Pratiti Technologies

Tag: Internet of Things

  • How IoT is Transforming Healthcare?

    How IoT is Transforming Healthcare?

    When we talk about healthcare, the first thing you visualize is hospitals and medical practitioners. A lot has been made possible in the field due to the availability of IoT devices.

    Traditionally as well, doctors always used to rely on a variety of investigations to diagnose a patient symptom before prescribing medicines. Today, with the advent of IoT, a lot of these parameters can be monitored in real time and can significantly aid patient rehab and recovery. In the healthcare space of hospitals and medical practitioners, service providers, who can analyze data captured from smart IoT devices and report inferences are making rapid strides.

    There are a number of areas that IoT health care sensors are disrupting:

    • Elder care: From tracking wandering patients to monitoring the engagement and activities of elderly individuals in nursing homes and hospitals, elder care is a big market for IoT medical devices.
    • Patient data-gathering: This is the most mature field in health care but continues to grow with new innovations in the IoT world.
    • Real-time location: Today, hospitals are using IoT technology to track both people and assets at a lower cost than ever before.

    IoT is slowly allowing for the health care industry to reduce its dependency on humans (and their associated human errors). Even though IoT medical devices may not always impress the everyday consumer, they are steadily improving health care and providing early diagnosis and treatment of serious issues. Having said that though, there are quite a few IoT health care challenges that application developers have to overcome, which include:

    HEALTH CARE PRIVACY & HIPAA

    Security is important for the IoT industry as a whole, but it’s even more important when you add in patient privacy. The regulations that medical apps need to uphold make innovation in the IoT medical device field a challenge. HIPAA—the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—sets the standard for protecting patient data that is created, received, maintained, or transmitted electronically. Privacy is always an issue with health records, but since we now have sensors automatically collecting and storing our medical data, security is even more critical. This means anyone creating an IoT medical device has to keep patient privacy as a top priority.

    IT INTEGRATION & CYBER-SECURITY

    Cyber-security is a major concern in every sector, and the health care industry is no different. In March 2016, for example, health care group MedStar was a victim in a ransomware attack that rendered their computer systems—and vital patient records—unusable. The company had to resort to using paper records until they could restore their systems.

    All this to say, hospitals today are even more hesitant to put anything on their network that is not well-vetted—and since IoT medical devices are the frontier of connectivity and many new applications are hitting the marketplace regularly, they often aren’t well-vetted. But keep in mind that not all technology needs to be deployed within the IT network of a hospital.

    It’s hard to predict where IoT medical devices are headed next—but we are certain that with the rise in interest in IoT and the money being spent in health care innovations, good things are bound to happen in this space.

    If you’re looking for opportunities, health care is a great place to be. We’re excited to see what kind of innovations—from connectivity to data privacy, to application architecture—come into this space.

    Pratiti technologies is focused on the IoT space and has worked extensively in the healthcare sector, helping both medical practitioners as well as health care providers leveraging IoT for improving patient care.

    The core team at Pratiti has over 25 years of industry experience and we have built some great competencies in the Cloud Computing Technologies and Data Analytics. We offer flexible partnership models, through which we partner with you to build scalable technology solutions to bring your innovation faster to market.

    Nitin

    Nitin Tappe

    After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

  • How Can Organizations Derive True Value Out of Their Data?

    How Can Organizations Derive True Value Out of Their Data?

    Across industries, organizations do spend a lot of time, analyzing the data that is generated on an ongoing basis. Most of this analysis happens post-facto, and not in real time, and decisions made based on the data usually have a significant lag in implementation as well. In this age of the all-consuming IoT (Internet Of Things), what if the data can be available in real time and decisions can be based on powerful analytics and reporting tools, which can save you millions, improve stickiness with the customer by providing better customer experience and enable monetization through new revenue streams.
    It is hard to find any piece of equipment that can’t be hooked up to the all-consuming IoT. Several of these devices are low cost and they also add low value, unless organizations find a way to capture and leverage the created data. And these devices, by their sheer number, are generating huge volumes of data. How many organizations will have the required infrastructure to capture or analyze this information? or the people with the skills to determine how best to leverage this data to drive real business value? This IoT enabled data revolution is not just about finding ways to drive business efficiency or improve customer service; it is about creating data streams that underpin new collaborative business models and can be action-ably monetized.

    Driving the Data-driven Experience

    Of course, many organizations have been capturing machine data for years. Telecom assets, O&M companies, for example, have fault information about their various assets, especially energy assets. Today sensors are helping them to automate corrective maintenance right from placing a call to a technician to monitoring need of resources like Diesel etc This is helping businesses to outperform with respect to the SLAs, that they have with Telecom service providers
    Same fault information can further be analyzed and integrated with preventive maintenance plans and schedule to further improve up-time of telecom towers. Predictive analytics by integrating operating conditions, environmental conditions and basic faults logs can deliver better up-time of telecom assets
    Current health status of various assets is valuable information to OEMs (Original equipment manufacturer) who are interested in either negotiating AMCs or wanting to replace parts or entire assets. O&M companies can very effectively monetize this data and analytics by establishing business collaboration with such OEMs.

    Understanding Value

    Of course, with so much potential for the IoT driven information and so many different areas to explore, it is tough for companies to priorities and understands how best to drive value from this data. IoT is not a magic bullet; nor is big data analytics. And only a tiny minority of the very largest companies can justify a multi-million-dollar investment in the infrastructure, tools and analytic skills required to understand and prioritize the new business opportunities.

