Transform cost-efficiency and innovation in the manufacturing, engineering, construction and agriculture sectors with edge data solutions for operational technology – enabling intelligent production equipment, smart factories, intelligent site security, predictive logistics and more.
Manufacturing has always been an innovative industry in terms of processes and operational technology – from the development of new labor practices, machinery and production lines, to the digital designs, virtual prototypes, computer-controlled equipment and factory robots of today. It’s also an industry with a very clear operational ‘edge’ – the physical places where things are done and products are made, such as factories, production centers, workshops and warehouses, as well as related facilities for supply chain logistics and product life cycle management. The manufacturing industry is also served by another group of ‘makers’ – the makers of manufacturing equipment and other operational technology (OT). Now that industry is facing a new opportunity, presented by the potential value of data being created by this OT at the manufacturing edge. Manufacturers stand to gain benefits such as increased productivity and efficiency with predictive maintenance, while improving safety and compliance. But as an OT maker, will you have the capabilities to make the most of this manufacturing edge opportunity?
Modern manufacturers use data analytics in core data centers and cloud platforms for all kinds of purposes – from business applications like ERP to virtual prototyping and product R&D. At the same time, massive volumes of potentially valuable data are also being generated in their edge environments – by manufacturing equipment and other OT products, containing integrated sensors, video cameras and embedded systems. However, it has proven impractical to apply real-time analytics to this edge data in core data center IT or the cloud, due to challenges around latency, connectivity, bandwidth costs and security – so the potential value and insights in the data remain unexploited.
Making the edge connection
Now manufacturers are seeing the advantages of bringing more data connectivity, computing power and analytics systems directly into the manufacturing edge environment. ‘Edge computing’ has the potential to transform cost-efficiency and innovation in the manufacturing industry – with intelligent production equipment, smart factories, intelligent site security, predictive logistics and more.
Makers of OT products that upgrade their solutions with edge data capabilities can enable manufacturing businesses to:
- Bring new innovative products to market more easily.
- Optimize manufacturing processes and supply chain
- Improve production efficiency and reduce costs.
- Enable smart factories and smart buildings with integrated intelligent systems and performance analytics.
Similar edge benefits are emerging for related industries like engineering, agriculture and construction. For example, a leading provider of GPS technology produces a touch-screen device for the agricultural industry, enabling farm tractors to be precisely steered in the field for efficient food production. Recently they upgraded their solution with edge-based data analytics and integration to a new agricultural SaaS platform – enabling them to achieve market differentiation with innovative solutions for ‘smarter farming’.
Makers of OT for manufacturing and related industries are increasingly partnering with Arrow to help them put their edge product strategy into action. As a global manufacturer ourselves, Arrow understands the real-world challenges of creating your edge solution – and we provide the expertise, capabilities, products and services you need to bring it to market successfully.
Building a smarter industry
For example, we recently worked with a leading provider of solutions for enterprise-level building automation and control, used in ‘smart factories’ and manufacturing facilities. We helped them develop a new edge gateway product – enabling integrated performance data analytics over multiple sites. Now manufacturers and other organizations can use the new edge solution to track real-time building performance, maintenance needs and trends – via a dashboard on their mobile device.
Arrow loads the vendor’s software image on a cellular gateway. We also provide the cellular connectivity data plan and manage the associated billing for an improved customer experience. Our logistics facility maintains a stock of finished goods inventory ready for same-day shipping to customers,
Making plans for your own edge OT product? Download our ebook on the evolving edge landscape and read our practical guide to developing your own edge OT solution. If you need a trusted partner to help drive your edge strategy forward, you’ll find we’re made for each other.
