Benefits for maintenance and service

From commissioning to monitoring to the evaluation of the incoming data for predictive maintenance, IIoT offers the user a wide range of benefits. Beyond that, users also benefit when service is necessary, because in the case of abnormalities and discrepancies in the control behaviour, the plant operating company can enable online access for Schubert & Salzer, via which the relevant data can then be observed. This often makes it possible to make a remote diagnosis and solve the problem within a very short time and without an on-site visit.

Manipulation is physically impossible

A particularly important aspect of the new development was security against cyberattacks and unauthorised access. Communication between the IIoT module and the positioner was therefore deliberately designed as a one-way street. “The module is controlled 100% by the controller. It only sends data to the cloud that the controller actively provides. The module itself cannot request data from the controller or actively execute commands.  It is also not technically capable of making changes to the controller“, Lukasik adds.

IIoT for everyone

Following an exhaustive test and development phase, the first roll-out of the technology has been taking place since April 2023. “The feedback so far has been positive and very promising. Together with our customers and their feedback, we are aiming to optimise the IIoT module even further over the course of the coming year and to adapt it to the needs of the user“, Lukasik concludes.