DIGITAL MINING
IFM FINDS THE MISSING IO-LINK IFM EFECTOR HAS GROWTH AT THE HEART OF ITS OPERATIONS – GROWTH AS A COMPANY, BUT ALSO OF ITS CUSTOMERS. IO-LINK ENABLES IFM CUSTOMERS TO SEE THE VALUE IN DIGITISATION. BUT THE COMPANY SAYS DON’T TAKE ITS WORD FOR IT, START SMALL – GROW AS YOU KNOW. IO-LINK IS A DIGITAL COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL.
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fm efector is a family-owned German-based company that has established itself as industry leading sensor specialists. In the 50 years of the company, ifm has formed invaluable relationships with customers that have shaped its growth and helped it evolve into more than just a sensorbased business. The company now has solutions in equipment management, process optimisation and material handling, exploring more pillars than it was originally known for. ifm efector industrial networking and controls product sales manager Kannan Kathiresan said the company could offer customers both the hardware and software sides of the processes.
“ifm has transformed itself from just a hardware-based company into more of a system solution-based company,” he said. “Companies are looking to adopt new technologies to give them the competitive edge, and for this to be done you really need to have a scalable network as a backbone to be able to collect all this information from the field level. “Gathering quality information from the sensors and actuators in the field and creating actionable machine insights based on that is what ifm can help with.” ifm is known for the quality of its products, which is why they are all backed with a five-year warranty. The products are tried and tested AUSTRALIANMINING
by the research and development team in Germany to ensure they can withstand harsh mining conditions and receive all of the necessary approvals before being released to the market. “Being able to provide really good-quality products is something I think we’ve been able to differentiate ourselves from the other vendors out there,” Kathiresan said. “Mines are harsh on products and we make sure our products are tested in that environment, giving us the confidence to say we definitely believe in the quality, as it has gone through all the rigorous testing processes. “They are designed for the robust environment and we’ve seen that.”
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In an ever-changing industry there are constantly new technologies being brought to market, which can be overwhelming and stressful to understand, let alone implement. It makes it even harder when there are multiple companies selling similar products and services that all claim to be the best. ifm efector’s unique culture takes customers’ problems and needs onboard to provide entire solutions rather than just a technology which, without context and proper training, will not have its potential realised. “Sometimes companies forget to address the three Cs – cost, complexity and change – when it comes to introducing a new technology,” Kathiresan said.
