable insights—nuggets of wisdom that can help make your work, your team, and your organization stronger.
The revolution into Industry 4.0 is already underway. If this is your first encounter with the concept, you may have some catching up to do—but you’re not alone.
Let’s do it together. Let’s share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build momentum across the industry. By lowering the Innovation Threshold, we can bring CPG manufacturing into a new era of efficiency, adaptability, and human potential.