The Universal Translator: the Basis of Digital Transformation
Only 10 percent of industrial data is processed or analyzed. It is crucial to configure a Universal Translator within OT so that all IT-OT devices and services communicate and useful information can b...
Production plants are extremely heterogeneous environments, machines, automation equipment and sensors from different suppliers, all using different interfaces and operating with standard protocols that are anything but standard.
This creates a massive problem for manufacturers who want to embrace digital transformation, which requires us to eliminate operational and data silos and enable truly standardized and cross-cutting communication across all operational technologies.
Connectivity Problems in Industrial Communications
We have seen connectivity, communication and data acquisition problems that completely derail digital transformation projects, developers who spend months struggling just to connect to devices and extract the interesting data, leaving them little time to invest efforts in the transformation and how to make the most of that data. We have also seen companies with their own teams of developers who work for years to achieve connectivity, only to achieve limited results.
Engineers often use a mix of diverse tools to connect factory components (e.g. with MES/SCADA systems, custom solutions or other third-party solutions) with limited libraries ready to connect. This usually results in key information being left out of these systems and therefore this information remains isolated and does not help in rapid, optimized and automated decision making.
This means that engineers are faced with the dilemma of leaving part of the key data out of the automation systems or investing many hours implementing/developing the control libraries. Moreover, when we extrapolate this problem in multi-plant environments, an engineer or data analyst is forced to face multiple systems of various kinds just to obtain the data they need before they can start using it. Obviously, these methods do not produce actionable information or control in real time.
Complexity often grows exponentially when you consider that disparate tools are often implemented across multiple lines or sites. The tedious and time-consuming nature of the task naturally leads engineers to wonder if the only feasible solution is to eliminate and replace existing systems and devices, which involves a huge capital outlay and a significant impact on production (24×7?), leaving engineers with seemingly impossible choices.
A Universal Translator Offers Standardized Connectivity
Our Communication-Hub from Becolve Digital operates at the enterprise level, providing a fast and simple path that eliminates the need to extract and replace. Using C-Hub’s universal translation, engineers can now easily connect equipment and assets without disrupting operations. By standardizing data access, the solution can be scaled across lines and sites with ease. C-Hub’s universal translator interconnects data from different silos to optimize AI and analytics.
Only 10% of industrial data is processed or analyzed. It is crucial to configure a Universal Translator within OT so that all IT-OT devices and services communicate and useful information can be extracted.
The incredible potential of sharing, aggregating, analyzing and acting on plant data has been untapped until now, with C-Hub, digital transformation is easier than you think. You can start here:
