2016 – The year of analytics
In the evolution of the Industrial Internet we have now moved on to the stage where many companies are already either in the process of experimenting or introducing different kinds of new products and services. At the moment the burning question is how to produce value around these innovations. Juha Pankakoski, CDO at Konecranes looks back at the year 2015 and forecasts the hot topics in 2016.
In the past year the floor has been taken on multiple occasions to ponder on the questions of how to create the right revenue models, and how to productize the collected data. In other words, the general interest has shifted from the technology itself to the impact it will have on the existing business models and business logics.
Collecting data alone is not enough. Neither is being able to utilize it and developing it further into new knowledge and insights. All of this needs to be done in such manner that certain, concrete actions come out of it. Think of it as a loop that needs to be closed: already before heading to the first curve you need to know how to close it.
We are now beginning to understand how certain functions in older products can be utilized to serve some of the new goals. In elevators, for example, there is a statutory alarm system that needs to be checked every day. All elevator cars must be equipped with an emergency button that at any time, once pressed, connects the elevator to the service center. So basically what we have is an existing connection and a platform that can be expanded into new functions by adding sensors, data collection features, and such.
Another very concrete example is the troubleshooting on offshore oil rigs and large cruise ships. With new remote monitoring systems any problems or faults in marine vessels can be detected and even repaired from mainland using remote connection. Analyzing the data sent from the offshore vessels also enables a more preventive approach on maintenance planning when the ship is ashore.
The year of the hackathon
Hackathons are events where coders and designers assemble to collaborate intensively for a certain period of time to create new digital software and solutions. One of the main goals of setting up hackathons is to make it easier for different companies and businesses to encounter despite of their size. And luckily this is something that truly has been achieved with these events in the past year. Forums where different actors all come together and utilize each other’s know-how to find new solutions and overcome obstacles have really increased the understanding of what kind opportunities are at hand.
Augmented reality was another hot topic in 2015, and a lot has happened on that front. Companies are pushing out products, such as virtual reality glasses, at an accelerating pace. Many of these still need further development before qualifying for industrial use, but they are close. I believe that breakthroughs are just around the corner.
Using augmented reality in business can mean, for example, being able to better utilize expertise throughout the organization and especially in the field. Consulting and supporting colleagues conducting customer visits becomes easier from a distance, for instance, when the absent can get a realistic view of the situation at hand onsite. This not only helps increase and share knowledge inside the company, but also improves quality from the customers’ perspective.
“The role of data analysts and scientists will surely become more important in strengthening and further developing companies’ competitiveness”
The importance of analytics
The focal thing that is likely to gain a lot of attention in the near future is the importance of analytics expertise. As said, in 2015, the focus was mainly on building the suitable technology that enables monitoring and data collection, whereas now the main motivation is to process that data into new kind of operation, which then generates value. As a result, the role of data analysts and scientists will surely become more important in strengthening and further developing companies’ competitiveness. Also, we will undoubtedly be introduced to numerous new concepts that draw from machine learning, pattern recognition and so on.
Finally, a trend that will most likely continue to shape the industry in 2016 is the ongoing discussion about dominant standards and platforms. I believe that it is still too early to expect any system to gain superiority over the others. However, I do think that more and more actors have realized that the chances of survival for closed systems are rather weak. From where I stand, the future is in open source software and modularity.
All in all, finding out what works and what doesn’t is basically about learning things through trial and error. This is why we need to keep putting our heads together for the greater good.
Juha Pankakoski works as CDO at Konecranes
Image credit: yavuzunlu / Shutterstock.com
Interfaces play a big part in connecting machinery and the operators
Clothing materials that ping your location to heavy machinery at any given time. Smart warehouses that keep track of every object that is in their premises. Augmented reality arriving to industrial environments. How can companies make sure that they take the most out of the technology that’s going to surround them everywhere? And what are the main benefits in having an industrial internet in ports, in warehouses or in the corporate headquarters? It all begins in your pocket, writes Johannes Tarkiainen, Industrial Design Manager at Konecranes.
The good practices come from the consumer market
Apple buys Metaio, Microsoft launches Hololens. The headlines say it all: Big leaps toward a fully realized Industrial Internet are taken continuously, and the large enterprises in the know are already making their moves. At the same time smaller companies are passing milestones in the way data is produced and processed. The data itself is moved increasingly to the cloud while offering larger amounts of analytics, transforming collected data into information – and finally into knowledge. With the rapid-fire advancements also come boosts in efficiency and safety.
