Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesIndustrial IoT

Predicting the Unpredictable With Data

The digital transformation accelerated in 2020, prompting the rapid adoption of new technologies and practices, especially AI and ML. TC Riley advises businesses on successfully implementing AI/ML projects by setting clear goals and focusing on clean data inputs.

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

By Industrial Iot · AiArtificial IntelligenceDataDiving Into Data
Share
Predicting the Unpredictable With Data

Key takeaways

01

AI and Machine Learning have gained traction as key technologies for future advancement.

02

Set well-defined, achievable goals to ensure successful AI and ML project outcomes.

03

Properly clean and refine data inputs to maximize the effectiveness of Machine Learning.

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Industrial IoT?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Industrial IoT coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Request an invite

Our society has been moving in a more digital direction for years, but 2020 kicked us into high gear when it came time to finding new digital solutions for work, education, socializing, and entertainment. With the forced digital transformation of many companies, we’re seeing a strong emergence of certain technologies and practices. Overall the ‘value of data’ has increased to many companies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in particular have come into focus for many as what is “next up” for advancement.

TC Riley, host of Diving Into Data, shared his top tips and tricks that illustrate that AI and ML span many levels and that you don’t need experts to implement these techniques.

Set a Defined & Simple Goal

Riley explained that your project should have a very simple, focused goal. He says that one of the easiest ways to derail an AI or ML project is by trying to tackle too much on your first attempt. Make each goal achievable and clear.

Work Toward an Impactful Result

That being said, you also need to ensure that simplicity doesn’t result in a watered-down expected result. Riley urged listeners to work for something that will have a measurable impact, and to ensure you’re looking at a core competency of your business. Your efforts should always produce actionable results.

Clean Your Data

Riley explained that ML is an incredible tool, but the opportunities it provides for data analysis are only as good as the data inputs. Take enough time to properly clean and refine your data before launch.

Avoid “Scope Creep”

He warned that analysis projects do tend to creep outside their initial scope. Make sure you stick to the predefined goal and project scope. There will be more time for future projects down the road.

According to Riley, “If you’re a business leader control what you can control. The biggest requirement to me of a business leader right now and what they can do, is understanding data and being able to make informed decisions with any and all external factors that may be into play. You need leaders who are able to appreciate the data, but also appreciate what the data can’t show or the unpredictable elements of that data,” Riley said.

Catch up on all episodes of Diving Into Data!

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.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

II
Industrial Iot

Follow Industrial IoT Insights

Get new expert content in your inbox.

Industrial IoT: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Industrial IoT buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. See how AI describes your company today, and where competitors show up instead.

Free workspace

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. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

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

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale Studio workspace
One video edit a month, on us
AI writing, editing, and publishing tools
In-platform coaching to learn the system

More Industrial IoT Insights

Lockheed Martin and Xaba cite 10x gain in robot drilling accuracy with xCognition

Lockheed Martin and Xaba cite 10x gain in robot drilling accuracy with xCognition

Lockheed Martin and Xaba reported that adding Xaba’s xCognition controller to an industrial robot improved drilling accuracy and consistency by 10x. The claim is tied to a two-phase evaluation that included drilling tests on an aluminum plate with specified positional tolerances. The result points to how robotics augmented with xCognition could take on operations typically kept on more expensive and less flexible CNC machines.

  • 01Lockheed Martin and Xaba reported a 10x accuracy-and-consistency improvement tied to a two-phase test that included drilling on an aluminum plate with specified positional tolerances.
  • 02If the goal is moving selected drilling or light machining off CNC, the first gating item is whether the controller enables path-mode accuracy under tolerance, not whether the robot can detect parts.
  • 03Moruzzi’s observation that most AI research emphasis is still on computer vision is a reminder to separate “perception AI” from “process AI” when writing automation requirements and budgets.

Sep 13, 2026

Top Shops Conference set for Oct. 6-7, 2026 in Cleveland

Top Shops Conference set for Oct. 6-7, 2026 in Cleveland

Top Shops Conference is scheduled for Oct. 6-7, 2026 at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

  • 01Products Finishing reported the 2026 Top Shops survey opened Feb. 1 and closed April 10.
  • 02Facilities that perform the highest across the survey metrics earn the distinction as a PF Top Shop, according to Products Finishing.

Sep 13, 2026

FFRA’s California film recycling pilots run through Nov. 30 to track warehouse wrap recovery

FFRA’s California film recycling pilots run through Nov. 30 to track warehouse wrap recovery

The Flexible Film Recycling Alliance has started two commercial plastic film recycling pilots in California, running July 1 through Nov. 30. The programs test two collection models, one using 1-800-GOT-JUNK? routes and one using Shorr Packaging’s warehouse logistics. For operators, the near-term value is a measurable playbook for separating and aggregating clean polyethylene film at scale.

  • 01FFRA’s premise is that commercial polyethylene film is relatively clean and single-material; the pilots test whether collection and aggregation logistics can capture it at scale.
  • 02The pilots’ biggest enterprise signal is standardization: FFRA is using the same Rack n’ Pack collection setup across regions so results can be compared apples-to-apples.
  • 03With recent U.S. film-recycling capacity disruptions cited by Waste360, end-market certainty and contracted offtake terms will matter as much as collection participation.

Sep 13, 2026

Explore More Industrial IoT Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Industrial IoT.

Browse Industrial IoT Hub

About the Experts

II
Industrial Iot
TR
TC Riley

Host

TC Riley is the host of the Diving Into Data podcast where he shares insights on AI and ML implementation.

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 15-minute demo

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