SPONSORED FEATURE
What does telemetry plus the arrival of the industrial internet of things (IIoT), the 5G wireless network and related technologies mean for designers seeking more value from the enclosures and structures they want to specify? Chris Arnold of manufacturing services contractor ICEE Managed Services looks at what has hitherto been mainly simple metal enclosures that may now become smart assets within a connected network, contributing to the bottom line of a business. In certain industries telemetry, or the wireless transmission of data from several key points for monitoring and command purposes, has been well established for years. Now this technology, boosted by the increasing adoption of IIoT and the promise of 5G wireless networks, is increasingly becoming part of our every-day world. Take the ubiquitous telecommunications equipment enclosure. Apart from shiny new locks and hinges, the
Smart bespoke enclosures aid innovation cabinets you see on urban streets and country lanes today look mostly the same as they ever did. Except these days they probably protect unseen and highly sophisticated configurations of fibre-optic cable, processing systems, power supplies and other ultraadvanced communications kit. The government’s aim to roll out broadband across most of the UK by 2025 has spawned a host of new and energetic internet service providers, all competing locally and nationally to install and offer super-fast fibre to data-hungry business and domestic customers. Faultless customer service delivery demanded in a highly competitive market means the performance of equipment in these enclosures has to be continually monitored. Any operating anomalies or shortfalls must be seen and acted upon immediately. A variety of sensors and data collection capabilities in the equipment feed performance data back to the service provider’s operations centre, enabling monitoring, command and control. But don’t forget external factors might have a damaging effect on the enclosure itself, such as
vandalism or attempts at theft, a door not properly closed and locked by a visiting service engineer, a heatwave causing internal temperatures to rise dangerously, or flood water entering the enclosure when a nearby river bursts its banks. To manage this side of the enclosure asset, we fit a variety of proven sensors and data collection systems that feed data back to the customer’s central control hub, in effect telemetry. It ensures the complete asset in the field is managed – from the internal equipment to the protective cabinet. Risk is minimised and the best possible performance ensured. What’s more, it all makes maintaining a proactive planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and upgrade schedule easier to manage and implement. New opportunities for innovation We also offer telemetry capability for other equipment we make, for example, a long-running, low-power, emission-free electricity generator for remote or off-grid locations. This runs on a hydrogen fuel cell and batteries, where necessary
Chris Arnold, Key Account Manager, ICEE Managed Services Ltd.
augmented by photovoltaic panels (PVs) and wind power. Typically, the generator is used by customers to operate a variety of equipment, from on-site environmental sensing, sampling, monitoring and measuring devices, to cameras including CCTV surveillance, emergency lighting and dot-matrix signage. In the road transport industry, a power generator we made, supplied, installed and continue to service is located in a remote, off-grid and mountainous part of Britain. It delivers electricity to environmental monitoring equipment, used to keep a constant eye on road conditions, especially in winter. The aim is to transmit data wirelessly from the integrated unit to a control centre located many miles away. Any exceptional changes will be detected immediately and acted upon, well before traffic disruption and safety becomes an issue. The IIoT is a fast-happening reality and the advent of 5G will only accelerate the trend. Increasingly, the possibilities offered by an efficient system comprising wirelesslyconnected devices is being recognised for many different applications in a variety of industry sectors. The technology is developing all the time. In this kind of dynamic world innovation is down to the imagination and seeing opportunities. Research on the web will soon reveal the wealth of
Often used in remote and off-grid locations to power lighting, monitoring, sampling and surveillance equipment ICEE's noiseless and non-polluting Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generator pack may be fitted with telemetry to transmit collected data back to a command and control centre many miles away
sensors, data collection, monitoring and control components available that may be built into a system. Given what’s possible, it makes a lot of sense to see the enclosure or cabinet as more than a passive shell or protective metal box. It can become an integrated part of a total or ‘intelligent’ solution. As in the cases cited here, thanks to telemetry and soon, more opportunities offered by IIoT and 5G, ‘smart’ enclosures may play an active role in positively contributing to the operational and financial performance of an organisation. If many enclosures on the network or infrastructure have this ‘joined up’ capability, in overall terms the automated assets will support not only vital track and trace audits and records management, but also higher
productivity, more efficiency, increased profitability and customer service excellence. In short, better management results all around. Whether the application is bespoke enclosures required for the fast-fibre broadband industry, a remotely located environmental monitoring station, or similar structures – simple or complicated - ICEE can provide a complete solution. This includes design, development, prototype building, one-off or batch manufacture, fitting out and testing. To complete the package we provide full installation and ongoing, long term field maintenance. We also offer the benefit of highly experienced and committed engineers throughout all stages of our comprehensive, end-to-end service. 8 Contact details for reader enquiries: ICEE Managed Services Ltd. 20 Arnside Road, Waterlooville Hampshire PO7 7UP Telephone: 02392 230 604 Email: sales@icee.co.uk Web: www.icee.co.uk