Presented here are recent news announcements regarding the following organizations: Zyter, ToolWatch, DeWalt, Semtech, InVue, NiceLabel, OnAsset Intelligence, Essence Group, CESMII and Litmus.
Zyter Offers IoT Solution for Smart Factories
Zyter, a digital health and Internet of Things (IoT) enablement platform, has announced the launch of its Smart Factories solution, which connects factory floor machinery, workers and building systems using IoT devices on Zyter’s digital-transformation platform. Smart Factories is a component of the company’s SmartSpaces IoT platform. Used by Qualcomm for its Smart Cities Accelerator Program, SmartSpaces breaks down silos of information by integrating and consolidating data from IoT devices and applications, the company reports.
Smart Factories provides manufacturers with a view into what is happening across a factory floor, using a network of connected devices and sensors, including safety equipment worn by workers. IoT sensors send alerts and notifications to the platform’s dashboard regarding safety issues, authorization breaches, machinery utilization and asset monitoring. Smart Factories then translates this data to analytics, to help manufacturers understand productivity and safety metrics, as well as gain insights into other metrics related to factory management, operations and efficiency improvements.
“Zyter Smart Factories meets the increasing demand from manufacturers for IoT technologies that help make the factory run more efficiently,” said Sanjay Govil, Zyter’s founder and CEO, in a prepared statement. “With the analytics gained from complete visibility of the factory floor, machinery monitoring and worker tracking, manufacturers can make more informed decisions to make their factories smarter, safer and more productive.”
The Factory Floor Productivity feature provides a continuous stream of real-time data from IoT devices on machinery, materials and workers. This helps factory managers plan production runs, as well as monitor and address events and incidents to avoid safety issues or productivity loss.
The Worker Safety and Tracking feature detects and alerts whenever workers remove hard hats, safety goggles and other gear, as well as whether anyone enters unauthorized areas. Smart Factories can also send machine malfunction safety alerts to notify supervisors and onsite medical personnel to preempt any potential worker injury.
Finally, the Asset Tracking and Utilization feature provides real-time data on usage of high-value machinery in terms of running times, usage efficiency, energy consumption and other factors. Smart Factories offers asset-tracking capability so users can locate manufacturing materials or mobile equipment, as well as send alerts if assets are being moved without authorization.
ToolWatch, DeWalt Partner on Tool-Management Tech
ToolWatch, which provides a cloud-based system for operations management at construction companies, has announced that its technology integration with DeWalt‘s Tool Connect solution is now available to all ToolWatch users. DeWalt, a manufacturer of power tools, hand tools, storage and accessories, teamed up with ToolWatch to improve the tool-ownership experience more than a year ago, the company reports, by combining Tool Connect’s integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) functionality with ToolWatch’s solution.
The integration has been in beta testing with ToolWatch’s customers since early 2020. The update is now available to ToolWatch users, who can now synchronize Tool Connect tools, tags and chips to their ToolWatch inventory automatically, the company reports, thus eliminating the need to manually scan tools, equipment and consumables. All item information, including tool records, job costs, billing, inventory quantity, transfers, service, calibration and reporting, can be accessed via ToolWatch, and users can see where tools are located in real time.
If a tool is transferred to a different job site, the BLE technology will enable automatic reassignment to the new project and initiate job cost and billing transactions to that site. “Enhancing operational efficiency begins by streamlining internal processes, and asset management is a crucial part of a construction company’s overall state of operations,” said Don Kafka, ToolWatch’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “This integration with DeWalt allows users to streamline many steps of the tool-management process and enhance asset visibility. Eliminating these tedious tasks and tightening wasteful processes allows ToolWatch users to boost operational efficiency overall.”
According to ToolWatch, customers that have piloted the system have reported that the integration has helped them eliminate time-consuming processes, improve the overall productivity of job sites and maximize assets, resources and labor. By utilizing more accurate data, improving workflows and streamlining the asset-upload process, the company explains, decision-makers can better determine areas of operational improvement. The Tool Connect system has the Bluetooth chip already installed, while the corresponding tags, connectors and batteries can be attached to anything on a job site, such as equipment, storage, large tools and materials, regardless of brand.
Semtech, InVue Collaborate on LoRaWAN Products for Retail
Semtech, a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and algorithms, has announced its collaboration with InVue, a provider of hardware and software for retail, consumer electronics and data centers. The two companies will integrate the LoRaWAN protocol into InVue LIVE-compatible products for retail display, security and operations.
“I consistently hear from our retail customers around the world about the growing need for not only data, but actionable insights which result in greater efficiency, security and less friction for shoppers in stores,” said Chris Gibson, InVue’s chief product and marketing officer, in a prepared statement. “With LoRaWAN, we can deliver on these priorities across a variety of retail applications through our InVue LIVE products in a simple, secure and scalable way.”
