Not only can we connect simple household objects, but we’ve since expanded to powerful industrial tools as well. The Industrial Internet of Things (iIoT) is the concept of embedding IoT sensors into manufacturing machinery, using AI-powered automation and advanced analytics to make factories and workers more efficient than ever. This is the driving force behind the Industrial revolution 4.0, and one tech entrepreneur is on the front lines: Anil Bhaskar.
Anil Bhaskar is currently CEO and director of engineering at National Control Devices (NCD), a company that designs and manufactures wireless IoT sensors. NCD supplies a range of IoT devices for industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, oil and gas, and agriculture. These IoT sensors can help perform tasks like predictive maintenance, which help manufacturing plants prevent their equipment from breaking down. NCD’s sensors will predict the health of their motors, pumps, and machines and notify them before the machine breaks down, reducing downtime and production cost.
“Most companies out there manufacture one or two types of wireless sensors,” says Bhaskar. “NCD designs an ecosystem of wireless sensors. We give users complete control of the data. Most companies out there charge to access the sensory data, but NCD provides complete sensor data at no monthly cost. As we say, once you purchase the hardware, it's all yours, including the data it generates.”
Under Bhaskar’s leadership, NCD has become the market leader in the US for providing the entire ecosystem of wireless IoT sensors. “Our business is growing 30% year after year,” says Bhaskar. “We released 10 new products in just the last 6 months, and we’re launching two more product lines in the coming month. NCD is also working on expanding its design and manufacturing footprint by adding more engineers and a brand new production facility.”
In his tenure at NCD, Bhaskar has single-handedly designed and launched over 500 products. But how exactly did Bhaskar get to where he is today? Like most tech entrepreneurs, he started as a trainee. Bhaskar began as a trainee engineer with Agilent Technologies in 2012, eventually leaving to become an embedded design engineer at Logic Fruit Industries. It was here that he built his expertise as an electronic design engineer, specializing in hardware and software design and development. By the time he joined NCD in 2014, he was brought on at the level of senior electronic design engineer. He rose quickly through the company, becoming Chief Technology Officer in 2018 and CEO in 2021.
NCD is currently serving over 4000 clients a year, most of whom are from the industrial sector. With Anil Bhaskar leading the way, they’re currently working on two new product lines: a line of industrial IoT gas sensors and an LTE-powered sensor. “Both product lines will be playing a critical role in NCD’s growth and solve some of the key industrial challenges,” says Bhaskar. “We’re already doing a pilot project in our gas sensor product line.”
As the industrial sector continues to harness IoT technology, the way we manufacture goods is becoming irrevocably changed. With Anil Bhaskar continuing to develop powerful new IoT sensors, we’re surely only seeing the beginning of what’s to come.
