Schneider paves the way for efficient IIoT machine integration

Today's ultra-competitive business and technology landscape requires machine builders to redefine the way they operate. This landscape is made more challenging by a growing shortage of IT-qualified talent, mass customisation and individualisation of products. In this context, OEMs must engage in long-term strategies now, by adopting IIoT connectivity, mobility, cloud computing, and big data analytics, to deliver smarter, more efficient, and cost-effective machines that enable new services and revenue streams.

EcoStruxure, Schneider Electric's open, IoT-enabled architecture and platform, helps OEMs deliver greater operational efficiency throughout the machine life cycle. EcoStruxure, combined with TeSys island Digital Load Management and Modicon M262, gives OEMs unprecedented ability to rapidly integrate IIoT into new and existing machines:

• TeSys island, a new fully digitised IoT connected load management product saves on design, wiring, and commissioning time as it is based on multifunctional devices and avatars for industrial applications with loads up to 80A.
• Modicon M262 with embedded direct cloud connectivity and encrypted communication protocols, and up to five separated Ethernet networks for fast logic and motion performance in demanding applications. Modicon M262 provides benchmark performance with 30 per cent better motion and four times faster CPU execution than the market preference.

EcoStruxure allows for up to 40 per cent faster integration of Modicon M262 and TeSys island, into any environment: machine to machine, machine to plant, and direct machine to cloud, using open standards, with built-in end-to-end cybersecurity that offers encrypted communication and network segmentation. TeSys island and Modicon M262 eliminate the need for additional hardware of a traditional contractor solution for cloud connectivity, with testing and commissioning capabilities to facilitate upgrades of existing equipment at scale.

Modicon M262 and TeSys island, with EcoStruxure Machine Expert configuration and commissioning software and the EcoStruxure Motor Configurator tool, help OEMs accelerate time to market, as they enable multiple teams to simultaneously program and control the quality of design. Modicon M262 allows quick plug & work embedded system access for easy network configuration and replacing devices with zero installation. This reduces commissioning and service tasks by roughly 50 per cent.

Enabling more efficient integration, TeSys island's innovative object-orientated concept of TeSys avatars acts like a digital twin on top of the physical objects. TeSys island eliminates the need for auxiliary wiring and reduces the need for I/O modules, making it 40 per cent faster to integrate and reducing installation costs by 30 per cent compared with traditional products.

Connected machines guarantee performance and unlock new business models

Remote visibility into machine performance enables OEMs to offer new global services supported by the embedded cloud connectivity. EcoStruxure Machine Advisor gives engineering and maintenance teams access to information, on any machine and at any time. This enables opportunities to provide new service offers, such as preventive maintenance, that add real value for end-users. TeSys island provides reliable preventive maintenance data and pre-alarms which avoid machine stoppages when unusual electrical load behaviors are detected. This reduces time for corrective actions by up to 50 per cent through smart maintenance and services.

Peter Herweck, EVP, Schneider Electric Industry says: "Machine builders and OEMs have traditionally looked for solutions which could lower their cost and improve the machine performance. This is still true, but now they also need to digitise to stay competitive. With EcoStruxure Machine Expert, Modicon M262 Logic & Motion controller, and TeSys island digital load management system, OEMs have a future-proof solution that brings digitisation to reduce configuration time, reduces wiring and I/Os, and increases processing speed. This solution will enable OEMs to quickly see the advantages of the Industrial Internet of Things."

Learn more about the Modicon M262 Logic & Motion controller and TeSys island multifunctional digital load management system at www.schneider.co.uk.