Industrial IoT: Immediate ROI and Long‑Term Value

Vibhoosh Gupta, the product‑management leader of GE Automation & Controls – a division slated for acquisition by Emerson – draws strategic lessons from Tesla. He sees the carmaker’s forward‑looking design ethos as a template for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that satisfy today’s demands while remaining ready to evolve with tomorrow’s challenges.

In a recent interview at Industrial IoT World, Gupta highlighted Tesla’s approach: the company built infrastructure into its electric vehicles that supports future upgrades—such as “Ludicrous Mode” acceleration, self‑parking, and limited autonomous driving—without marketing those features until they were commercially ready. He praised this restraint, noting, “Why sell something that I don’t have today? Why set those expectations? Sell them what you have today and give them what they want tomorrow.” He summed it up: “Customers learn with you, and you learn from them.”

GE Automation & Controls, operating separately from GE Digital, has adopted a mindset focused on delivering near‑term ROI while continuously optimizing outcomes. “OEMs should provide machines that can evolve over time,” Gupta says. “You need evolving control systems.”

In line with this philosophy, the division recently launched the CPL410 – touted as the world’s first outcome‑optimizing open controller – and Equipment Insight 2018, a remote monitoring‑as‑a‑service platform. Both are designed to grow with their users’ needs.

Gupta observes that most control systems today are static. “They perform a single function in the same way for decades,” he explains. “Controllers are usually not connected to the business outcome.” For example, a turbine running at a fixed operating point does not adjust to real‑time electricity price fluctuations, missing opportunities for revenue optimization.

He envisions control systems that combine deterministic real‑time control with edge analytics, enabling continuous adaptation. “That’s where ‘outcome‑optimizing controllers’ come in,” he says. IIoT devices should deliver a short‑term ROI and then evolve to maximize that ROI over time.

Emerson’s IIoT narrative mirrors this focus: start with a defined business problem, achieve early performance gains, and then scale. IndustryWeek and Emerson’s own advertorials emphasize “early performance improvement gains” as a key selling point.

GE’s journey reflects a similar shift. Initially, GE Digital’s Predix platform was marketed under the slogan “Your Digital Transformation Starts Here.” However, as Gupta notes, digital transformation takes time. While consumer‑facing giants like Apple, Google, Airbnb, Uber, and Amazon have thrived with a platform‑first strategy, enterprise leaders such as IBM Watson and Predix have faced challenges. “Customers want more than a platform; they need an application that delivers a tangible outcome immediately,” Gupta says, noting that GE still relies on Predix but has pivoted toward outcome‑oriented applications to secure business case approval.”