A great deal of people already have some experience with wearable technology, more precisely their smart phones. According to one prediction[i], by 2018, over two and a half billion people on the planet will have a smart phone, compared to the 1.75 billion in the end of 2014[ii].
For industrial companies, a lot can be learned from the consumer market applications. The operating systems and applications that are available for consumers are easily adaptable to fit the needs of the user. They also rely more and more on a highly visual way of representing the world helping the user to decipher information at a quick glance of a screen. The applications that make the biggest mark have a very intuitive and straight-forward user interface. The main idea is to, after all, help the user and simplify a task that might have been more complex if it wasn’t for the application fitting perfectly in that context. The same should be the goal for industrial applications.
That’s why the context matters the most when designing meaningful solutions for an industrial wearable application. A company must reflect the things that the user experience brings to the business in question. A solution that is designed for one environment might not fit the needs of another. The necessary toolkit for an end user operating in a port is different from the toolkit that is needed in steel industry, for example.
Making the workplace more safe and more efficient
From a business standpoint, the biggest advantages in implementing wearable applications comes in the form of increased safety and efficiency. Production facilities, for instance, especially in primary production have their share of blind spots. Augmented reality applications might prove as a solution for making sure that the activity near these areas will not end up disrupting the work flow or cause hazards in the facility.
Due to the advancement in video technology and the decreased amount of time it takes to process large amounts of incoming data, personnel won’t even have to enter possibly hazardous environments in the future
Wearing a helmet, a vest, or a watch that informs the surrounding ecosystem of your location at all times could, for example, be integrated into a system that instructs automated large or moving machinery to slow down or halt when a person approaches them from around a corner. Due to the advancement in video technology and the decreased amount of time it takes to process large amounts of incoming data, personnel won’t even have to enter possibly hazardous environments in the future. Instead they can manage and follow the production of goods from any location they deem suitable.
As for the efficiency, having an automated log of every object in the facility is a huge time saver, as is the possibility to automate the maintenance of machinery: If a machine is arriving to the end of its lifecycle, or if a certain part is enduring more wear than it is intended to, it is possible to have the equipment send diagnostic data automatically to order repair or replacement.
The demands for operator skills evolve with the changing machinery
The changing demands and opportunities on the factory floor also affect the needs for the training of the employees. Compared to the production plants of yesterday, the modern equipment have a much shorter lifecycle. Earlier there might have been, for example, a controlling device for a hoisting device that hadn’t changed for decades, and it still could have been completely suitable for the surroundings, but now the technology is evolving rapidly, bringing new demands to the support functions, ways of thinking and the need for a solid understanding of the changing surroundings.
This also has the effect of making the demand in the workforce shift from direct operators to a more process control oriented approach, where the emphasis is more on the diagnostics and ensuring that the machinery runs proficiently in contrast to physically operating them. This also increases the demand for continuous training: with new technology comes new user interfaces, operating systems and through them, new skills required. The operations will be more digital and require more skills to utilize IT than before.
These are only a few examples of the road to a more complete intelligent industrial environment. With the amount of innovations that are made every day, we can only imagine, what new types of applications might be on their way to help provide a frictionless, smoother workflow, and how the production plant of the – surprisingly near – future might operate or look like. Not to mention the personnel operating within.
Johannes Tarkiainen works as Industrial Design Manager at Konecranes.
[i] http://www.emarketer.com/Article/2-Billion-Consumers-Worldwide-Smartphones-by-2016/1011694
[ii] http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphone-Users-Worldwide-Will-Total-175-Billion-2014/1010536
Image credit: kryzhov / Shutterstock.com
The most read articles of Industrial Internet Now in 2015
The past year has brought numerous new advancements in the field of the industrial internet, and also sparked a great deal of thought-provoking discussion and articles. Some of the most discussed topics this year include those relating to hackathons, leadership and the change in the tasks of the industrial workforce. Below are the five most read articles in Industrial Internet Now in 2015.
