Embedded & Edge Solutions - Emerson has developed and deployed an industrial IoT solution that delivers new data insights by partnering with OEM
Driving industrial insights through cloud connectivity
When chemical, oil & gas, and power companies need to control flow and pressure in their process operations, they increasingly use Emerson control valves to do the job. Emerson, a fast-growing Missouri-based Fortune 200 company, with more than 200 manufacturing locations worldwide, provides automation technology for thousands of process industry organizations throughout the world.
These days, though, Emerson customers are demanding more than just reliable control valves. They need help performing predictive maintenance on those valves. “The industry is growing quickly, but there is a lag in expertise because retirement is on the rise,” says Mike Boudreaux, the director of connected services for Emerson. “Many of our customers lack the resources to do things like valve data analysis, which impacts their ability to do predictive maintenance.”
Additionally, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are enabling Emerson to bring customers data insight from embedded sensors in their digital valve controllers. “Valves today have rich sensor information that can help technicians diagnose problems,” Boudreaux says. “Our challenge is to develop connected services to collect data about our customers’ equipment and then, using that data, help our customers take action on the information we provide them. To do that effectively, we need simple, scalable and secure connectivity solutions.”
Looking for a similar solution? Contact the experts at QCM Technologies
Organization needs
Emerson needed to quickly develop and deploy a scalable industrial automation solution that collects IoT data to help customers better manage and troubleshoot control valves
Organization results
• Helps quickly develop solutions at a global scale
• Gives customers a better way to manage and troubleshoot control valves
“The connectivity stack model we’re employing, relying on partners like Dell Technologies, is enabling us to enhance our capabilities much faster than we could on our own.”
Mike Boudreaux
Director of Connected Services
Emerson
Building and delivering a wireless valve monitoring solution
To address its customer demands, Emerson reached out to Dell Technologies—its longtime technology partner—for assistance. Emerson has integrated Dell EMC servers with Intel® Xeon® processors, as well as Dell workstations, for many years. “We have always been impressed with the reliability and support we have received from Dell,” Boudreaux says. Emerson also utilizes Dell software and hardware for its DeltaV system health monitoring software. “We trust Dell, and we were excited to work with them again.”
Emerson chose to build on its existing relationship with OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions and Intel®—a provider of global manufacturing, distribution, software, and hardware integration. Emerson worked with OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions to develop a new wireless valve-monitoring solution. The solution collects information from digital valve controllers and sends it through a Dell Edge Gateway to the cloud. The Dell Edge Gateway powered by Intel® is an IoT gateway device that aggregates, analyzes, secures, processes, and shares sensor data at the edge of a network. The data travels from the gateway to the internet and into a Microsoft Azure–based cloud platform. “The Dell Edge Gateway is a key component of the IoT architecture,” says Boudreaux.
Emerson is currently developing a control valve condition monitoring service that uses the Dell Edge Gateway solution. Once ready for official launch, OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions teams will order the service’s components and ship directly to Emerson service centers. Emerson will then install the service at customer sites.
Helping customers gain new data insights
Through Emerson’s Connected Services industrial customers will have a better way to monitor, manage and troubleshoot critical equipment. Connected Services is a component of Emerson’s Plantweb™ digital ecosystem, a scalable portfolio of solutions that enable digital transformation using innovative sensing technologies, advanced instrumentation, data analytics and services to improve plant performance. “Working with OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions, we have a partner that’s very interested in solving our customers’ problems,” Boudreaux says. “We are developing secure connected services to collect data about our customers’ equipment, so they can take action based on that data.”
In addition, Emerson plans to work alongside Dell Technologies on future projects. “This is just our first step in what we see as a long journey to transform our services across our entire business,” says Boudreaux. “We are very happy to partner with Dell Technologies on this transformation.”
SOURCE: For the full case study: Dell Technologies OEM | Embedded and Edge Solutions
For more information on Dell OEM Solutions
Looking for a similar solution? Contact the experts at QCM Technologies
QCM Technologies is proud to be a partner of Dell Technologies