    This is why the cloud analytics model is so compelling – from the investment in secured cloud infrastructure globally to the creation of dedicated analytics tools designed specifically to handle and drive value from vast data volumes. Organizations now have the chance to embrace IoT and explore these new data resources with minimal investment – opting for a monthly fee model to gain access to both the technology and data experts required to help prioritize activity and identify new data-driven data streams.

    Conclusion

    IoT is revolutionary, but not in the way perceived by many organizations today. Organizations that have never considered the chance to monetize their data now have the opportunity to mine these rich new data streams. Indeed, many of what have traditionally been core business processes could soon be superseded in value by the demonetization of IoT provided information.

    The challenge for organizations is not about simply slapping sensors on every piece of equipment but to actively look at the new data streams that will be generated and their potential value, both within the business and to third parties. It is those companies that explore cloud analytics, which begin to think differently about the way data is used and actively embrace the new collaborative world that will gain huge potential value of IoT, from new business processes to entire new data-driven revenue streams.

    Nitin
    Nitin Tappe After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
  • How Predictive Maintenance Can Earn You Dollars?

    How Predictive Maintenance Can Earn You Dollars?

    Across organizations, it is common to see curtailed capital expenditure spending predictively, especially on expensive assets. With ‘everything as a service’ models becoming rampant, at several places, these capital expenditure items are already making way for working capital per month costs or per usage costs. Whichever way you look at it, it makes sense to exploit and fully utilize expensive assets. Downtime can be expensive, in pure play terms as well as based on the impact it may cause to the overall activities.

    To prevent downtime, predictive maintenance has been around for quite some time now. In most instances, though predictive maintenance is done post-facto when the asset is brought in for servicing, or it is already causing some problems. Leveraging Internet of Things (IoT), a lot of this predictive maintenance can be on-going and can ensure higher utilization and availability of the asset. Today predictive maintenance is all about detecting the problems & errors before they occur. Traditional business intelligence (BI) is no longer enough.

    Today there are a number of products & tools providing real-time analytics. These comb through vast quantities of data and finds outliers all at rapid speed, providing businesses with greater insight without the usual time delays. The promise and potential are huge. Several manufacturing industries like automotive, off-highway, industrial equipment are starting to link this vision of fully automated factories.

    Managing up-time challenges for a manufacturer of off-highway vehicles – A case

    For a company manufacturing off-highway vehicles and forklift trucks, managing up-time of these vehicles was never an area that they were directly involved in. But with customers expecting high up-time, it was critical that they got in and worked on a solution that would minimize downtime for its customers. This meant additional cost and planting additional electronic devices, which will track and monitor key performing metrics of the vehicle. But the value that this created for the customers was huge. Based on the parameters captured, data was analyzed at the back end and service reminders were created for the customers as well to the nearest service center. Based on this, the vehicle could be brought in and refurbished without causing any unplanned downtime.

    Reducing downtime of machines, apart from saving a lot of time is synonymous with creating more revenue opportunities for the organization.

    In Summary

    We agree on one thing though, that for most organizations, the path is not entirely clear. Depending on organization policies, there may be security concerns, challenges over what data should be sent and collected and of course bringing in some standardization among different locations.

    Knowing that machine is going to have a problem, being able to prevent it before it occurs, or before the problem has become severe, is something that will definitely increase the productivity of every machine. When all of your machines are running on 100% productivity, it’s an ideal situation.

    Nitin

    Nitin Tappe

    After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

  • IoT: Creating a More Efficient Healthcare System

    IoT: Creating a More Efficient Healthcare System

    Imagine if you are a relative of a chronically ill patient who has forgotten to take his medicine and his condition is worsening. You receive the alert about the changing health condition, are able to know the location of the patient, quickly check some of their vital parameters remotely to see if hospitalization is becoming necessary. Not only this, by while you are gathering all this information, your car’s navigation system can inform you, which of the nearest hospitals have a free bed and create the clearest traffic route to get there in a jiffy. This is not storied from a sci-fi movie but something which is now being made possible by the Internet of Things (IoT).

    “Internet of Things (IoT) refers to any physical object embedded with technology capable of exchanging data connected together over the Internet.”

    IoT is creating a more efficient healthcare system in terms of time, energy and cost. One area where this technology could prove transformative is in healthcare.

    Care at Home

    There are people all over the world whose health may suffer because they don’t have ready access to effective health monitoring. But small, powerful wireless solutions connected through the IoT are now making it possible for monitoring to come to these patients instead of vice-versa.

    Let’s check this example for a patient suffering from dementia if we can equip them with sensors/ wearable and their health could be monitored remotely by their caretakers hopefully the patient can be allowed to stay within their own homes for longer. This can prevent or delay the need for costly long-term care in nursing homes plus reduce the need for unplanned hospital admissions and Doctor visits.

    Similarly, for elderly, we can detect the onset of a wide range of health issues, from high blood pressure to early signs of delirium. Emergency admissions could be reduced – with proactive health systems in place to address the problems before they become more serious or irreversible.
    The data that could be taken from a network of IoT devices will also be able to significantly lower margins of error thus making remote health diagnosis and treatment possible thus dramatically cutting down on the necessity for routine reviews and checkups. Patients could be allowed to leave hospitals and clinics earlier, as professionals are enabled to monitor them from home and health specialists from around the world can provide consultation or even diagnosis from hundreds of miles away rather than keeping them in hospitals for observation.

