Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesIndustrial IoT

Breaking through ‘Pilot Purgatory’ in Innovating New Solutions

Pilot purgatory refers to innovative projects that stall in the planning phase without scaling. Jason Claybrook and guests discuss questions driving technology forward and why some projects fail to become commercially viable, citing IoT devices as an example.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Industrial IoT teams put it to work with AI Visibility (GEO).

By Jason Claybrook · · Information TechnologyInfrastructureItIt Infrastructure
Share
Breaking through ‘Pilot Purgatory’ in Innovating New Solutions

Key takeaways

01

Pilot purgatory refers to projects that remain in initial stages without scaling.

02

Innovative solutions should be feasible, repeatable, and scalable to be successful.

03

Identifying personal challenges can lead to growth and problem-solving for businesses.

Free workspace

Turn your Industrial IoT expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

On There’s More to IT, host Jason Claybrook and guests will explore some foundational questions about the technology that’s driving us all forward.

Why do we build the stuff we build? What’s behind the scenes? Where are we falling short or putting revenue first?

The days of post-trade show drinks and conversation are far from over. In fact, they live right here on There’s More to IT.

On There’s More to IT, hosts Jason Claybrook, Simon Lok and Reid Estreicher explore the foundational questions about the technology that’s driving us all forward.

Why do we build the stuff we build? What’s behind the scenes? Where are we falling short or putting revenue first?

On this episode, the trio dove into the relationship between personal challenges and growth and the solutions that often present themselves to challenges companies of all sizes face.

For example, Estriecher brought up the concept of “pilot purgatory,” which refers to efforts to solve a problem for the market that result in a fantastic concept, but ultimately never exit that initial planning stage.

For example, consider IoT devices. There’s no opposition to the idea that it’s poised to change connectivity forever, but what’s the best way to go about developing solutions that are scalable, repeatable and feasible?

“You can always convince a few people to take a look,” Lok said. “There will always be a few people who can see the benefit over the things that are going wrong. … That’s how you end up in what [Estriecher] is describing.

“But if I want to go and actually turn this into a commercially viable product, those people are not enough.”

Listen to Previous Episodes of There’s More to IT!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Industrial IoT starts with a company putting its controls engineers, plant-floor specialists, and integration partners on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Plant and controls buyers research deep before contact, and your engineers get to shape that research.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

JC
Jason Claybrook
B2B Weekly

The week in Industrial IoT, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Industrial IoT: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Industrial IoT buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Industrial IoT expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your controls engineers, plant-floor specialists, and integration partners into the articles, video, and social content Industrial IoT buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Industrial IoT Insights

Softline Group and Simpl Partner on Industrial Safety Tech Expansion

Softline Group and Simpl have partnered to deliver industrial safety and risk management solutions across international markets, with their first order from a UAE enterprise and plans to expand in the UAE and other GCC countries. The collaboration combines Softline's regional expertise and customer infrastructure with Simpl's HSE digital platform and e-PTW solutions.

  • 01First commercial order from a UAE industrial enterprise for the initial stage of the joint project
  • 02Partnership targets UAE and other GCC markets, building on demand for integrated digital safety and contractor management solutions
  • 03Simpl HSE platform and e-PTW solution integrate risk assessment, contractor preparation, work permits, and audits in a single environment

Nov 4, 2026

Machine condition monitoring in 2025: MRFR says $1.49 billion, FMI says $3.2 billion

Machine condition monitoring in 2025: MRFR says $1.49 billion, FMI says $3.2 billion

IndexBox expects machine health monitoring to spread from power generation and heavy process industries into mid-sized manufacturing, fleets and rail by 2035. Market Research Future values the market at $1.49 billion in 2025, while Future Market Insights puts it at $3.2 billion. MRFR gives hardware 47.2% of 2025 revenue and forecasts software to grow 11.8% a year through 2035.

  • 01Hardware is about half or more of spending (46% to over 55%), and vibration leads where reported (34.2% to 36.1%), while one forecast puts software growth at 11.8% a year. That mix is a better budgeting benchmark than any total.
  • 02Analysts are urging vendors toward pricing tied to downtime avoided instead of sensor count, which would make the downtime baseline, and who measures it, the clause that matters most in a monitoring contract.

Nov 4, 2026

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera puts failure warnings inside old motor control cabinets

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera puts failure warnings inside old motor control cabinets

Schneider Electric's TeSys Tera adds fault protection and pre-failure alarms. Its quoted 30–50% downtime cut is a general benchmark, so each plant's own hourly downtime cost decides the payback.

  • 01Predictive maintenance on legacy motors can now arrive as a starter swap: TeSys Tera fits existing control cabinets and intelligent motor control center buckets instead of requiring a rebuild.
  • 02The hourly downtime cost a plant plugs in could decide the business case before the hardware does.
  • 03The 30–50% downtime reduction attached to the launch is a McKinsey benchmark for predictive versus reactive maintenance in general, so the useful proof will be measured results from retrofitted plants.

Nov 3, 2026

Explore More Industrial IoT Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Industrial IoT.

Browse Industrial IoT Hub

About the Experts

JC
Jason Claybrook

Host, There’s More to IT

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Industrial IoT and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512