How LTTS’ IoT-based Smart Dispenser Solved a Beverage Manufacturer’s Problems

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the core component of digital transformation initiatives globally.  It is not future technology – it is up and running and available today for use in countless everyday applications, from industrial use to consumer products.  This blog defines how LTTS’ IoT-based Smart Dispenser Solved a Beverage Manufacturer’s Problems.  Broadly, IoT in manufacturing improves:

• Productivity
• Operational efficiency
• Flexibility and agility
• Safety and compliance

Manufacturers who want to add IoT connectivity to their products need embedded agents, communications modules on products or gateways, cloud services, and mobile apps.  An IoT platform can be a good way to get there.

L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is an IoT services provider.  LTTS’ IoT platform allows holistic end-to-end integration of products and solutions that assist in product engineering, sensor engineering, narrowband IoT framework for communication IPs, Edge analytics at the sensor level, system integration, and managed services.  The platform also supports services, such as advisory & consulting, cybersecurity, integrated analytics, gateways and controllers, and end-to-end application development involving mobility applications, image processing, and data analytics.

Customer’s Requirement: A leading manufacturer of beverage dispensers wanted to improve productivity and grow their business using IoT.  But they wanted to embark on this journey with the expertise and experience of a reliable vendor.  After due diligence, LTTS was selected to provide an end-to-end solution to transform the dispenser into a smart connected dispenser.

Methodology: LTTS conducted discovery workshops to identify areas of efficiency enhancement and established that non-visibility of consumption pattern led to:

• Replacement of sachets (still full) to avoid imminent downtime
• Late replacement of sachets and usage of non-proprietary local flavors
• Increased downtime, reduced productivity, revenue, and end-user experience

Solution Implementation:  LTTS’ end-to-end solution transformed the dispenser to a smart connected dispenser by deploying processes that were aligned and integrated with the customer’s existing cloud architecture and services.  An Android app with a web-based dashboard was hosted on the dispenser, providing real-time insights, smart alerts, and notifications for sachet replacements to prevent delays.  Sensorization was used to monitor the usage patterns and levels of sachets.  To improve efficiency, Edge runtime was installed in the smart dispenser, and a DevOps pipeline was created for OTA (over-the-air) firmware updates.

Value Delivered:  The customer was satisfied as the solution provided 100 percent real-time visibility, >99 percent flowmeter accuracy, and 99.9 percent product uptime.  Other benefits include:

• Enhanced predictive and preventive maintenance
• Reduced operational cost by 30 percent
• Reduced software flashing errors (from 10-30 percent to less than 1 percent)

Keywords: LTTS, IoT, Smart Dispenser, End-to-end Solution, ARC Advisory Group.