    Care in Hospitals

    Hospitalized patients whose physiological status requires close attention can be constantly monitored using IoT-driven, non-invasive monitoring. This type of solution employs sensors to collect comprehensive physiological information and uses gateways and the cloud to analyze and store the information and then send the analyzed data remotely to caregivers for further analysis and review. It replaces the process of having a health professional come by at regular intervals to check the patient’s vital signs, instead of providing a continuous automated flow of information. In this way, it simultaneously improves the quality of care through constant attention and lowers the cost of care by eliminating the need for a caregiver to actively engage in data collection and analysis.

    Using IoT devices patients with chronic diseases may be less likely to develop complications with an early diagnosis, for example, patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases who are being treated with digitalis could be monitored around the clock to prevent drug intoxication. Arrhythmia that is randomly seen on an EKG could be easily detected, and EKG data indicating heart hypoxemia could lead to faster detection of cardiac issues. The data collected may also enable a more preventive approach to healthcare by providing information for people to make healthier choices.

    Nitin
    Nitin Tappe After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
  • The Role of SMART Grids in Transforming Utilities in the U.S

    The Role of SMART Grids in Transforming Utilities in the U.S

    The electrical smart grid in the United States experiences more blackouts than that of any other developed nation. Much of the physical equipment on the grids has aged to the point of obsolescence. And most industry experts would agree that the American utility industry has reached a critical point. And update in the infrastructure is the need of the hour.

    Pratiti Technologies is an innovative solution provider focusing on SMAC and IoT driven digital transformation. Pratiti help customers realize their innovations through deep technical expertise and agile development approach

    At the same time, utilities are also experiencing a transformation to their business models. Green energy sources, referred to as Distributed Energy Resources, are turning the centralized power generation and distribution model inside out.

    SMART GRIDs

    A ‘smart grid’ offers us a SMART alternative. A Smart grid can recognize, circumvent and even prevent problems before they occur. Ultimately, smart infrastructure will improve the reliability and resiliency of the power grid.

    The smart grid offers benefits to utility companies, such as detection of energy theft or loss, outage management, an efficient balance between energy demand and supply and improved demand response. This becomes even more critical as we integrate renewable energy in the grid, Renewable energy resources are known to be more unreliable in the sense that a steady output 24*7 cannot be expected and change in wind speed, solar radiation needs to be factored in planning energy Management.

    Utilities will benefit through better asset utilization and power management by seeing real-time demand spikes and potential grid failures. The result is that the companies can prevent blackouts before they occur and optimize power generation based on actual demand.

    The benefit of SMART GRIDs to Consumers

    Smart Grid will interface with and also benefit consumers via Smart Meters and Home Area Networks (HAN). HAN’s. Consumers will be able to see near real-time energy use information and also take advantage of ‘time-of-use’ pricing. For example, appliances that consume a lot of energy such as washers and dryers and water heaters can automatically be set to operate during low-cost periods, reducing the cost to the consumer. This places control in the hands of the consumer.

    Distributed energy resources, demand/response digital customer connections, net metering and the Internet of Things are all here to stay. Business models have to adjust to survive in this rapidly evolving landscape. That’s exactly why utilities are among the leaders in IoT adoption. At Pratiti we help Utilities and product technology supplier circumvent problems associated with this technology adoption.

    Nitin

    Nitin Tappe

    After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

  • A Practical look into Remote Monitoring using IoT!

    A Practical look into Remote Monitoring using IoT!

    When it comes to maintenance, it offers the ability to create a clear and concise program for organizing equipment maintenance data and using remote IoT to make informed decisions that can pay immediate and long-term dividends.

    Automation

    Automation can streamline maintenance and record keeping activities, aiding information gathering and thus making decision-making easier and faster. Automation tools can be used to schedule maintenance alerts, which significantly reduces the effort and time involved in a traditional data collection process and associated cumbersome paperwork that is used to trigger preventive or corrective maintenance.

    Business owners and fleet managers no longer need to make job site visits and phone calls to obtain basic data such as engine hours, fluid levels or operating temperatures. In addition, the information gathered is more accurate based on a steady flow of real-time data and the elimination of handwritten notes and associated paperwork.

    Remote monitoring gives ability to track the health of the equipment and detect problems associated with temperatures, pressures, Vibration before they blossom into unnecessary expenditures and downtime.

    As an example, data could reveal that a machine needs an oil change sooner than recommended by the manufacturer based on the type of work the machine is involved in. Conversely, a machine might not need to be serviced as frequently as another machine based on the work it does.
    Further, automated alerts can reduce the reliance on equipment operators to intervene and alert the maintenance team about items that need attention.

    For instance, the owner of a machine on a demanding project in a hot climate might set up the program to keep tabs on the machine’s operating temperatures. If the temperatures climb outside acceptable limits, the program can alert the maintenance team, or the dealer who services the equipment.

    Connecting device gives IOT ability to mine a rich history of information to improve maintenance practices. Some systems can gather information from as far back as 18 months, or even longer if it’s regularly downloaded and stored. With historical data, users can spot trends that point to potential problems.

