  Traditionally, the production efficiency of a factory floor is evaluated
using non-real time objective functions. These are based on scheduling
punctuality criteria such as 'earliness (a measure of finishing operations
ahead of schedule)' and 'tardiness (a measure of delay in executing certain
operations)'. With process automation becoming more and more inevitable due to
the emergence of Industry 4.0 / Industry 5.0, real-time objective functions are
also gaining popularity. One such criterion is 'synchronization' or 'timing'.
In this article, an IoT enabled real-time synchronization approach is presented
in the context of Integrated Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) from a
service provider's perspective. A new business and operational model, termed as
"Timing-As-A-Service (TAAS)", is introduced. In this model, the role of a
service provider is to "supply" synchronization from the mobile networks to the
IIoT domain.
