Krones AG is successfully using the digital button in logistics. The Bavarian manufacturer of filling and packaging systems for the food and beverage industry has equipped 28 pick-up points with the IoT Service Button. Once the spare part has been produced for the customer, the small IoT device sends a message to the secure Cloud of Things, Telekom's IoT platform, at the touch of a button. It then automatically notifies the logistics department via text message or email to collect the machine part. Krones uses the IoT Service Button to send up to 100 messages to the logistics department. This accelerates logistics in the supply chain: Waiting and idle times between different stages of the value chain are reduced to a minimum.

"The Internet of Things offers companies many opportunities to digitalize their machines, systems and processes. You need a competent partner to help you navigate this jungle. With the IoT Service Button, Deutsche Telekom provides its customers with a simple and practical solution to automatically trigger processes in the laboratory, on the production line, on the construction site, in the pharmacy or car workshop at the touch of a button. This avoids unnecessary walking and additional manual processes," says Ingo Hofacker, responsible for the IoT business at Deutsche Telekom.

Machine network accelerates IoT
The IoT Service Button can be installed easily, quickly and anywhere via plug & play and works independently of power and company networks: It runs on a standard battery and sends its messages via the mobile network and - where already available - via Deutsche Telekom's new machine network based on NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) as part of 5G. The wireless technology is designed to send small data packets in the Internet of Things with extremely low power consumption. NB-IoT achieves a high level of building penetration, enabling reliable wireless connections even from basements and underground production facilities.

The IoT Service Button is the first result of the Telekom Open IoT Labs founded in November, in which Telekom is developing IoT solutions together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and bringing them to market maturity.