By using SkkyHub, Metso cut their project time by 50%, and exceeded customer expectations by meeting tight deadlines and providing top-level expertise.
After years of riding high on the Gartner Hype Cycle, Industrial IoT (IIoT) is beginning to take shape in various ways. Early adopters tend to be large companies who have identified specific applications in which IoT connectivity provides an immediate advantage. The Internet of Things Institute recently named Top 20 Industrial IoT Applications, giving an overview of the best of what is happening. All of these are interesting, and we’d like share our thoughts on a few that you may not have heard of elsewhere.
The Kaeser Kompressoren company in Germany has been manufacturing and selling air compressors for almost 100 years. Lately they have adopted an IIoT perspective, and have changed their business model. Now they provide compressed air as a service. Instead of selling their equipment, they install it at a customer site and sell its ability to compress air.
Among other things, this requires a mental shift when calculating where their revenues come from. Previously, when the customer owned the machinery, Kaeser could make money on repair services. Now that Kaeser owns the equipment, repairs have become a cost center, and it is in their interest to keep those costs as low as possible. Since they they started working under this business model, the company has been using IIoT technologies to sustain a healthy predictive maintenance (PdM) program. The cost savings revert directly to Kaeser.
This ability to adapt, to transform business models and capitalize on the Industrial IoT applications will set the leaders apart from the followers in the next few years as the IIoT moves from hype to reality.
How many screws does it take to build a commercial airliner? How tightly must each one be turned? What’s the right tool for the job, and how should it be calibrated? A joint IIoT project between Bosch, Cisco, National Instruments, and Tech Mahindra coordinated through the Industrial Internet Consortium is demonstrating the value of the IIoT in answering those questions.
At a testbed location that simulates aircraft assembly, Bosch cordless screwdrivers are connected wirelessly via National Instruments technology and send identification data about themselves, as well as torque data about the screw they are tightening, to a central database. Their exact physical location is calculated using a triangulation technology from Cisco. An integration program from a Tech Mahindra program uses the screwdriver’s location data to look up the amount of torque specified for that screw at that location, and configures the screwdriver accordingly. When the operator moves to a different location on the aircraft body to drive other types of screws, the screwdriver gets reconfigured automatically and precisely.
These four companies working together highlight the value of cooperation in developing Industrial IoT applications, especially at the beginning stages. Many successful early adopters have emphasized the value of partnerships and collaboration. Those who take a do-it-yourself approach often find the IoT more complicated to implement than expected.
The largest private railroad in Australia with over 1,700 kilometres of track is owned and operated by the Rio Tinto mining company. Using IIoT technologies, the company is now running unmanned, autonomous trains along this line, hauling iron ore from mines in the Pilbara region to ports along the north coast. The pilot project will be expanded to full service next year, as the world’s first fully-autonomous heavy haul, long distance railway system.
This initiative is just one of several IIoT-related initiatives that Rio Tinto is developing. They are also pioneering in the operation of autonomous trucks and drilling systems for their mines, and are even looking at self-navigating ships to cut the cost of delivering their products worldwide.
Not every company is in Rio Tinto’s position, but their broad vision, wide range of IoT applications, and obvious success can be an inspiration for all of us. The message is clear: Industrial IoT is not only possible, it is profitable. Learning from these examples, anyone venturing into this space needs to consider the opportunities and challenges unique to their industry and company, learn how and when to work with others, and then start taking action to gain the maximum benefit from Industrial IoT.
Mississauga, Ontario, September 26, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet”) (OTCQB: SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, announces that its SkkyHub™ technology is being used to provide real-time, remote data displays for a Becker Varis SSFM-100 smartsense® Atmospheric and Environmental System demonstration at MINExpo 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Show participants will be able to view live data from the SSFM-100 on a display monitor, as well as securely from their mobile phone browsers over their own cellular connection, in real time.
The SSFM-100 smartsense® monitor provides a lighted display on the sensor itself for a user to read data directly, and it also supports standard industrial data communications protocols like Modbus and OPC. Connecting in this way to SkkyHub enhances the SSFM-100 by allowing its data to be viewed by any authorized user’s computer or mobile phone, with SkkyHub WebView™.
