Experts Provide IIoT Insights

Implementing and benefitting from IIoT technology can be a challenge. We turned to industry leaders for advice.

Manufacturer implementation of IoT/IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) technology is occurring at a rapid pace as increasing numbers of plant managers come to realize its potential to increase reliability, efficiency and, ultimately, profitability. According to recent research conducted by the MPI Group (mpi-group.com, Shaker Heights, OH), three years ago, nearly half of manufacturing executives hadn’t heard of the Internet of Things and another 43% hadn’t adopted an IoT strategy. Two years ago, 66% of manufacturers surveyed had little or no companywide understanding of IoT technology and how to apply it to their businesses.

In 2017, 66% of manufacturers have developed some or a significant companywide understanding of IoT and how to apply it to their businesses. Even more compelling is that 65% of what the MPI Group calls Process Profit Leaders have an IoT process strategy in place and implemented and 76% of that group has invested more than 5% of sales in the technology. Those numbers are 19% and 33%, respectively, for all other manufacturers.

While we have reached the necessary level of awareness, implementing and, more important, benefitting from IIoT technology is the biggest hurdle facing many manufacturers. To gain insight into how to get over that hurdle, we asked some of the best minds at leading technology companies to offer their insights by answering two questions:

• What is your advice for how to sustain, expand, and/or exploit IIoT use in an enterprise?

• What key area is a good starting point to apply IIoT technology for PM/PdM improvement?

It’s a Continuous Journey

Rob McGreevy, Vice President of Operations, Information, and Asset Management, Schneider Electric, Andover, MA, schneider-electric.us.

In my experience, it’s important to think of adopting IIoT technologies as a continuous journey, with differing steps based on where you already are—there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. As you consider IIoT implementations, it’s critical that you focus on achieving concrete business goals such as improving reliability or performance. Look to build on your existing investments and try to discover the gaps in efficiency where digital transformation can add the most value. For instance, if you are already capturing real-time data through a data historian, but your maintenance is purely preventive, consider adding on a condition-monitoring solution that uses rules-based logic to trigger work orders in your EAM [Enterprise Asset Management system].

For predictive maintenance specifically, start by taking a look at what assets really matter to your business. Which pieces of equipment are mission critical? Where would failure have the largest impact on the enterprise? Which processes are the highest contributors to your bottom line, and which assets drive those processes? Answering these questions will help you establish where a predictive-maintenance [PdM] implementation can make the most immediate business impact. It may also be helpful to consider remote monitoring services, which can supplement your existing team and provide valuable expertise, either in the form of initial training or as an ongoing resource.

Data is the New Currency

Kevin Lewis, Vice President, Siemens Digital Factory Division, U.S., Washington, usa.siemens.com.

The IIoT is reshaping preventive and predictive maintenance, and data is the new currency. Data available through IIoT takes the traditional value chain and transforms it into an integrated product with a production lifecycle. What was once thought to be “simple” hardware is now smart because of data connectivity. Plant engineers can take the hundreds, or even thousands, of devices in the IIoT space, and turn them into real business values, from flowmeters to switches to valves to motors. The IIoT digital-enterprise path can be complicated. What’s important is developing a long-term IIoT digital strategy that integrates hardware assets with software assets.

The next evolution of preventive maintenance [PM] and PdM connects industrial hardware and automation. This is where a reliable, transparent information flow crosses all levels. Industrial security protects data, people, and plants. This is where data enables deeper collaboration, higher efficiency, and new revenue streams.

Target High-ROI Areas

Peter Zornio, Chief Technology Officer, Emerson Automation Solutions, Houston, emersonprocess.com.

The IIoT can be overwhelming and we have consulting services for this very reason, to help guide organizations from overwhelmed to understanding and from vision to execution. How? First, you should find a partner that understands your business and industry and will stay with you through execution and share accountability for outcomes. Next, target the highest ROI areas in production, safety, energy, and reliability that also meet budget constraints. Reliability is often that area, and an analysis of asset-class maintenance expense or downtime, versus IIoT project cost, will identify those lower cost, high-ROI programs. Next, identify the most critical assets in that class and apply the correct sensing capability (vibration, temperature, corrosion, etc.). Wireless technology makes doing this very cost effectively.