    Fuel usage Monitoring is a good example, if the data reveals a spike in fuel consumption for a given machine it could be symptomatic of an issue that demands further investigation.

    Investing in the business

    Having a keen understanding of operation characteristics of machines and operators over time allows users to flag issues that appear out of the ordinary, and in the process, minimize potential maintenance headaches before they strike.
    The ability of IoT to deliver tangible efficiencies and costs savings when deployed for Remote monitoring is well proven and provides an excellent return on investment. But like any investment, the decision whether to adopt Remote Monitoring using IOT demands a hard look at the technology from every angle to ensure it benefits the business.

    Nitin
    Nitin Tappe After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
  • 5 Questions You Need To Ask Before Choosing An IoT Partner

    5 Questions You Need To Ask Before Choosing An IoT Partner

    The journey from conceptualizing to implementing any Internet of Things (IoT) project is an arduous one. Even though many companies start out thinking that developing an IoT solution is a onetime affair, it is rarely so. As the technology landscape evolves, existing solutions continually call for the need to evolve and upgrade with the changing times.

    Hence, choosing the right development partner in this continuous journey right from the beginning is critical in terms of ensuring agility of processes, the efficiency of resources and ending up with successful project outcomes.

    Given this reality, it’s pertinent to ask the right questions to choose the most appropriate IoT partner for your project. On that note, here are 5 questions to help you make a good decision –

    Do they have the requisite knowledge and experience to do “your” job?

    When investing in building an IoT solution, you’ll ideally want to trust someone only with the desired experience and expertise, specifically related to your own specific requirements.

    While assessing any service provider, you should find out if they have a portfolio that reflects a history of creating capable solutions at the enterprise level. If they have worked in your industry segment it can be a big plus for you. Even if they haven’t, as a single company may not have experience in all industry verticals, you can examine their approach, for that might mean a lot in terms of demonstrating their capabilities.

    It’s also relevant for you to check how proficient they are in terms of both hardware engineering and software development, as any IoT solution essentially covers both these aspects. Knowledge of software development is important, but the ability to tackle the hardware engineering aspect cannot be ignored. Good knowledge and experience in both are critical in terms of influencing outcomes positively.

    Ideally, it’s best if you choose a provider that is experienced and provides a one-stop solution, across all your needs. Such a choice would imply efficiency, both in terms of execution and costs over the long term.

    How flexible are they?

    In addition to the technology fit, it’s very important to look out for flexibility in your IoT partner. You must attempt to find out how much the provider is willing to align their solution with your legacy architecture and whether they’re agile at implementing.

    Ideally, you should try to look out for one that is willing to use the technology you already have, and the devices and tools you prefer. It also makes sense to check if they agree to provide a customized or personalized solution in sync with the other aspects of your company’s infrastructure.

    Another filter you can apply here is to check whether they lock you in with proprietary technology. It’s only intuitive to avoid such providers from a future point of view.

    Do they have the ability to scale up as your needs evolve?

    As your solution propagates in the market, which is under constant evolution, your solution will naturally need to upgrade over time.

    The right IoT partner will be the one that demonstrates the ability to scale up and help you manage changes seamlessly. You might need to add new features or devices, and this must not imply reorganizing your entire solution.  Completely discarding your existing solution or turning to multiple third parties at a later point will only throw in unnecessary inefficiencies, delays, and unexpected cost escalations. Hence, it’s necessary to engage with an IoT partner that is capable of scaling up as your solution evolves.

    Moreover, you also need to be sure of their ability to work and manage your projects remotely.

    Are they trustworthy in terms of ensuring data security?

    Given the dynamic nature of the IoT environment, robust data security can be easily regarded as a non-negotiable requirement. The environment must be controlled, protected and have robust security mechanisms.

    Hence, you need to ensure that you only shortlist the provider who knows how to address and incorporate encryption of data, protection of your device and security mechanisms for device and cloud storage.

    The fact is that the end-to-end process of developing any IoT solution is multilayered. It covers the technology stack, devices, data collection, storage, and transmission, connectivity, cloud services, and much more. Any partner you pick needs to demonstrate thoroughness in this entire process and its components to avoid possibilities of data security breaches. You should also review their security audit process and tools.

    What is their cost structure like?

    All said and done, usually budget is the final deal maker or breaker when it comes to arriving at a decision. Taking the last call on the basis of a blended, ballpark cost estimate without a detailed breakup is incomplete information to make a budget based decision.

    It’s only intuitive for you to ask for a detailed quote. This will ensure that you have an apple-to-apple comparison between the different service providers. Also, the budget can never be the only decision point. You should be prepared to pay a premium to get a reliable and robust solution provider. This can save you significant headaches at a later date.

    With these considerations in place, you’re likely to pick a service provider that does justice to your project, time and resources.

    Our Services

    Digital Twin Platform | Healthcare Software Development | Solar Energy Analytics | Digital Product Development

    Nitin

    Nitin Tappe

    After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

  • How IoT Is Helping Solve Efficiency Problem In The Manufacturing Industry With Industry 4.0?

    How IoT Is Helping Solve Efficiency Problem In The Manufacturing Industry With Industry 4.0?

    Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 together are changing the face of the manufacturing industry, making manufacturing processes smarter and more data-driven. Prior to these getting introduced, manufacturers were tied up with daily operational tasks with limited time to spend on strategies. A lot of data was gathered around vendors, customers, product demand, supply chain, and related important sections but to utilize the data to get sight full results weren’t easy in absence of Industry 4.0.
    Moreover, low efficiency, high supply chain-related costs, and the lack of innovation was an add on. These concerns are now a thing of the past with Industry 4.0 transforming processes and IoT makings its way onto the production floor. Machine-to-machine communication is digitizing factories and production floors by decentralizing control, while IoT-enabled sensors are automating the workflow through smart IoT devices. Moreover, the industrial assistance systems are now being added, which use intelligent communication and Augmented Reality /Virtual Reality to offload the burden on human resources by enhancing production efficiency and driving productivity. It should be noted that decentralizing production has caused a paradigm shift in the manufacturing sector. Today, floor and factory equipment are not simply products; they are intelligent, smart products that can communicate with each other, provide instructions, and share information.

    IOTizing Automation

    IoT and Industry 4.0 share a mutual connection: Industry 4.0 always uses IoT or Intranet of Things for digitizing the manufacturing processes. All devices, equipment, robots, tools, and simulations used in Industry 4.0 have IoT-enabled sensors that regularly communicate and exchange data. Therefore, automation and IoT work in tandem, but the ambit and the range of possibilities, IoT introduces to automation are limitless. Though the flooding of new technologies can prove overwhelming for many, sorting and selecting the key automation goals can be very beneficial for manufacturers.

    A quick glance into history will affirm that automation and IoT are not new for manufacturers. They have already been using robots and sensors connected to servers to automate tedious and monotonous manufacturing processes, but today, technology has moved beyond simple data gathering. Manufacturers are now working in a digital, connected environment. This near-real-time insight for optimizing processes is new for manufacturers. They can work this arrangement to their benefit by leveraging the data generated from smart, connected systems to distinguish their services and recognize new revenue opportunities. Data from machines on the shop floor can be fed into the cloud-based Manufacturing Operations System (MOM) to manage manufacturing operations more efficiently. Real-time data analysis by MOM/MES will offer complete visibility into, control of, and sync between inventory and production, thereby guaranteeing quality is always maintained.

    Complete Manufacturing Visibility

    Smart factories are now a reality, but it doesn’t stop there. Manufacturers still have plenty to gain by becoming more in tune with machines and devices. The greatest potential for IoT in conjunction with Industry 4.0 will be complete supplier visibility: Information about every component or product can be easily tracked, right from the manufacturing start to the final destination.

    IoT-enabled sensors in automated systems can be used, instead of the human judgment, to monitor the performance of floor equipment and machines. Sensor data generated from different parts of the manufacturing floor can be leveraged to track equipment condition. Machinery data can be used to adjust workflows, remove inefficient practices, monitor capacity erosion, and eliminate line performance bottlenecks. With predictive maintenance, sensors can inform when machines need servicing to prevent breakdown, and in the event of a breakdown, data can be analyzed to find out the root cause and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

    When machines and equipment are operating efficiently, quality and production get augmented as up-time is higher, equipment is effective, scrap is less, rework is minimal, and operating costs are low. Floor operators are more engaged, and front-line workers and management have all the necessary information for greater responsiveness, accountability, and ownership, thereby ensuring complete manufacturing supply chain visibility.

    Conclusion

    IoT and Industry 4.0 can be combined to create the digital twin of a manufacturing plant. Data from all sensors can be gathered in a big database of IoT Platforms, and a new enterprise software system can be developed basis the data. The software system, replete with alerts, dashboards, and reports would provide a clear picture of the current status and operational efficiency of each machine & manufacturing process. Data and reports can also be used to drive continuous improvement across the manufacturing plant. We employed the same technique for a leading client from the injection molding industry, and it resulted in enhanced process efficiencies for our client.

    By connecting automated production technologies and smart manufacturing processes, IoT and Industry 4.0 are building a new manufacturing landscape, which is smartly automated and all set to transform the manufacturing value chain and business model in the days ahead.

    Our Services

    Digital Twin Platform | Healthcare Software Development | Solar Energy Analytics | Digital Product Development

    Nitin
    Nitin Tappe After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
  • Realizing The Vision of Industry 4.0 for Discrete Manufacturing

    Realizing The Vision of Industry 4.0 for Discrete Manufacturing

    Background:

    Our client is a part of the injection moulding industry, a 150 billion industry and growing fast. Injection moulding is the most common method for manufacturing plastic parts and is used in a variety of applications including automotive, packaging, furniture etc. Typical manufacturing plant may have 20-150 moulding machines. Large companies have multiple plants spread across a country and even internationally.

    Business Challenge:

    ‘Increase the Operational efficiency and achieve the Overall Equipment Effectiveness by 90%’

    1. Though the industry is growing, managing and improving operational efficiency continues to be a challenge. In most production plants, because of custom requirements from clients, the machines must constantly switch from one part to the other, which means that there are frequent down times involved for mold changes times.

    2. Availability of material is also frequently an issue, which leads to machine down time. Besides this, there are also maintenance issues which lead to machine down times. All this pulls down the production efficiency by quite a bit. The throughput finally achieved is further reduced due to high part rejection. The combined effect of all these inefficiencies is that true Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is not even 60%.

    Unavailability of reliable and real-time data is one of the biggest hurdles in driving efficiency improvement. Traditional ERP systems have not been able to deliver the required data and information. Hence many plants have gone back to spreadsheet-based management, which has its own limitations.

