Industrial companies are going through their digital transformation! This translates into strong technological evolution – robotics and production automation, integration of communicating objects, product customization – but also into an unprecedented extension of companies’ information systems.
Tomorrow, each production machine but also each finished product will potentially be a communicating device to connect.
Over the last two decades, companies have massively computerized their administrative processes with four types of applications:
- ERP to monitor management flows,
- CRM for customer relationship,
- PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) for the design and management of products’ life cycle,
- SCM and APS (Advanced Planning System) to optimize their supply chain.
These different bricks of information systems have naturally been interconnected in order to avoid redundancies and inconsistencies.
A new step: the connected factory
In parallel, industrial processes saw the development of complex automations, robots, supervisions, as separate projects with no connection to the central information system.
Today, the growing inflation of communicating objects in the factory requires a transition to standard IT technologies. Interconnection requirements make the integration of all these projects into the information system compulsory!
Networking is a first element for the establishment of digital continuity. While technically simple to perform today, it however requires more and more wireless networks to connect mobile devices. It also implies to prioritize cybersecurity on these various network technologies.
Beyond this basic connectivity, communication protocols between the different bricks of the information system must be implemented.
With Qubes, IT technologies such as web services, SQL connections, or ISO 62264 standard implementations are directly available for connection with the ERP, PLM, SCM, APS software bricks. Qubes also provides a wide range of communication technology with supervisions, automatons and equipments, via PLC native protocols, OPC, measuring equipment drivers (scales native protocols,…).
Qubes, basis of Industry 4.0 ’s information system
Besides taking into account all the different protocols, digital continuity requires adequate semantics to enable communication between the information system’s various elements:
How can the ERP’s high level information be transformed into understandable components for a machine without operator intervention?
How can you structure technical data to avoid each application in the factory managing one part with no global consistency?
How do you integrate all machines and connected devices, and have the information system correctly interpret their data?
Manage your information system for new challenges
Qubes provides answers to all these questions in order for you to quickly set up a connected factory!
Qubes numerous possibilities open new structuring options for your information system. New allocation of responsibilities between ERP, PLM, MES et SCADAs become possible so as to build an information system better equipped to face the new challenges linked with Industry 4.0.
Discover Qubes i4, the latest Creative IT innovation!
Qubes i4 is an industrial device located within the factory, whose role is to liaise with the central server and ensure the availability of critical functions (automatons, machine control, connected devices…).
Centralization
High Availibility
Secure flows
CENTRALIZED COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE
It can either be a classical architecture with M.E.S. application server and central database hosted at your headquarters or on your service provider’s site, or a cloud solution hosted by Creative IT.
Discover Qubes i4’s various features.
How can Qubes i4 effectively address architecture and IT safety problems in an industrial context?
Take part in a Web Session designed to present Qubes i4
