Though the devices used in many Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) projects may not be entirely new, the architectures used to facilitate IIoT levels of data aggregation, sharing, and analysis tend to be of a more recent vintage. So, even though you may be experienced in working with the types of controllers, sensors, and I/O systems used for IIoT initiatives, having access to quality support from your technology supplier(s) is critical to your project’s success.
But how do you go about assessing the level of support you should expect from a technology supplier for an IIoT project?
First, it’s important to realize that the evaluation should go far beyond knowing who will pick up the phone when you call—though this is an important aspect. The supplier’s support team should also be able to help you figure out the value proposition of the IIoT project you’re looking to implement. They should be able to help guide you in understanding what you can realistically expect to get out of the project, in operational terms, as well as the return on investment (ROI).
The support you get from your technology supplier should also address the design work typical at the beginning of an IIoT project. Scott McWilliams, vice president of global operations consulting at Emerson Automation Solutions, says, “IIoT opens up a new world and a new approach to how we design [automated production systems]. A vendor on a typical continuous-improvement project might only consider process design issues, but that typically just covers the inputs and outputs of one part of the process. Now, with IIoT, you’ve got to look at the inputs across an entire end-to-end process—because some critical inputs may originate in a business system outside of the plant. You’ll need the vendor to sit down and help you think out the whole process from the very beginning with a focus on how to improve both process efficiency and efficacy.”
Opto 22’s groov EPIC (Edge Programmable Industrial Controller). Source: Opto 22Swagelok’s experience
Swagelok, a manufacturer of components for gas and fluid systems, was looking for a way to automatically monitor, record, and escalate its assembly process. To do this, the company needed to make information from its Allen-Bradley PLCs more readily available so that its support team could have quicker visibility into its shop floor operations.
Doing this via an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) project seemed a natural fit for collecting, sharing, and analyzing the relevant data. Matt DeLuca, quality engineer for Swagelok, says the company selected Opto 22’s groov EPIC (Edge Programmable Industrial Controller) for this project in no small part due to the quality of Opto 22’s support.
“When we first started, they gave us a very in-depth demo to explain the capabilities of the devices. Between then and now, we have done a handful of virtual training sessions and webinars that have helped us take our implementations to the next level,” says DeLuca. “Any time I have a question or issue, I have direct contacts with Opto 22, not an automated phone service. Their team has been more than willing to meet with our engineers and support teams to talk about additional features we would like to see or if a best practice could benefit us.”
Opto 22’s support staff are all engineers with access to an array of test equipment on …….