For a factory that has watched the rise of digital manufacturing from the sidelines, taking the first step can seem daunting. The subject is vast, the technology varied, and the risk of a costly misstep real. Yet getting started is…
As factories connect more equipment and systems, a quiet but crucial factor shapes their success: the degree to which the technologies they use are open and adhere to common standards. Standards and openness may seem like abstract concerns, but they…
All the data a connected factory gathers is only useful if people can understand it, and understanding data means seeing it clearly. Dashboards and visualisation turn streams of numbers into pictures that operators can grasp at a glance. Getting this…
Connecting a factory unleashes a flood of data. Sensors measuring continuously across many machines produce measurements in enormous quantity, and this abundance is both an opportunity and a challenge. Managing the flood well is what allows a factory to benefit…
Electric motors drive much of a factory, and keeping them healthy is central to keeping production running. Increasingly, this is done not just by physical inspection but through software that watches motors continuously using data from sensors. This software-based monitoring…
A connected plant watches its equipment continuously, but watching is only useful if the right people learn about problems in time to act. Alarms and notifications are how a connected system reaches out to people when something needs attention. Designing…
Enthusiasm for connected factories is easy to come by, but investment requires more than enthusiasm; it requires a sound business case. Building one grounds an industrial IoT initiative in real value, ensuring that money is spent where it delivers a…
Maintenance has traditionally meant either fixing things after they break or replacing parts on a fixed schedule. Predictive maintenance offers a smarter alternative, acting on the actual condition of equipment, and connected sensors are what make it possible at scale.…
Connecting a factory brings great benefits, but it also introduces a responsibility that cannot be ignored: security. When machines and systems are connected, they can potentially be reached and interfered with, and protecting them is essential. Understanding the importance of…
Condition monitoring is a term that appears throughout discussions of connected factories and maintenance, often surrounded by technical language. Stripped of jargon, the idea is simple and powerful: watching the condition of equipment so problems can be caught before they…