The Key to Greater Sustainability and Efficiency Lies in Networking

From the Sustainable Car Wash to the Industrial Internet of Things
The data in industrial production is already available – but it still needs to be unified. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) helps with this because its strengths are best demonstrated when consistent data collection and analysis are ensured. Companies benefit most from the use of open standards. Practical experience shows how the Internet of Things is revolutionizing industry – and what car washes have to do with it.

The Internet of Things is a big term: In industry, the concept promises flexible implementation of machine communication to make your own production future-proof. However, this is still not the standard because the path from the field level to the industrial cloud requires corresponding infrastructure. Currently, the greatest challenge for using the IIoT is providing the data: The relevant parameters must first be defined, digitally recorded and processed before they can be stored in the cloud or on the server. So the right infrastructure is essential to make the IIoT possible.

In order to achieve the necessary holistic networking from the field level up to the cloud, different actors must work together efficiently. Therefore, WAGO has established an international IoT partner network, a strategic technological initiative with collaborators from the low code/no code, security, OT/IT integration and IT software sectors. In addition, technology partners are also within the network to enable the mass deployment of WAGO hardware, for example. WAGO thus bundles the expertise of many different companies and extends its open Linux-based controllers with the domain knowledge of the respective partners, allowing customers to receive an integrated end-to-end solution. In the Internet of Things, no two solutions are the same: Depending on the application, systems tailored to requirements are necessary to obtain the optimal result. This is as true in industrial production as in everyday installations, such as a car wash.

Using the approach described above, it is possible to generate a digital twin from the physical process of supplying chemicals for car wash systems. The digital twin displays the recorded data in real-time, allowing adjustments to be made that increase the efficiency and sustainability of one’s own work process. Thus, trends that provide further information about resource consumption can also be identified in combination with the data that has already been collected. WAGO and Prescient have found a way with the chemical manufacturer to generate a digital solutions business for a traditional hardware supplier (in this case, chemicals).

Thanks to the Internet of Things, the consumption of chemicals can now be optimized and used more sustainably. In addition, forecasting depleted chemicals and service calls is also possible. On-site employees can plan repairs and deliveries, eliminating the need for shutdowns. The car wash thus becomes an example of a large system that already provides a lot of data from the ground thanks to the networked machines.

What applies to car washes can also be transferred to the industrial production process. This is also the case, when a large amount of data accumulates during production, from which valuable conclusions can be drawn about the production efficiency. More and more computing power is needed to accomplish these tasks. Modern edge devices process the data in real-time, providing the corresponding performance for analysis and optimization algorithms. The main advantage of edge devices is that they ensure latency-free data processing, and the data can be aggregated and pre-processed accordingly to optimize data transfer to possible cloud infrastructure and reduce costs. This reduces the load on the controllers, allowing them to focus on their original control tasks with low latency and high determinism.

Beyond this solution-driven approach, the future of industrial production lies in linking of OT and IT. Depending on the application area, the Industrial IoT can also be used in building or energy technology – anywhere that the value-added chain can be networked and optimized.

Openness at all levels of automation plays a special role in this. Therefore, WAGO relies on CODESYS V3 for programming, which opens up many possibilities. This allows a continuous connection from the field level to the cloud to be implemented, which is based on a comprehensively networked infrastructure. More than 500 I/O modules and interfaces enable adaptation to different requirements. Of course, IT security is also important: All development processes in automation at WAGO meet the IEC 62443-4-1 requirements. At the same time, standards such as OpenVPN, SSL, SSH, IPsec and firewall increase security when using WAGO controllers.

In times when 100% machine availability is the standard, security – in addition to intelligent data use – is indispensable. At the same time, demand forecasts and supply chain transparency implemented through data collection are also becoming increasingly important in times of economic instability. The Internet of Things will lay the foundation for the successful industry of tomorrow – and do so transparently, networked and reliably.