I have been working on a strand of research for about a year, delving into the ways that the internet of things (IoT), machine learning, augmented reality, and digital transformation affect traditional industrial firms, their partners, suppliers, competitors, and customers. There’s an awful lot more to come, but one significant report — From Grease To Code: Industrial Giants Bet Their Future On Software — was published last week. It’s my first attempt to describe the broader premise I’m trying to understand and explain, and I blogged about it here.

A train passing wind mills. Source: Flickr

To make the broader themes and issues more tangible, I also just published two short case studies. One, Transforming Railways With The Connected Train, looks at the impact of all of this on train builders, rail operators, and passengers. The other, Improving Wind Farms With The Internet Of Things, describes some of the ways that IoT is helping wind farms to play a bigger role in the energy grid.

There are a set of over-arching themes to consider, as firms in every industry embrace digital to support their need to win, serve, and retain customers. But the specific priorities and implementations differ from case to case. Even if you’re not operating a railway, or building a wind farm, the examples in these documents should resonate, and help make the journey from Grease to Code tangible.

What would similar examples look like, in your industry? I’d love to hear about them. I’m @PaulMiller on Twitter, pmiller@forrester.com on email, and always available through Forrester’s regular Briefing and Inquiry channels.