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Use Cases

Portable Hire Equipment by example filter systems: Added value through transparency

The challenge

A world-leading manufacturer of filtration systems is facing an obstacle: The filtration materials meet the highest quality standards - but monitoring and replacement are done manually by the customer or field service specialist. Accordingly, the company has no guarantee that the specified recommendations for action will be followed. As a result, if the customer misses something or does not replace the filter in time, there is a risk of reduced filtration performance - a circumstance, by missing transparency that can be blamed on the filter system manufacturer.

The solution

IIoT Guidance conducted several workshops to determine the needs of the company and its customers. The aim was to develop different scenarios that would deliver different stakeholders’ information and transparency to take their performance to a new level.

At the heart of the scenario is a network of simple but robust sensors

The data connection to the gateway is done by a traditionally cabled by 4-20mA. This type is since decades at the market available and proved. Furthermore, therefore is also no battery exchange needed. Wireless upgrades are planned via Bluetooth connectivity.

In precise defined time intervals, only essential data will be sent out with a focus on as less as possible data usage and a long battery life time but also transparency of system changes. 

Directly at the filter system is the battery powered and international certified gateway mounted. This enables mounting and repair directly in the field without explicit expert knowledge. Initial parametrisation is executed by the installer but later via 4G and a secure cloud globally possible. The expected battery lifetime is 7 years for the adjusted receive & send interval.

Data will be send encrypted to a secure cloud. Here a test cloud will be provided to the customer.

A jointly developed alogrithm shows the need of a filter replacement and anomaly. This information will be target group specific distributed.

The different target groups of the filter company using different devices. The field and service workers are equipped with mobile phones and mobile SCADA systems certified for hazardous environments. They get immediately informed if filter system needs to be replaced or when errors occur. The user interface was especially designed together with the different target groups to show information as needed and most important from the target group accepted.

The installation and the first field tests of the IIoT system has been executed locally by IIoT-Guidance. In future, this part is planned by local partners. Also, the customer field service is planned in the same way.   

Furthermore, it is planned to develop a customer specific and secure cloud solution to interconnect and monitor different global subsidiaries. By this action the customer plans to reduce costs, to rise the quality and finally also the transparency.

An optimization of the common developed algorithm is focused by the established collaboration, even for further IIoT projects.

The result

The concept developed by IIoT-Guidance offers the filter system manufacturer and its customers a number of advantages - starting with a significant increase in process reliability, plant availability and quality, through greatly reduced maintenance and disposal costs, to the possibility of predictive maintenance.

The company now has a highly innovative and unique solution on the market. Thanks to the business model developed by IIoT Guidance, the company is better able to market its products and pass on customer-specific system advantages.

Last but not least, the data acquired puts the manufacturer in an excellent position to gather new information, continuously improve its solutions, and formulate even more precise guidelines for its customers by a new and transparent way.

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