IIoT increases efficiency and productivity

We live in a digital world and are connected globally. So why not connect our machines as well? The experts at thyssenkrupp Materials IoT asked themselves exactly that and developed toii®, an IIoT platform that digitizes production processes holistically.

In times of internationally connected production processes, each component must be optimally integrated. Processes must be perfectly planned and at the same time flexibly coordinated. The more complex the supply chains get, the greater the risk of high costs resulting from machine failures and downtimes. By automating and digitizing processes, industrial companies can identify weak points in their business operations and increase their efficiency. The key to greater productivity is IIoT – the Industrial Internet of Things.

More efficiency through IIoT

The experts from thyssenkrupp Materials IoT combine 200 years of industrial history with 15 years of experience in the digital networking of machines and processes. At thyssenkrupp Materials Services, the largest materials trader in the western world with around 14 million order items per year, they have already digitized all stages of the production process and made it more efficient.

Previously, the colleagues at thyssenkrupp Materials Services found it difficult to evaluate their productivity. Thanks to toii®, they can now evaluate their output within short time and based on data. The focus is on several relevant questions: Where is the company losing time? How efficient are the processes? With the IIoT platform toii®, these things can be quickly recorded and made visible.

At thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe, a business unit of the materials trader, the technology has also brought very tangible successes. The digitization of the plants through toii® and the connection to the ERP systems enables the sites to benefit practically through digitization. Production orders are written automatically to the machine control system. Employees can concentrate on the core process, the physical setup, instead of having to manually re-enter existing data printed out by the work preparation department into the machine. Work is also easier in quality control. They were able to automate processes in some cases, consequently reducing process-related downtimes by more than ten percent.

The path to Industry 4.0

How does the path to Industry 4.0 look like with toii®? In theory, it is clear what the future should look like: Production lines should be connected, manual inputs should be avoided, and measurement processes should be automated. In practice, this means a lot of planning. On the one hand, different technologies need to be bridged, and on the other hand, the language of individual machine components must be translated into a common language. Because only in this way the machines can communicate with each other.

That is why thyssenkrupp Materials IoT has developed several products within the toii® product family that cover different areas:

From the simple collection and transfer of machine data and the visualization and interpretation of data sets to the automation and control of connected machines. Always with the goal of executing production orders efficiently and transparently. From the entry-level product to the fully integrated solution, the price-performance ratio is tailored to small and medium-sized businesses. Thus, toii® enables every company an individual path into the age of Industry 4.0 and increased productivity.

Find out more about the advantages of IIoT and which areas of the company will be particularly shaped by the technology in the coming years in our stories.