Global equipment manufacturer Honeywell International Inc sees China as a key market in the evolution of the industrial internet of things, according to the company's top executives who said the group can play a leading role in its development on the mainland.

The internet of things refers to a network of devices, vehicles, buildings and other objects that contain software or sensors that allow them to connect and exchange data.

"China's production efficiency in various industries can be upgraded by implementing the industrial internet of things," said David Low, general manager of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies, Asia.

"Honeywell has a unique capacity to help Chinese enterprises operate with higher efficiency," Low added.

According to Low, the revolution brought by the industrial IoT aims to achieve the best results with the least manpower. Now that the capacity of digital products has been significantly improved, it is a natural trend that industries can operate a lot faster through data analysis, he said.

Honeywell invented the distributed control systems for enterprises' regular maintenance, regulatory compliance, long-term product support and technology upgrades. It has since become a mainstream control system in companies throughout the world.

"Honeywell has spent 40 years laying the building blocks of the industrial internet of things. No other companies have the capacity to cover the whole spectrum from hardware production to software design," said David K Chen, marketing director of Honeywell Process Solutions.

Seeing the opportunities brought by China's industrial upgrade, Honeywell plans to cooperate with large-scale companies to raise their productivity through the industrial IoT.

"We feel that it is our responsibility to help enterprises optimize their production process. In fact, many State-owned enterprises in China have already taken the step to incorporate the industrial IoT into their production," said Low.