CIMCON Digital

Ahmedabad, Mar 1, 2023

CIMCON Digital participated in the Intelligent Manufacturing – IMKL exhibition in Malaysia from 16-18 March to showcase how the team of CIMCON is changing the industrial world with the latest hardware and software technologies for the last 3 decades.

The event was a resounding success, marked by significant accomplishments and overwhelmingly positive feedback. The company’s engaging presentations during the TechLab event showcased their advancements in Smart Factory and Industry 4.0 technologies, capturing the audience’s attention and generating thought-provoking conversations on the potential for growth opportunities and the crucial role of innovation within the industry. This outcome underscores CIMCON Digital’s unwavering commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology and leading the charge toward the future of intelligent manufacturing.

Ahmedabad, Dec 1, 2022

CIMCON Digital, a division of CIMCON Software (I) PVT LTD with a relentless focus on facilitating a digital world through preventive and predictive maintenance products and solutions, announced today that it has been named the most promising technology company founded and managed by an Indian in the United States in 2022. The award is significant for the organization because it demonstrates how the CIMCON Digital team is reshaping industry 4.0 by using the latest technological advancements to manufacture, improve, and distribute products.

“The award signifies how the employees of CIMCON Digital are putting in efforts to envision a world where all industrial assets are connected and can be monitored and controlled in real-time for maximum productivity and improved bottom line,” said Anil Agrawal, CEO, and Founder of CIMCON Digital and CIMCON Software (I) Pvt Ltd. “Each and every employee had an equal contribution in making this vision a reality and we are all thrilled to be awarded one of the most promising technology companies.” 

Silicon India publishes exclusive and authentic content through stories of burgeoning entrepreneurs, outstanding technologists, and accomplished CXOs, along with business analysis, leading technology trends, and opinions. Through these awards, Silicon India wants to create a single operational workflow that interconnects business silos across their enterprise harmoniously and enables multiple teams to come together as a whole to work for progress. 

“With the most promising technology company award, we want to assist our readers in understanding the right technology partner and for the same, we do through research of the organizations and search endlessly to find the top Indian-origin US Tech companies that are well-versed to deliver a collective operational workflow management system.” said one of the top representatives at Silicon India. Industry 4.0 is reshaping how companies manufacture, improve and distribute products. The next big thing is edge computing, which allows manufacturers to ingest, process, and analyze data in real-time on the machine itself. Unfortunately, many plant owners still operate without real-time visibility into their operations, adversely impacting the bottom line. CIMCON Digital challenges this status quo with its modern, powerful, and easy-to-use industrial platform, CIM 360, and a preventive maintenance solution using VIBit. CIMCON Digital also focuses on the enterprise-wide deployment of the CIM 360 with its iCloud. It ensures the quick provisioning, authorization, and authentication of edge devices from a web-based, centralized management platform. “We are thrilled to be awarded from Silicon India and we will continue to strive forward in reshaping the industry 4.0 going above and beyond,” said Anil Agrawal. About CIMCON Digital CIMCON Digital was spun out as a division of CIMCON Software (I) Pvt. Ltd. with a relentless focus to help facilitate a digital world through our products and solutions. We at CIMCON Digital make it all happen behind the scenes. We believe that technology is just a means and not an end. We have worked hard for 33 years to make technology as seamless as possible so that you, the user, do not have to see the technology, you only see the outcomes being delivered, be it better customer satisfaction, improved margins, doing more with less.   About SiliconIndia Silicon India entails the editorial coverage of successful entrepreneurs, proficient CEOs, industry leaders, well-versed technologists, and many others. It brings in the nuances of both US and Indian technologies across the content delivered and stands as one of the largest ecosystems encompassing the perspectives and business ideas of eminent professionals in the world. Silicon India has been seamlessly impacting the lives of emerging entrepreneurs, businesses, students, and a lot of others since its inception in 1997. Today, Silicon India is eminent for the circulation of around 96,000 hard copies across PAN India with 4 lakh readers and 47,000 downloads of e-Magazines.

Ahmedabad, Mar 1, 2023

CIMCON Digital participated in the Intelligent Manufacturing – IMKL exhibition in Malaysia from 16-18 March to showcase how the team of CIMCON is changing the industrial world with the latest hardware and software technologies for the last 3 decades.

The event was a resounding success, marked by significant accomplishments and overwhelmingly positive feedback. The company’s engaging presentations during the TechLab event showcased their advancements in Smart Factory and Industry 4.0 technologies, capturing the audience’s attention and generating thought-provoking conversations on the potential for growth opportunities and the crucial role of innovation within the industry. This outcome underscores CIMCON Digital’s unwavering commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology and leading the charge toward the future of intelligent manufacturing.

Ahmedabad, May 1, 2023

  CIMCON Digital, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions has announced the launch of MachineAstro, a powerful new machine-learning platform that promises to transform how machine OEMs approach data analysis and decision-making while reaching their net zero goals.

CIMCON Digital, an AI-led technology company that helps energy-intensive industrial businesses achieve their sustainability goals by reducing energy and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, has launched a cost-effective machine monitoring solution called MachineAstro. The product offers the same level of reliability as CIMCON Digital’s flagship product, VIBit, without the need to stream data into the cloud.

MachineAstro is a sophisticated AI-powered solution that enables machine OEMs to unlock the full potential of their data.

It is a bundle that includes multiple VIBit Lite sensors, an intelligent edge device called CIM10 with advanced software featuring edge AI and analytics capabilities, and a high-resolution HMI. VIBit Lite is a powerful vibration sensor that offers several features, including 3-Axis acceleration RMS, 3-Axis Velocity RMS, temperature monitoring, and 1-10x FFT.

Multiple VIBit Lites are wired to an intelligent edge device, the CIM10, which runs advanced AI-based anomaly detection and diagnostic algorithms to predict and report on various faults such as misalignment, imbalance, structural and rotating looseness, soft foot, and more. The HMI included in the bundle is fully configured to mimic an actual machine network and provide performance monitoring alerts. Alternatively, customers can also use their existing SCADA or other monitoring software to display this data and alerts. CEO Anil Agrawal says, “the product is ideal for machine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) looking to help their customers operate at high efficiency without unplanned downtime, reducing their carbon footprint and getting closer to their net-zero goal.”

With its advanced machine learning algorithms, MachineAstro provides valuable insights and predictions that help machine OEMs optimize their operations, improve customer experiences, drive revenue growth. and leverage the power of machine learning without requiring extensive technical expertise. The product has already received positive feedback from initial pilot customers and is available for purchase worldwide. CIMCON Digital leverages 35 years of deep domain industrial experience of its parent company, CIMCON Software (I) Pvt. Ltd., to deliver cutting-edge Industry 4.0 solutions that incorporate IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning technologies. CIMCON Digital products and solutions help a diverse range of customers across Manufacturing, Water, Oil & Gas, among others, meet their net-zero and sustainability goals. The company has a global presence, with offices in the United States and India, and its mission is to create “One Connected Industrial World,” making it a leading player in the IoT industry.

CIMCON Digital Releases Favorable End-of-Year Results

Ahmedabad, May 3, 2023

CIMCON Digital, an AI-led technology company focused on reducing energy and O&M costs and driving sustainability goals for energy-intensive industrial businesses, has released its end-of-year results, demonstrating significant growth and expansion in key areas of its business. CIMCON’s VIBit, an AI-driven, vibration-based predictive and prescriptive solution, has helped various companies across industries like pharmaceuticals, cement, tire, automotive, FMCG, and steel move closer to their ambitious net-zero goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To accelerate adoption and enable cost-sensitive use cases, CIMCON launched MachineAstro, an IOT-in-a-box solution, that includes multiple vibration sensors and temperature, pressure, flow, and energy meters wired to an edge device running AI-based diagnostic software. This solution has received an overwhelming response from machine manufacturers and industrial automation system integrators.

This year, CIMCON saw several of its existing VIBit customers take the next step in their digital transformation journey by implementing its state-of-the-art edge IIoT platform, CIM, which delivers several unique use cases, including some that involve video analytics.

