You've Never Heard Of The Internet Of Goods, But Chances Are You're Already Part Of It

By Tom Rentschler, Swisslog WDS Americas

Introducing the “Internet of Goods,” the rapid digitization of the production, sorting and movement of physical products.

Michael Mandel, the chief economic strategist at the Progressive Policy Institute and a senior fellow at the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, has just declared the existence of the Internet of Goods. 

Writing in the October 17, 2017 issue of The Wall Street Journal, Mandel defines the Internet of Goods as “our term for the fast-growing digitization of the production, sorting and movement of physical products.” In other words, it’s the rapid digitization of everything we do in warehousing, distribution and fulfillment. 

At Swisslog we’ve advanced this concept under the mantel of Industry 4.0, shorthand for the fourth industrial revolution. Whether you call it Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Internet of Goods, these closely allied concepts are rapidly transforming the supply chain, particularly in the burgeoning e-commerce field.