Semtech says InVue’s integration of the LoRaWAN protocol into its InVue LIVE products represents a successful implementation of LoRaWAN into the broader retail industry and focuses on improving the key areas in which retail companies invest—operational readiness and the shopper experience—including product availability, convenience and customer insights. This product suite gives retailers the ability to monitor and manage operations via a single platform, as well as deliver actionable data and insights in real time.
Each InVue LIVE device uses a LoRaWAN network to wirelessly connect to the Internet, while offering bidirectional communication, security, mobility and localization services. This functionality, the company explains, enables retailers to track customer interactions with display merchandise for phones and tablets (S3100V and OnePOD Wireless), reduce theft (OneKEY), measure on-shelf availability (OSA Sensor), and automate on/off and planogram reporting electronics displays (TV Manager).
“As the Internet of Things continues to revolutionize the world around us, the application in retail has been nothing short of remarkable with the LoRaWAN protocol,” said Marc Pegulu, the VP of IoT product marketing and strategy for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group, in the prepared statement. “Our collaboration with InVue is groundbreaking for both the customer and retailer due to LoRaWAN protocol capabilities that offer ease of deployment, scalability and even streamline operation costs for retailers to understand what is happening in their stores.”
NiceLabel Releases Study on Production Line Shutdowns
NiceLabel has announced that U.S. manufacturers, on average, incur losses of around $1.17 million annually due to production line shutdowns caused by label printing problems, according to a global study of IT directors in manufacturing organizations. This is slightly below the global average, with many companies losing more than $1.31 million. The study is titled “Modernizing, Streamlining and Digitizing: How Manufacturers Can Address Labeling Challenges and Opportunities.”
The study of 300 IT directors globally, including 100 from the United States, found that more than two-thirds of manufacturers (67 percent) had to shut down their production line for more than an hour if there was a problem with label printing, with an additional 21 percent saying the line had to be shut down for more than 30 minutes. Recovery time was slightly faster but still problematic for U.S. manufacturers, according to the study, with 51 percent experiencing downtimes of 60 minutes or longer.
The study revealed that manufacturers have had to pause production lines just under six times a year due to such problems on average, with nearly three-quarters (77 percent globally and 69 percent in the United States) reporting that their production line had to be paused four times or more in the past year as a consequence of labeling issues. “Any business disruption or shutdown can significantly impact any manufacturer, causing loss of revenues and ultimately even putting the business itself in jeopardy,” said Ken Moir, NiceLabel’s VP of marketing, in a prepared statement. “The danger of that being caused by mislabeling becomes a growing concern as labeling becomes a key part of business and supply chain strategy.”
Twenty-nine percent of the U.S. survey sample reported cost reductions as a main benefit of modernizing and automating manufacturing processes, while 31 percent referenced error elimination and 22 percent cited productivity gains. “Ultimately, the risks to production operations extend well beyond full shutdowns,” Moir said. “Decentralized labeling, for example, also adds risk to production operations. An ERP system is supposed to provide ‘a single source of truth’ to business users.”
At decentralized labeling operations, each facility may not be integrated with ERP and will thus create its own label formats and duplicate product and customer data. “After all, without centralization,” Moir explained, “manufacturers are generally not integrated to the same source of truth, and that creates redundancies of data, making enterprise-wide updates unmanageable and adding significantly to inaccuracies and inconsistencies.”
OnAsset Intelligence Unveils Supply Chain Monitoring System with LoRaWAN
OnAsset Intelligence, a provider of supply chain monitoring solutions, has announced the launch of its Sentry FlightSafe device, designed to improve visibility on high-value shipments brought about by recent global supply chain disruptions. This supply chain monitoring device includes 5G cellular connectivity, LoRaWAN technology and an on-device display for access to critical shipment data.
OnAsset reports that it has experienced a great deal of growth resulting from manufacturers’ and shippers’ focus on supply chain visibility, driven in part by global repercussions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain monitoring requires the customized delivery of timely, high-quality data, the company explains, adding that the Sentry device provides insight via 5G communications for global operation using cellular networks to quickly deliver data to customer dashboards.
LoRaWAN offers new avenues of communication in challenging areas, OnAsset reports, such as in cargo terminals and on container ships. The Sentry’s interface enables users to configure the device or gain visibility without having to log into a desktop or mobile application. Audiovisual and cryogenic sensors, in addition to existing temperature, humidity, light, shock and tilt sensors, can provide information to shippers.
“This is a big milestone, 15 years in the making,” said Adam Crossno, OnAsset’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “The supply chain has been challenged over the past year, from responding to the onslaught of e-commerce and workforce shortages, to the challenges of vaccine shipments. Shippers have invested in costly supply chain monitoring platforms, but all too often data feeds fall short of expectations for timeliness, level of detail and accuracy. The new Sentry, in concert with OnAsset’s suite of monitoring technologies, resolves data-quality issues and is easily deployable on a global scale.”