Continuing with its theme of making digital products affordable, CIMCON also introduced CIM10, a product that allows users to easily connect their entire factory or plant. This helps plant owners identify opportunities for energy efficiency and waste reduction at an enterprise level, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future and progress toward achieving net-zero goals.

“We are proud that our technologies are helping address approximately one-third of global GHG emissions contributed by energy-intensive industries each year,” said Anil Agrawal, CEO of CIMCON Digital. “We are also delighted to see some of our customers making rapid progress towards their sustainability and industry 4.0 goals through our CIM IIoT platform.”

The company remains committed to leveraging AI to create a more sustainable industrial world and building on its current momentum going forward.

About CIMCON Digital: CIMCON Digital leverages 35 years of deep domain industrial experience of its parent company, CIMCON Software (I) Pvt. Ltd., to deliver cutting-edge Industry 4.0 solutions that incorporate IoT, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies. CIMCON Digital products and solutions help a diverse range of customers across manufacturing, water, oil & gas, among others, meet their net-zero and sustainability goals. The company has a global presence, with offices in the United States and India, and its mission is to create “One Connected Industrial World,” making it a leading player in the IoT industry.

For more information on CIMCON’s digital transformation solutions, visit cimcondigital.com. For media inquiries, contact Aishwarya Agrawal at [email protected] or call +91-09512800836.

Ahmedabad and Boston, August 9th, 2023  

Experienced business leaders play a crucial role in driving innovation and addressing the pressing needs of industries. They possess a unique vision, unwavering determination, and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities present in their respective fields. Among these remarkable individuals, Anil Agrawal stands out as one of the most successful business leaders, making significant strides in industrial transformation. As the CEO of CIMCON Digital, Agrawal has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and propelled CIMCON Digital to the forefront of industrial transformation, cementing himself as a remarkable leader who continues to shape the industry’s future.9

Pioneering Industrial Transformation Agrawal embarked on a journey driven by his realization of energy consumption and inefficiencies within industries. Motivated by the potential of Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology to reduce energy consumption through enhanced machine efficiency, Agrawal founded CIMCON Digital to create a connected industrial world through digital transformation. With a dedicated team, CIMCON Digital translated customer challenges into scalable solutions, focusing on its Edge Platform products and services. The organization’s biggest challenge was overcoming the complex industrial landscape and educating firms about cutting-edge technology and the importance of adopting it to improve operations. It was vital to quantify the impact of IIoT and provide evidence of higher productivity and efficiency to accelerate adoption in the industry.

However, Agrawal’s leadership, customer-centric approach, and strategic partnerships propelled CIMCON Digital to emerge as a leader in industrial transformation. Agrawal was successful in reducing energy consumption by a staggering 17%, addressing the pressing needs of the industry with resilient digital solutions and overcoming the industry players’ resistance to change.

CIMCON Digital: Empowering Digital Transformation

CIMCON Digital is a leading Edge IoT Platform and solution provider specializing in driving digital transformation in the Manufacturing, Water, and Infrastructure sectors. With a comprehensive platform and solutions, CIMCON Digital addresses critical use cases such as condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy analytics, and process optimization. The organization’s technology solutions have empowered Fortune 500 companies across various industries, including Pharma, Cement, Automotive, FMCG, and Steel.

Established initially as a division of CIMCON Software (I) Pvt. Ltd., CIMCON Digital is driven by a relentless focus on facilitating a digital world through innovative products and solutions. With over 35 years of experience, CIMCON Digital has worked diligently to seamlessly integrate technology into the background, allowing users to witness the outcomes delivered without being burdened by the underlying technology. The organization aims to provide tangible results, such as improved customer satisfaction, enhanced margins, and the ability to accomplish more with less through the digitalization of certain tasks.

By leveraging CIMCON Digital’s offerings, organizations can maximize efficiency, reliability, and operational excellence. The company’s iEdge 360 IoT Platform empowers companies to unlock the power of Industry 4.0 and embark on a digital transformation journey, all while promoting sustainability and net-zero initiatives. With CIMCON Digital, companies can harness the potential of technology to transform their operations, optimize asset performance, and drive toward a connected and efficient future.

Disrupting Traditional Approaches

CIMCON Digital’s platform has successfully disrupted the traditional way of working by revolutionizing asset maintenance practices. Traditionally, maintenance relied on time-based inspections and preventive measures tied to run hours, leading to unplanned breakdowns, increased spare costs, and reduced machine efficiency. However, CIMCON Digital’s solution introduces a technological shift in asset monitoring. By swiftly installing real-time sensors and connecting them to the plant Wi-Fi network, customers can receive machine health alerts within hours. This enables them to prioritize their limited resources and deploy them where they are most needed, improving machine reliability and efficiency. With the AI/ML-based software embedded in the platform, continuous monitoring is provided 24/7, 365 days a year. This means that thousands of equipment assets can be monitored simultaneously, empowering customers with proactive maintenance actions and peace of mind. By disrupting the traditional approach to asset maintenance, CIMCON Digital’s platform empowers organizations to optimize their operations, reduce  downtime, and maximize machine performance through real-time insights and predictive capabilities.

Introducing VIBit: A Game-Changing Solution

The growth of CIMCON Digital was catalyzed by the introduction of its VIBit solution in October 2021. This groundbreaking solution provided valuable insights into machine operations, offering early warning indicators for machine health anomalies, fault diagnostics, and repair recommendations. Positive word-of-mouth spread throughout the industry as customers began reaping the benefits, such as reduced machine downtime and improved energy efficiency. The adoption of CIMCON Digital’s solutions by these satisfied customers led to a ripple effect, as other companies and peers took notice and started embracing the organization’s offerings. This widespread adoption and scale marked a pivotal turning point, triggering significant growth for the organization.

Cutting-Edge IoT Solutions

CIMCON Digital specializes in providing cutting-edge IoT solutions and services. With a comprehensive platform, the organization offers a range of capabilities to optimize operations and drive business growth for its clients.

IoT Hardware

CIMCON Digital offers a diverse range of edge sensors to monitor various parameters such as vibration, noise, and temperature. These sensors are instrumental in collecting crucial machine data for analysis. In addition, its edge gateway facilitates seamless connectivity with machines utilizing different industrial protocols.

Advanced Analytics Software

Leveraging advanced analytics and AI/ML capabilities, CIMCON Digital’s software transforms raw machine data into actionable intelligence. This powerful software enables early warnings for machine anomalies, facilitates fault diagnostics, and recommends appropriate actions. Clients can make informed decisions through analytics software to enhance efficiency and optimize their operations. 

Visualization Layer

CIMCON Digital’s platform includes a visualization layer that empowers stakeholders, ranging from C-suite executives to  operations and maintenance team members. This layer presents valuable insights and foresight derived from the collected data. CIMCON Digital enables stakeholders to take timely and informed actions based on the presented data by providing intuitive visualizations.

Smart Solutions

CIMCON Digital is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry with its innovative solutions.

Smart Manufacturing

CIMCON Digital’s iEdge 360 IoT Platform seamlessly integrates with production line machines, harnessing data to enhance yield, efficiency, capacity utilization, and asset availability. By leveraging this platform, manufacturers can respond swiftly to changing demands, ensuring optimal performance and productivity.

Smart Water

Water and wastewater management becomes highly efficient with the CIMCON iEdge 360 IoT platform. By leveraging IoT technology and real-time data collection through sensors, potential water system failures can be detected, reducing the need for manual inspections. Water utilities can harness the power of data and analytics to monitor water quality parameters, automate irrigation and sewage management, and avoid wastage of water and time, ultimately ensuring reliable water management.

Smart Infrastructure

CIMCON Digital’s iEdge 360 IoT platform empowers facility managers to transform their buildings into smart structures. By deploying a range of sensors and actuators, valuable building data is collected and analyzed, leading to optimized operations and the ability to predict equipment failures before they occur. This technology enhances safety, security, comfort, and overall infrastructure performance.

Smart Everything

CIMCON Digital is at the forefront of smart technology, enabling connectivity and intelligence in everyday devices. From refrigerators to locks to shoes, the iEdge 360 IoT platform facilitates the integration of smart technology into various aspects of our lives. CIMCON Digital drives innovation  and sets the stage for a fully connected and intelligent world.

