by Gary Mintchell | Oct 23, 2014 | Automation, Internet of Things, M2M, Manufacturing IT, News, Operations Management, Security, Software, Technology, Wireless
I guess this industrial internet thing has legs. Check this announcement (one of several) from GE.
GE announced recently it is on track to deliver over $1 billion in incremental revenue this year from more than 40 Industrial Internet offerings, with $1.3 billion in orders, helping customers improve asset performance management (APM) and business operations across the company.
In addition, Predix, GE’s software platform that powers the Industrial Internet, will be made available to any company in 2015, allowing them to create and deploy their own customized industry apps at speed and scale to better manage the performance of their assets.
“The tools are in place to realize the potential of the Industrial Internet to increase productivity for our customers and for GE,” said Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO of GE. “The more we can connect, monitor and manage the world’s machines, the more insight and visibility we can give our customers to reduce unplanned downtime and increase predictability. By opening up Predix to the world, companies of any size and in any industry can benefit from the investments GE has made by eliminating the barrier to entry.”
GE’s new APM solutions, launched today, focus on power optimization, providing customers 24×7 access to a remote monitoring and diagnostics platform, predictive maintenance insight and incremental power when needed.
Distributed Power’s current suite of data-driven solutions – On Site Power Visibility and On Site Power Performance – help to optimize the performance of GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines, reduce life-cycle costs, improve uptime, increase efficiency and drive profitability.
The Predictable Asset Toolbox for Industry: Predix + Predictivity + APM
GE currently monitors and analyzes 50 million data elements from 10 million sensors on $1 trillion of managed assets daily to move customers toward zero unplanned downtime. Powered by Predix, APM enables customers to put streams of data to work to proactively make the right decisions at the right time to keep assets safe, help them run better, consume less fuel, receive service more efficiently and minimize unplanned downtime.
Kristian Steenstrup of Gartner said, “Increased usage of APM solutions and services will help asset owners and operators reduce maintenance costs and operational risk while boosting reliability. The ultimate goal for any organization is the ‘perfectly predictable asset.’ For immature organizations, this might appear to be an unachievable goal. However, the pursuit is worthwhile, given the many benefits that accrue from getting closer to it. APM will be at the center of efforts to get there.”
GE will leverage its high-margin services backlog of more than $180 billion to develop new APM technologies, growing its dollars of revenue per installed base 3-to-5 percent annually. Reinforcing the importance of this opportunity, Immelt said: “The Industrial Internet is a win-win for GE and our customers. Our offerings will increase GE’s services margins and boost organic industrial growth, with the potential to drive as much as $20 billion in annual savings across our industries.”
For example, AirAsia is on track to save $10 million in fuel costs in 2014 by using Flight Efficiency Services. The solution enables airlines to optimize traffic flow aircraft sequence management, flight path design, and more by revealing patterns and transforming data into actionable insights. AirAsia fuel savings alone are expected to grow to $30 million by 2017.
Jonathan Sanjay, Regional Fuel Efficiency Manager at Air Asia, said, “If you generate a small savings on each flight it translates to big savings at the end of the year. Even a one percent savings can translate into millions of dollars.”
In addition, E.ON has achieved up to 4 percent more power output from 283 of its wind turbines enrolled in GE’s Wind PowerUp, a customized software-enabled platform that increases a wind farm’s output by up to 5 percent, taking into account environmental and site conditions.
This increased output results in an additional 40 gigawatt hours of annual energy production, the equivalent energy to power approximately 4,000 American homes for a year.
“E.ON is always innovating, and we are happy that GE’s PowerUp technology has made some of our best wind farms even better,” said Patrick Woodson, chairman, E.ON North America. “Advancements in wind energy technology, like PowerUp services, will continue to make renewable energy even more competitive in the energy market.”
To help businesses accelerate the adoption of Industrial Internet solutions, GE also announced a new APM tool that helps customers assess their current operations and identify the assets and processes that would benefit the most from increased connectivity, data analysis, and optimization. This initial assessment is the first step in realizing bottom line savings and minimizing unplanned downtime.