The system provides insight into each step of the supply chain, from the point of origin to an item’s destination, across all modes of transport, along with a detailed view of cargo at rest within warehouses or on cross-docks. The Sentry FlightSafe system continuously monitors and reports temperature, humidity, light, shock and chain-of-custody details to the cloud. Customers then receive data via the OnAsset Insight mobile app, a Web platform or an API, providing a clear view of their cargo and conditions.
Essence Group Expands Sustainable IoT Efforts
Essence Group, a provider of IoT solutions for the security and care markets, has announced an expansion of its existing environment, social and governance activities. Announced in early 2020, the company explains, such activities form a comprehensive framework that will impact every element of its business—from research and design to development and deployment of security and wellness products—as well as communities in the markets in which it operates.
“As a major IoT developer and manufacturer of highly innovative solutions and with a complex global supply chain, we have an opportunity to influence and direct resources towards more sustainable operations,” said Haim Amir, Essence Group’s CEO and founder, in a prepared statement. “We are increasing our selection of product components that contribute to carbon reduction, as well as innovating enhanced power-saving measures in our solutions. In addition, we have ramped up the work of the Amir Foundation’s educational programs to ensure that low socio-economic communities can access growth opportunities throughout the tech ecosystem.”
The company is working to lower its carbon emission impact by altering its manufacturing processes in order to increase product sustainability. It has a long-term partnership with Flex, under which it says programs were implemented that have reduced the usage of tin lead solder, increased the use of recycled plastics and lowered water usage in manufacturing processes. Essence Group has also developed power-consumption algorithms in its wireless security and safety devices that are intended to reduce the use of energy and provide a longer battery life.
“Our corporate ‘peace of mind’ strategy covers not only our promise to our customers and end users, in terms of the quality, reliability and innovation of our solutions, but also our commitment to our colleagues by creating a positive, diverse and inclusive work environment that provides opportunities for all,” added Hagai Enoch, Essence Group’s COO, in the prepared statement. “This belief extends to our supply chain where, in collaboration with partners such as Flex, we have created employment opportunities for over 50 people with special needs.”
In addition, Essence Group supports the Amir Foundation, which has launched nine community projects that will provide scholarships and educational opportunities to more than 100 children and young adults, along with supporting community programs that help resolve educational and health inequalities. “We are continually challenging ourselves on ESG policies and standards,” Amir explained, “as they support our mission to improve lives within a safer, healthier and more secure environment. As we develop and expand our business, these values will be our top priority.”
CESMII Awards Smart Manufacturing Project to Litmus
Litmus has announced that it has been awarded a contract from CESMII—The Smart Manufacturing Institute, which issued a call for research and development projects to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies. Litmus was chosen from a list of 28 responses to CESMII’s request for proposals.
The project, titled, “Machine and Process Health Monitoring,” will connect the company’s Litmus Edge software to computer numerical control (CNC) machines at Bray International, a manufacturer of flow-control and automation products and accessories. The project has three projected outcomes: creating a smart manufacturing profile for a valve manufacturing CNC machine, exposing KPIs to optimize Bray International’s maintenance routines, and exposing KPIs to optimize Bray’s machine uptime and part quality.
“Litmus was chosen from a large pool of RFPs because their project directly aligned with our specific areas of interest for applying smart manufacturing principles to real-world manufacturing processes and operations challenges,” said John Dyck, CESMII’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “These projects are vital to a global transformation of the manufacturing industry and we look forward to working with Litmus and Bray International to see real progress in their productivity, performance and maintenance initiatives.”
Litmus will follow the CESMII Innovation Project’s requirement to solve a challenging manufacturing use case for processes and equipment within approximately three to six months in a cost-effective, reusable, secure, scalable and repeatable manner. Its Litmus Edge platform collects data from industrial assets; comes with pre-built applications, KPIs and analytics; enables users to build and run custom applications; and integrates data with any cloud or enterprise system. Litmus says it will work directly with Bray International to connect all CNC machines and collect data immediately.
“We are thrilled our RFP was chosen by CESMII—our use case with Bray International aligns with their priorities to improve the manufacturing industry through digital transformation, and we help companies do that every day,” said Vatsal Shah, Litmus’s cofounder and CEO, in a prepared statement. “Through this project, Litmus and Bray will use the power of edge computing to calculate and improve overall equipment efficiency, optimize maintenance routines and better understand the causes of machine failure or quality issues. Our solution is built to implement and scale rapidly, so Litmus Edge is perfect for this use case and we expect to show ROI in just a few months.”