How CIMCON Does It?

iEdge 360, Intelligence at the Edge: CIMCON Digital’s iEdge 360 platform is a central hub for collecting and integrating sensor data. By transforming this data, it becomes readily available for real-time analysis by digital machine experts, providing accurate and actionable insights. This comprehensive platform offers interfaces, protocols, networking capabilities, and computing power, enabling seamless implementation of smart solutions.

CIMcloud, Scaling Digital Transformation: To facilitate large-scale digital transformation, CIMCON Digital offers its own CIMcloud application. This powerful tool allows for the provisioning, authentication, authorization, and management of hundreds of thousands of devices. With a user-friendly web-based management application, CIMcloud provides visualization and analytics, allowing plant operations to be monitored through key performance indicators (KPIs).

CIMdata, Unleashing the Power of Data: At the core of digital transformation lies the power of data, and CIMCON Digital’s CIMdata solution extracts invaluable insights from this wealth of information. Leveraging advanced Machine Learning algorithms, CIMdata listens to the data, offering plant operators actionable advice to prevent costly machine failures and improve the bottom line. 

Advancing Products and Services Through Artificial Intelligence

CIMCON Digital furthers its products and services by embracing a data-driven approach to innovation. Agrawal believes in leveraging machine learning and generative AI technologies to continuously improve its offerings in two ways, one for customers and one for the business. The company is committed to creating ChatGPT-powered insights by training the model with its custom data to create its chatbot, Muni. Through Muni, CIMCON can relay vital asset updates to clients in a straightforward and interactive manner. For example, clients can ask questions like, “How is my plant doing today?” or “Which machines should I inspect today?” to better understand their plant health. In addition to the chatbot, the company will use this revolutionary new natural language processing technology to create not only text-based information but also graphical representations of essential data for clients to gain a visual understanding of their current situation.

The company is also leveraging generative AI for creating more efficient internal processes. Agrawal mentions, “The idea is to drive productivity within the firm through generative AI to meet the demand for the product.” He aims to use this technology to provide more content for customers through its robust content generation capabilities combined with the team’s expertise. It will also be a great help to the customer success team, providing an interactive FAQ chatbot to address any client concerns. By harnessing the power of these cutting-edge technologies, CIMCON Digital helps customers identify opportunities for energy optimization and sustainable operations in a simple and efficient manner.

Seamless Technology Solutions

CIMCON Digital’s technology has proven instrumental in providing customers with a seamless experience, delivering significant benefits across multiple aspects. Firstly, the technology has enabled customers to reduce downtime, a critical concern in manufacturing industries. By leveraging the edge platform, customers can proactively monitor machine conditions, detect potential issues early on, and implement preventive measures to avoid unplanned downtime. 

Secondly, the technology has enhanced operational efficiency for customers. Through advanced analytics and AI/ML capabilities, the platform transforms raw machine data into actionable insights. This empowers customers to optimize processes, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions that drive efficiency and productivity.

Moreover, CIMCON Digital’s edge platform supports customers in accelerating their digital journey. The platform offers scalability and flexibility and caters to various use cases such as condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy analytics, and process optimization. This versatility allows customers to seamlessly integrate the solution into their existing technology landscape, maximizing their investments and enabling a smooth transition to enhanced operational capabilities.

Overall, CIMCON Digital’s technology solutions empower customers to elevate their operations, minimize downtime, and achieve higher levels of efficiency. By delivering a seamless experience, the technology enhances customer productivity and profitability across industries.

Leadership Philosophy

Anil Agrawal’s customer-first leadership philosophy permeates every aspect of CIMCON Digital. Under his guidance, the organization thrives on collaboration, effective communication, and mutual respect, enabling teams to deliver innovative solutions that exceed customer expectations.

Encouraging a growth mindset, Agrawal fosters continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving customer needs. Emphasizing ownership, he instills a sense of accountability and commitment to delivering exceptional results. Moreover, a sense of urgency drives CIMCON Digital’s proactive approach, ensuring timely and effective solutions to address customer problems.

This customer-centric leadership approach has fostered a thriving and innovative organization. CIMCON Digital’s commitment to innovation and customer-centricity ensures it remains at the forefront of the digital transformation landscape. Empowering industries for a connected and efficient future, the company continues to pave the way for transformative advancements.

CIMCON Digital is a pioneering Edge IoT Platform and solution provider, specializing in driving digital transformation through the utilization of Generative AI and machine learning in the Smart Manufacturing, Water, and Infrastructure sectors. 

Web Link : https://theenterpriseworld.com/cimcon-digital-industrial-transformation/

Ahmedabad and Boston, August 4th, 2023  

CIMCON Digital, an AI-led IoT technology company in the manufacturing space, is thrilled to announce the launch of its innovative AI-powered virtual assistant, Muni. Designed to revolutionize manufacturing operations, Muni is set to enhance data-driven decision-making and boost asset reliability.

Muni is a sophisticated human-like expert interface to its AI-based Machine Anomaly detection and diagnostics application, tailored for manufacturing stakeholders and decision-makers. By harnessing the NLP (Natural Language Processing) power of Generative AI, Muni enables a human-like conversation with manufacturing professionals to optimize asset availability, reliability, and efficiency in an easy and interactive manner. 

Muni seamlessly integrates with CIMCON’s VIBit (Vibration, Temperature, and Noise) and CIM edge IIoT Platform. These cutting-edge tools collectively gather real-time machine health and performance data at a split-second interval. The software then employs a combination of physics, proven rules, and a number of advanced machine learning algorithms to precisely detect anomalies and identify machine faults with associated risk levels as well as recommendations to fix them.

“We are excited to introduce Muni to the manufacturing industry,” said Anil Agrawal, CEO of CIMCON Digital. “It is a game changer. It humanizes technology by enabling humanistic conversations where manufacturing professionals can question the system. This includes peeking into the way our software thinks resulting in quick decision making thereby avoiding costly machine downtime, saving plant owners hundreds of thousands of dollars while improving their brand. “

Here is an example of a conversation with Muni and a manufacturing head, Tom:

Muni: “Hello Tom, good morning. A few assets changed their health status since you last logged in. Would you like to know further details from me?”

Tom: “Yes, provide me a list of assets under high risk.”

Muni: “Sure, Tom, the following assets are under high risk:

Screw Compressor (Asset ID: COM-456)

Pump 1 (Asset ID: PMP-789)

AHU Blower (Asset ID: AHU-123)

Force Draft Fan (Asset ID: FD-567)

Tom: “How many days has the Screw Compressor been at high risk?”

Muni: “The Screw Compressor (Asset ID: COM-456) has been at high risk for the past 5 days.”

Tom: “What is its fault mode?”

Muni: The fault mode is BPFI (Ball Pass Frequency Inner) found on ‘Motor Drive End Side’ of the Screw Compressor. The Non-synchronous energy at ball pass frequency in inner race 1xBPFI to 3xBPFI has increased.

Tom: “What’s your recommendation?”

Muni: “My recommendation is to assign this task to the maintenance team for inspection of the inner race bearing and replace the bearing, if required.

Muni: “Is there anything else I can assist you with today?”

Tom: “No thanks, all set.”

As shown above, Muni’s interface is extremely interactive and intuitive, allowing users to get a clear picture of their plant health issues along with subsequent recommendations.

CIMCON Digital’s Muni is poised to redefine the manufacturing landscape, propelling businesses towards data-driven excellence and unprecedented asset reliability. With its real-time insights and proactive recommendations, Muni showcases its potential to optimize manufacturing processes and drive decision-making for businesses in the industry to the next level.

“At CIMCON Digital, we are committed to bringing innovation and efficiency to the manufacturing sector,” added Agrawal. “Muni embodies our dedication to harnessing the power of AI to unlock the full potential of manufacturing processes.”

