A distinctive IoT platform for ERIKS

ERIKS supplies more than 900,000 different technical products to 200,000 customers worldwide with an extensive program for maintenance and repairs. As an extension of the service offering in ERIKS' digital transformation, the IoT platform ensures the early detection of product failures. This prevents recurrence and extends the lifespan of products.

Conclusion has realized an EDGE solution for ERIKS that bridges the gap between machine and cloud. The data from EDGE is stored in Azure and displayed in a dashboard created in Mendix. This dashboard is made available to the customer for 'condition monitoring and predictive maintenance'. This creates insight and enables us to make better predictions so that timely action can be taken in the event of disruptions.

Robbrecht van Amerongen (head of IoT Conclusion) talks about a practical example in an interview: "A customer with electric motors has installed sensors to be able to read data. The ERIKS employee anticipates a deviation by informing the customer. When such an engine is on, it vibrates a little. Deviations are noticed, the bandwidth is determined and this is visible on the dashboard. A mechanic can then come by immediately."

Independant platform

What is special about the platform is that both ERIKS own brands and multi-brand machines can be connected to it. It is a total solution with one dashboard for the entire factory and independent of product suppliers. Here, powerful components can be added, such as analyses and algorithms, without affecting the rest of the chain.

With the dashboard, ERIKS gains insight into the functioning of electric motors. Graphs and dashboards show deviations, which can then be anticipated. This allows ERIKS to carry out predictive maintenance on parts that need it at that time. This results in less downtime, a lower Total Cost of Ownership and less chance of accidents.

ADDED BUSINESS VALUE OF IOT

"Continuity, insight into products delivered to customers and being able to anticipate this. But especially the aforementioned service offering and the relationship with the customer are an added value for ERIKS," says Tim. "In addition," Robbrecht adds, "if a device supplied by ERIKS breaks down, this may give an unjustified negative image of the quality offered. While now it is possible to act proactively, because, for example, a malfunction is easier to predict."

IoT also has many advantages for ERIKS customers. The Total Cost of Ownership is reduced and safety is increased. By continuously monitoring equipment, a production line can be prevented from coming to a standstill. Moreover, it prevents unnecessary costs because sensor data provides insight into the total operational chain. In fact, more production can be run, because manual checks are taking place less and less. This can go a step further in the future when algorithms come into play based on experience.