For a growing number of companies, the internet of things (IoT) has moved past the experimental phase and is now entrenched in vital business processes, providing a competitive edge across a variety of sectors. For example, there's Sanmina, a producer of integrated manufacturing equipment, which has leveraged connected sensors and the cloud to improve the performance of its factories while also addressing IoT data security challenges. Tire maker Michelin has used IoT to gain greater visibility into its supply chain, tracking sea-freight containers in real-time and improving customer satisfaction in the process. And Hudl, which provides video tools that enable coaches and athletes to more effectively review game performance, has figured out ways to use IoT to automate video processing. Examples such as these show how IoT can address specific needs and challenges companies face -- and deliver benefits to their customers.

Technology vendors expect that 2020 will be a big year for manufacturing plants to onboard digital systems. While digital systems – IoT, machine learning, 5G, cloud-based systems – have proven themselves as worthwhile investments, they may not get deployed widely. For insight on what to expect in 2020, we turned to Rajeev Gollarahalli, chief business officer at 42Q, a cloud-based MES software division of Sanmina. Gollarahalli sees a manufacturing world that will take solid steps toward digitalization in 2020, but those steps are likely to be incremental rather than revolutionary. Design News: Will 5G increase the pace of digital factory transformation, and where it will have the most impact?

The key ingredient, the experts say, is 5G. It gives developers the ability to scale up projects more easily because there's no need to build extensive fiber-optic networks to keep data flowing. What's more, 5G networks let internet-connected devices transmit much more information much more quickly--which in turn is spurring developers to come up with more advanced machines that can take maximum advantage of the capability. "5G in the field, in real-world deployments, enhances the value of all these other technologies," says Bill Menezes, a senior principal analyst at information-technology research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. Here's a look at early examples of what is possible when these technologies are yoked together: In the food industry, AI is already being used to track supply chains and ingredient quality, sort produce and even create taste profiles to target specific demographics. And the technology is poised to take on ever more complex tasks as it links up with 5G and networks of online-capable devices known as the Internet of Things.