About CIMCON Digital: CIMCON Digital leverages 35 years of deep domain industrial experience of its parent company, CIMCON Software (I) Pvt. Ltd., to deliver cutting-edge Industry 4.0 solutions that incorporate IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning technologies. CIMCON Digital products and solutions help a diverse range of customers across Manufacturing, Water, Oil & Gas, among others, meet their net-zero and sustainability goals. The company has a global presence, with offices in the United States and India, and its mission is to create “One Connected Industrial World,” making it a leading player in the IoT industry.

Ahmedabad, India , October 10th, 2023  

CIMCON Digital, a prominent player in predictive and prescriptive maintenance technology, announced the launch of its VIBit-BP, a battery-powered vibration sensor that eliminates the need for wired connections. As the first company to offer both battery-powered and wired vibration sensors, CIMCON Digital aims to provide flexibility to industries seeking practical predictive maintenance solutions. VIBit-BP responds to the global demand in markets where either the cost to install wires is prohibitive, power is not available or access to industrial assets being monitored is limited due to plant operating conditions.  It also leverages the advances in battery technology and low power wireless networks to provide almost 10 years of battery life.  With the addition of this product, customers can integrate all their assets, whether they require wired or battery-operated vibration sensors into one system. Additionally, both sensors are compatible with the company’s new generative AI assistant the Muni, allowing customers to receive machine health updates with its natural language chat bot.

VIBit-BP offers the same level of performance as its wired counterpart and seamlessly integrates into CIMCON’s state-of-the-art Industrial IoT platform. CIMCON customers can therefore continue to enjoy the same level of performance as it relates to anticipating potential failures, enhancing machine reliability while reducing operational and maintenance costs. Designed for demanding industrial settings, this compact vibration sensor offers the same mounting options that do not require any drilling or intrusive operations. It offers reliable wireless connectivity via Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) for remote monitoring and advanced AI/ML-based analytics through a user-friendly interface for comprehensive machine health insights.

CIMCON Digital’s CEO, Anil Agrawal, said “with VIBit-BP, customers have the choice to go wireless and still experience the same reliability that they are used to from our wired product while interacting seamlessly with the software and Muni for real-time machine health updates.”

For more information about VIBit-BP and its benefits to your industry, please visit https://cimcondigital.com/vibit-battery-powered/.

About CIMCON Digital: CIMCON Digital, leveraging 35 years of industrial expertise, delivers cutting-edge Industry 4.0 solutions incorporating IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning. Their products assist diverse customers, including Manufacturing, Water and Oil & Gas, in achieving net-zero and sustainability goals. With global offices in the United States and India, CIMCON Digital aims to create a “One Connected Industrial World,” making them a prominent player in the IoT industry.

According to Deloitte, the strategic importance of smart factories is undeniable, as early adopters have reported operating more efficiently and driving more to the bottom line. In the United States alone, 86% of manufacturers believe that smart factories will be the main driver of competition by 2025. 83% believe that smart factories will transform the way products are made.

The cement plant is one of the most important industries in the smart factory perspective and it is believed that the cement plant of the future will operate in a different way than today’s plants. The cement plant of the future will achieve lower operating costs and higher asset value through higher energy efficiency, yield, and throughput and more targeted effective maintenance will also lengthen the lifetime of the equipment. But before we dig into the future of the cement industry, what are some of the challenges that the cement industry usually faces?

Challenges in Cement Industry

Raw price increase

Several macroeconomic conditions going on all over the world like the Ukraine-Russia War and the tension between USA and China has led to an increase in raw material prices like coal, gas, and electricity. With raw material prices soaring up and freight charges increasing, there is looming pressure on labour costs which will lower the margins for cement producers in the long run. So, cement producers need to be more effective in handling labour costs and reduce manual labour costs in order to improve efficiency.

Low consumption and resilient supply chains

Due to the pandemic, the housing industry has taken a hit and there has been a decline in the production of cement during the pandemic. But with people now thinking beyond the pandemic, the production of cement will go up in considerable future. With supply chain resiliency, particularly around the spending area of transportation & logistics, it is essential for cement industries to oversee the suppliers’ supplier as some markets are seeing increasingly panicky buying patterns. So, it is essential that the cement industries work in full flow and there is lesser downtime to meet the needs of the suppliers across the globe.

Selective investment in smart technology and AI

Many cement industries have initiated digital transformation to achieve many of the goals post-pandemic. But many of the digital transformation programs are not delivering the value they have promised. The cement industries need to look for the way ahead where proper digital transformation programs are implemented which can not only increase the efficiency of the plants but also help to reduce the downtimes which will eventually lead to better-operating margins for the cement industries.

The way ahead for the cement industry

Today most cement industries operate in a traditional, nonagile manner with manual or outdated technology infrastructure and they also struggle to acquire and retain skilled workers in important roles. While the cement industry has seen major advancements in IT infrastructure and operational technology over the past two decades, the return has been below expectations. So, it is essential for the cement industry to sit together and find out a way how to improve the existing infrastructure which can help to manage the assets effectively and also help to reduce the downtimes. Sensors and predictive maintenance are the way forward for the cement industry. Sensors like vibration sensors can help to determine the malfunction in assets like bearing failure and plant managers can take action on the assets beforehand so that the assets are effectively managed. Predictive maintenance is another important factor for the cement industry where the plant managers can predict the failures in advance before they happen which can lead to a reduction in downtime.

In short, there is no single approach to success in the cement industry and each plant should choose its own path depending on context, goals, existing in-house capabilities, and so forth. But the future of Digital Transformation definitely depends on how the plants are handling the assets in real-time and improving machine health. Also, with skilled labours reducing with time, it is essential for cement plants to take effective steps to automate the plants with sensors and IoT devices so that manual work is reduced and plant managers can focus on more important tasks.

Who should be involved in the OT cybersecurity program? This is the first question for a reason. In many information technology (IT) organizations, the answer is clear. Security requires networking, endpoint, cloud, regulatory, and other IT partners. In operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, however, getting the “who” right is critical and often more complex.Depending on the organization, the who may include the head of process control technology; the SVP/EVP/VP of operations, manufacturing or supply chain; influential plant managers; or quality or similar regulatory personnel. This is on top of the more typical groups involved in IT security.We have seen many organizations stall if key operations personnel are not included early in the process to identify bottlenecks or technical challenges. Successful chief information security officers (CISO) create a steering committee of IT and OT personnel in addition to the operations leaders who understand the technical challenges of the systems.Without this joint team, organizations struggle to gain buy-in for the necessary technical changes and required support personnel to achieve success. Together, this group forms the right process for deciding aspirations, technical feasibility, and more.

Where should you begin your OT cybersecurity journey? Almost all industrial companies have some level of cybersecurity underway, but often the question is where to focus first to improve the security of the OT systems. Options usually include network protection such as segmentation and separation, endpoint protection, network anomaly detection, asset visibility, and inventory for improved vulnerability management, security event monitoring, and analysis.There is no absolute right answer to this. Some will argue for deploying network protection technology to create a barrier. Others will argue for vulnerability assessment or asset visibility and inventory.The right answer depends on the organization’s starting point. However, the foundation of all these initiatives is a robust asset inventory with “360-degree” visibility on hardware, software, network connections, users and accounts, vulnerabilities, etc. To make network protection effective, you must know what you are protecting and how it needs to communicate. To make proper vulnerability management decisions, you need clarity of the comprehensive 360-degree risk, because not all assets in OT can be patched or upgraded. Alternative compensating controls may be needed, and prioritization is key. Security event monitoring requires knowledge of the assets to monitor, as well as their operations and asset criticality.This 360-degree approach provides a comprehensive view of the risks and how they interact. For instance, two devices may have similar vulnerability or patch status, but one has application whitelisting locked down, a robust backup, hardened configuration settings, and sits behind a well-configured firewall, whereas another does not. Or one operates critical operational processes, whereas the other does not. Even more so than in IT, these relative priorities are critical in OT given the challenges of taking rapid remediating actions.

Why do you need an OT security program? This is the most obvious question. CISOs have protected IT systems for more than a decade. You likely have dozens of tools at your disposal to address cybersecurity according to Check Point, Gartner and others. So why in the world do you need a specific OT cybersecurity program?The reality is these systems truly are different but perhaps not in exactly the ways OT folks or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vendors often say. They are sensitive to change or traditional IT security scanning. They are highly integrated. They do operate many legacy operating systems due to long lifecycles. They include many embedded systems that cannot be scanned or managed in the same way a Windows PC or cloud server can. And the downside risk of acting on a false security alarm can be operationally devastating.

