5G ready smart factory solution with AWS

This includes new industry-grade retrofit sensors with a Gateway device, coupled with an Edge Computing platform based on the AWS IoT Greengrass technology, and optional Private LTE for secure, local wireless connectivity.

McKinsey Global Institute has conducted a study that predicts that the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is expected have an enormous efficiency boost in factories globally, and that the annual economic value of this can reach up to $3.7 trillion by 2025.

The study by McKinsey & Company in 2018 however, also identified several challenges, which can slow down the adoption of digital transformation and industrial IoT in factories. These include a lack of reliable and mature IoT platforms, insufficient application of these and a lack of analytics development and unsuited data communication and connectivity technologies. 

Haltian’s Smart Factory solution addresses these main market challenges with a secure and cost-efficient, end-to-end approach. Haltian’s sensor devices use Wirepas IoT Mesh networking to transmit data to the local Thingsee Gateway device, which then relays it to the Thingsee Edge on-site solution based on AWS Greengrass Edge Computing. The Private LTE technology complements the solution with flexible and secure wireless connectivity. This end-to-end infrastructure then enables factories to process all IoT applications and collect sensor data on-site, without having to transmit data through the public Internet. 

Pasi Leipälä, CEO and co-founder of Haltian, explained: “No production breaks are needed for installation and digitalisation investment is reduced by 90% per data point, compared to the traditional automatic valves. This Smart Factory solution has been developed hand-in-hand with large industrial customers and leading connectivity partners, to deliver a true fit-for-purpose solution.

Leipälä continues, “Our Smart Factory uses leading IoT technologies including the fast-growing Wirepas Mesh, which is the most reliable technology for connecting thousands of wireless sensors in a demanding radio environment. AWS’s Edge Computing technology and Private LTE complement the onsite solution with unprecedented edge scalability, and a robust data collection infrastructure.

“Thingsee is the most flexible IoT platform in the market and these new technologies takes secure onsite solutions a decade further. The 5G-factory era is approaching fast and Haltian will be amongst the first vendors to get it right.”

The new retrofit sensor devices included in the Haltian Smart Factory solution are Thingsee ANGLE and Thingsee ENVIRONMENT RUGGED sensors, and Thingsee GATEWAY LAN. 

The sensors are delivered to the customer as plug & play, the firmware is customer specific and operational out-of-the-box. After the sensors are installed and powered on, they automatically connect to the local Thingsee IoT Platform by using the Wirepas Mesh IoT connectivity protocol. The smooth and thought-through installation process does not require a production break at the factory. 

Thingsee ANGLE is a retrofit sensor device, which is attached to manual valves. It has magnetic and mechanical angle sensors to monitor the valve’s position and reports any dispositioned valves to the Cloud to allow for a rapid fix by the maintenance staff. The power-frugal Thingsee Angle sensor has up to ten years of battery life.

Thingsee ENVIRONMENT RUGGED sensor monitors, and wirelessly reports all conditions in the factory, including the temperature, humidity, luminosity, the machine run-time data and more. The sensor is equipped with a rugged IP67 casing, and its replaceable battery can operate up to five years depending on the set transmit interval.

Thingsee GATEWAY LAN collects data from the sensors through the Wirepas Mesh IoT connectivity and aggregates it to the local Thingsee IoT Platform over the ethernet. The Thingsee LAN Gateway is easily installed by just plugging in the LAN and power cables. After this, it automatically connects to the customer´s local IoT network. If the LAN cable is left unplugged, the gateway operates as a Wirepas Mesh router node, enabling indoor positioning and offering more reliable local Edge infrastructure applications.