“Connecting to SkkyHub makes the SSFM-100 IoT-ready,” said Jian Zhao, Engineering Manager – Environment and Safety at Becker Varis. “Mine managers can monitor the gas levels in the mine from a computer in the office, while ventilation maintenance personnel can see the same data from their smartphones from any location. Here at our offices, we can also use that data for routine or emergency maintenance on the equipment, as needed.”
“This demonstration is a real-world example of the practical value of the Industrial IoT, and SkkyHub’s implementation of it,” said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. “It’s all about putting useful or critical data into the hands of people who need it, on-site or remote, at any level of the organization.”
The smartsense® fixed monitor SSFM-100 with its integrated controller functions as a black box storing critical information such as calibration record, Alarm History and Data Logging for post-accident investigation. The SSFM-100 is an all-in-one package and eliminates the need for complex cables connections and troublesome programming, out of the box the SSFM-100 is the most versatile and hassle free Atmospheric and Environmental System on the market. The SSFM-100 system design has taken into account the requirements of the industry and placed on the security and features into a single compact design but still maintaining the main requirement of reliability / accuracy / low power consumption.
The SkkyHub service allows industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser. The service is capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second per client, at speeds of just microseconds over Internet latency. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware.
Becker Mining Systems is a system supplier for mining infrastructure with its headquarters in Friedrichsthal, Germany. With 1,800 employees in every essential mining region, the company, which is completely family-owned, sells its products to the leading mining companies of the world. In addition to Germany, Becker Mining Systems is also represented by its own subsidiaries in France, Poland, Russia, China, South Africa, Australia, the United States, Canada and Chile. Since the middle of the 1980s, Becker Mining Systems has followed a consistent internationalisation strategy and thus countered the receding mining market in its home country.
Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. For more information, see http://skkynet.com.
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. Skkynet assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although Skkynet believes that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in Skkynet’s annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mississauga, Ontario, May 24, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet” or “the Company”) (OTCQB:SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, will present a case study, “Metso Halves Project Development Time with Skkynet’s IIoT Solution,” at the IoT Industrial show, to be held in Toronto June 21-22, 2016. The case study shows how Metso was able to cut their project development time in half, and increase customer satisfaction by using Skkynet’s SkkyHub™ real-time IIoT solution.
As reported in the study, Metso developers were able to work from their head office in France to customize and implement OCS-4D© (Metso’s mineral processing expert system) rather than travelling to the operations in the Middle East. By leveraging the real-time data collection and distribution capabilities of SkkyHub, multiple engineers could work in parallel on GUI, sensor and data modeling, and analysis—all using an exact replica of the live plant. This allowed them to complete a year-long project in six months.
“SkkyHub was really a nice fit with our system, because we had not been able to do parallel development before,” said Fred Theodore, Senior Engineer, Advanced Process Control, and lead developer. “Normally we have OSC-4D© running, but two people cannot be connected at the same time, and can’t develop their applications simultaneously on the same computer. The fact that the real-time data source was available to several people at the same time was a real benefit.”
Skkynet believes this capability will capture the attention of those attending IoT Industrial. The show brings together C-level executives from the mining, energy, manufacturing, and transport sectors across North America to learn about the challenges and opportunities in the Industrial IoT and Big Data. The motivating factor is an awareness that those who are able to identify and exploit opportunities now will thrive in the coming years, and that it is best to get an early start.
“Metso is at the leading edge of the Industrial IoT,” said Paul Thomas, President of Skkynet. “Accessing IIoT data in real time, they were able to optimize their manpower and cut costs at all stages of the project—from development to deployment. Their in-house replica of the project can receive live process data from the mine via SkkyHub, which can be used for ongoing remote maintenance or big-data analytics.”
Read the full case study at http://skkynet.com/case-studies/.
Skkynet’s SkkyHub™ service allows industrial and embedded systems to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users, and real-time access to selected data sets in a web browser. The service is capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second per client, at speeds of just microseconds over Internet latency. Secure by design, it requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware.
