Welcome to The Innovation Threshold!
Good day, innovators!
If you've visited The Innovation Threshold before, you likely spent time reading about Industry 4.0 and technological advances in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry.
Over the past few years of writing, learning, and exchanging ideas with readers, I've come to realize that the site's original focus was too narrow for what I was attempting to achieve.
Innovation is about much more than technology.
While advancements in IT/OT, automation, and manufacturing remain important, they represent only part of the equation. Innovation is also shaped by economics, education, leadership, organizational change, and our willingness to challenge conventional thinking. With that in mind, The Innovation Threshold is evolving.
You'll now find a broader range of perspectives on Engineering, Economics, Learning and Education, Leading Change, and the many other factors that influence our ability to innovate.
The objective remains the same: to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and encourage meaningful improvements in how we think, work, and lead.
Stay tuned! It should be a fun and educational ride as we explore what it really takes to turn new ideas into meaningful innovation.
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.