Shop Floor Data Collection
No doubt that data is the key driver of industrial digitalization. However, too often manufacturers tend to focus solely on frontend functionalities when trying to implement data analytics, and underestimate the challenge of collecting usable data from diverse legacy machinery.
This misbelief is one of the main causes for the costs of digitalization running out of budget, or the reason for pilot projects getting stuck in the “pilot purgatory”.
We at SINNEO are dedicated to help our customers to overcome the challenge of acquiring reliable, high-quality data from their manufacturing shop floor. Utilizing our vast experience in automation systems and industrial communication, we provide turn-key data acquisition solutions for manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas and many other industrial applications.
Depending on the project setting, we can either provide a one-stop-shop solution including software systems for data monitoring and analytics (on-demand MES), or we collect the required data into (on-premise or cloud-based) production databases for further use by 3rd party software.
Our typical data acquisition solution consists of the following components:
- Automatic data acquisition: for any field devices such as PLCs, RTUs, remote I/O modules, industry PCs, sensors and so on. We setup individual communication interface for each devices according to the device-specific protocols and communication ports. Utilizing the highly reliable IPCOMM gateways we convert the fieldbuses to other protocols “digestible” for enterprise IT systems, such as OPC UA or MQTT. We also support our customers in installing and configuring robust, high-availability LAN/WLAN connectivity for the shop floor.
- Manual data entry: setup ergonomical and practical user interfaces for shop floor operators to enable manual data acquisition. The operators can apply either stationary terminals (PC workstations, HMI displays, etc.) or mobile client devices (mobile phones, tablets, industrial PDAs, etc.).
- OPC-UA server & OPC-to-Database Gateway: often we apply an OPC UA server software for collecting the data tags and via our in-house developed software gateway transfer the data to production databases.
- Central production database: according to the customer’s needs we log the data tags either into on-premise, or cloud-based databases. Most often we use standard MSSQL Server databases, and for demanding applications we apply production historian solutions (such as Proficy Historian from GE Digital). For maximal reliability we can also provide mirrored database architectures.
Do not hesitate to contact us for further information and solution consulting regarding your specific data acquisition application!