Advantech recently added new features to WISE-PaaS 3.0 and shared a series of ready-to-use SRP IoT packages based on WISE-PaaS and developed in collaboration with numerous partners. The company also outlined its future co-creation strategies and timelines for the coming year.

Allan Yang, Chief Technology Officer at Advantech, says: “While the IoT is currently booming and many companies have invested in connectivity and data collection equipment, we are still in the early stages of generating value from IoT data. Since launching WISE-PaaS in 2014, Advantech has been developing integration and improving connectivity with open-source communities. Our IoT software modules have been developed to create operational cloud platform services focused on the business value generated by data collection. Therefore, data-driven innovation has become the primary objective for our WISE-PaaS evolution.”

Process Visualization in Manufacturing OEE:
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is an increasingly important Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in today's production environments. Advantech provides its customers with a comprehensive solution that encompasses all the different steps from raw data collection to the creation of valuable KPI data. This demonstration showcases this capability through a simulation from the factory floor to the back office using just a few of the high-tech options we offer at each level of the architecture.

Advantech offers I/O interface solutions for wired and wireless data acquisition using various media and transmission protocols. The Wi-Fi-connected WISE series used in the demonstration offers a flexible selection of remote I/O configurations with the creation of digital data that can be shared via Modbus, MQTT, or REST.

Interfaces and equipment control
For equipment and machine manufacturers, saving space and reducing maintenance costs are the main incentives for innovation and optimization of machine design.

This demonstration combines automation control, motion control, and visual inspection into a single system, thus eliminating integration effort and increasing reliability. The system also provides a direct connection to an industrial monitor that acts as a local HMI, with data also available to the company via standard protocols and interfaces.

This demo utilizes EtherCAT, one of several fieldbus connectivity options offered within Advantech's range of communication and edge products, featuring flexible protocol conversion facilitated by simple user configuration. The demonstration also leverages the capabilities of Advantech's CODESYS soft PLC, PoE switches, and WebAccess SCADA solution.

Wireless sensors
Often in industrial environments, potentially useful data is not collected in IT or OT systems because the cost of collecting that information exceeds its value.

Wireless sensor networks can offer a significantly lower cost for data collection because no cables are needed, allowing the company to access a large portion of that data that was previously lost.

Advantech is showcasing a range of local and wide area wireless sensor solutions built on various wireless technologies. In addition to enhancements to the existing Wzzard local area mesh system, they will be demonstrating the recently launched WISE-4471 NB-IoT sensor node, which has already completed validation on Vodafone Ireland's NB-IoT network and is currently undergoing validation in other European countries as their networks are deployed.

Finally, Advantech has further expanded its wireless product line with the launch of the WISE-6610 LoRaWAN gateway and the Wzzard LRPv2 LoRaWAN node. Suitable for both public and private LoRaWAN installations, the wireless technology employed provides an efficient solution by enabling users to better control and manage applications in remote areas (e.g., overflow monitoring) and harsh environments (e.g., extreme temperatures, high humidity), overcoming the challenge of distance and thus maximizing monitoring efficiency and overall productivity.

Co-creating the future of IoT.
That's the slogan of Advantech since the major event held in Souzhu, China, on November 1st and 2nd, the "IoT Co-creation Summit." Advantech is transitioning from a hardware provider to a service provider across all three phases of IoT growth, and we are actively committed to co-creating domain-centric solutions with partners from various industries. To facilitate the co-creation of this ecosystem, Advantech is organizing the Advantech Co-creation Summit 2018, and during the SPS trade show, we will be welcoming our partners to our booth to present our comprehensive solutions to customers, encompassing hardware, software, and services.

During the SPS Advantech trade show, they will present a Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) demo on a robust, high-performance PPC for MES as an example of co-creation. The demo will show how TSN guarantees data transport with limited low latency, minimal delay variation, and extremely low loss.

"We are optimistic about the European IIoT market and welcome new partners to embark on new business opportunities with Industry 4.0," says Jash Bansidhar, IIoT Sector Director at Advantech Europe.

Supporting the Digital Transformation of Manufacturers:
Industry 4.0 is already established and operational, and the results are beginning to emerge. We are referring to the digital transformation of customers' processes to improve efficiency and production, and reduce downtime, energy losses, quality issues, and product losses. Most companies are at a point between strategy, definition, and guidance, with proof of concept, and large-scale management and implementation changes. At these stages, we will see changes that need to be addressed, such as data ownership, data context, avoiding data silos, and having a single version of the data. It will also be necessary to carefully define the connection with (legacy) equipment and machines, (cyber)security, and (wireless) infrastructure. Furthermore, once implementation is complete and the first results begin to appear, the application's management will need to be designed for both the current stage and the near future to maximize the flexibility and lifespan of the hardware, software, and infrastructure. For this, the help of specialized partners with experience in the sector is of utmost importance.

Advantech, a global IoT provider, has created a functional model to offer customers best-in-class knowledge and technology through a dedicated partner network. We call it Co-creation, and several of our partners will be showcasing their expertise in different areas in a dedicated partner solutions zone at our booth.

In addition to demonstrations from our long-standing German partners AMC (condition monitoring solution), GBM (ready-to-use real-time platform for programmable automation controllers), Inonet (customization and OEM services), Lucom (predictive maintenance and IoT solutions), and Sphinx (smart IoT infrastructure), we will have demonstrations from other European partners such as ErreUno, an eco-partner presenting a demonstration of predictive maintenance and VPN remote support. This will highlight the seamless integration of Advantech hardware, Codesys software, and Eagle-eye VPN remote support—a solution aimed at preventing breakdowns on the production floor with a significant reduction in maintenance costs. It also facilitates predictive technology through VPN, audio/video, and augmented reality.

Finally, we will also be offering a demonstration from our global partner, Atos. Atos and Advantech are committed to co-creating domain-centric solutions such as Industrial IoT for manufacturing, retail, and transportation. At the Advantech booth, Atos will be showcasing various IIoT solutions for the secure cloud-enabled factory of Industry 4.0, both at the edge and in the cloud.