Designing Apps for Industry that Matter: Predix App Factory
To further the value of APM, GE today launched the Predix App Factory, an advanced methodology for rapidly prototyping, validating, and developing Industrial Internet applications that shortens typical development cycles from months to weeks. GE pioneered this collaborative approach with customers to drive innovation at scale, bringing together experts from user experience and design, data science, machine connectivity, and agile software development. GE is using the App Factory process at its state-of-the-art Design Center in San Ramon, California to develop new solutions that lead to better customer outcomes such as reduced resource consumption, improved operational efficiency, and lower risk. For example, GE Aviation created an industry app allowing airline and plane operators to blend current information with advanced analytics to actively monitor more than 30,000 jet engines for real-time detection and response to issues.
The Security Standard to Protect Critical Infrastructure: Wurldtech
Securing critical infrastructure is vital to the Industrial Internet, but it holds a unique set of complexities that are different from protecting a traditional IT environment. GE is focused on safeguarding operations technology and improving the reliability of the Industrial Internet for customers and industries. To do this, GE acquired Wurldtech earlier this year to leverage its Achilles industrial security products and services to certify GE and non-GE products and customer environments. GE plans to use Achilles as a standard for securing all of its technology for delivering security enhancements through Predix and GE Products.
Bill Ruh, Vice President, GE Software, said, “Protecting sensor networks and critical infrastructure is paramount to the reliability and safety of industrial operations as more machines and systems are brought online and connected to people at work. At GE, we are well positioned to help respond to this dynamic by bringing together three elements that include our industrial big data platform, an ecosystem of partners, and vigorous cyber security management through the acquisition of Wurldtech. All of these important elements will require continued progress across innovation to transform not just the industrial world, but the global economy as organizations realize the benefits of the Industrial Internet.”
Global Network Connectivity
GE also announced new global alliances with Softbank, Verizon, andVodafone to provide a wide range of wireless connectivity solutions optimized for Industrial Internet solutions. In addition, GE continues to fuel innovation with AT&T by connecting its machines and assets such as locomotives, fleet, and aircraft engines through the AT&T global network and highly secure cloud. Together, these relationships enable GE to provide its industrial customers with advanced connectivity services in virtually any geography.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 21, 2014 | Automation, Internet of Things, M2M, Operations Management, Technology, Wireless
True to my word about accelerating IoT announcements, here is one about wireless IO. FreeWave Technologies Inc.., a leader in industrial, secure Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) wireless networking solutions, released the WaveContact product family. The new product family expands FreeWave’s wireless I/O solutions for industrial M2M and IoT applications in remote hazardous locations. WaveContact extends reliable connectivity to sensor networks across wide areas and simplifies the M2M network setup for the Oil and Gas, Factory Automation, Industrial Control, Water/Wastewater, Smart Grid, Government and Defense and Agriculture industries.
“As industrial markets focus more on safety, automation and improving operational efficiencies, the demand for intensive monitoring, measurement and process control has naturally followed,” explained Glenn Longley, senior product manager for I/O and software at FreeWave Technologies. “The WaveContact family of industrial M2M wireless I/O solutions are ruggedized for use in hazardous environments, and offers connectivity with many devices and I/O applications over both short and long distances simultaneously.”
Two New I/O Offerings
Industrial markets require simple, yet dependable monitoring and control of M2M devices over distances to maximize the value of production assets. The WaveContact product family adds to FreeWave’s extensive I/O solutions by providing customers with end-to-end wireless networking capabilities for any environment where process automation is needed.
WaveContact 10i EndPoint
The WaveContact 10i EndPoint is a Class 1, Division 1 (C1D1) certified wireless I/O solution that delivers a versatile design for enabling multiple process automation and control capabilities for hazardous locations. Designed with a self-contained, explosion-proof enclosure, it combines the versatility of up to six analog voltage inputs and an RS485 interface. The 10i EndPoint includes a rechargeable battery and integrated solar panel, and a 1 watt 900 MHz or 500 mW 2.4 GHz wireless M2M communication module. It is a complete solution designed for easy installation, thus eliminating any significant integration work.
WaveContact 50i Data Concentrator
The WaveContact 50i Data Concentrator aggregates telemetry from multiple sensors and other wireless M2M devices for simple and flexible connectivity to a data center or SCADA network. With both serial and Ethernet connections over wired or wireless connections, the Data Concentrator serves as an M2M gateway to the 10i Endpoints, other FreeWave wireless I/O modules, and also provides outstanding functionality as a Serial Radio Master for connecting serial devices with existing FGR/FGR2 (900 MHz) or GX/I2 (2.4 GHz) FreeWave networks. It provides a built-in terminal server for hard-wired Ethernet connections, Modbus TCP to Modbus RTU translation and Ethernet I/O.
