Network Communications News (NCN) June 2017 | Page 30

GREEN IT
Transmission of data
into the cloud
Capturing, transmitting and processing data lies at the heart of what has been dubbed
“the fourth industrial revolution”, says Jason Swann, Rittal’s product manager for climate.
I
t’s one of the reasons why
cutt ing-edge connectivity
has become so important
in factories and similar
environments to facilitate new,
smarter ways of working, such as
predictive maintenance.
Connectivity is a feature of
Rittal’s new cooling units and
chillers and its recent collaboration
with Siemens MindSphere and
IBM Watson IoT provides a unique
insight into the capabilities and
opportunities which exist, now and
in the future for a world enabled by
Industry 4.0. 
Rittal’s new Blue e+ cooling
units and chillers consume an
average of 70 per cent less
power than their conventional
counterparts. They also raise the
bar in M2M communication.
Specifically, they can transmit
ke y d ata to a sma r t p h o n e q u i c k l y
a n d si m p l y v i a a n NF C ( n e a r f i e l d
co mmu n i c at i o n) co n n e ct i o n .
T h e R i Di a g I I I p a ra m ete r i sat i o n
a n d d i a g n o st i c s sof t wa re u se s
a US B i nte r fa c e o r a n et wo r k
to su p p o r t ef f i c i e nt sy ste m
o p e rat i o n , d e l i ve r ra p i d su p p o r t
fo r m a i nte n a n c e a n d re p a i r s, a n d
d e l i ve r i n - d e pt h d i a g n o st i c s.
The new communications
module (Com Modul) also allows
the cooling units and chillers
to communicate with any
higher-level system via OPC
UA, PROFINET, SNMP, Modbus
RTU and CAN Master – enabling
predictive maintenance, data
analytics and more.
Siemens MindSphere
Rittal’s coolers and chillers
interact seamlessly with Siemens
MindSphere. This cloud-based,
open Internet of Things (IoT)
operating system enables
customers to develop their own
Industry 4.0 applications. The
platform is scalable, and can
capture and analyse huge volumes
of data – paving the way for
smart-factory processes in areas
such as energy data management
and resource optimisation to name
but two.
I n a d d i t i o n , i t h a r n e sse s
a n a l y t i c s to p re d i ct w h e n re p a i r s
a n d m a i nte n a n c e a re re q u i re d .
T h i s c u t s co st s a n d ra i se s
30 | June 2017
sy ste m u pt i me co mp ared to
sc h e d u l e d wo r k s co n ducted at
p re d ef i n e d i nte r va l s.
The system even calculates
the fastest way to complete these
tasks, which can be par ticularly
advantageous at facilities with a
large number of machines. Plus,
because up-to-the-minute data
on each unit is available on the
IoT plat form, ser vice engineers
know what replacement par ts
they will require for the job in
hand, eliminating the need for
multiple trips.
IBM Watson IoT
Wat so n ’ s a rc h i te ct u re i s
d e si g n e d to ra p i d l y p roces s
i nfo r m at i o n a n d e mp l oys machi n e
l e a r n i n g a l go r i t h m s to an alys e
g row i n g d ata vo l u me s wi th
i n c re a si n g p re c i si o n – wi th the
a i m of f i n d i n g b et te r an s wers to
a va r i et y of c h a l l e n ge s .
These types of data
analytics applications streamline
maintenance and cut downtime –
in other words, customers benefit
from lower costs and higher
machine availability. The solution’s
new technologies also open up
new business opportunities, for
example, within the scope of
smart maintenance contracts.
All this interactivity provides
a unique insight into the future
world of Industry 4.0, and the new
business models these will enable.
And all this potential stems from
the seamless transmission of data
from sensors inside the cooling
units and chillers to the cloud.
For further information visit:
www.rittal.co.uk