Manage your Software Zoo

The introduction of IT-supported data processing systems in production has opened up a multitude of new possibilities over the past 20 years. Companies can digitally monitor, control, and analyze their manufacturing processes. Furthermore, it enables them to gain new insights into a large number of processes and also provides them with a valid control instrument for the orientation of the company. However, modern systems from a wide variety of suppliers have also created new problems.

Development: too many data silos in manufacturing companies

As a result, today’s manufacturing companies have a large number of different IT systems and isolated applications in operation, most of which do not have the necessary interfaces to communicate and interact smoothly with each other. Over the past 15 years, this has led to a large number of data silos that have now become veritable data graves, as companies themselves often no longer know what data exactly is recorded and processed within these systems. In reality, there are often even different data acquisition systems in production which result in redundant data silos. An enormous expenditure accompanies this on care and maintenance.

Since the Internet has entered production, many of these systems have become obsolete. Data is sent, processed, and made usable across the globe within a fraction of a second. Whereas a few years ago, evaluations had to be carried out at the beginning or end of each shift, today, real-time analyses and assessments can be made, which enable immediate reaction.

So check who is eternally committed – rely on future-proof systems

Sooner or later, companies have to make strategic decisions about the sustainability of their IT systems. Because, as we all know, the data generated in manufacturing will increase exponentially over the next ten years. Accordingly, more and more data will have to be collected, processed, and analyzed. The problem is that many older IT systems are already unable to cope with these enormous amounts of data due to outdated technologies. Resulting in a substantial loss of performance, and the usability of such systems is getting worse and worse.

Furthermore, many of these systems do not allow access to the data and thus lock it into the system. However, future-proof systems must be able to be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructures with the help of open interfaces. Also, companies must ensure that no data redundancy in the form of silos is created. So, when making future investments, make sure to provide the technological basis of the system and its future viability in terms of interoperability, performance, and scalability.

The FORCAM FORCE™ integration platform, which can be seamlessly integrated into your existing IT infrastructure and acts as a data hub within your company to which any third-party system can access, meets precisely these requirements.