“As the industrial IoT rapidly expands in usage and complexity, FreeWave remains committed to providing highly reliable, long range M2M connectivity – from remote sensor networks dispersed in the field to the corporate office,” said Ashish Sharma, CMO of FreeWave Technologies. “The new WaveContact family allows our customers to deploy IO anywhere it is needed, thus enabling greater visibility and control of production assets for real-time decision-making.”
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 20, 2014 | Automation, Internet of Things, News, Operations Management, Software, Technology
Watch for continued developments in the Internet of Things and “Industrial Internet” and “Connected Enterprise” space. Things are really heating up—as far as press releases are concerned, anyway. I think the actual benefits from implementations will begin to accelerate, too. Here is a release from GE.
GE announced an expanded working relationship with Intel and Cisco to seamlessly connect the growing number of machines, systems and edge devices to the Industrial Internet regardless of manufacturer.
These co-innovations will allow operators to integrate Predix, GE’s software platform for the Industrial Internet, into existing infrastructure.
This next generation of software-defined, Predix-ready devices will embed metadata and complex objects, and ensure open, secure communications from the sensors and devices to the supervisory control layer, and ultimately to cloud-based services. By connecting more assets and equipment at the edge to the cloud, to each other, and to people, industrial operators gain more insight and visibility into the performance of their equipment and operations. This in turn allows them to realize cost savings and minimize unplanned downtime.
“From networked systems utilized in railways and electric power grids to edge switches and client devices that connect assets such as laptops, field devices and wireless access points, Cisco and Intel enable Predix to be distributed to the edge, even in some of the most severe conditions,” said Bill Ruh, Vice President, GE Software. “Without our ecosystem of partners, we would not be able to achieve our vision of interconnecting brilliant machines, analytics and people in a way that allows for true asset management and optimization.”
Intel is working with GE to make it possible to embed intelligence and adaptability in any device. The new architecture is being made available to gateway manufacturers to make the exploding number of connected devices and sensor networks “Predix-ready.” By utilizing Intel’s processor and software assets, combined in Intel Gateway Solutions for IoT, Predix can be deployed on a variety of standard gateway products with critical features like integrated security.
Connect edge devices
“The platform we are developing with GE is designed to connect the 85% of unconnected edge devices to the cloud with common platform to secure and manage devices, as well as capture data,” said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager, IoT Group at Intel. “By securely capturing and analyzing data from systems not previously connected, businesses can unlock new opportunities by changing employee behaviors, fine tuning assets or designing new products and services.”
With Cisco, GE will integrate Predix software on Cisco’s next generation of ruggedized networking products. The combination of Predix and Cisco IOx framework will facilitate the collection and analysis of asset performance and operational data anywhere in the network. Together, Cisco and GE have developed a Predix-ready Cisco industrial router designed for harsh environments such as oil and gas production and developed as the first of a portfolio of offerings to optimize assets and operations through connectivity and compute at the edge.
“Today’s industrial customers need a secure, scalable and intelligent infrastructure that is optimized for the explosive growth of machines and devices connected to the Industrial Internet,” said Rob Soderbery, Senior Vice President Enterprise Products and Solutions, at Cisco. “With GE, we are developing a solution for the oil and gas industry that will provide immense value for our joint customers and scale to other industrial applications.”
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 14, 2014 | Automation, Data Management, Internet of Things, M2M, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software, Technology
Talk of Internet of Things / Industrial Internet / Connected Enterprise is growing. Consumer applications are partly to blame. Wearables for health and fitness and home automation are major consumer applications attracting attention and investment dollars.
The industrial case dates from at least 1999 when the cellular carriers were looking for new markets to sell data transmission (not foreseeing the smartphone boom). There was something called SCADA that used dial-up modems, FHSS radios and maybe T1 lines to send data from remote locations to a central command. Cellular could carry the data just as well — well, almost, because back in that day cell phone quality and dropped calls were a problem. Not like today. This was called M2M–Machine-to-Machine or Machine-to-Mobile.
