The challenge in the widespread deployment of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is that in most cases the service providers are huge enterprises with heavy cost structure and large overheads. The systems they are selling are mainly integrated comprehensive solutions to a variety of challenges. However, SMEs with turnover below 50 MEUR regard the cost/benefit ratio of these large systems unsatisfactory, so alternative approaches are needed. Process Genius has a genuine interest to operate exactly in this SME field and has already gained momentum in certain sectors of SME manufacturing industry. The dynamic manufacturing sector consisting of well networked and innovative SMEs is the best way to ensure that the Third (and Fourth) industrial Revolution will guarantee the competitiveness of European economy on global scale. The specific objective of Process Genius (PG) is to solve problems related to information overflow in interconnected IIoT environments. The key solution is PG’s genius software with great interoperability features and a unique multi-layered 3D user interface, which replaces multiple UI’s of current business systems. The way how PG can solve the context extraction challenges in complex IT configurations is revolutionary. The objective of Phase 1 project was to pilot PGplant solutions in different settings and validate the business model options together with pilot partners. Market analysis was done from bottom up and only competitors, who are active in the SME customer segment, were analyzed. Also IPR strategy was streamlined, especially regarding to the scalability in Europe.
