For small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) – especially companies in the field of machinery and plant engineering – the digitization process can be highly complex and challenging.
In seeking to ready their machinery for the coming digital future, such companies have been lacking secure, convenient options that would reliably conform with German laws on data privacy and security. Now Eaton, a maker of power-management systems, and the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems are assisting German SMEs, in their transition to industry 4.0, by providing secure IoT solutions for cloud-based systems interconnection.
Help from the cloud
From the cloud, machine builders will soon be able to monitor complete systems; provide predictive maintenance for systems; and, via intelligent data analysis, optimize production-line machines' productivity and operational costs (by minimizing wear, for example).
In a joint white paper entitled "T-Systems and Eaton combine secure cloud technologies with comprehensive data transparency" ("T-Systems und Eaton verbinden sichere Cloud-Technologien mit umfassender Daten-Transparenz"), the two Bonn-based companies describe the challenges and obstacles that companies face as they seek to make the transition to industry 4.0.
Free support
The special challenges that companies encounter in this transition are found in the areas of a) integration of production and logistics systems and b) suitable modification of ICT systems. The white paper may be downloaded free of charge at: www.eaton.de/iot-cloud.