What security management actions should be included in the program? Many organizations become hamstrung with the actions they can take to secure their OT/ICS environments. In part due to the fear, uncertainty, and doubt raised by OEM vendors or some in OT, organizations limit what can be done to secure these systems. Perhaps they limit themselves to segmentation or network monitoring because of the fear of managing these sensitive systems.Our suggestion is to employ OT systems management. These are the same techniques IT conducts on IT systems (and actually represent more than 70% of all IT security tasks). This includes functions such as patching, vulnerability management, configuration management, user and access management, and more.This comprehensive set of management actions ensures protection and hardening of these devices in advance, as well as the detection of anomalies from ongoing attacks. They also align IT and OT security into consistent practice areas that can be monitored and tracked.

How should an OT security program be managed? There is no one perfect way to manage a cybersecurity program. It depends on the way the organization is structured more broadly. Is the culture top-down with a drive for operational consistency, even if it may take longer to align different parts of the organization? Is the culture one where targets are set, but business units are left to determine how best to hit those targets? Is there a close working relationship between IT and OT? These sub-questions inform how best to organize your approach.

There are several key elements regardless of the overall structure:

Establish a target early on that allows for measurement and tracking. We have seen great success leveraging the Center for Internet Security top 20, but there are other targets and models to use. Selecting one is key

Gain alignment between IT and OT and leverage each for the strengths they bring.

Build traction early with visibility into key risks and by addressing key vulnerabilities and risks.

Create accountability by adding security into balanced scorecards to ensure results have an impact on performance.

Conclusion:

Security in layman’s terms

Anant was browsing the internet when he came across an advertisement for an 80% off branded dress. Anant became enthralled and clicked on the link. He double-checked the dress and its size. He found it to be a good fit and added it to his cart. He then made the payment by entering his credit card information. He was excited because he had obtained a good dress at a significant discount, which he intended to purchase for his friend’s wedding. After a few minutes, he received an alert that a transaction from his card had been processed, which he had not done. He was taken a back and had no idea what was going on. When he checked the same website again, he found that it is an unsecured website. His card information was stolen, but he was able to block his card after being notified of the fraudulent transaction.

Why Security is important for IoT products Anant realised that the same thing could happen at his plant, where multiple IoT devices spread across different units of the plant are connected over the internet, sending machine statistics, plant operational details such as production rate, machine health, and a variety of other information. Some Internet of Things devices could indeed control plant machinery. Certainly, the IoT devices have greatly helped him in maintaining uptime, increasing productivity, and identifying faults in real time so he can’t ignore them. To make matters worse, there was no way for him to determine whether any of the systems had already been hacked or compromised, as he could with his credit card.

He was now convinced that data security is extremely important for any remote monitoring or control system he deploys at his plant.

How security can be achieved in the Internet of Things world? Anant requested the assistance of his IT team to assess data security options. His IT team informed him that there are very few suppliers who provide end-to-end security. End-to-end security means that before an IoT device sends data to a server, it first authenticates the server to ensure that it is communicating with the correct server. The server does the same thing before allowing any IoT device to connect to itself. After both the IoT device and the server have authenticated each other, they can begin exchanging information or data. Again, data cannot be plain data in order for unknown parties or hackers to interpret the information. So the IoT device encrypts the data before sending it to the server, and the server does the same. Data encryption ensures that the recipient does not understand what was communicated between the two ends.

How iEdge 360 accomplishes this in a very intuitive and user-friendly manner

At CIMCON Digital, data security is as important as meeting business requirements. However, data security is a complex topic that requires in-depth knowledge, sometimes even at the end-user level. This is also why end users skip the security step unless IT or management enforces it. Fortunately, it is simple and straightforward for iEdge360 users. CIMCON Digital’s iEgde360 is an IoT Edge gateway platform.

Initially, iEdg360 employs industry-standard security practices, so users do not need to learn anything new, and the credibility of those security standards is already established. iEdg360, for example, uses an X.509 certificate-based MQTT connection with the server. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard X.509 specifies the format of public key certificates. X.509 certificates are used in many Internet protocols, including TLS/SSL, which serves as the foundation for HTTPS, the secure web browsing protocol.

Second, the user simply selects that they want to connect the field device using secured MQTT, and the platform will generate the necessary X.509-based certificates and upload the public key to the endpoint (server). As a result, the end user does not need to worry about creating certificates or uploading keys to the server. The process is so seamless that the end user may not even be aware of this technology and still achieve end-to-end security.

iEdge360 MQTT configuration

Why are CIM devices safe to use? CIM, an IoT Edge gateway from CIMCON Digital, is part of the iEdge360 platform. CIM includes data security out of the box, allowing end users to protect plant and machine data. Only an authorized user can view the data once it has arrived at the server by entering user credentials. CIMCON Digital’s cloud solution, CIM-Cloud, which displays data in a dashboard and performs analytics, also uses two-factor authentication (2FA). Two-factor authentication improves security. After providing valid login credentials, the user is prompted for an authentication code, which is sent to his email address. As a result, even if user credentials are stolen, an anonymous person cannot log in. This function is available in the majority of financial portals but not in IIoT platforms. CIMCON Digital is one of the few platform companies that has implemented Two Factor Authentication(2FA).

The global steel market reached a value of US$ 874.6 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach a value of US$ 1,052.25 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 3.02% during 2022-2027. Significant growth in the automotive industry across the globe and Increasing oil & gas production owing to the transportation industry’s demand is creating a positive outlook for the market. But with growth comes a lot of challenges in the steel manufacturing process. Companies in the industry face major challenges with rapid digitalisation and unlocking potential in data, shifts in consumer demands, and the attraction of top talents.

To address these challenges and improve profitability, the largest integrated producer of engineering steels and specialized seamless tubes in the Asia Pacific region has the foresight to expand its market in the coming years. In recent years, the leadership team has placed a greater emphasis on better asset utilization and process optimization.

Steel Plant & Tube Mill Challenges:

Failure of AssetsComplex procedures and important resources are used to produce steel tubes. Production and product quality are both impacted by the unforeseen failure of assets. It is not practical to inspect equipment frequently due to the harsh steel mill environment and the risks that inspection of rotating equipment poses to operator safety.

Mills in poor condition A poorly maintained mill costs valuable time and scrap during setup and operation. The mill must be dependable so that the operator is not chasing mechanical problems during normal operation and setup. A good maintenance program, as well as rebuilds or upgrades when necessary, is essential.

Tube mill misalignment, poor mill condition, and inaccurate setup account for 95% of all problems in tube production. Most mills should be aligned at least once a year.

Low investment in technologyOne of the major problems which these industries face is the lack of incorporation of advanced technologies in Research and Development work in production. The same is the case for other sectors of the industry and has been the case for decades. One of the outcomes has been the relative unattractiveness of the sector vis-a-vis others among young engineers. With little research being done by the government or the private sector, Industries lack effective implementation of Industry 4.0 and technologies that can reduce risks and helps to cut overall production cost. 

Process monitoringSteel mills’ inspection and monitoring process usually follow specific procedures, requiring that workers operate in a typical analog way. Since it is a critical environment, stopping production to execute corrective actions is unfeasible, and the current method for monitoring these problems is not able to predict failures in the same way as intelligent predictive models do, thus demonstrating an inevitable gap to errors.

Lack of Talent and TrainingEven though the operators are skilled and trained to operate in tube mills, there are still some challenges and issues that they need to face every day. Tube mill owners should arrange training sessions on how to troubleshoot the problem and figure out what was causing the problem. If these problems are not addressed properly, aluminium fabrication, steel fabrication, or stainless-steel fabrication processes won’t have precise tubes and pipes to work with.

MaintenanceBesides the difficulty in performing the inspection itself because of the hostile environment of steel industries, the maintenance of the encountered problems is also difficult.

