Tap into the potential offered by Industry 4.0 and IIoT technology

During the planning phase of a new system or machine, the components that will be used later are chosen. To do so, it is important to have quick, efficient access to all necessary information. This starts with choosing the right suppliers and components and, in a later phase, continues with planning detailed information, such as drawings, circuit diagrams and certificates.

Once the system or machine has been implemented and commissioned, further information is required. You need to know which components are installed in your system, which need to be maintained, which require a firmware update and which need to be stocked as spare parts. Nowadays, asset management systems are being used more and more often for these tasks. The difficulty here lies in recording all key components in the production facility. Once you have identified and catalogued all key products, another challenge arises – as a rule, each manufacturer maintains their own file formats and stores the available information in different storage locations. For users, collecting and updating all this data is a task of Herculean proportions. This is all the more true when the task is expanded to include comparing firmware statuses in the field.

The digital nameplate, in combination with asset administration shell, offers a solution to all these problems. It provides the answer to the question of how to provide manufacturer-independent, standardised product data. To do so, a code (e.g. a 2D data matrix or a QR code) is added to existing nameplates on products. The additional code enables you to access specific, digitalised product data on a manufacturer platform. This platform generally differs from the manufacturer's regular website, as the data there relating to a specific product is provided by serial number. The specifications for the asset administration shell are used to establish a manufacturer-independent standard.

The content of an asset administration shell can go far beyond that of a printed type plate. For instance, an asset administration shell can contain technical data, circuit diagrams, operating instructions, certificates, maintenance instructions and firmware information. This enables you to access all relevant product data directly and easily, just by scanning the code. All the data can be displayed or made available as a download. You also have the option to transfer it automatically to your own IT systems. This eliminates the need for tiresome, time-consuming manual searches.