Plant Equipment and Hire February 2018 | Page 42

INSIGHT ENTERPRISE CONNECTIVITY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COSTLY: SIMPLIFYING THE IIOT LANDSCAPE By Barry Elliott Are there ‘quick wins’ to be had in implementing a ‘connected enterprise’? Barry Elliott unpacks the value of incremental, self-sustaining informational upgrades. T he many studies surrounding the Industrial Internet of This goes a long way to addressing the general lack of Things (IIoT) all agree on one central theme: the potential understanding surrounding how best to implement IIoT that was profitability gains of smart, real-time connectivity across highlighted in the MPI study. operations and information domains represents trillions of dollars It also represents the type of investment models that are more of value. relevant today and can be realistically achieved in the currently Rockwell Automation recently teamed up with The MPI Group to depressed global economy, where large-scale capital investments conduct a study of our own, exploring how ready manufacturers are remain relatively scarce. If we begin to align available operational for the arrival of the IIoT. The general findings of the study revealed expenditure allocations with small incremental improvements to that, while manufacturers generally agreed on the importance process efficiencies, migration to an IIoT enterprise — a connected of IIoT to their future business competitiveness — and thus enterprise — becomes a self-sustaining exercise that can then be recognised a need for associated capital investments — most did proportionately up-scaled with often minimal balance sheet impact. As vendors and advisors providing the technological basis for not have a strategy on how it should be realised in their enterprise. IIoT to materialise, we need to help industry understand the many It is not the fault of industry that there is a general lack of understanding about how they should be embracing the fourth and varied ways in which a road to greater operational connectivity industrial revolution. On the contrary; our job as technology can be established. By simplifying the landscape through step- companies and advisors is to help businesses realise and by-step operational improvements that deliver quick, tangible understand the wide range of options and scale available to them value, we can help customers’ journeys to a connected enterprise in which incremental gains in the migration to the smart factory or become much clearer. ■ plant can be achieved. Indeed, upgrading the connectivity of your operation needn’t ABOUT THE AUTHOR be costly. And it certainly isn’t scary. In many cases, unbeknown to them, customers already have a range of suitable technologies — in whole or in part — to achieve at least some quick, and in most cases, sustainable wins. Instead of conceptualising enterprise connectivity just as a big- investment, high-gain operational jump of impending necessity, discussions need to be had about the role, nature, and value of quick, achievable, but most importantly, scaleable wins. Can more value be leveraged from existing assets and processes without additional capital requirements? In most cases, that answer is yes. investment. But perhaps even more importantly, they can function as a proof of concept, simplifying the IIoT landscape and paving the way for customers to not only make more robust, better informed business cases, but to know exactly at which points in 40 Targeting these opportunities can often yield tangible gains in productivity, and even cost base, generally for very little their operation they should be focussing these efforts to reap Barry Elliot is the managing director of Rockwell maximum performance gains. Automation sub-Saharan Africa. FEBRUARY 2018