IoT-Based Industrial Automation for Small and Medium Enterprises in Pakistan

Abstract

The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) based industrial automation futurizing manufacturing processes all over the world, improving productivity, operational costs and quality control. In Pakistan, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is an important segment in the country's economic growth and jobs and many of them are struggling due to inefficiency in the working of enterprises, technology related problems, lack of digital adaptation of the enterprise. This investigation is about discussing the potentials of IoT driven automation in Pakistani SMEs by emphasizing on production optimization, predictive maintenance and data driven decision making. The research speculates the current trends in adoption and technological infrastructure and barriers like financial constraint, technical expertise and cybersecurity risks. Findings highlight that implementation of IoT can make a significant difference in boosting competitiveness of SMEs, but at the same time identifies key challenges and strategies for successful IoT adoption. The study shows the importance of policy levels, trainings and investments on digital infrastructure to have a massive impact on industrial automation in the SME sector of Pakistan.