    Know more about how Pratiti delivered the solution as required by the client and the Benefits, fill the form to download the detailed case study,

    Download The Case Study

      How did you find about Pratiti Technologies?*



      Nitin

      Pratiti Technologies

      Pratiti was founded in 2015 to help global customers realize their innovations faster. Cloud technology, Artificial Intelligence, IoT and Mobility technologies driving disruptions in all businesses globally. Pratiti is becoming a partner of choice for technology partnership for outsourced product development (OPD) for Startups as well as Enterprises.

    • 7 Amazing Use Cases of IoT in Healthcare

      7 Amazing Use Cases of IoT in Healthcare

      Table of Content:

      Introduction
      Use case 1: Remote Patient Care
      Use case 2: Emergency Care
      Use case 3: Tracking of Inventory, Staff, and Patients
      Use case 4: Augmenting Surgeries
      Use case 5: Virtual Monitoring of Critical Hardware
      Use case 6: Pharmacy Management
      Use case 7: Wearables
      Frequently Asked Questions
      Our Services

      Introduction

      When we think of IoT in healthcare, we mainly tend to think of smart sensors and smart hospitals. But the solutions go beyond these. It is evident from the fact that spending on IoT solutions in healthcare will reach $1 trillion by 2025!

      IoT promises to help healthcare organizations in providing personalized, accessible, and up-to-the-point healthcare services at a lower cost. From remote health monitoring to transmitting real-time alerts, there are several areas where healthcare IoT finds its use.

      7 Exciting IoT Use Cases in Healthcare

      Let’s look at some of them to get a better perspective:

      Remote Patient Care

      In many parts of the world, residents live miles away from the nearest hospital. As such, when there is an emergency, it takes time for them to reach the healthcare facilities. Similarly, for healthcare providers, it becomes difficult to visit patients with chronic conditions frequently. The issue with time-consuming commute can be solved with remote patient care powered by the IoT.

      The connectivity can allow healthcare professionals to assist patients with prescriptions, medication, and also measure their biometrics using sensors and remote equipment. For instance, patients can connect any wearable or portable device to the cloud and update the data in real-time.

      Some of the IoT devices can also facilitate face-to-face talk over the internet. This can provide healthcare professionals with the necessary information to prepare care plans while the patients are on their way to the hospital. Or even without them needing to visit the hospital in the first place! For chronic patients, this helps create a roster of the patients’ day-to-date health update.

      The collected data can form charts and diagrams to be easily visualized by healthcare professionals.

      Live video and audio streaming can be used to monitor patients’ present condition without the need for the commute.

      Emergency Care

      Emergency care outputs are based on the time, accuracy, and the availability of contextual information. Moreover, it also depends on the quality of the data received during the emergency call and the information collected while the patient is being transported for immediate care at the healthcare facilities. Also, the entire process of collecting, storing, processing, and retrieving the data during that time is laborious and time-consuming. IoT can help in collecting data accurately, which can be accessed by emergency care staff such as paramedics or staff in the ER for quick and better medical assistance. This data can be also be transmitted to ER staff in real-time while the patient is on her way to the hospital – allowing the hospitals to be better prepared for the care.

      Tracking of Inventory, Staff, and Patients

      Healthcare organizations are all about increasing the efficiencies of their workforce and reduce operational costs. This is true for both small and large institutions that include several staff members, patients, and inventory. Using IoT devices in the form of wireless ID cards, hospitals can manage admissions, increase the security, and measure the overall performance of the staff. BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons and RFID tags can be used to track the location of the inventory and also trace the staff members in case of any urgency.

      Moreover, IoT and RTLS (Real-Time Location Systems) together can facilitate asset tracking. This is one of the most inexpensive ways to keep track of the equipment, drugs, and free resources, who can then spend more time on patient care.

      Must Read: How IoT Is Transforming Healthcare

      Augmenting Surgeries

      When it comes to healthcare, IoT has penetrated operating rooms as well. Think of connected robotic devices, which are powered by Artificial Intelligence and are used to perform various surgeries. These operations are all about increased precision brought forth by robot-assisted surgeons. Moreover, connected devices and IoT applications can perfectly streamline the activities of the medical staff at both pre and post-operating stages. In both cases, IoT sensors can be used to collect, transmit data, and analyze it. This helps record the tiniest details and therefore, is useful in preventing surgical complications.

      Virtual Monitoring of Critical Hardware

      It is a given that all the modern healthcare facilities require state-of-the-art hardware and software to function. When these are not taken care of in the best possible manner, the hardware can pose various risks and threats. Think of power outages, system failures, or even cyber-attacks. Since no healthcare organization would want these mishaps to occur, they opt for the best IoT driven solutions. A case in point is that of e-Alert by Philips, which can virtually monitor critical medical hardware. If there is an anomaly in any equipment, the solution alerts the hospital staff, so that a failure can be avoided by preventive maintenance.

      Pharmacy Management

      The pharmacy business is worth millions of dollars and is quite complicated. Since there are several steps in transferring and managing the drugs from plant to storage facilities in a hospital, there are several preservation issues that may be associated with them.  IoT can help combine the best safety approaches and the latest technology to ensure faster drug delivery, safer operations, and better patient care.