The corrosion of equipment and structures is also a common problem in these industries and the maintenance of these components is very complicated because of the hostile environment, as mentioned before. Besides, the diversity of complex processes in this industry also makes it difficult to understand the extracted data in the operation, and the improper management of this information in diffuse systems compromises the maintenance of the structures.

Because of this lack of precise management tools, failure prediction in the operation is not usually achievable, leading to unplanned shutdowns and the extensive use of corrective maintenance methods.

Our Solution: 

With the advent of Industry 4.0, predictive maintenance has gained huge popularity in maintaining machine health. Predictive maintenance is aimed at reducing costly and unplanned downtimes and offers organizations to plan maintenance schedules in advance for increased efficiency. According to McKinsey, predictive maintenance typically reduces machine downtime by 30% to 50% and increases machine life by 20% to 40%.

CIMCON Digital’s VIBit is an intelligent, powerful, and compact sensor that monitors the conditions of machines or equipment and predicts their failures in advance using the latest AI/ML Technologies to avoid unplanned downtime saving time and money for the owners.

We set up VIBit, a platform for detecting and diagnosing machine anomalies so that we could track the real-time performance of crucial machinery and processes throughout the year. VIBit Tri-axial vibration, Temp, and audio sensors installed on rotary equipment transmit machine health data over Plant’s Wi-Fi. AI/ML algorithms on the edge platform provide early machine anomaly detection along with diagnostics and recommendations for corrective and preventive action.

It can be used in Steel Tube Plant Asset and Fault Diagnostics to identify faults like bearing failure, misalignment, and electrical faults in types of equipment like De-scalar: motor/pump, Fume extraction system: motor/pump, etc.

Benefits of setting up a VIBit:

Real-time monitoring of critical equipment’s health on a single dashboard.

Prioritize and plan maintenance action before catastrophic failure.

Reduce the risk of operator safety with remote monitoring.

Reduce planned downtime and eliminate unplanned downtime. 

Reduce process and quality-related issues.

Increase equipment efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Industry Growth and Technological Advancements: As highlighted in a McKinsey report, the cement industry is poised for significant growth, expected to reach 850 million tons per annum (t/a) by 2030 and 1350 million t/a by 2050. This expansion is supported by substantial progress in technological upgrades and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, setting the stage for transformative shifts in manufacturing practices.

The cement industry is embracing the fourth industrial revolution—Cement 4.0—with significant strides in digitalization and automation to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve sustainability. As manufacturers look to maximize their Return on Investment (ROI), the implementation of digital tools and processes becomes crucial. Here’s how advanced technologies are reshaping the cement industry:

Overcoming Operational Challenges with Digital Solutions

Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM) and Online Implement Monitoring: Traditionally, cement plants have relied on periodic manual checks to assess the condition of equipment. However, CBM allows for continuous monitoring of critical parameters like temperature and vibration, using sensors that provide real-time data. This shift not only enhances machine longevity but also optimizes maintenance schedules, reducing unexpected downtime and associated costs.

Predictive Maintenance for Bearings and Motors: Bearings are crucial components in cement plants, and predictive maintenance monitors bearing temperatures to warn of potential issues, allowing for timely replacement and avoiding costly breakdowns. Similarly, motors are the workhorses of cement plants, and keeping a close eye on motor conditions ensures they run optimally and alerts to potential failures in advance.

Manpower Optimization and Asset Feasibility

Leading cement manufacturers are keen on reducing manpower to streamline operations and focus human resources on more critical tasks. Automated systems in VRMs and cooling towers allow fewer personnel to manage operations, maintaining high efficiency and safety standards. Advanced systems in cranes and roller presses minimize human intervention, particularly in hazardous areas, thereby reducing risk and enhancing operational reliability.

Vibration Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance

Vibration Monitoring: One of the standout features of digitalization in cement manufacturing is the ability to monitor equipment vibrations to predict failures before they occur. By setting threshold limits, the system can preemptively alert maintenance teams to potential issues, preventing costly unplanned shutdowns. This capability is essential for maintaining continuous production lines and avoiding significant financial losses due to equipment failure.

Lack of Tripping Protection: In some critical applications within the cement industry, there is a notable absence of tripping protection facilities. This deficiency means that immediate corrective actions cannot be taken in high-risk conditions, potentially leading to severe operational disruptions or safety hazards. Integrating advanced monitoring systems that can trigger automatic shutdowns or alerts can mitigate this risk significantly.

Predictive Maintenance in Clean Areas: Cement plants typically face challenges in maintaining equipment in ‘clean’ areas—zones that are critical for quality control but are sensitive to dust and other contaminants. Here, predictive maintenance can be particularly effective, utilizing data analytics to foresee and prevent failures without frequent physical inspections, which could compromise the cleanliness of these areas.

Predictive Maintenance in Gearboxes, Mills, and Kiln Installations: Gearboxes, mills, and kiln related installations are pivotal in cement plants, and predictive maintenance strategies here are critical for ensuring reliability and reducing unplanned downtime.

Let's illustrate this with a real-world example. CIMCON's VIBit sensors have been installed on the motor drive end (DE) and non-drive end (NDE), as well as on the gearbox of the Deep Drive Pan Conveyor in a Clinker Unit.

(Source by CIMCON Digital)

The RMS Velocity trends showed the motor health status transitioning from monitoring to alarm to warning. The plant maintenance team identified the first anomaly 30 days in advance and restored normal function following recommended maintenance.

(Source by CIMCON Digital)

Auto diagnostics and recommendation algorithms identified motor structural looseness and suggested inspecting the motor mounting.

(Source by CIMCON Digital)

Below is a snapshot illustrating the faults that can be diagnosed by vibration monitoring system.

(Source by CIMCON Digital)

Digitalization and ROI: Calculating the Benefits

The shift to digital operations offers tangible benefits that directly impact the bottom line. By reducing manual interventions, optimizing maintenance, and enhancing equipment efficiency, plants can achieve a lower operational cost per ton of cement produced. For instance, implementing CBM and predictive maintenance strategies not only extends the life of the equipment but also significantly cuts down energy consumption—directly translating to cost savings and improved ROI.

Source: US DOE Operations & Maintenance Best Practices Guide

Deloitte Source (https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/de/Documents/deloitte-analytics/Deloitte_Predictive-Maintenance_PositionPaper.pdf)

Reducing CO2 Footprint through Digitalization

Energy consumption is a major contributor to the CO2 footprint of cement manufacturing. Digital tools that optimize energy use—such as smart thermostats in cooling towers and energy-efficient drives in cranes and VRMs—help reduce the overall energy demand of the plant. Furthermore, the use of alternative fuels and materials, monitored and optimized via digital solutions, contributes to a substantial decrease in CO2 emissions, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Conclusion: Integrating CIMCON Solutions

CIMCON Digital’s integration of its VIBIt solution and CIM IoT edge platform offers significant advantages for predictive maintenance in the cement industry. These technologies enable precise condition monitoring and real-time analytics, which are crucial for reducing downtime, minimizing maintenance costs, and enhancing productivity. For companies like Ultratech, JK Cement, Shree Cement, and Ambuja Cement, which are leading players in the cement industry, adopting these advanced solutions can lead to more sustainable and profitable operations.

By leveraging CIMCON’s solutions, these top cement manufacturers can benefit from enhanced operational efficiency and safety while also achieving significant environmental benefits. The transition towards digital technologies, often referred to as Cement 4.0, is essential for staying competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. It not only offers financial gains but also contributes to environmental sustainability by optimizing resource use and reducing emissions.

The global steel market reached a value of US$ 874.6 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach a value of US$ 1,052.25 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 3.02% during 2022-2027. Significant growth in the automotive industry across the globe and Increasing oil & gas production owing to the transportation industry’s demand is creating a positive outlook for the market. But with growth comes a lot of challenges in the steel manufacturing process. Companies in the industry face major challenges with rapid digitalisation and unlocking potential in data, shifts in consumer demands, and the attraction of top talents.

To address these challenges and improve profitability, the largest integrated producer of engineering steels and specialized seamless tubes in the Asia Pacific region has the foresight to expand its market in the coming years. In recent years, the leadership team has placed a greater emphasis on better asset utilization and process optimization.

