What Are the Smart Connected Product and Factory Design Factors?

Author photo: Dick Slansky
By Dick Slansky

Overview

At the recent ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, the sessions on smart connected product design and manufacturing attracted smart connected producta significant number of attendees and generated considerable discussion.  This demonstrates the strong interest ARC is currently seeing in connected product design and connected and intelligent factory ecosystems.

The Designing the Smart Connected Product session examined the emergence of a new product design paradigm driven by the IoT requirements for connectivity and intelligence. Where the traditional requirements for good design were based on fit, form, and function; next-generation products need to be designed to work within the IoT ecosystem. This will enable a digital transformation of production systems and supply chains.

The primary theme of the companion session, Building the Smart Connected Factory of the Future, focused on the emerging smart production ecosystem of connected workers, supply chains, machines, and equipment; all part of a connected digital enterprise. The session examined technologies like predictive and prescriptive analytics, the concept of the digital twin in maintenance and support, and the extended service lifecycle of products and equipment in the field.

Smart Connected Products:  Core Elements of Next- Generation Industrial Systems

Dr. Uday Deshpande, Global Director of Electrical Design Systems for Ingersoll Rand, made a compelling case for how a new generation of intelligent products are at the core of smart ecosystems, driving the functionality of the Industrial IoT. The primary theme of Dr. Deshpande’s presentation was that smart connected industrial systems have to be based on core elements of connected intelligent products and components.

He also discussed the point that building a smart, connected ecosystem of products has to involve a distinct value proposition.  Often, this is in the form of enhanced services via descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics.  For Ingersoll Rand, the payoff came from a connected product in the field that was able to provide essential information about its current state, condition, and also make predictions about and even provide prescriptive fixes for the unit in service. This smart connected product helped create value through enhanced services that spawned new business models and revenue opportunities.

smart connected product

As Dr. Deshpande explained, Ingersoll Rand uses a “digital twin” approach for its products in the field for which the real value lies in the post-connectivity aspect. In the context of an IoT value maturity curve, once the device is connected and begins to move beyond monitoring to control, optimization, and finally autonomy; it becomes part of a larger ecosystem and the value curve begins to move upward exponentially.

smart connected productThe value lies in industrial systems comprised of smart connected products, equipment, and devices that function as a connected industrial ecosystem. This ecosystem can be a system of systems that represent a single production line, a factory, a supply chain, or assets in the field.

The more actionable information produced by the connected products, the greater the business value.  This moves from simple descriptive states to diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive information that enable process optimization and, ultimately, provide a semantic form of information that can include social context and meaning about the ecosystem as a whole.  This scenario represents a digital transformation that can drive new business models and revenue streams.  However, the important piece is being able to get data from “things.”  Hence, intelligence at the edge is critical.

Analytics, Process Optimization Drive the Digital Factory

Bryce Poland, Brilliant Factory Leader for GE Transportation, presented a very interesting look at operations and maintenance as implemented within GE’s Brilliant Factories initiative. The GE Transportation diesel engine manufacturing and refurbishing facility at Grove City, Pennsylvania, produces and re-manufactures very large engines (up to 6,000 HP) for locomotives.

GE Transportation uses five “pillar” solution sets or apps based on Brilliant Factories initiatives: engineering design models (PLM), robotics and automation, process optimization, quality data capture, and sensor-enabled machines. Central to all these pillar apps is the Data Lake (repository) for advanced analytics.   Data analytics drive GE Transportation’s manufacturing processes, including all aspects of the design/build/operate/maintain lifecycle. Mr. Poland pointed out that sensor enablement with predictive monitoring and alerts is core to GE Transportation’s Brilliant Factory initiative. Predictive failure monitoring is a key component in reducing unplanned downtime. GE Transportation will be using GE’s Predix Platform to implement predictive maintenance solutions.

smart connected product

The Predix Platform and architecture powers other GE IIoT solution areas, such as Asset Performance Management (APM), GE Automation, and the GE Brilliant Factories initiative; all part of the company’s overall Industrial Internet strategy. At this juncture, Predix is focusing on predictive analytics, maintenance, and APM.  Going forward, this technology will address much larger and expanded processes such as continuous process improvement, Big Data analytics, prescriptive analytics, enabling the digital twin, and even autonomous systems.

Recommendations

Clearly, leading OEMs like Ingersoll Rand and GE Transportation are adopting and implementing IIoT solutions and technologies that support smart connected factories and products. These companies represent leaders and early adopters in IIoT, and ARC would recommend that manufacturers across multiple industries follow the progress of both companies.

While IIoT and the connectivity and intelligence technologies that support it represent many players and providers, the early adopters of these technologies will likely lead the way for industry at large.  

 

 

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Keywords: Smart Connected Products, Factory of the Future, IIoT, Factory Ecosystem, Value Proposition, Digital Transformation, ARC Advisory Group.

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