      For instance, take the example of smart fridges, which can be used to store vaccines and keep them from getting damaged during handling, storage or transfer.

      IoT-enabled pharmacies can ensure greater efficiencies and effectiveness in operations, error-free medical dispensing, security, and overall enhanced patient satisfaction.

      Must Read: Key Challenges with Enterprise IoT Applications

      Wearables

      IoT devices, in the form of wearables, can let the care teams collect numerous data points about the patient’s sleep patterns, activity, heart rate, temperature,  and so on. These wearables can offer real-time information to caregivers and patients. Think of a situation in which a heart patient has an elevated heart-rate. The wearable will immediately transmit the signal to the nursing staff and allow them to provide immediate and timely assistance to the patient. This can also help in remote health monitoring of elderly patients who are outside the hospital premises but need constant monitoring.

      IoT in healthcare has tremendous potential and can prove to be immensely beneficial for healthcare providers and patients. It is set to transform patient care and organizational efficiencies. Several hospitals around the world have already leveraged the power of IoT under their smart hospital initiatives. At Pratiti, we have helped several healthcare organizations with the design and development of their smart healthcare software development solutions.

      Connect with us to know how we can help you improve patient care, reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and empower decision-makers with actionable insights at the point of care.

      Frequently Asked Questions

      How is IoT Used in Healthcare?

      Remote monitoring in the healthcare industry is now possible thanks to IoT devices, which have the ability to keep patients safe and healthy while also enabling healthcare providers to provide improved treatment. As communication with doctors has gotten easier and more efficient, it has also boosted patient interaction and satisfaction. Furthermore, remote monitoring of a patient’s health helps to shorten hospital stays and avoid re-admissions. IoT in healthcare has a big impact on lowering healthcare expenses and improving treatment outcomes.

      What are the Advantages of IoT in Healthcare?

      The advantages of internet of things in healthcare applications lies in remote use cases. For example, in the event of a medical emergency, real-time remote monitoring via connected IoT devices and smart notifications can detect illnesses, treat diseases, and save lives.

      Smart sensors monitor health status, lifestyle choices, and the environment to suggest preventative steps that will limit the occurrence of diseases and acute states.

      Medical data accessibility allows patients to receive high-quality care while also assisting healthcare providers in making the best medical decisions.

      What are the Challenges of IoT in Healthcare?

      Although there are numerous advantages as seen in internet of things in healthcare examples, there are also challenges.

      Healthcare providers are frequently tasked with ensuring the security of several sites as well as vast data repositories.

      Moreover, moving an entire facility to a new system and practice takes time, and the initial investment and installation costs can be prohibitive, particularly for smaller healthcare facilities and rural clinics.

      Our Services

      Digital Product Company | Data Analytics Solutions | Industrial IoT Companies | Edge Computing Platform

      Nitin

      Nitin Tappe

      After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

    • Yes, IoT Product Development is Different

      Yes, IoT Product Development is Different

      As organizations seek to become digitally savvy, Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a key technology enabler for Digital Transformation.

      Through efficient analysis of real-time data, IoT is assisting enterprises with better decision-making, efficiency, and productivity, while proving to be exceptional drivers of growth across industries.

      For organizations that get IoT right, the benefits are abundant. However, IoT product development is extremely challenging; a lot goes into making IoT products work. And although the basic process of development is similar to software product development, there’s a lot more that goes into IoT product development.
      So, what’s so different about IoT product development? Let’s dive right in!

      The complexity of prototyping

      The prototyping process is critical for any product development as it allows teams to demonstrate – via mockups and wireframes, in the case of software products – what the final product will look like, ensure its performance, and determine if improvements are needed. However, IoT prototyping is a lot more complex than software prototyping.

      In IoT product development, because of the absence of pre-existing architectures and libraries, you will have to build your own components and create your own path. Assuming most users aren’t familiar with IoT, you will have to provide detailed setup and use instructions and ship physical devices to beta users to get feedback. Such an elaborate process would automatically impact your feedback time and testing cycles and make your prototyping far more complex as compared to traditional software products.

      Choosing the right platform

      Unlike in software development, where choosing a platform depended on what tasks the software is intended to perform, in IoT product development, you need to choose a platform which manages the device as well as performs advanced data storage and processing tasks with the required systems within the ecosystem. The platform should also be capable of providing APIs that will allow apps to communicate with the IoT device.

      You need to consider a variety of factors while choosing the right platform: the number of devices the IoT solution will support, the volume and velocity of data that the product would be required to process, UI capabilities, integration with APIs, data sources, and proprietary systems, as well as how the platform will be implemented and maintained.

      Making the IoT product scalable

      In software development, scalability concerns are typically addressed by adding more servers or increasing cloud capacity. But because IoT products are part of a large network of connected objects, sharing and exchanging data continuously via the Internet, as technology advances, they need to evolve from performing simple analysis tasks to more complex functions, such as power grid optimization, production control, and more.

      This continuous shift demands that IoT products are highly scalable – not just to accommodate an increasing number of connected objects, but also to carry out more complex tasks with time. For making IoT products scalable, you will have to use the web and mobile interfaces that scale, web workers, asynchronous communication paths, edge computing, among others.

      Integrating security

      While security is a critical part of software product development as well, what makes it different for IoT products is the ecosystem in which they belong. The continuous digital connectivity IoT products have with one another presents higher security vulnerabilities and loopholes. Any small breach or hacking can result in unauthorized access to critical data, and it can bring the entire ecosystem down.

