Industry Stories

Smart sensors are transforming business. The new breed of unobtrusive, cloud-based sensors allows accurate, real-time information, providing a holistic view of any operating environment, and revolutionizing a wide variety of industries.

Food and Beverage Production

XIREN’s management platform combined with the practical deployment of sensors is helping companies to achieve high levels of food safety, improve traceability, minimize waste, as well as reduce costs and risks across every stage of food and beverage processing, packaging, and delivery. For food and beverage manufacturers, the ability to collect, report on, and adjust to real-time data is paramount.

Smart alarms to monitor potential temperature changes or power losses can drastically reduce the loss of sensitive goods of real-time supply chain information was once one of the largest inefficiencies in the industry. Now a sensor management platform replaces complicated conversions or workarounds to access data in separate technologies. With data visualized all in one system, employees have access to all of the same information, helping foster better collaboration and transparency. With information readily available in one system, there’s no need for complicated conversions or workarounds to access data in different technologies. Employees have access to the same data simultaneously to foster better collaboration and transparency. A sensor management platform also allows a company to gain deeper insights into customers and more accurately forecast future trends and demand.

Companies

  • Kosmic Kombucha
  • Sysco
  • Mighty River Brewing
  • Sugar Creek Brewing
  • Deschutes Brewery

Building Management

Building management has long been an area plagued by inefficiencies. The use of smart sensors has revolutionized the industry and drastically lowered operating costs. On average the adoption of a smart sensor management platform resulted in an aggregated annual energy savings of almost 30% in the commercial sector alone.

A smart management platform allows the implementation of efficiency measures by optimizing settings based on up-to-date occupancy schedules and comfort requirements. Any patterns of inefficiency such as over-heating or over-cooling can be quickly and easily curtailed. This enables automated execution of relevant workflows like intuitive equipment reconfiguration, activation or shutdown, maintenance schedules, or smart safety alert triggers as well as micro-zoned area control to achieve higher energy efficiency. Using motion data cleaning times can be optimized to ensure the least disruption possible. Every facet of a building can be streamlined, including facility health, equipment condition, waste management, security, and fire safety.

Companies

  • Genetech
  • Fresenius
  • Hitachi
  • Honeywell
  • IBM

Manufacturing

Manufacturing has long been an industry longing for a data revolution. The days of uniformed maintenance schedules and reactive and costly repairs are a thing of the past. From avoiding unplanned downtime to improving product quality, accurately monitoring production performance is a primary factor in the bottom line.

A sophisticated sensor management platform provides a constant stream of data about the overall health and performance of your assets and production lines as well as real-time and customizable alerts that can assist operators and managers in quickly addressing an issue before it becomes a major failure. Adapting a sensor management platform puts operators and managers in a position to make quicker more data-driven decisions to ensure optimal performance. Integrated, real-time alerts deliver the right information to the right person at the right time. Employees can react to issues in real-time to reduce downtime, improve safety, and lower maintenance costs.

Companies

  • Honeywell
  • Meggit
  • The Anderson Company
  • Centrica
  • CEMEX

Construction

Construction is an industry that is already being transformed by IoT. With an endless amount of data points, the industry has many opportunities for growth and optimization. A sensor management program is a necessity in managing projects simultaneously in different locations, while also optimizing asset lifecycle management and managing projects to tighter deadlines preventing potential delays and unnecessary costs.

Construction industry experts frequently find themselves at the mercy of the elements, including building on inhospitable or out-of-the-way locations that might require special attention to unique climatic features. When pouring concrete or placing beams, such structures will generally approach their final structural strength and integrity over a period of time. Extremely cold or windy locations can influence this process in unpredictable ways. That’s why deploying multiple sensors across a new site, to detect local variations in material strength or work integrity, is important for planning each stage in a multi-step construction project.

Companies

  • Nabholz Construction
  • Avalon
  • Gilbane
  • Bertram Construction
  • Hinkle

Energy Sector

In the oil & gas industry, sensors that monitor inventory levels of onshore oil tanks automatically dispatch trucks when the tanks need to be refilled. Sensors have the ability to monitor the performance of above-ground pumps in order to alert maintenance teams of potential issues and provide employees with advanced warning signs of possible safety issues to help prevent costly losses and injuries.

Using sensors gives real-time oversight and enables continuous pumping while simultaneously optimizing inventory transportation and minimizing downtime costs. Cloud-based digital dashboard visualizations convey information in an obvious and insightful layout that improves high-level decision-making that is so vital for success in the energy sector.

Companies

  • Honeywell
  • Meggit
  • The Anderson Company
  • Centrica
  • CEMEX

Retail

Smart sensors in retail can help retailers improve store operations, enhance customer experience and drive more conversions. Moreover, IoT can help retailers solve day-to-day problems such as tracking energy utilization, managing in-floor navigation, detecting crowded areas, reducing check-out timings, managing product shelves, preventing theft, and monitoring goods.

Energy consumption is a major cost-consuming factor for retail businesses, be it in refrigeration, lighting, heating, air conditioning, etc. Using these energy sources efficiently can bring cost savings of up to 20 percent per year.

Companies

  • Walmart
  • Frito Lay
  • Room and Board
  • Motionloft
  • Fract