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What is Industrial IoT?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a bit of a nuanced phrase. To an outsider it looks incomprehensible, but don’t worry, it’s actually a lot simpler than it looks.
IoT describes interconnectivity and data sharing, which leads to advanced insight and unrivalled visibility. We use sensors which connect to assets like fridges, ovens, and HVAC systems, etc, to understand how they work; which can have far-reaching benefits for business that commit to the integration of IoT.
Industrial IoT is taking this up a level and operating it on a larger scale; for example, in Sainsbury’s!
How Does Industrial IoT Work?
Supermarkets, and other large-scale businesses often have thousands of assets which, when integrated with sensors, pump out information which is transferred to the cloud via a universal protocol, such as BACnet or Modbus, which can be then displayed on user interfaces such as tablets, laptops, or mobile devices.
Data visualisation is incredibly important to understand the internal operations of the assets, to help unlock increased efficiency. You can’t fix a problem, if you don’t know it’s there.
The Hark Platform has been developed with ease of use, and adaptability in mind. It’s expected that users will be able to build their own custom applications on top of the Hark Connect using API’s and Webhooks. Our solution connects through industry standard protocols such as MQTT, Modbus/TCP, Modbus/RTU BACNet, and OPC-UA, and our IIoT devices are vendor agnostic, allowing it to support devices from manufacturers such as Schneider Electric, Honeywell, Allen Bradley, Omron, ABB and more.
What is IIoT Used For?
The examples of IIoT in use are everywhere. Manufacturing, supply chain, retail, building management – it’s a universally adoptable technology that has far-reaching benefits in every industry. Below are a few ways that we have utilised IIoT;
- Energy monitoring. Our energy management solution monitors consumption and benchmarks the data to visualise patterns which can identify ways businesses can reduce their energy consumption.
- Predictive maintenance. Assets, and their components, are subject to breakdown due to wear and tear. Understanding when this is, is something that has been previously impossible to know. Our solution uses IIoT to benchmark efficiency data for individual assets, and once this figure drops outside the threshold, engineers are called to assess the pending breakdown and avoid the downtime that comes with it.
- Digital twins. Creating a digital model of an asset provides a window into its behaviour. We are able to use these twins to forecast and predict the performance/condition of their real-world counterparts.
How Does Hark Use IIoT?
The biggest benefit of using IIoT is that it provides real-time data and can be accessed remotely. Increasing the usability of the service and allowing firms to fully integrate the solution into their processes. IoT is the biggest and most important part of everything we do at Hark; from installing sensors to displaying data for colossal industrial machines, IoT sits at the very centre of everything Hark does. Hark Connect and Hark Analytics both utilise IIoT to maximise efficiency for our clients, reducing costs and helping them achieve CSR targets.
To integrate IIoT into your business, get in touch with our team.
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