      It is important to integrate data security into the development process from the word go: from basic authentication to the most advanced levels of platform security, hardware security modules, end-to-end encryption, API security, cloud security and more.

      Data storage and analytics

      When it comes to data storage and analytics, most software products are expected to unearth insight about user behavior and performance issues. However, IoT products generate a high volume of data, all of which has to be efficiently stored in storage systems with various retention policies. In addition, the data has to be continuously analyzed to allow users to gain actionable insights and drive higher throughput.

      IoT product development requires you to invest in advanced data storage systems, as well as in compelling analytics software with data visualization capabilities that make it easy to spot trends and take action. Choosing the right analytics platform can not only help in predicting results based on the data captured by the device, but also in detecting deviations from known usage patterns, and enabling users to take appropriate action.

      Connectivity and communication

      In the classic software world, connectivity is limited to physical servers and the cloud. However, given the extended scope of IoT products, the network gets extended to hardware devices as well. Each IoT device will have to be developed using a different connectivity mechanism and communication protocol – depending on what functions the product is expected to perform. From RFID and NFC to ZigBee Bluetooth and more.

      One needs to use the right communication protocols that accurately determine the source of data, understand the type, and send it to the data processing engine. It also needs to be ensured that the protocols are configured such that they can support a substantial volume, velocity, and variety of data from different devices, and offer an adequate level of fault tolerance.

      Build cutting-edge IoT products

      With more and more devices getting connected to the Internet, the IoT market is bursting at the seams. As 31 billion connected devices become available in 2020, there is an IoT revolution taking place.

      And although IoT is arguably one of the most impressive evolutions in recent technology history, IoT product development is not without challenges. The complexity of prototyping, choosing the right platform, making products scalable, integrating security, enabling data storage and analytics, and building the right connectivity and communication – it is the right amalgamation of all these aspects that allow you to build cutting-edge IoT products, and change the way the world operates and communicates.

      Our Services

      Offshore Software Product Development | Digital Twin Software Platforms | Industrial IoT Solutions | Digital Product Development

      Nitin
      Nitin Tappe After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
    • How Digital Twin Technology Is Changing the Solar Power Generation?

      How Digital Twin Technology Is Changing the Solar Power Generation?

      The growth in the solar energy sector has been quite impressive and is the need of the hour. As per 2018, International Renewable Energy Agency report, the global capacity of renewable energy output has reached 2,179 GW, With the marked increase in solar capacity, solar energy witnessed an impressive growth rate of 32 percent! In short, the future of solar power plants looks as bright as the Sun.

      Nevertheless, it is also a fact that there are still a number of challenges associated with solar power plants in terms of the output, operations, and efficiency of the plants. Some of them are:

      • Unmonitored inefficiency

      Lack of monitoring often leads to wastage of solar energy getting wasted affecting the output of solar power plants. It’s physically impossible to monitor solar plants, also a visual check is not the most effective measure most of the time.

      • Lack of information on energy generation and forecast

      Solar power generation depends on the location of the plant, season, weather conditions, solar panels, and overall plant efficiency. The ability to Reliably forecast electricity generation can help a solar plant in multiple ways mainly, Improved predictability can help better plan the energy consumption, this can in turn help, better policy formation, improved contracts, and more efficient operations.

      Evolution of IoT has made tons of data available, Digital Twin technology enables an analysis of this data to give meaningful insights. So let’s dig deeper.

      What is Digital Twin technology?

      In simple words, it is a virtual system that replicates the model of a process, service, or product. This technology is based on the pairing of the physical worlds with the virtual one, which allows the analysis of huge chunks of data and close monitoring of systems.

      So, How Does Digital Twin help?

      Data gathering and its in-depth analysis prove to be useful in predictive and preventive analysis and actions. It helps us prevent downtime and create increase output. Most importantly, this digital twin allows us to plan for the future, which is made possible with the help of simulations.

      At Pratiti Technologies, we have gained a ton of expertise in this field, which has resulted in the development of Helios, our digital twin-based analytics engine.

      What Results You Can Expect from this Technology?

      The implementation of Helios, the digital twin-based analytics engine developed by Pratiti Technologies can have significant effects on the performance, ROI, and output of the solar power plants. This is how it works:

      • Close monitoring helps improve the predictability of all the solar panels in the system. With the use of real-time simulation, it becomes easier to assess the present condition of each part of the grid. This way, the operators can do predictive maintain ace in the grid.
      • The Digital Twin technology developed by Pratiti Technologies is quite effective in closely analyzing how the solar PV cells perform during various conditions. The virtual plant also allows administrators to replicate different scenarios and figure out how the upgraded panels would respond to them. This way, the production of more efficient solar PV panels becomes easier.
      • Forecasting is one of the key aspects of today’s Digital Twin technology, which ensures optimum solar plant performance. Helios enables the mapping of the solar grid to a virtual program ensuring better utilization of the whole system.
      • Improved ROI is ensured through operation insights. Auto-generated alarms and performance benchmarks help minimize the losses and improve output at the same time.

      The implementation of Digital Twin technology like Helios can make a solar power plant commercially more viable. Just for your note, this blog was initially published on energycentral.com

      Nitin

      Nitin Tappe

      After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.

    Request a call back

       

      x