It is now possible to control a production facility in real time and regardless of location with a virtual solution platform. The relevant data is brought from different systems to the mobile user interface, which then acts as a support for control, monitoring and service operations – in this way, the whole facility can be looked at in one view and it’s also possible to delve down to the level of different processes, machines and devices. Data isn’t collected only through key words, but rather different kinds of algorithms, machine know-how and device management are used as well.

- There is now a significant turning period going on in industry and one of the new trends is making wider use than before of the information produced by different kinds of sensors. The aim of the virtualisation of the production facility is to bring a significant improvement to the quality and efficiency of processes. At the same time, the equipment remains in better shape and workplace accidents are reduced", says Elisa IoT™’s Senior Solution Consultant Aleksi Ukkola.

With the aid of the Smart Factory solution concept, the industrial process can be monitored and managed from raw material production to the delivery chain. The greatest value of the information comes from sharing it – with the 3D management platform, the information is available for the use of all parties in real time. For example, the director of the facility may be interested in the usage level of capacity, whereas a worker on the factory side may want to make use of information about the functioning of an individual machine. A relevant view for work and the service levels that are related to it is offered for different operating plans and organisational levels.

 - The importance of real-time information is continually growing in all areas of business. With the Smart Factory solution platform, the existing information is being complemented all the time with new data – in this way, a comprehensive overview of the production process is created and changes can be reacted to at the same time, says Ukkola.

The greatest benefit to the business comes when the smart analysis of the collated data and information is attached, either in a dispersed or centralised manner.

- In the future, all IoT data will not be needed to be sent, or indeed will be sensible to send, all the way to a cloud-based analytics service, but instead part of the data will be processed locally. In this way, the service’s reacting in real time to changing situations will be boosted.

Savings from Many Sub-Areas

 The more data is collected from different sources, the more benefit is derived from offering the added value factors offered by analytics – and the idea of pre-emptive maintenance is especially based on this. Savings of as much as 25-35 percent can be achieved in the operation of the facilities. They can be formed, for example, from the processes and overall production becoming more efficient, more effective use of working time, service operations becoming real-time and more efficient, increased effectiveness of guidance and training to do with work and improvement in work direction and management of the partner network.

- At the end of the day, the question is one of combining open environmental data with the process data of a closed industry as part of the core business processes of the company, Ukkola sums up.

Effective Process Begins from the Needs of the Users

Technology is now developing at a fast rate and more and more industrial functions are becoming automated. In Ukkola’s opinion, the needs of the end users and the development of services that arise from people still have to be borne in mind in all the stages of the development work.

- Even though the environment and its conformities change, the question is one of managing with information. The increasing rate of development cannot, however, remove what’s fundamental to the workforce – the feeling that what they do still has a decisive impact.

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