Glossary Cateogry: I

Inventory control is a means of optimising the supply chain, whereby the supplier becomes responsible for maintaining the customers inventory levels and can be achieved using the IN4MA system from PowTechnology. This means the supplier needs access to the customers stock levels and the use of vendor managed inventory software allows this. This means the manufacturer generates the order, not the customer. For example, the METRON is used to monitor the level of chemical within a storage tank on a customer’s site. This information is then available to the supplier via the data acquisition software, normally by using the internet. An alarm is sent when the product level goes below a ‘re-order’ point, and sent directly to the relevant department by fax or email, who are then able to respond and send a tanker as required. VMI improves customer service, reducing the need for the customer to monitor the level and then place an order. It also reduces errors in ordering and ensures there are no part loads or returned tankers and therefore reducing logistic and transportation costs.

• Reduced distribution costs
• Lower carbon emissions
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Longer term & single source supply contracts
• Fewer panics & run outs
• Long term production scheduling, helping manufacturing and purchasing

On for example a chemical plant there may be present certain products that will ignite under certain conditions. As electrical apparatus can generate a spark and cause explosions steps have to be taken to prevent this. When something is classified as being intrinsically safe it means that even under fault conditions it will not create a spark. There are different classifications depending on the products and the likelihood of them being present.

The term ‘internet of things’ is also known as Machine to Machine which in turn is often abbreviated to M2M and relates to the field of remote monitoring and control, or telemetry. M2M refers to communications between machines usually using the GSM mobile phone network, but it can equally relate to communication between the machine and humans.

For more information on the range of M2M solutions we have available please call us on +44 1827 310666 or email sales@PowTechnology.co.uk

When an analogue or digital signal is interfaced into a remote monitoring device then this is the input. The IN4MA METRON range of GSM / GPRS telemetry units have 4 inputs or more.

Industry 4.0 is a shorthand term for ‘the fourth industrial revolution’. Most of us are familiar with the first industrial revolution, that took place in the 1700s and 1800s, where manufacturing of common products such as textiles moved from being predominantly cottage industries to mechanised processes involving water and steam power and efficiencies were gained through mechanisation and the grouping of people and processes together in factories and mills.

The second industrial revolution has been described as mass production, the introduction of electricity to processes and assembly lines.
The third industrial revolution involved the adoption of computers and automation.

Now we have the fourth industrial revolution. We hear terms like M2M ‘Machine to Machine’ the IIoT ‘Industrial Internet of Things’, cloud computing, machine learning, AI ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and cyber-physical systems.

At its simplest, Industry 4.0 is about connecting machines, devices, sensors and people so that meaningful data is available to the right parties, at the right time and in the right place to improve business processes. That may be to predict failures and trigger maintenance processes, to improve efficiencies in production processes, to organise deliveries more logically or to improve safety.

Whilst the term is increasingly common, some people have commented that technological innovation is continuous, so the irreversible trend towards ever greater connectivity is more of an ‘evolution’ that a ‘revolution’. Either way, industry authorities agree that understanding and embracing these amazing technologies will be increasingly essential to business survival.

An inductive proximity switch works with a high frequency oscillating circuit that creates an alternating electromagnetic field on the active sensor surface by means of a coil. When a metallic object nears this field a damping occurs in the oscillating circuit. If this damping exceeds a threshold value, a switching signal is generated. For more information on the range of inductive proximity swtiches we have available please call us on +44 1827 310666 or email sales@PowTechnology.co.uk

http://www.PowTechnology.co.uk/products/proximity.asp?section=inductive_proximity_switches_131

IN4MA (pronounced Informer) is the complete and flexible telemetry solution from PowTechnology. IN4MA functions by using wireless and cabled techniques to interface with a wide range of equipment, providing remote monitoring solutions and automated data collection. Data can be presented in different ways to meet your remote sensing needs, with web based data acquisition, stand alone PC software or SCADA solutions, and text messaging (SMS) to your mobile phone.