Steel Plant & Tube Mill Challenges:

Failure of Assets Complex procedures and important resources are used to produce steel tubes. Production and product quality are both impacted by the unforeseen failure of assets. It is not practical to inspect equipment frequently due to the harsh steel mill environment and the risks that inspection of rotating equipment poses to operator safety.

Mills in poor condition A poorly maintained mill costs valuable time and scrap during setup and operation. The mill must be dependable so that the operator is not chasing mechanical problems during normal operation and setup. A good maintenance program, as well as rebuilds or upgrades when necessary, is essential.

Tube mill misalignment, poor mill condition, and inaccurate setup account for 95% of all problems in tube production. Most mills should be aligned at least once a year.

Low investment in technology One of the major problems which these industries face is the lack of incorporation of advanced technologies in Research and Development work in production. The same is the case for other sectors of the industry and has been the case for decades. One of the outcomes has been the relative unattractiveness of the sector vis-a-vis others among young engineers. With little research being done by the government or the private sector, Industries lack effective implementation of Industry 4.0 and technologies that can reduce risks and helps to cut overall production cost. 

Process monitoring Steel mills’ inspection and monitoring process usually follow specific procedures, requiring that workers operate in a typical analog way. Since it is a critical environment, stopping production to execute corrective actions is unfeasible, and the current method for monitoring these problems is not able to predict failures in the same way as intelligent predictive models do, thus demonstrating an inevitable gap to errors.

Lack of Talent and Training Even though the operators are skilled and trained to operate in tube mills, there are still some challenges and issues that they need to face every day. Tube mill owners should arrange training sessions on how to troubleshoot the problem and figure out what was causing the problem. If these problems are not addressed properly, aluminium fabrication, steel fabrication, or stainless-steel fabrication processes won’t have precise tubes and pipes to work with.

Maintenance Besides the difficulty in performing the inspection itself because of the hostile environment of steel industries, the maintenance of the encountered problems is also difficult.

The corrosion of equipment and structures is also a common problem in these industries and the maintenance of these components is very complicated because of the hostile environment, as mentioned before. Besides, the diversity of complex processes in this industry also makes it difficult to understand the extracted data in the operation, and the improper management of this information in diffuse systems compromises the maintenance of the structures.

Because of this lack of precise management tools, failure prediction in the operation is not usually achievable, leading to unplanned shutdowns and the extensive use of corrective maintenance methods.

Our Solution: 

With the advent of Industry 4.0, predictive maintenance has gained huge popularity in maintaining machine health. Predictive maintenance is aimed at reducing costly and unplanned downtimes and offers organizations to plan maintenance schedules in advance for increased efficiency. According to McKinsey, predictive maintenance typically reduces machine downtime by 30% to 50% and increases machine life by 20% to 40%.

CIMCON Digital’s VIBit is an intelligent, powerful, and compact sensor that monitors the conditions of machines or equipment and predicts their failures in advance using the latest AI/ML Technologies to avoid unplanned downtime saving time and money for the owners.

We set up VIBit, a platform for detecting and diagnosing machine anomalies so that we could track the real-time performance of crucial machinery and processes throughout the year. VIBit Tri-axial vibration, Temp, and audio sensors installed on rotary equipment transmit machine health data over Plant’s Wi-Fi. AI/ML algorithms on the edge platform provide early machine anomaly detection along with diagnostics and recommendations for corrective and preventive action.

It can be used in Steel Tube Plant Asset and Fault Diagnostics to identify faults like bearing failure, misalignment, and electrical faults in types of equipment like De-scalar: motor/pump, Fume extraction system: motor/pump, etc.

Benefits of setting up a VIBit:

Real-time monitoring of critical equipment’s health on a single dashboard.

Prioritize and plan maintenance action before catastrophic failure.

Reduce the risk of operator safety with remote monitoring.

Reduce planned downtime and eliminate unplanned downtime. 

Reduce process and quality-related issues.

Increase equipment efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

The global steel market reached a value of US$ 874.6 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach a value of US$ 1,052.25 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 3.02% during 2022-2027. Significant growth in the automotive industry across the globe is creating a positive outlook for the market. But with growth comes a lot of challenges in the steel manufacturing process. Companies in the industry face major challenges with rapid digitalization and unlocking potential in data, shifts in consumer demands, and the attraction of top talents.

Unlocking the potential in digitalization and data

The development of smart factories for automated production to streamline production and support functions will be a giant step for players competing in the field for efficient practices. Investment in digital technologies will be a vital step in promoting effective virtual work to enhance actions across operations ranging from maintenance to customer support functions. The utilization of data in the metals industry will be a disruptor in the valuation of the products and services provided by the industry. Digitally-integrated products and services will become the new norm. Skills in IT and digital technologies will become a vital requirement across industries in order to manage highly valuable IT infrastructures and digital functions.

Shifts in Consumer Demands

By the year 2040, consumer demands for product and service standards will be altered drastically by trends affecting everyday lives. The global population will grow by 25% by the year 2040, causing concerns in demand expectations for industries heavily involved in infrastructural developments such as construction and transportation.  More than 68% of people will be living in urban areas by the year 2050, therefore the metals industry must meet demands from rapid urbanization. Metals will be vital players in the development of sustainable and smart infrastructures globally as investments in infrastructure are projected to increase along with the growing population and growing middle class. 

Talent Drought

With developing technologies and evolving working cultures, talent acquisition for top talents is a constant challenge in the eyes of employers. This is a current issue in the metals industry that will carry on into the future – especially with talent with modern technologies for functions such as plant management and maintenance. Industries like metals must make strong efforts in building reputable brands for employment that meet the desires of the potential talent for future generational challenges.

With all these challenges in place, steel and metal industries must look into the future in order to maintain the assets, have proper data management in place, and with a talent shortage, more automation should be there for increasing operational efficiency. Some of the ways by which steel industries can improve their manufacturing plants are listed below

Predictive Maintenance using artificial intelligence

Due to the mass automation of the smart metals plant, physical access to the plant is mainly required in order to maintain equipment and machinery. Utilizing artificial intelligence, maintenance can be scheduled according to the production schedules onsite, reducing lag time and delays. Immediate repairs that may cause halts to production can be communicated and coordinated between onsite engineers and digital control managers. Onsite or offsite, maintenance can be assisted digitally from start to finish. For example, with the use of Vibration sensors and Edge devices, employees can receive real-time assistance and guidance about the machine’s health and the actions needed to be taken. These tools provide step-by-step instructions and guidelines required in order to carry out maintenance operations – they will guide employees through what maintenance work needs to be done and in what order in order to ensure efficiency and prevent mistakes. As the maintenance is managed digitally, data will be collected on maintenance processes and improved automatically. 

Digitalization and Data Integration

With rapid digitalization in the metals industry, the organization must be able to manage a vast amount of data collected throughout the entire production process and the ecosystem surrounding the plant. Integrating collaborative data management into the metals production cycle is imperative in managing production cycles, shipments, resource management, and maintenance of equipment and machinery in order to develop a streamlined production process. For eg with the help of Vibration sensors, the steel manufacturers read the data in real-time and analyze the anomaly using various AI/ML methods. Based on the data and insights from the expert’s team, the team can take necessary actions based on the data provided to alert the users and take proactive actions to reduce unplanned downtimes.

Digitally Driven employees

A majority of plant operations will be controlled virtually and remotely in the coming years. With the development of AI/ML technologies, Edge computing, and predictive maintenance, processes can be controlled and supervised in real-time. Due to the exponential improvements in automation and the vast amounts of data collected, human interaction with these processes is mainly limited to maintenance, process development, and attention to special, unpredicted situations. A majority of the work in day-to-day processes will be the development of digital technologies and IT infrastructures controlling the automated processes in the plant. With talent shortages in the future, companies like CIMCON Digital can act as the partner who can help the employees by providing the data in real-time, and automating the processes, so that the employees need to act only when it is required instead of manual intervention.

