The trend of Industry 4.0 has been fast spreading throughout the world- large industrialized nations and manufacturing system providers around the world have all rushed to draw up their own smart manufacturing policy. Based on current developments, despite differences in goals, there are still many similarities between national and industry policies. The area of greatest overlap has without a doubt been in the integration of IT systems on the enterprise side with the Operation Technology (OT) systems on the manufacturing side.
The Indian manufacturing industry will undergo a significant digital transformation and automation; the segment becoming a software-driven business. As part of its vision highlighted in Industry 4.0, companies in various sectors will increasingly focus on real-time dashboards showcasing the operational status of manufacturing subsystems. The KVM over IP products allow a single point remote access to all manufacturing equipments thereby allowing for centralized management and efficient production process and improve competitiveness. The use of remote monitoring and management softwares in manufacturing automation has yielded significant gains in productivity, reliability and efficiency.
There is potential for KVM over IP portfolio in smart manufacturing in enterprises after Ministry of Heavy Industries’ initiative Samarth Udyog Bharat 4.0 that intends to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing solutions. In today’s “Smart Manufacturing” facilities, KVM solutions are easy to deploy on manufacturing equipment just like the way they are deployed in data centers. They also enable remote trouble shooting and repairs which not only reduces downtime and manpower requirements but also reduces physical access to highly sensitive manufacturing environment.
The KVM-over-IP solution connects multiple manufacturing machines in the clean room to a Local Console Controller (LCC). The LCC is equipped with a keyboard, mouse and monitor that allows on-site personnel to manage all connections. The LCC is connected to the Computer Interface Module (CIM) as well. The CIM is then connected to Raritan's Dominion KXIII KVM-over-IP switch. As the Dominion KXIII KVM-over-IP switch can be connected to up to 64 devices and uses TCP/IP networking, local or remote users can access or control all connected devices.
Raritan products have always focused on enterprise-grade applications. The company’s high-level of customization expertise enables it to develop bespoke solutions for integration with an enterprise’s own internal systems for different applications. The same capability is carried over to the manufacturing field as well. The staggering amount of capital investment and production output in the manufacturing means that a dedicated high-performance equipment management system can boost the management efficiency of the production line. Raritan’s KVM-over-IP is remote access equipment designed specifically for this kind of smart manufacturing set ups.