Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Identification and Resolution: Key Infrastructure for Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

The digital transformation of the manufacturing sector is moving from concept to practice. As the ‘nervous system’ of smart manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) identification and resolution system enables cross-enterprise and cross-industry data interoperability and resource sharing by assigning unique digital identifiers to physical objects.
These identifiers comply with GS1 international standards and contain information such as company codes, product categories, batch numbers and serial numbers. They can be read via barcode scanning or RFID, enabling precise ‘one item, one code’ management. Enterprises are establishing data collection networks covering the entire process: in the raw materials stage, records of suppliers, furnace batch numbers and chemical composition test reports are captured; during production, processing parameters—including spindle speed, feed rate and tool numbers—are uploaded in real time; in quality inspection, test data is automatically linked to form quality records; and in warehousing and logistics, movement paths and environmental conditions are recorded.
The value of this system is fully demonstrated in quality traceability scenarios. When a customer reports an anomaly in a particular batch of products, scanning the product identifier allows the retrieval of end-to-end data within seconds, enabling the precise identification of the problematic stage, the timely recall of products from the same batch, and the avoidance of greater losses.
Identifier resolution also provides data support for refined operations. By analysing identifier data, enterprises can establish OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) analysis models to identify opportunities for optimising equipment utilisation; through cluster analysis of quality data, they can uncover correlations between process parameters and product quality, thereby continuously optimising manufacturing processes.