Abstract:

IoT technology represents an important segment for the next stage of the industrial revolution (INDUSTRY 4.0); in addition, it can be also seen as a way for the smart devices to communicate with each other within a modern enterprise, as also with employees and suppliers or customers in the future. In energy companies, the Internet of Things (IoT) mainly affects the logistics processes, especially their acceleration and overall streamlining. The aim of the article is to find out how benefits and limitations are included with implementation and use of technology IoT in decision-making at strategic, tactical and operational level in the energetics companies. The focus was on the field of logistics processes with regard to input parameters and restrictive conditions of the Slovak Republic. The results of primary survey carried out in cooperation with Slovak energy company GGE served as a basis for the creation of a general model of IoT technology for the energy sector in Slovakia. Methodological section includes hypotheses, results of interviews with the manager of GGE company and primary survey by observing current operation and management of logistics processes, synthesis, method of comparing critical success factors with best practice by Ipecon, induction in conclusion, deduction and summarization of knowledge in the form of own model. The results confirmed the positive impact of IoT not only in the field of distribution, but also on management and decision-making processes at all levels. Through the data collected from the sensors, managers have the real-time data available, provide fast feedback and ensure a quality power supply. The implementation of IoT technology thus represents a competitive advantage for energy companies, which generates a high added value for the customer. The impact of the implementation of the proposed model in practice is part of the following research activities.