The Internet and TCP/IP won. Now we see many companies jumping on the IoT bandwagen. We’re still defining what all the benefits will be, but we are certain that there will be many. GE calls this the Industrial Internet.
The GE Intelligent Platforms Business user conference, an occasional gathering, pops up on the radar in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I will not be there. A one-man shop can’t hit every conference. Especially a bootstrapping startup like this one. An interview with Rich Carpenter, Chief Technology Officer of GE IP became the next best thing to being there.
Rich described a progression that I’m beginning to see more of: collect data–>store data–>analyze (say for predictive maintenance)–>diagnose why things are not 100%–>recommendations that we’ve seen this before and here’s what you need to fix it.
Carpenter told me, “We still feel there’s a lot to be learned. We’re good at collecting data. Good at storing. We even can analyze for future failures. In some equipment, we can be 99.9%. But, we’re at best 30%-50% in diagnosing why. And we are really at 0%-10% on giving a recommendation on we’ve seen this before and here’s what you need to fix it.
He continues, “Our Smart Signal product that does predictive diagnostics has proven to be good. What’s happening these days is we’re changing from pushing it and doing pilots to where customers are saying ‘Wow this works, we have to have it.’ The reason is simple, every company if left on its own goes through this maturity curve. First, a guy goes out to feel asset. But that doesn’t scale. So we begin to remotely monitor, but still have to go out. Then we analyze and set limits for alarms. But those have problems. Then we add more intelligence like Smart Signal looking at the relationship among 20 variables and now you can predict better. Now you can start planning downtime–not wasting time and dollars due to unstable operations.”
Regarding what competencies are required, “First is platforms. We are trying to master cloud development paradigm. With the evolution of hardware power, we have to master massive parallel compute figuring out what it means to have infinite disk space. Second is around big data. That is an overused term. We look at it as volume of data. It also is a data variety problem–written notes, logs, genealogies, need to correlate and at ecosystem level. Third, expertise is needed user experience (not interface). How do you understand what problem customer is trying to solve and not just add new features. We hired 60-70 people to work on that. Then data science. How can we tease out insights from all the data and identify algorithms. Then cyber security–secure by design. Finally machine learning, model based control, sensor analytics.”
Then at last we need to think about the entirety of manufacturing. Carpenter, “We think these systems–ERP, PLM,MES–can no longer operate in silos. We have a close relationship with PTC. We are working to close the loop from design to manufacture. Then we have to look at the supply chain as just a step in the manufacturing process. Have the MES look at the whole chain and avoid things like incoming inspection.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 14, 2014 | Manufacturing IT, News, Operations Management, Organizations
Speaking of associations after yesterday’s post, the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) International association has struggled over approaches to information it composes and discussions it sponsors. Some have held that to receive white papers and other articles, as well as to participate in the Association LinkedIn group should be reserved for members. This would be an enticement for individuals and companies to join up. As the association approaches its 23rd year it has expanded its goals to extend the conversation to the public about the role and value of Information Technologies (IT) in Manufacturing. The global association is working to get professionals in manufacturing enterprises talking the same language so that new technologies can be more quickly and successfully implemented.
MESA knows that in order to implement change in an enterprise, all people need to be informed and engaged. That’s why, over the next year, MESA will be taking several steps to help educate both members and nonmembers in all types and sizes of manufacturing enterprises.
• MESA will give public access to MESA International’s LinkedIn Group.
• MESA will host its Global Education Program certificate programs in Portugal, Atlanta, Germany, United Kingdom, Chicago, Czech Republic, South Africa, and will be teaching several private programs for those who want to educate their customers or employees in-house.
• MESA will offer free, limited-time access to select key resources to those who sign up for MESA’s newsletters.
Commenting on the goal to educate the public about IT in Manufacturing, Mike Yost, president, MESA International says, “Technology buzzwords – like Internet of Things and Big Data today – are nothing new to the MESA community. We’ve been demystifying them in manufacturing since our inception over twenty years ago. But now, we are at a turning point because the technologies are increasingly powerful and accessible for all types and sizes of manufacturers. It’s MESA’s job to reach these professionals to help them make better, more sustainable decisions in their business.”
To work with MESA or join the conversation, please contact MESA’s Marketing Director, Lindsey Frick at [email protected].
