New-Tech Europe Magazine | Dec 2017

Connectors & Cables Special Edition

Remote Access Remote Access Enables Real-Time Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance

Thierry Bieber, Molex

Unless you have been hiding away there is no escaping the fact that industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) is constantly in the news globally. We are already seeing machine builders and high-end manufacturers applying these techniques to create intelligent, connected industrial machines and systems. These link directly from office to device to deliver clear advantages in terms of cost and risk reduction, enhanced performance and flexibility as well as opening up new service opportunities. Here at Molex we see engineers facing the challenge of ensuring that vital maintenance is carried out as machines and manufacturing lines become even more complex. Traditionally, rapid response and versatile troubleshooting, based on in-depth knowledge and familiarity with the plant, have been the stock-in-trade of successful maintenance engineers. As these

machines and systems integrate more intelligent technology, their complexity makes them increasingly difficult to maintain. Globalisation compounds this as they can be located anywhere in the world. The issue here is that as use of intelligent technology increases they become more difficult to maintain. In parallel, manufacturing plants are typically an accumulation of highly diverse installed technologies and systems, acquired from different vendors over time, running a variety of software, operating systems and applications – all needing to work together harmoniously. Finding maintenance staff with the skills and expertise to handle the full scope of this technology infrastructure is becoming ever more difficult. This results in rising costs simply to maintain the required levels of availability– not to mention higher risk! But Industry 4.0 technologies also

present newpossibilities to help address these maintenance challenges. These same intelligent sensing, connectivity and communications capabilities can also enable new maintenance and service opportunities. In contrast to the traditional preventive approach, based on predetermined maintenance and fixed intervals or duty cycles, operational machine and sensor data is continuously monitored, collected and analysed in real-time. Stored in the cloud with appropriate levels of security, this data can be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world, using a computer, tablet or smartphone. Specialist software flexibly monitors and analyses the data, triggering alerts based on defined rules and parameters, notifying the correct team member depending on the requirement, perhaps even assigning digital service tickets. Molex and MB connect line have

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