Benefits of the steel industry with Digitalization

There are several machines used in Steel and Metal industries like De scaler pumps, Cooling towers, Downstream and upstream rolling mills, Piercing mills, and many others. All these machines can have unwanted issues and if not managed properly can cause huge delays in the introduction and unplanned downtimes, leading to huge losses. With the advent of technology and hardware like Vibration sensors, Edge Computing merged with AI/ML technologies, steel manufacturers can not only reduce losses but improve the health of the assets, thereby improving operational efficiency. 

Some of the major benefits of implementing the latest technology are

Real-time monitoring of critical equipment’s health 

Prioritizing and planning maintenance before catastrophic failure

Reduce the risk to safety operators with remote monitoring

Reduce planned downtime and eliminate unplanned downtime

Reduce process and quality-related issues

Increase equipment efficiency and reduce carbon emissions

Conclusion

The pharmaceutical industry contributes significantly to developing vaccines and medications for disease prevention and reduction, treatment of ailments, and enhancement of quality of life by engaging in innovative research and technological advancements to meet the population’s complex healthcare demands. 

India is the world’s top supplier of generic pharmaceuticals. The Indian pharmaceutical industry meets more than half of the global demand for various vaccines, 40% of generic demand in the United States, and 25% of total medicine in the United Kingdom. Globally, India ranks third in pharmaceutical manufacturing by volume and fourteenth in value. The domestic pharmaceutical sector comprises 3,000 pharmaceutical businesses and 10,500 manufacturing units. India holds a significant place in the global pharmaceutical industry. The country also possesses a vast pool of scientists and engineers who can propel the industry forward. More than 80% of antiretroviral medications used to combat AIDS are manufactured in the United States.

The typical human lifespan is exposed to more infections and diseases, necessitating preventative measures to maintain health and more significant research to improve the population’s quality of life. Hectic daily schedules, lack of exercise and sleep, improper eating habits, and other lifestyle choices have contributed to poor digestion, high obesity rates, breathing difficulties, and other health issues. Globalization and urbanization are important influences driving the increasing demand for health supplements and better pharmaceuticals. As chronic ailments have increased, people have become more reliant on health supplements and drugs.

With the covid 19, major disruptions have occurred in the Pharma industry. Some of the common challenges in the Pharma industry include

Difficulties in removing organizational silos which prevents Pharma companies from embracing the full potential of digital transformation

Lack of clarity in the current regulations regarding the use of technology

The Digital Transformation strategy prepared by the Pharma companies post covid is not founded on real knowledge of how to maximise business benefits.

With Digital Transformation in place there have been some massive upgradations that has happened in the past few years in the Pharma industry as well

Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) is speeding up drug discovery and development processes. Startups are investigating the application of these technologies to address numerous difficulties in the pharmaceutical sector, such as manufacturing process automation and optimization, as well as devising efficient marketing and post-launch tactics. Patient identification is essential in drug discovery and development, mainly when performing clinical trials. AI simplifies the identification of eligibility criteria and patient inclusion, making the cohort identification process faster and less expensive.

Big Data and Analytics: The pharmaceutical industry requires high-performance systems to analyse the massive amounts of data created during the drug discovery and development process. Pharmaceutical firms rely on third-party vendors to share data with collaborators, making data management a critical priority. Analytical techniques advancements are also transforming historical and real-time data available to pharmaceutical businesses into valuable assets for predictive, diagnostic, prescriptive, and descriptive analytics.

Flexible Production: Because of shifting market dynamics, the pharmaceutical industry is experimenting with innovative manufacturing methods, such as small batches for precision medicine. Single-use bioreactors are also gaining popularity due to their ability to reduce downtime and boost productivity. These bioreactors accomplish this by removing complex tasks like cleaning and validation between production rounds.

Curative therapies: Curative medicines, such as cell and gene therapies, transform how we treat chronic diseases and difficult-to-treat ailments by removing the need for long-term medications. Gene therapy is introducing genetic material into cells to compensate for defective genes or produce a good protein. The most frequent vectors for gene therapy are genetically modified viruses.

CIMCON Digital pioneers in predictive and prescriptive maintenance of machines and enable industries to have an edge over the competition in the Pharmaceutical industry. With the state-of-the-art Vibration systems and Edge platforms, CIMCON Digital helps in the digital transformation of the Pharma industry with proper maintenance of assets and reduce the unplanned downtime. Supply chain being one of the major issues in Pharma industries, CIMCON Digital make sure that the supply chain works uninterrupted with no major unplanned shutdowns and the Pharma industries can work in better production of items.

The pharmaceuticals market encompasses businesses that develop and sell drugs and associated services. According to research presented on Global News Wire, the market is projected to reach $1700.97 billion in 2025, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8%. As the world rapidly shifted towards digitalization in response to the pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry was not exempt from this trend. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a global surge of 27.8% in traffic to health medicine websites. Embracing digital transformation has become imperative for adapting to consumer trends and future-proofing organizations from disruptions.

Challenges of Digital Transformation in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry faces significant challenges in managing digital transformation, the strategic approach of leveraging technology to shift from analog to digital operations. According to a recent report by Deloitte with MIT Sloan Management Review, only 20% of biopharma companies have achieved digital maturity. Pharma industry executives have embraced digital transformation by updating operational processes and reducing manual labor to enhance efficiency and digital capabilities. However, the pressure to do more continues to mount, and an increasing array of challenges must be addressed:

Quality Control: Quality control is of paramount importance in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and digital transformation can play a pivotal role in improving it. By harnessing digital technologies like machine learning and data analytics, pharmaceutical manufacturers can identify potential quality issues earlier, enabling them to take prompt corrective action and prevent costly recalls.

Inventory Management: Pharmaceutical manufacturing involves managing a wide range of raw materials, intermediates, and finished products. Digital technologies like Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors can provide real-time visibility into inventory levels, enabling manufacturers to optimize their inventory management processes and reduce waste.

Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with various regulations and guidelines is a significant challenge in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Implementing digital solutions that offer automated reporting and real-time monitoring allows manufacturers to ensure compliance, reducing the risk of regulatory fines and penalties.

Supply Chain Management: The pharmaceutical supply chain is complex, involving multiple stakeholders such as suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Digital transformation can streamline supply chain processes, improve collaboration between stakeholders, and enhance visibility into the supply chain, thereby reducing the risk of disruptions and delays.

Data Management: The pharmaceutical industry generates vast amounts of scattered data, hindering decision-making processes and organizational efficiency. Establishing a single source of truth for data is crucial for pharmaceutical companies to take corrective action and enhance overall efficiency within the organization.

Overall, digital transformation can enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase efficiency, ultimately enhancing their ability to deliver superior products and services to customers.

Importance of Digitalization for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Digital transformation offers numerous growth opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry, providing significant process advantages that eliminate siloed systems and long-standing manufacturing inefficiencies. Here are some key advantages of digitalization:

Increased Visibility: Digital technologies enable pharma companies to make informed decisions based on generated data. By integrating with existing systems and assets, digital transformation enhances efficiency and operations, leading to better decision-making capabilities.

Cost Reduction: Digital transformation helps lower per capita costs in the pharma industry. By eliminating manual work to a certain extent, digitalization enables remote monitoring of system health and assets for better preventive maintenance. This minimizes breakdowns, malfunctions, repair expenses, liabilities, and downtime, resulting in significant cost savings.

Improved Efficiency: Operational efficiency is a top benefit of digital transformation, as cited by 40% of executives. Digitalization allows businesses to collect and utilize data for informed decision-making. Automation of various manufacturing processes reduces manual labor and improves operational efficiency throughout the manufacturing floor.

Higher Product Quality: Digitalization enables better prediction of failures and downtimes, facilitating predictive maintenance and anomaly detection through AI/ML algorithms. By eliminating time-consuming manual efforts prone to data collection and management errors, digitalization improves asset health, reporting workflows, quality control, reliability, and overall efficiency, resulting in higher-quality products.

Achieving Net Zero Goals: Digital transformation assists the pharma industry in real-time asset measurement and predictive tools. Being data-led enables companies to detect errors in advance, leading to improved efficiency. Digital tools also help reduce energy and water waste, contributing to better environmental conditions and facilitating the achievement of net-zero goals.