Periodic Reporting for period 2 - IOTI4.0 (Integral Open Technology for Industry 4.0)
Reporting period: 2020-10-01 to 2021-09-30
The Industry 4.0 is creating new opportunities to enhance the competitiveness of industries, a sector accounting for 2M enterprises, 33M jobs and 60% of EU productivity growth. However, SMEs risk missing the train of digitalisation because existing proprietary technologies for automation and control are expensive and do not provide the flexibility required in dynamic industrial environments.
The IOTI4.0 project aims to disrupt the market of industrial automation and control through a highly innovative business concept: the use of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) in professional industrial environments. OSHW brings great benefits to the user in terms of cost, flexibility, security and interoperability. It also delivers growing benefits to the economy. However existing solutions are not sufficiently developed nor professionalised to serve the needs of industry.
IOTI4.0 will bring into the market the first interoperable, standardised (IEC61131-compliant) OSHW-based technology for Industry 4.0 (both hardware devices and intelligent programming software). It will do so at a much more affordable price thanks to the fact that OSHW does not have the added cost of a proprietary licence. Applicable to industries of any sizes and sectors, IOTI4.0 will make digitalisation accessible to any SME willing to transition to Industry 4.0.
The IOTI4.0 project aims to disrupt the market of industrial automation and control through a highly innovative business concept: the use of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) in professional industrial environments. OSHW brings great benefits to the user in terms of cost, flexibility, security and interoperability. It also delivers growing benefits to the economy. However existing solutions are not sufficiently developed nor professionalised to serve the needs of industry.
IOTI4.0 will bring into the market the first interoperable, standardised (IEC61131-compliant) OSHW-based technology for Industry 4.0 (both hardware devices and intelligent programming software). It will do so at a much more affordable price thanks to the fact that OSHW does not have the added cost of a proprietary licence. Applicable to industries of any sizes and sectors, IOTI4.0 will make digitalisation accessible to any SME willing to transition to Industry 4.0.
From the beginning of the project to the present day, the software platform has already been implemented, which will allow the programming of maker and, above all, industrial devices in a graphic way, thus matching the needs and performance of current products used for the programming of automation, monitoring and control solutions. In a cloud environment such as SaaS, this platform already allows the programming of open source hardware devices using a graphic environment. This type of programming is standardised in the sector and is endorsed by a large number of leading companies in the market worldwide. In this way, it breaks one of the main barriers to the adoption of products in industrial environments, where specialists have a great experience in ladder programming, which they can now apply in the programming of Industrial Shields devices, facilitating the adoption and integration of products in all types of markets and projects.
This platform already has a large and rapidly growing number of registered users. Likewise, the platform also improves in features to assimilate more and more to the current tools of the market and even improve them through AI; online and offline management, and without losing sight that it is a Freemium proposal that offers great possibilities to the registered users without any cost.
On the hardware side, an important number of new equipment has been developed, always with the premise of using Open Source Hardware technologies and taking advantage of the feedback that the market offers thanks to the current range of products and the growing demand for information, the expansion of the portfolio of customers with all types of industrial solutions, and the new contracts with distributors in all types of countries, whether they are world leaders or emerging economies.
This platform already has a large and rapidly growing number of registered users. Likewise, the platform also improves in features to assimilate more and more to the current tools of the market and even improve them through AI; online and offline management, and without losing sight that it is a Freemium proposal that offers great possibilities to the registered users without any cost.
On the hardware side, an important number of new equipment has been developed, always with the premise of using Open Source Hardware technologies and taking advantage of the feedback that the market offers thanks to the current range of products and the growing demand for information, the expansion of the portfolio of customers with all types of industrial solutions, and the new contracts with distributors in all types of countries, whether they are world leaders or emerging economies.
IOTI4.0 brings substantial added value to potential clients who are looking for high performing Industry 4.0 solutions at reduced cost. This value relies on the unique concept of bringing Open Source Hardware solutions to a professional standard for industry. While this concept is already widespreadfor Open Source software solutions, in the case of Open Source Hardware, it can still be considered a Blue Ocean of uncontested market space with low competition and new opportunities for creating consumer value.
In terms of societal impact, we expect to generate substantial benefits to society by making a solution that is affordable and usable in any industrial contexts. These benefits are: increased competitiveness (job creation and better margin in manufacturing), labour safety and wellbeing (less injuries and fatigue) and upskilling (shifting from low skilled manufacturing jobs to more skilled ones, necessary to maintain and run the automation and control systems). We are confident that our Open Source approach has the potential to democratise (make
accessible) industrial control and automation technologies to manufacturing industries of all sizes.
In terms of societal impact, we expect to generate substantial benefits to society by making a solution that is affordable and usable in any industrial contexts. These benefits are: increased competitiveness (job creation and better margin in manufacturing), labour safety and wellbeing (less injuries and fatigue) and upskilling (shifting from low skilled manufacturing jobs to more skilled ones, necessary to maintain and run the automation and control systems). We are confident that our Open Source approach has the potential to democratise (make
accessible) industrial control and automation technologies to manufacturing industries of all sizes.