5. Big data a key factor at the beginning of the supply chain
Jacqui Taylor, CEO of FlyingBinary, explained why people are the key for the Internet of Things. Taylor gives concrete advice on what a company should pay attention to when the transformation initiated by big data starts. Taylor explains that the technology on its own is there, but the question is what you can do with it, and how you’re going to explain the impact and the transformation that is needed in the organization. Nonetheless, using big data technology to construct the supply chain in a new way allows you to put your focus on the customer in a way that has never been possible before.
https://industrialinternetnow.com/big-data-a-key-factor-at-the-beginning-of-the-supply-chain/
4. Industrial Internet changes the way we approach a machine
How has the way of operating a machine changed with the Industrial Internet? Juha Pankakoski, CDO at Konecranes aims to explain how the changing technology gives us new ways to operate machinery, and what possibilities this brings for businesses. According to Pankakoski, new technology and the Industrial Internet enable us to rethink existing processes. In his experience, the amount of possibilities and benefits brought on by those applications often exceed all expectations.
https://industrialinternetnow.com/industrial-internet-changes-the-way-we-approach-a-machine/
3. How to hack an industrial crane
First ever IndustryHack Hackathon event was held on February 6-8. The Hackathon was the first to be organized as part of the IndustryHack series of ten industrial Hackathons, and the article addresses some of the key results from the event. The winning application in this Hackathon was an application developed by Valuemotive. The winning team’s idea focused on the customers’ challenges and included integration of ERP systems and crane operation.
https://industrialinternetnow.com/how-to-hack-an-industrial-crane/
2. Key findings from the Industry of Things World Survey report 2015
A report on a large survey sent to hundreds of IoT-professionals around the globe. Although many of the results were as expected, there were also a number of striking findings. Maria Relaki, Director of Product & Content at we.CONECT Global Leaders, shares some of the key insights the study found. According to Relaki, a decisive factor for companies aiming to be the early birds in IoT adoption is the presence of an innovative and forward-looking leadership.
https://industrialinternetnow.com/key-findings-from-the-industry-of-things-world-survey-report-2015/
1. New renaissance in manufacturing
Gary Mintchell, an acclaimed writer, advisor and speaker on technology and manufacturing shared his thoughts on the ups and downs of digitalization and what role humans play in the process of manufacturing goods in the future. The technological developments allow us to focus on how we can further use technology like robotics, working alongside people to make processes more effective and, furthermore, how we can have people and technology working together safely.
https://industrialinternetnow.com/new-renaissance-in-manufacturing/
Image credit: Nomad_Soul / Shutterstock.com
What can be learned about Industrial Internet from the oil and gas industry?
Many heavy industries that are contributing to the Industrial Internet, understand that by sharing and listening outside our own industries we gain maximum benefits of the solutions enabled by Industrial Internet. In oil and gas industry, Industrial Internet can offer efficiency gains at all levels of value chain, according to New Technology Magazine. “The oil and gas industry could save billions of dollars by shifting all of its upstream, midstream and downstream operations to the Industrial Internet, say energy and technology executives with two of the world’s largest corporations, both of which have embraced the technology”, writes Jim Bentein. Even though the article focuses on the oil and gas industry, there are many similarities compared to manufacturing, steel and the pulp and paper industry. For example, “M2M technology approach would also allow operators to take a predictive approach toward equipment failures.” Read more about benefits of Industrial Internet in other industries at:
Image credit: Dabarti CGI / Shutterstock.com
Industrial Internet getting ready for every business
When talking about Industrial Internet and IoT, manufacturers tend to think about sensors and another technology-oriented machines and components related to industries and IT world. What seems to be forgotten is that the basic idea behind IoT is sharing information – now more equally to all companies than ever before. According to a SAP blog article Not Just For Manufacturers: How The Internet of Things Is Getting Real For Every Business IoT solutions can bring advantages that we haven’t been thinking about: 22% potential margin impact through supply chain efficiencies, for example. What the article claims is that IoT is all about being human and therefore being insightful. “Not only are companies capturing the information and measuring high-level performance, they are also making sense of the information to gain competitive insight.” Get to know the rest of the advantages at:
Image credit: Singkham / Shutterstock.com
Industry of Things World: Collaboration is the key in Industrial Internet
Industry of Things World 2015 brought together leading industry innovators in an event that is destined to shape the future of the Industrial Internet
More than 700 attendees participated in the conference, which took place at the Berlin Congress Center on September 21-22, 2015. 83 speakers gave over 160 hours of inspirational presentations on the challenges and opportunities of the Industrial Internet. Maria Relaki, Event Director, youCONECT and responsible for Industry of Things World shares the key issues that the event brought to light.
“One of the entry points that we wanted to do with this event was bring together people from different industries that are all facing the same challenges. It’s a chance to speak to each other and say ‘hey, the same problem that you’re facing, I’m facing.’ A lot of connections were made that wouldn’t have been made otherwise”
The crucial role of collaboration in the Industrial Internet
The event focused on real-life case studies, illustrating how co-operation and forward thinking will be essential to maximizing the full benefits of the Industrial Internet for businesses.
