Industrial IoT – Capture Untapped Potential in Existing Assets and Devices and Realize Rapid Time to Value

Industrial IoT – Capture Untapped Potential in Existing Assets and Devices and Realize Rapid Time to Value

Almost every presentation today on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has a slide estimating the number of connected devices that will exist by the year 2020 or beyond. I’ll be participating at the 2nd Annual IoT & Big Data for Utilities conference(opens in new window)in San Mateo next week, and I know I’ll hear from my peers that there is no shortage of devices to connect – the challenge is more about how to actually leverage the data.

Today there is an installed base of devices (PLCs, pumps, motors, sensors) that represent significant previous investments that are currently operating well—and are not going to be replaced anytime soon just because they are not currently connected. CFOs continue to remind their colleagues that these devices run the business—they are the industrial cash register.

While in many cases these devices may have the ability to deliver data, they were never deployed with that intention. Technicians are dispatched on a weekly or monthly basis to manually collect the data, which is expensive and inefficient. This approach ties up resources and starves the enterprise from generating real-time actionable insights through analytics tools.

Unlocking Business Value from Existing Assets

There is significant untapped business value in the data from these devices if it can be unlocked cost effectively, as long as complex and time-consuming retrofits can be avoided.

Primitive Logic’s point of view is that tapping into the data from these older, yet capable devices, as well as newer network-ready assets is the key for enterprises that want to take the first critical steps in their inevitable IIoT journey. An important step in that transformation is having the support and encouragement of CFOs who want to maximize the return on investments already made.

This methodology also makes sense for operational reasons. Connecting devices provides the option to shift from reactive maintenance models to a more proactive approach to decrease costs and increase reliability—for as much as 30x improvement in cost efficiency(opens in new window).

A Holistic Solution that Levels the IIoT Playing Field

Primitive Logic became a proud Bit Stew reseller and delivery partner(opens in new window) in 2016 and is experiencing early success with the implementation of our first project. In this project, we have successfully integrated and “connected” a Schneider Electric PLC using an AMI Global Vapor gateway(opens in new window) to enable the PLC to be remotely controlled and monitored. Using Bit Stew System’s MIx Core™ platform allows us to ingest and integrate the PLC data and semantically model it with other data sources. Further, the potential to use the AMI Global Vapor gateway to perform PLC software and configuration updates opens up tremendous potential for operational efficiencies.

We attribute this early success and acceleration in the pace of our sales conversations to our early recognition that enterprises need solutions that incorporate currently non-connected devices into their IIoT strategy.

Bit Stew, Primitive Logic, and AMI Global: Accelerating Time to Value Together

This success is due in large part to the working relationship and alignment of three partners that bring the very best of IIoT capabilities and services together as comprehensive solutions that maximize the investments enterprises have already made and deliver rapid time to value:

  • Primitive Logic, a leading creative, business, and IT consulting company dedicated to solving IIoT challenges and opportunities
  • Bit Stew, a global leader in solving the IIoT data integration challenge and developer of a data intelligence platform, MIx Core(opens in new window)
  • AMI Global, a leader in cost-effective, turnkey IIoT products for global connectivity, remote monitoring, diagnostics, reporting, and control for industrial machinery that operate in 100+ countries globally

This relationship allows Primitive Logic to utilize Bit Stew’s MIx Core platform to solve complex and large-scale IIoT data integration challenges and incorporate AMI Global’s advanced data connectivity gateways for tens of millions industrial devices already deployed in production throughout the world.

Rapid time to value is no longer elusive now that existing assets and devices can cost effectively be included as part of a comprehensive IIoT strategy.

Meet me at IoT for Big Data & Utilities 2016

Next week, I’m sure to hear more about how companies are beginning to explore IIoT at the 2nd Annual IoT & Big Data for Utilities conference(opens in new window) in San Mateo, December 6-7. I’ll be presenting a session on Tuesday, as well as hosting a roundtable. If you’d like to chat more about how your company is approaching the transition to IIoT, come and say hello—I’d love to hear your perspective!

Kevin Moos, January 2017