From Simple Sensors to Smart Industry
An article from the Dutch newspaper 'Analyse' outlines how I-IoT can make Industries smarter.
When a factory process needs to be stopped, for unscheduled maintenance or troubleshooting, due to failing machines or to unexpected increase in temperature, this will have a major impact on profitability. The results of unnoticed failures could even impact the environment or safety of operators.
To prevent any of this, I-IoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is the solution. I-IoT is not just about technology but it allows a company to monitor key assets and streamline maintenance processes in a timely manner to prevent problems.
“TWTG started almost ten years ago and we have now grown from a research & development partner, where the focus was about developing ideas, into a solution provider with our own IP and products,” says John Tillema, CTO TWTG. “We saw opportunities with new techniques that we believed in and then we took matters into our own hands.”
Magic
To be able to measure the vibration in, for example, a large factory, cables would have to be laid down to connect sensors that can measure the vibration. “This it not an easy task. These factories often work with flammable substances and even if the cable is there, this is not yet sufficient. Then another sensor has to be added in the right place and those measured values have to appear somewhere on a screen so that the data can be read out. But if a NEON VibrationSensor, a wireless ATEX approved sensor with special batteries is attached to the existing infrastructure and to a digital dashboard, the data can be extracted within a few minutes. What was previously impossible, can now be realised. And thus provides magic – more efficient and safer working conditions for many factories.”
Better decision making and increased safety
The sensors collect data quickly and securely and transfer it to the dashboard. Tillema: “This enables the factory to make better decisions and therefore operate more efficiently. Is the vibration not as expected or are the temperatures too high or too low; then operators can quickly decide what actions need to be taken. Today this is carried out on a random basis or by someone walking around every few minutes or hours. In addition, very strict safety guidelines apply in an industrial area where commonly explosive products and machines are in use. TWTG’s sensors meet all international safety requirements and can therefore be used with confidence in these environments.”
Value
TWTG’s sensors are currently mainly in demand in the oil and gas market. In addition to rolling out our five products internationally, we are also expanding the current NEON product line. This will increase our portfolio and allow more factories to work smarter, more efficiently, and more safely.”
orignal text: Feline v.d. Linde
translation: TWTG