Relaki explains, “Everyone is realizing the importance of the Industrial Internet. Collaboration is a must. People need to come together to figure out ways to harness this technology and get the results they need to make everything more efficient. Trying to do that in a separated way will not be as successful.”
Other areas of critical importance the event concentrated on were ways in which to deal with the sheer amount of data produced by sensors, security in a connected world, and the challenge of standardizing connectivity.
Relaki goes on to say, “Juha Pankakoski from Konecranes mentioned the opportunity of new business models arising through the use of new technologies.”
Konecranes’ upcoming webinars to further discussion of the Industrial Internet
Pankakoski, Chief Digital Officer of Konecranes, attended the two day event, finding it a hub of discussion about the hottest topics around the Industrial Internet. He says, “There’s a lot of good movement overall in developing and maturing the concepts, standards, and platforms, associated with Industrial Internet. Early adopters in this area are now really starting to gain momentum and putting these things into use; the concept is really picking up pace.”
“The technology change is a business model change.”
Pankakoski delivered the closing keynote address of the event, sharing his experiences of the digitalization of Konecranes. He spoke on the topic of creating value with the Industrial Internet in the world of material handling, and the benefits this brings to traditional heavy industries, “We have been able to learn from the use of the Industrial Internet. The technology change is a business model change. Konecranes already combines the equipment and service element. This mixture of both the physical product and the service presence allows us to change the values from one area to another. This is often required when you start implementing these new ways of creating business value.”
Pankakoski will be expanding on these issues at Konecranes’ forthcoming webinars, allowing an even wider audience the opportunity to participate in the cutting edge of the Industrial Internet.
The first webinar will start at 3PM (UTC +2h) on October 28, 2015. Sign up at www.konecranes.com/webinar
Image credit: Industry of Things World Berlin
Industrial Internet evolves in various ways
As more and more organizations come familiar with the possibilities provided by the Industrial Internet, the possible uses of the new technology become more versatile. For example, augmented reality and smart clothes are making their way into industrial environments, and we’re moving from data gathering towards transferring data into organizations’ own processes. Petri Asikainen, Director of Product Development at Konecranes takes a look at the current advancements, which will shape material handling in the years to come.
Improved user experience
With a growing variety of users, Industrial Internet technologies have an increased need to be simple and user friendly. It is all about packaging technologies into solutions that can be used without a degree in engineering. With improved user interfaces and the increased ease of use, it becomes possible for different levels of the organization to utilize all information gathered. Because of this shift, UX experts – who are needed more and more in organizations – have to be experts in combining technology, design and user experience. Their goal must be to provide solutions that look and feel like any digital channel used in everyday life, and hence don’t require long training periods before taken into use. With this simplicity, both resource and cost effectiveness are also improved.
Augmented reality and wearables
Augmented reality is about overlaying virtual content on top of reality with the help of various interfaces. The potential of augmented reality is significant, as it enables organizations to share and make use of information faster and more efficiently than before. For example, maintenance could be assisted by using special AR glasses that give real time information and instructions during the operation. The applications of augmented reality are already prevalent within the consumer field, and the price of the technology has decreased significantly. The next step is to find out how this technology can be utilized in an industrial production environment.
Similar to augmented reality solutions, wearable technology has still unused potential for businesses. Solid research is being conducted, and the industrial world has hopes to see in the near future, for instance, smart clothes that can control devices with mere fine motor movements, without physical contact with the actual device.
Analytics for practical processes
Maintenance optimization has so far meant shifting away from calendar-based actions towards using data to analyze the actual condition of the machinery and planning maintenance based on that. However, analytics will no longer be only about collecting data and making conclusions based on it. The next steps will be to transfer information directly to processes and aid the operative functions of organizations. With these actions, benefits of having analytics in the industrial Internet ecosystem extends from maintenance to production, by enabling individual device operation optimization, and even further to the optimization of whole production processes.
When companies have access to real-time information and systems that interact with each other, they can examine information as a whole and act accordingly. The partner responsible for the analysis, such as the equipment supplier, can also transfer data directly to the organization’s processes, creating a new and more productive cooperation model that benefits both sides. This requires a change of thinking, though, since a large number of industrial organizations are not yet ready to open up their processes to outside partners. But when it happens, it will increase the benefits analytics can provide.
