Big data collection and analysis

Quick hit:

• Most industrial companies have started collecting data on specific production improvement initiatives within the last five years.
• The top three business drivers for data collection and analysis are: Improving the operation of specific lines or equipment. Improved maintenance work. and overall Industry 4.0 or digital transformation initiatives.
• According to system integrators, 57% of customers still rely on handwritten data collection and enter it into spreadsheet software, but only 29% of end users use handwritten methods for data collection. says there is.

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Read the transcript below.

Welcome to Automation World’s Technology Matters. I’m David Greenfield, Content Director. Today, I’d like to share with you some of the insights I’ve gleaned recently from research into the industry’s use of big data collection and analytics technology.

The name big data sounds very trendy, but it’s actually a new name. Businesses have been collecting time series data from their assets for decades. Factory managers and maintenance personnel, of course, use this data to improve operations, but they rarely analyze the data with broader business transformation in mind. By deploying more sensors and other data collection technologies, we are capturing more and more data and, most importantly, analyzing it for specific business improvement insights. It’s not just capturing data and leaving it as long as possible. It will be used for later identification.

As such, this research project, which surveyed both end-users and system integrators, explored the use of a variety of data collection and analysis technologies, ranging from data collection systems, historians, and computerized maintenance management systems to edge and cloud computing. focused on. , and advanced analysis software.

So here are just a few examples of what I found. Most end-user respondents (86%) say they collect data from equipment and devices specifically for production improvement initiatives, although most have only started doing so within the last five years. Only 27% of respondents said that he has been collecting data for more than six years for such purposes.

What’s interesting about end-user responses is that 98% plan to collect more data from their operational systems in the next two years. However, only 30% plan to do so for specific operational improvements.

This is because many of the companies that have been collecting and analyzing data for several years have already discovered many ways to improve their production operations and are using the data they are currently collecting for other, more strategic businesses. It may indicate that you may be trying to Purpose.

Another interesting finding in this study is that end users and integrators agreed on the top three business drivers for data collection and analysis. These drivers are improved operations for a particular line or equipment, improved maintenance operations, and being part of a company-wide Industry 4.0 or digital transformation initiative.

As for the specific technologies used for big data collection and analysis, most manufacturers still rely on data collection and analysis technologies that existed long before the high-profile technology of big data was developed. It’s not that surprising, but it turns out to be interesting. today.

This is not to say that new collection and analysis technologies are obsolete. Not at all. Edge and cloud technologies, for example, are widely used across industries. Still, they have a lot of headroom left in their growth. Only 29% of system integrator clients use hybrid cloud and edge technologies, and only 14% use standalone cloud systems.

Survey results show that most manufacturers rely on three main methods of data collection and analysis, one of which is handwritten data collection. According to a system integrator respondent, 57% of customers still rely on handwritten data collection and enter it into his software spreadsheets. However, only 29% of end users said they use handwritten methods for data collection. Even splitting the difference between integrator and end-his user reactions here, many companies rely on handwritten data collection and cannot really support his initiative for true big data.

The other two main methods used are historians and computerized maintenance management systems. Both have long been used throughout the industry.

The results of this survey will be published in the October 2022 issue. The full report will be published online and in print.

I hope you enjoyed this Technology Matters episode. We will continue to monitor this space for regular updates on advancements and applications in industrial automation technology.