Depending on your available skill sets, analysis of data and prescription of actions can be in-house or outsourced to a third party in an IIoT “connected service” model. The right program will reduce maintenance costs and increase availability. The third, and most critical, step is integrating the work-process change enabled by this technology into your people and processes. Technology without adoption is an expense, not an investment. Successful IIoT initiatives always focus on return on investment [ROI].

It’s a Process

Ray Kharawala, Lead Solutions Advisor, Dude Solutions Inc., Cary, NC, dudesolutions.com.

When starting to apply IIoT technology on the floor, it’s important to understand that it’s a process. The first step starts with assessing your current infrastructure, especially the critical assets and those that are IIoT capable. Doing so ensures that you get real-time data on the most important assets, which can then be used for predictive maintenance (PdM).

PdM takes all of the data you have on equipment usage, such as hours in use, cycle counts, temperature, and pressure, and helps you adopt a routine for maintenance with data analysis. Instead of optimizing using calendar-based maintenance, you will optimize efficiency by gaining visibility into asset lifecycle, trends, and the probability of failures.

As you begin to evolve to more PdM through your IIoT strategy, it’s vital that you have a central system that can grow with you. Use a maintenance solution, such as a CMMS, that captures all of your real-time data so you can maximize OEE and stop failures before they start. The right solution will also offer direct integration and be able to both house your data and create insights. With IIoT-enabled equipment, you can greatly improve your ROI as you start PdM initiatives.

Focus on Datasets

Ian Fountain, Director Industrial IoT Business Segment, National Instruments, Austin, TX, ni.com.

My best advice for how to sustain, expand, and/or exploit IIoT use in an enterprise is to focus on organized datasets with relevant metadata. These datasets can be asset-health measurements, energy consumption, production performance, control-system parameters, and/or manufacturing test data. Poor performance of one system can have an impact on the performance of another; rippling through until a KPI is in jeopardy.

If data is the new oil, large organized datasets are reserves to be processed for an increasing amount of business insight as IIoT technologies advance. Technologies such as analytics and machine learning will continue to mature but, regardless of location on the adoption curve, will always need data to mine for useful information. Businesses should focus on their data reserves now to prepare for this while infrastructure and technology companies continue the drive to improvements in processor performance, network bandwidth, communication, and security.  Deployment and positive ROI won’t happen before the technology is available, but if you have organized stores of operational data, you’ll be ready when the technology arrives.

A good place to start applying IIoT technology for PM/PdM is at the edge, connecting operational assets to enterprise systems. Many assets today are monitored on a manual route or not monitored at all. Assets not connected are not even part of the IIoT, making it difficult to use new technologies to drive optimization. For assets that are manually monitored, connecting equipment with permanent online monitoring systems has several advantages. Online monitoring reduces the chance of human error from inconsistent/improper sensor placement (magnetic mount), instrument settings, or missed routes all together. Additionally, IIoT hardware technology for monitoring has enough processing power at the edge to screen high-speed sensor data 24/7, looking for early signs of failure and making it easier to capture interesting datasets such as startups, shutdowns, or peak-load conditions. Finally, with connected equipment and intelligent screening at the edge, maintenance professionals spend more time looking at early finds and less time walking around plants and factories making measurements.

Use Standardized Controls

Aurelio Banda, President and CEO, Beckhoff Automation, Savage, MN, beckhoffautomation.com.

The best advice I can give in the use of IIoT technologies is to build your system architecture on control solutions that are standardized, open, and able to multitask. While conventional PLC technology has existed for much longer, it is PC-based control technology that is the most mature, best-proven platform today in terms of automation technology and IT convergence (AT + IT). This is critically important because IIoT is the latest major example of AT + IT, so PC-based controllers have the most built-in capabilities in terms of hardware, software, and networking to realize cloud connectivity. This means users of PC-based controls are less likely to need complex managed switches and IoT gateways from multiple vendors. It will also reduce the need for multiple edge-computing devices.

Beckhoff can make the existing standard machine controller an IIoT device, while also handling the PM/PdM system by connecting to standard I/O devices that gather and interpret measured data. Our approach also ensures that a universal programming environment crosses all specialties in a plant—from PLC, to motion control, robotics, safety, condition monitoring, IoT, cloud connectivity, and data analytics. Enterprises will gain considerable IIoT insight and additional leverage for future scalability by applying PC-based control technology. EP