Adding Industrial Internet capabilities to aged devices not only helps to increase the availability of the aged equipment, but also provides exact data of the usage needed in the future investment planning
Optimized investment on equipment
The development of predictive technologies and services, especially those essential for production facilities, can at their best lead to the reduction of production equipment, such as standby machines. With predictive technologies, we can better understand the state of the machinery, since we are able to monitor and detect the status of its critical components in detail. This has been and will continue to be in the very core of the Industrial Internet. Standby machinery will no longer be needed for possible emergency or fault situations, as problems will be identified before they affect the ability of the primary machine to function. This will also be of help in identifying the end of a machine’s life span, as we can now begin its shutdown process without disturbing the production process as a whole.
It’s also good to remember, that Industrial Internet is not only for the latest, state-of-the art devices. Adding Industrial Internet capabilities to aged devices not only helps to increase the availability of the aged equipment, but also provides exact data of the usage needed in the future investment planning. These technologies help to decide whether it is reasonable to acquire new machinery or to modernize existing ones, and plan well beforehand when it will be optimum time to do so.
Image credit: LDprod / Shutterstock.com
Industrial internet applications: cases and experiences
Taneli Tikka, serial entrepreneur and Head of Industrial Internet start up at Tieto Corporation is involved in several projects within tech and the Internet of Things. As more and more companies are interested in implementing Industrial Internet applications, Tikka is one of the few experts that can cite successful cases and share his experiences on working and experimenting with industrial internet applications.
According to Tikka, corporations are divided into three categories in regards of interest, implementation and use of industrial internet. Category number one are the pioneers, innovators and early adapters that have been developing Industrial Internet applications for the past ten years or so. Category two is in the middle of the three categories in regards of level of implementation, having started trials and testing of said applications within the span of three years or so. Group three on the other hand has not begun any kind of implementation.
“Fortunately, I am happy to say that the least amount of bigger Nordic corporations are in category three, whereas category two holds the large majority,” Tikka said.
Industrial internet can bring significant change to the corporate culture and business model. If a corporation decides to utilize and benefit from industrial internet, they have to learn how to handle and act in a more diverse business environment that includes employees with multiple roles. From developers to electronics experts amongst other types of people in the mix. These employees have not normally been part of the staff on the factory floor. In order to successfully implement Industrial Internet to the company’s business model, cooperation between all of these is essential. Especially when designing and implementing the user experience (UX):
“Creating an optimal UX needs insights gathered from the people working on the frontlines, so to speak. They especially have to take part in improving the UX more than ever before. Because once these systems become standardized; technically advanced, user-friendly and intelligent systems will be superior. When the apex of productivity has been reached, the UX’s importance grows more significant,” Tikka added.
Industrial Internet applications should create added value
Tikka pointed out that a lot of applications so far have been safety-related, yet some applications might not be as smart as they should, considering the operational context, such as smart-clothing on oilrigs. If trackers are installed on overalls and an emergency happens in the middle of the night, then the most natural smart device fulfilling the purpose would instead be a wristband. However, there are excellent cases as well, the first is from a major welding manufacturer:
“When the apex of productivity has been reached, the UX’s importance grows more significant.”
“The solution is a background system linked with the user interface, so when the welder arrives to work and logs into the system, the machine and the database authenticates him and provides the welder with all the information needed. By all information I mean everything: when was the machine last used, by whom, for how long, which core wire was used, from which manufacturer and on top of all from which mine the material of the core wire was mined from.”
All of the data is useful in a situation where a client has welded 200 nautical miles of gas pipes and they suddenly receive information from the core wire manufacturer that one of the batches of core wire delivered and used is faulty. This would in a normal case mean that the client would have to lift and inspect every piece of pipe welded to find the faulty product. With the system, the piece would be immediately identified based on the data provided by the database.
Uniqueness through strategic self-awareness
The second case mentioned by Tikka is from a large American automotive company:
“The company provides delivery cars for a client and uses an analytical component as a real-time monitoring system for the cars’ technical functions. One of the monitored functions is the voltmeter and fluctuation of the car battery. By observing irregularities in the car battery, the automotive company can identify if any malfunctions are about to happen and if the car is about to lose power. Because of the data the automotive company has, they can give extraordinary service in the form of pre-emptive field-repairs,” Tikka noted.
Simply put, the automotive company knows the client’s delivery routes and they can access the contact details of the drivers. This means that they can meet the driver at an agreed location to repair the vehicle and thus make it possible for the driver to continue their route. In this case the analytical component provides with added value in a situation where the client would not have had a clue that there was a problem. According to Tikka, this is the most salient part of industrial internet right now:
“Finding unique added value through data and analytics is the hottest thing in Industrial Internet right now. I can’t come up with a single good case in Industrial Internet that has not used analytics in any single way.”