Skkynet’s Cogent DataHub® industrial middleware solution connects to SkkyHub, as well as virtually any industrial system, using standard protocols such as OPC, Modbus, TCP, and ODBC to support OPC networking, server-server bridging, aggregation, data logging, redundancy, and web-based HMI. Through an OEM agreement between Skkynet and Metso, the DataHub has been integrated into Metso’s OCS-4D© product, and renamed “OCS-4D© DataLink”.
OCS-4D© is a software solution from Metso used for Advanced Process Control (APC), including embedded expert systems with fuzzy logic, modeling and optimizing modules (MPC), vision and acoustics analysis algorithms―for mineral processing plants (crushing, grinding, flotation, dewatering, pyro metallurgy, etc.).
Metso is a world leading industrial company serving the mining, aggregates, recycling, oil, gas, pulp, paper and process industries, with products ranging from mining and aggregates processing equipment and systems to industrial valves and controls, providing a broad scope of services and a global network of over 80 service centers and about 6,400 services professionals.
Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design. For more information, see http://skkynet.com.
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. We assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Minera San Cristobal, owned by Apex Silver and Sumitomo Corporation, is one of the largest silver-zinc-lead mining projects in the world. The mine, located in the Potosi district of southwestern Bolivia is expected to produce approximately 450 million ounces of silver, 8 billion pounds of zinc, and 3 billion pounds of lead.
As described in a companion article, the engineers at the San Cristobal mill used DataHub® software to connect their DeltaV Professional Plus SCADA system to an SQL Server database in the corporate offices. After witnessing the success of that project, the engineers decided to connect their two SGS expert systems to DeltaV in a similar way.
“We saw how well DataHub software transported OPC data across the network,” said Sr. Mario Mendizabal, Production Engineer at Minera San Cristobal, “so we thought it could help us connect to our Grinding and Flotation Expert Systems.”
In the San Cristobal mill the ore extracted from the mine is crushed, ground, and refined through flotation process to yield concentrates of silver, zinc, and lead, which are then shipped abroad for final smelting. These processes are monitored and controlled using the DeltaV system.
Although the DeltaV system allows an operator to input setpoints and other values directly into the system, Sr. Mendizabal and his team wanted to apply an SGS Advanced Systems application to optimize two critical parts of the mineral refining process: grinding and flotation. Each expert system runs on a separate sever. To add to the challenge, the Flotation Expert System also requires real-time data input from two banks of 25 video cameras. These cameras monitor the size, speed, and other qualities of the bubbles as they lift the valuable mineral particles to the surface, where they can be skimmed off as foam. There is one bank of cameras for the zinc flotation circuit, and another for lead. Each of these five systems-DeltaV, the Grinding Expert System, the Flotation Expert System, and the two camera systems-needed to be connected in real time.
Fortunately, each system had an OPC server. What was needed was a way to bridge the OPC servers, aggregate their data streams, and tunnel/mirror the data across the network for the other systems. Based on his previous success using DataHub software, Sr. Mendizabal chose to apply it to this task. He already had a DataHub instance connected to the DeltaV system. So he just installed a DataHub instance on each of the SGS servers, and each of the camera system servers. Then he connected those four DataHub instances to the main DataHub instance running on the DeltaV server.
“It didn’t take long at all to get the system configured,” said Sr. Mendizabal. “Since it is tunnel/mirroring across the network, we avoided DCOM settings and networking issues entirely. The connection is completely secure, and rock-solid.”
When the expert systems are switched on, the plant data flows from DeltaV to the Grinding Expert System and the Flotation Expert System. These systems continuously and intelligently adjust the values of the setpoints, and send them back in real-time to DeltaV, which passes them along to the relevant process. To make its calculations, the Flotation Expert System also takes into account the real-time data that is streaming in from the two Video Camera Systems.
“It is very important to know that when the expert system is controlling the plant we are trusting our production to DataHub software,” said Sr. Mendizabal. “We are very pleased with its performance, and highly recommend it for this kind of mission-critical work.”
Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc.
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