Mobile sensors and sensor networks are increasingly used in manufacturing and other industries, but small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) could be pushing maintenance and repair responsibilities to the very machines that are the heart and soul of their companies. Advances in intelligent sensing systems, sensor networks, and embedded wireless devices will soon give those machines the ability to alert a remote maintenance facility when something is set to break, but will also automatically shift the workload to backup systems to keep production going until repairs can be made. Cheap sensors will become available because sensing and remote monitoring solutions cost much less than traditional approaches. The same machine-to-machine (M2M) systems could also depend mainly on smartphone technology and mobile devices to tell suppliers, distributes, customers, and others in the supply chain of an imminent problem and to alert them that shipments could be delayed. Leading cellular services and technology providers, including Cingular Wireless, Qualcomm and Nokia have worked on the problem of converting control devices and will soon announce a range of new products and services for M2M applications. Topics covered include manufacturing misconceptions, products such as Numerex's VendView, which automate various types of services, and a prototype wireless phone from Nokia that includes an embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that can be used for relaying inventory and delivery information to customers and suppliers.