For an organization to succeed with the help of industrial internet, it needs to know its own strategy, goals and think how these goals could be achieved. That is the situation and the strategic opportunity where a possible industrial internet product could be implemented. In most corporations, the problem is usually the lack of knowledge and competence. Tikka’s key advice would be to do the background work in one’s own calm pace while trying to figure out any possible applications:
“When the ground work has been done I strongly encourage to begin testing the applications! As long as the tests are not for one single application, but multiple and different types of applications with support of multiple hypotheses. Industrial Internet is such a new thing that there is not really “a general solution” to anything. That is why we need more of an iterative approach. A fast-cycled trial and error process. Businesses need more and more courage in looking for new solutions,” Tikka concludes.
Taneli Tikka is the Head of Industrial Internet start up at Tieto Corporation
Image credit: nevodka / Shutterstock.com
World’s first “smart” port brings industrial internet to the loading docks
Interested in real-time data of precise ship arrival time and the fastest land travel routes? Good. In Germany, dockworkers will soon be tapping into a mobile app to see when ships will arrive. “As giant container ships pull into the Port of Hamburg, Germany, in the coming years, an array of new technologies will define the future of the $4 trillion global shipping industry,” states in the article published in Rewrite. The new logistics platform of Hamburg Porth Authority is called a smartPort. Is the application going to change the way we handle ships and containers? Explore the core elements of the smartPort Initiative at: http://rewrite.ca.com/us/articles/application-economy/the-industrial-internet-comes-to-the-loading-docks.aspx
Image credit: donvictorio / Shutterstock.com
How to hack maintenance services
What happens when you let hackers dig deeper into integrating industrial internet infrastructure and cranes? The aim of Konecranes’ second hackathon is to come up with a burst of fresh digital ideas on how to streamline the maintenance processes of cranes.
On Friday, September 4, 38 coders and designers will gather for the second IndustryHack hackathon hosted by Konecranes in Hyvinkää, Finland.
Over the weekend, the hackers will have the challenge of finding new digital ways of performing and enhancing maintenance services. The hack focuses on maintenance, wow impact in customer touch points, human and machine interaction, data capture via voice or wearables as well as history data, APIs and real-time sensor data.
“One of the key questions is how to equip our maintenance service guys with the right information so that they can do their jobs more quickly and easily and ensure that they have the right information tools at hand when they visit the customer,” says Marko Äkräs, Head of Customer Experience and Service Offering at Konecranes.
Streamlining maintenance processes
There are several reasons why Konecranes chose maintenance as the theme for their second industry hack. Firstly, the ageing workforce has become a widespread phenomenon, posing new challenges across the service and maintenance industry. “It is difficult to attract younger people to work with cranes and machine tools. Therefore we need to find new and efficient ways of working with the cranes and with service assets that help us attract younger people,” Äkräs explains.
“Secondly, we want to explore new ways of integrating the Industrial Internet infrastructure,” he continues, referring to Konecranes’ aim to maximize its utilization of the information generated by industrial internet infrastructure and the cranes and sensors that are connected to it.
“We found 17 new teams that we can use or we can collaborate with in our future projects and we employed one of the hackers”
Building on previous success
Hack The Maintenance builds on the success of the previous hackathon held by Konecranes in February. The earlier event was the first ever in a series of IndustryHack hackathons held in Finland. The aim of the event series is to develop new applications and services for the Internet of Things in cooperation with industrial companies.
Lasting 48 hours, the February event revolved around creating new applications and services around the industrial internet in material handling. Lasse Eriksson, Program Manager at Konecranes, was surprised by the quality and maturity of the concepts created by the hackers. “We found 17 new teams that we can use or we can collaborate with in our future projects and we employed one of the hackers,” he says.
Äkräs has high expectations for the upcoming weekend. He explains that the teams won’t only be provided with information generated from the cranes, but with additional resources that could improve maintenance service visits. For example, the hackers will have access to real-time maintenance operations data from Konecranes’ Siebel system for, remote monitoring usage and safety data from equipment in the field through the Konecranes TRUCONNECT service, as well as PLC, or programmable logic that provides all possible data from the crane.
After two days and two energy drink-fueled nights, the teams will present their innovations for judging on Sunday, September 6. You can follow the hackathon here: http://www.konecranes.com/hackathon.