Increasingly large amounts of data are being generated in a smart factory. Manufacturers can adapt and optimize processes based on the analysis results of this data. With predictive maintenance, they can prevent expensive unplanned downtime in production. In order for companies to evaluate this data in real time, they usually need high network capacities between the production hall and the central data center. There they are analyzed and the results are fed back into production. The integrated solution from T-Systems and GFT based on edge computing and IIoT offers new fields of application for smart production.

New fields of application for smart production

In the joint solution from GFT and T-Systems, sensors record status data locally and in real time at the individual systems. The data is sent in parallel, but not time-critical, via smaller bandwidths to a central data center or via 5G networks to the cloud. Due to the significantly lower bandwidth, the costs for data transfer are reduced by up to 70 percent. The solution analyzes the data collected at the edge. It identifies optimization potential with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

"Previously, manufacturers had to put together several services, software and hardware themselves to create a complete solution. Thanks to our partnership with GFT, they can now get the whole package from a single source," says Frank Strecker, responsible for T-Systems' public cloud business. "Edge computing from us, data collection, digital twin and AI analysis from GFT - this is how we can connect the production hall with the data center. We also offer our own public and private cloud services. Or the customer can opt for the public cloud of our partners AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google."

Optimization of business processes and models

With Sphinx open online, companies can monitor their systems and control them fully automatically. For example, they receive information about operating states such as temperatures or pressure, as well as resource consumption or current output. To do this, data from all relevant sources is transferred to a common model ("model in the middle" principle). In Sphinx open online, digital twins are created from this. These virtual images control systems automatically. The digital twins can also be used to create far-reaching simulations. Users can modify entire systems and production processes and check the effects without having to physically touch a single machine. The simulations reveal optimization potential. These optimizations can be implemented automatically by comparing them with defined parameters and rules. For example, to adapt specific processes or to plan necessary maintenance windows more precisely. Manual intervention is no longer necessary, as all measures are fed back into the industrial plant and applied in real time.

"The manufacturing industry is under enormous cost pressure. This is exactly where our partnership with T-Systems comes in. With our innovative smart factory solutions, we support our customers in driving their digitalization forward in a competitive way. Thanks to digital twins, they can reduce their costs and optimize their business processes without delay. Data security, efficiency and speed are our top priorities," says Jens-Thorsten Rauer, Group Chief Executive - Central & Western Europe at GFT.