It can be difficult to separate reality from marketing hype around the latest buzzwords and inflated capabilities. The Gartner Hype Cycle provides a graphical representation of the maturity, adoption, and social application of technologies over time. Manufacturers can make smarter investments aligned with their real needs by understanding how this cycle works.
Gartner Hype Cycle Five Key Phases
The Gartner Hype Cycle consists of five key phases:
- Technology Trigger
- Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Trough of Disillusionment
- Slope of Enlightenment
- Plateau of Productivity
New technology breakthroughs that generate media interest set off the Technology Trigger. Providers look to capitalize on the hype of over-enthusiasm and unrealistic projection during the Peak of Inflated Expectations. Inevitably, the Trough of Disillusionment comes next as the technology fails to deliver on its inflated expectations. The initial technology adoption becomes unfashionable as the initial hype fades away.
Slowly, the technology improves and real-world experience builds up until the Slope of Enlightenment phase is reached, where the technology’s true benefits, use cases, and reasonable expectations become better understood. The Plateau of Productivity represents the final maturity stage, where the technology stabilizes and settles into mainstream adoption and sustained productive use.
Applying the Gartner Hype Cycle to Production Monitoring
Let’s take a look at how production monitoring systems have evolved through the hype cycle over the past decade.
Technology Trigger (2012-2013)
The earliest production monitoring systems emerged during this phase, pioneered by upstart vendors. Machine monitoring, real-time data collection from sensors, and basic dashboards triggered early excitement about the possibilities of Industry 4.0.
Peak of Inflated Expectations (2014-2016)
As analysts and media outlets caught wind of production monitoring, the hype went into overdrive. Wild promises were made about unattended lights-out manufacturing, self-optimizing factories through AI and machine learning, and outrageous ROI projections.
Trough of Disillusionment (2017-2019)
When those overblown promises weren’t immediately realized, disillusionment set in. Manufacturers realized many first-generation systems had limited capabilities, upfront costs were high, and integration was complex. The hype diminished as the technology’s true value became clearer.
Slope of Enlightenment (2020-2022)
With more flexible deployments, manufacturers started seeing the benefits such as improved OEE, downtime reductions, process optimization and quality control. More pragmatic understanding took hold about the true value proposition.
Plateau of Productivity (2023 – Present)
Production monitoring systems have now reached the plateau phase as proven, mainstream technology. Manufacturing leaders clearly understand the capabilities and ROI, adoption continues to accelerate, and the systems are entrenched as essential infrastructure.
Where Does Mingo Smart Factory Fit In?
Mingo Smart Factory has consistently stayed ahead of the curve since it was founded in 2015. By focusing on core fundamentals like ease of deployment, easy to use and rapid time-to-value, Mingo Smart Factory has been able to evolve its solution in lockstep with each phase of the hype cycle:
Technology Trigger – Mingo Smart Factory was an early pioneer with one of the first solutions allowing manufacturers to easily connect machines and consolidate production data across multiple facilities.
Peak of Inflated Expectations – Rather than make unrealistic promises, Mingo Smart Factory focused on building out a comprehensive yet approachable platform for industry. CEO Bryan Sapot had worked with manufacturers for years and understood the monitoring, analytics, KPIs and reporting they needed. The dashboard was built for the manufacturing team so that everyone could understand it. The system would also not require a separate IT department to maintain or interpret it.
Trough of Disillusionment – Mingo Smart Factory doubled down on fast deployment for any type of operation. Pricing was kept accessible for small and medium enterprises.
Slope of Enlightenment – Mingo Smart Factory expanded into areas like predictive maintenance, energy management and quality control to meet emerging use cases for data-driven manufacturing optimization.
Plateau of Productivity – Long-term scalability is key as manufacturers begin to adopt production monitoring as a need and not as a ‘nice to have’ technology. The latest versions seamlessly combine IoT and cloud technologies as they race to boost OEE and gain real-time visibility.
Cutting Through the Hype
At each phase, Mingo Smart Factory has met manufacturers where they are rather than force-fitting tech or chasing short-term hype cycles. This focus on providing enduring value has allowed the smart factory platform to consistently grow its install base – manufacturers know they won’t outgrow or be nickel-and-dimed by Mingo as their needs evolve.
While many tech buzzwords come and go, the ability to transparently monitor operations and make data-driven decisions will remain essential for smart manufacturing. By riding the hype cycle intelligently, Mingo Smart Factory has become an industry-proven solution that manufacturers can rely on for the long haul. Check out a demo to learn more.
