IIoT and Automation go hand in hand

By OEM Update Editorial June 12, 2018 11:10 am IST

Ajey Phatak,
Head Marketing, Beckhoff Automation Pvt Ltd
IIoT in manufacturing will take long time to establish as the majority of industries are not fully automated in their manufacturing.

IIoT and Automation go hand in hand
According to Ajey Phatak, Head Marketing, Beckhoff Automation Pvt Ltd, IIoT in manufacturing will take long time to establish as the majority of industries are not fully automated in their manufacturing. IIoT and Automation go hand in hand. More advanced automation is data driven which is the basis for IIoT. Data security is also a major concern. He adds, “Awareness about cloud computing and data mining technology is very low in MSME and even large scale manufacturers. The lack of skilled manpower for implementing IIoT is also a big concern.”

Industries that will drive IIoT adoption
No specific timeline can be projected. Forget 2018 or 2019. Phatak believes that trend would be that large scale manufacturers especially process driven industries will prefer to think of implementing IIoT. Example; food and beverages, packaging, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and agro chemicals, fertiliser, cement, automotive.

Beckhoff’s preparedness in the area of IIoT
Beckhoff is in the forefront of IoT technology because Beckhoff promotes PC based automation. Beckhoff provides the foundational technologies and tools needed today to implement Industrie 4.0 concepts and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, all via PC-based control. TwinCAT engineering and control software packages are available for the creation of applications such as Big Data, pattern recognition as well as condition or power monitoring, in addition to traditional control tasks – which can sustainably increase production and engineering efficiency as a result. New software libraries are now available for advanced analytics and communication between controllers and cloud-based services: “TwinCAT Analytics” saves the process data locally, on the server or in the cloud in synchronisation with the machine cycle. All data are recorded and serve as the basis for extensive analyses; this enables new predictive maintenance technologies and minimizes machine downtime. “TwinCAT IoT Communication” supports common protocols for cloud communication and push messages to smart devices. TwinCAT IoT is quick and easy to configure and, together with an Industrial PC or Embedded PC as the IoT controller, establishes a seamless connection between the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services.