Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, has launched a new software as a service (SaaS) offer to drive innovation across process industries.

The new software, Eurotherm Online Services (EOS), an integrated online platform and management tool can be used to oversee calibration records and regulatory status, said a statement from the company.

EOS offers an automated, digitised process for easy collection and retrieval of critical process data, it said.

As enterprises operate in a landscape of resource scarcity and massive energy consumption - oil and gas, as well as other regulated industries are investing in technologies that will make them connected and efficient.

To answer to this need, EOS has been customised for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms, which are being leverage across the globe to optimise manufacturing processes.

The IIoT has analytics capabilities that enable operators to remotely monitor and manage their assets while effectively and economically planning for the future based on predictive trends. In fact, 2015 research by Accenture on Unleashing the Potential of Connected Products and Services shows that some manufacturers have enjoyed savings of around 12 per cent on scheduled repairs, nearly 30 per cent on maintenance costs and almost 70 per cent fewer breakdowns after utilising the industrial internet.

Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman and CEO of Schneider Electric, said: “The extensive digitisation of industries globally is demanding highly connected solutions that deliver new capabilities to control industrial operations enterprise-wide, from the edge to the core.”

“Customers are also demanding a new breed of applications and software that deliver real-time intelligence to the right decision-makers at the right time,” he said.

“To meet this growing demand, our company is launching a new wave of digitised and connected technologies designed to help reshape energy management and automation,” he added.

“EOS is one of our flagship field services solutions. This new cloud-based offer will enable process industries to reduce error-prone, paper driven processes by automating their instrument compliance procedures and planning – driving operations that are more safe, efficient, connected, reliable and sustainable,” Tricoire concluded.

Leveraging the online platform, EOS Advisor is a planning and scheduling tool that enables more efficient management of equipment and staff; meanwhile, the EOS eCAT tablet application improves calibration process efficiency with a secure, mobile-compatible tool that eliminates the drawbacks of paper-based records systems.  

EOS, which uses Industry 4.0 applications, is beneficial to any regulated industry that requires periodic testing to prove and maintain industry standards.

There will be continuous development of EOS offerings to add further compliance tests and additional applications for use in regulated industries aerospace, automotive, life sciences, healthcare, and food and beverage.

In time, EOS will be adaptable for a range of devices and operating systems across the world.

Christopher Ashworth, vice president and managing director, Eurotherm by Schneider-Electric, said: “The EOS tools are completely scalable and relevant to small manufacturing and large, multi-site businesses.”

“They offer a secure, intelligent, and more efficient way of handling plant-wide process information, adding value to a process by enabling users to convert data quickly into the information required – and that is what the IIoT is all about,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service