Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

160 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om I NT E R V I EW H eadquartered in the USA, PTC provides software that helps manufacturers accel- erate product and service innovation, improve operational efficiency and increase workforce productivity. The firm is building on the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to help its customers derive value from the convergence of the digital and physical worlds. PTC’s general manager of IoT Joe Biron shares how the tech- nology is liberating the data in control systems, coupled with advanced analytics and the latest techniques in edge computing to meet today’s smart manufacturing needs. How is the IIoT transforming manufacturing? There’s an abundance of valuable data sitting in shop floor control systems. However, that data has historically been used to satisfy fairly narrow needs to control and operate the specific machin- ery it relates to. The IIoT is changing this dynamic by giving that data a new mission: to be used to advance a smart manufacturing agenda. Using the IIoT, different kinds of data – such as machine, environmental sensor and operational data from related business and manufacturing systems – can be aggregated, analysed across cloud and edge computing, and transformed into insights that answer critical questions for a manufacturing process. This allows plant manag- ers to proactively address needs like preventative maintenance and process bottlenecks. This previ- ously static, siloed data is also enabling frontline experts and managers to make better real-time decisions, culminating in a substantial reduction in unplanned downtime, scrap and inefficiency. How are real-world manufacturers realising the benefits of the IIoT? Manufacturers are using the IIoT to address data management and labour optimisation challenges with edge-based machine vision sys- tems. For example, one of our customers, China International Marine Containers (CIMC), is a world-leading supplier of logistics and energy equipment. CIMC was no stranger to produc- tivity issues such as unplanned machine down- time, lack of operational visibility, wasted energy consumption and quality metrics. CIMC lever- aged Microsoft Azure IoT and the ThingWorx Industrial IoT Solutions Platform to integrate the IIoT with their Manufacturing Execution System and break down data siloes. CIMC is now monitoring production perfor- mance in real time. This has unlocked predictive maintenance, and improved energy consumption and trace quality. Equipped with these insights and a deeper understanding of machine behav- iour, CIMC is optimising production far beyond previous benchmarks and has reduced unplanned downtime and manufacturing cycle time. By deploying ThingWorx to 35 plants, CIMC reduced unplanned downtime by 30 per cent and energy consumption by 13.2 per cent. Another recent example is Celli Group, a global company based in Italy that manufactures and PTC’s Joe Biron shares how the industrial IoT can be used alongside the latest techniques in edge computing to meet today’s smart manufacturing needs Redefining success using industrial IoT BY E L LY YAT E S - ROB E R T S “Manufacturers are using the IIoT to address data management and labour optimisation challenges”