The IIoT is the fuse that sparked off Industry 4.0, or to give it its other name, the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The truth is that the only real revolution was the first. The first phase of industrialisation has since changed to one where changes are taking place by leaps and bounds thanks to the increasingly important role of ICT in production.
And also thanks to platforms that enable digitalisation processes in industry, which connects all the IT systems operating in a plant, processes the information from each and every one, interprets it and presents it in segregated format to every user.
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A simple definition of IIoT
However, the key factor that has opened the way to a new paradigm is the Internet of Things (IoT) and its industrial offspring, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which is nothing more or less than the capacity to interconnect every system and device, making it possible to generate and process an incredible amount of data for our own benefit.
To put it simply: data is to Industry 4.0 what the steam engine was to Industry 1.0, a process accelerator that reduces costs and increases productivity.
New paradigms, new strategies
This new paradigm has forced companies to change their strategies. Until recently, an incremental approach was the norm in industry: “we’re going install a vibration detector and reduce downtime by 10%”. The new paradigm, with interconnected sensors, devices, machinery and people, and with technological solutions that were the stuff of dreams just a few decades ago, means that we can’t make do with this approach any more: we now have the chance to wipe the slate clean and rethink the processes that these new possibilities offer.
But that doesn’t mean starting totally from scratch, but rather integrating the potential that the IIoT offers to company strategies. And now we really will start our ‘IIoT implementation guide’ with this first maxim: Technologies don’t build strategies, people do.
Guide to implementing IIoT Step by step
1. People, processes and policies
Technology is a tool, not a solution in itself. Solutions are thought up by people, based on policies to ensure effective utilisation of technology and after establishing applicable processes to use technology in the best way and at the best possible time.
So, the first point of the guide is: To implement IIoT, set up an internal team of experts in different areas of the company. And get them working with a team of experts in industrial applications of IIoT (who will most likely come from outside the company).
Then, the same people will have to plan a Change Management Programme (in bold and with caps because it’s especially important). The aim will be to get the team whose activity is likely to be affected by the project on board with the company’s objectives and moving in the same direction.
2. The Ideal Final Result and the Minimum Solution Unit
First, let’s establish ‘why’ we want to implement IIoT-based systems: to reduce service operation costs, improve output, increase efficiency… That way we can make sure that the project is aligned with the business objectives. Doing some previous market research to determine commercial objectives would also be a very good idea.
Now that the rules of the game have changed and the incremental approach is obsolete, we need to go that much further in finding solutions to reach our objectives: Let’s imagine an Ideal Final Result (IFR) linked to these objectives and to each area of the company.
How do we get to the IFR?
One effective option is for the service teams to check their operational procedures to insert new IoT-based processes in day-to-day operations. In some cases the processes will be completely replaced. What’s more, we’ll be involving the team from the word go, which is highly recommended.
Once the maximum objectives have been established, and without forgetting that nothing drives teams more than immediate positive results, we start working on what we at Aritex Code call the Minimum Solution Unit.
3. Processes for controlling IoT projects
Simply handing a tool over to a technician doesn’t mean that results will necessarily get any better. Just like with any new process, specific training is a must. And even more so with IIoT projects. Because any success for projects of this type depends to a great extent on how involved the technical team are from the early stages of application. We at Aritex are firm believers in involving the team from the start and we get them to actively participate in the evolution and outcome of the project to ensure that they share in the success.
Key points in establishing new processes to control IIoT projects
- Define clear objectives
- Establish a solid communication framework
- Implement flexible methodologies
- Include risk management processes As we’ll see below, security is a major factor.
- Use analysis for data-based decision making
- Constantly monitor and evaluate progress
4. Planning data management
As we said, data management is vital for making the right decisions. But strict planning is needed to adequately process them. You need to establish what data are you interested in, where they are stored, for how long, who should access them, how to analyse them, etc.
If you go no further than installing smart sensors and collecting data without any prior planning, you’ll end up with mountains of information and you’ll waste resources on managing and storing it.
Because you may have data available, but that doesn’t mean that you have it all under control. The idea is to make a process more efficient.
The only really valuable data that are the ones that help you to solve the problems described in the business use case. Even if you limit your data management to the ones that are strictly necessary, you’ll still have so much information that one entire part of the project will be given over to managing it correctly.
By doing so, you’ll be able to harmonise the system costs, performance and scalability. And you’ll be able to make use of all the potential of IoT and obtain a competitive edge.
5. Implementing multiple security tiers
Any project based on IIoT needs to have a very clear concept of security based on implementing multiple tiers. Thankfully, current measures are very powerful and stratified to protect them from any hazards:
- User and asset authentication and access control, including biometric data
- Communication channels protected with encrypted language
- IoT devices protected with passwords and tokens
- Anomalies in connections and activities monitored and detected
ThingWorx, the PTC platform that runs smart factories, manages security in different tiers, from encrypting communications to privilege administration to ensure that users only have access to the data that they are going to use.
However, although the software enables security management, a detailed response plan is also needed to make fast and precise decisions to deal with possible incidents.
You may also have to program regular updates to minimise the risk of IT security being compromised. A third-party assessment schedule should also be established to adapt to new potential threats.
Although all that sounds like a major investment in time and money, it’s important to remember that specific security needs are already included when planning the return on investment (ROI) and form part of any digital transformation project.
An expert partner in IIoT, your closest ally for digital transformation projects
Now that we’ve explained the basic points in our IIoT implementation guide for industry, we’d like to underline one key factor for the success of any project: Support from experts in digital transformation projects who have helped a lot of companies to evolve.
And that’s exactly what Aritex does.
Contact us and we’ll tell you all about our experience with real cases.
