Industry 4.0
In practice, Industry 4.0 is about connecting machines, sensors and production equipment to the digital systems around them. At Move we develop flexible IIoT solutions that can be integrated directly into the machine's control system or pass data on to the cloud and monitoring systems. The focus is on reliable operation, secure communication and solutions that work in the real production environment.
Industry 4.0
Industrial digitalisation that works on the factory floor
Industry 4.0 is used as an umbrella term for the digitalisation in which machines, production equipment and sensors are connected and can exchange data with control, analytics and cloud systems.
Existing PLCs
PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus and OPC UA
From machine to cloud
Data for monitoring and analysis
Cybersecurity
NIS2, CRA and IEC 62443
Reliable operation
Watchdogs, recovery and secure updates
From concept to reliable solution
For us at Move, the most important thing is not the concept of Industry 4.0 itself. It is building an industrial solution that works reliably every day and gives access to the right data.
An IIoT solution can play very different roles. Sometimes the task is simply to retrieve production data from a machine and send it to a cloud-based monitoring system. At other times, the new electronics become an integral part of the machine and have to communicate directly with its PLC and existing control system.
That is why we start with the existing installation. Which machines and PLCs are already in place? Which signals and protocols are available? How quickly does the data need to be updated? Does the solution only need to read data, or does it also need to be able to send commands back?
Integration with existing PLCs and machines
Industry has large amounts of equipment that already works well and should not be replaced just to gain access to data.
A new IIoT solution therefore often has to be able to communicate with existing PLCs and industrial interfaces. That might be via PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus, OPC UA or other industrial standards, depending on the machine's age, manufacturer and architecture.
In some projects we develop a gateway between existing OT equipment and modern IT or cloud systems. That way, an existing machine can gain new digital functions without its entire control system having to be redesigned.
From the machine straight to the cloud
An IIoT device can also work more independently and send data straight to a cloud-based monitoring system.
That might be temperatures, vibration, energy consumption, operating hours, alarms, production counts or other process data. The information can be used for dashboards, documentation, remote support, maintenance or analysis of trends over time.
Here you have to decide which data actually makes sense to send. It is often better to process some of the data locally and only pass on relevant values, statistics and events.
At the same time, critical machine control should normally stay local. If the internet connection or the cloud system goes down, the production equipment must still be able to perform its basic function. The PLC and local edge electronics can therefore handle the real-time functions, while the cloud is used for monitoring, analysis and higher-level functions.
Cybersecurity has to be designed in from the start
When a production machine is connected to the company's network or straight to the cloud, it also creates a new potential way into the production environment. That is why cybersecurity has become a central part of modern IIoT.
This applies especially in sensitive and critical areas such as energy, water supply, transport, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and other critical production, where the consequences of a cyberattack or an unintended fault can be far greater than just a loss of data.
The EU's NIS2 rules set requirements for risk management and cybersecurity at companies in a wide range of critical sectors. They cover incident management, supply chain security, vulnerability management, access control and the use of cryptography, among other things.
For an IIoT solution, this means in practice that the architecture should already address, for example:
- segmentation between the production network and the ordinary IT network
- authentication and controlled access to devices
- encrypted communication
- certificates and secure key management
- limiting open ports and services
- logging and diagnostic capability
- secure software and firmware updates
- the ability to handle security updates throughout the product's lifetime
One important ground rule is that an IIoT device should only have access to the systems and data it actually needs.
The CRA also sets requirements for the product itself
Whereas NIS2 is largely about the organisations and systems that operate critical infrastructure, the EU's Cyber Resilience Act, the CRA, is directly relevant to many connected products with software.
The CRA introduces cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, including requirements for secure by design, handling of known vulnerabilities and security updates throughout the product's support period.
This means that cybersecurity should no longer be seen as solely the responsibility of the customer's IT department. If you develop a connected industrial product, the product architecture increasingly has to be designed so that security can be maintained throughout the product's lifetime.
The IEC 62443 series is also an important technical reference for cybersecurity in industrial automation and control systems. The standard deals specifically with security in industrial control systems and the combination of technical, physical and organisational security measures.
The industrial environment makes other demands
Electronics that work on a desk are not necessarily suited to sitting on a production machine.
Industrial equipment can be exposed to vibration, high ambient temperatures, dust, moisture, electrical noise and long operating hours. It may therefore be necessary to choose industrial components with a wider temperature range, robust connectors and a mechanical design that can withstand the stress.
Thermal design matters too. A computer or gateway that has to work at a high ambient temperature around the clock must be able to get rid of its own heat. That is why we look at processor load, enclosure, cooling and the components' temperature limits.
No standard box for every machine
Vibration can likewise place demands on the PCB, connectors, cables and mechanical mounting. In other environments, EMC or protection against dust and water is the biggest challenge.
So there is no single standard Industry 4.0 box that fits every machine. The solution has to be adapted to the environment, the function and the security requirements that apply to the installation.
Stability comes before smart features
In production, uptime is decisive.
An IIoT solution must not make a stable machine unstable. That is why we build watchdogs, automatic recovery, local buffering and diagnostics into the architecture, among other things.
If the cloud connection drops, data can, for example, be stored locally and uploaded later. If a process restarts, the system has to be able to return to a known state without manual intervention.
The same applies to software updates. Remote updates can be a great advantage for systems installed around the world, but the update mechanism has to be secure and designed so that a failed update does not leave the production equipment out of action.
At Move we therefore see Industry 4.0 as practical industrial digitalisation. We combine electronics, embedded software, PLC integration, edge computing, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity with the understanding that, in the end, the solution has to work reliably out on a factory floor.
Frequently asked questions
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 is a term for the digitalisation and interconnection of machines, production equipment, sensors and IT systems. In practice, the concept overlaps to a large extent with IIoT and industrial digitalisation.
Can you connect existing machines to the cloud?
Yes. It can often be done by retrieving data from the existing PLC or other interfaces and adding a gateway or edge device, without changing the machine's basic control system.
Which PLC protocols do you work with?
It depends on the installation, but it can include PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus and OPC UA, as well as other industrial interfaces.
Should the machine depend on the cloud?
Not normally for critical functions. Real-time control and core machine functions should typically be able to work locally, while the cloud is used for monitoring, analysis, data history and remote support, for example.
How do you handle cybersecurity in an IIoT solution?
It starts with the architecture. Network segmentation, access control, encryption, secure software updates, logging and the handling of keys and certificates should be built in from the start.
Is NIS2 relevant for industrial IoT solutions?
It can be. NIS2 applies to organisations in a range of critical sectors, which means customers in those industries may set considerably higher requirements for cybersecurity, documentation and supply chain security.
What does the Cyber Resilience Act mean for an IIoT product?
The CRA means that cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a product requirement. Connected products have to be designed with security in mind, and the manufacturer has to be able to handle vulnerabilities and security updates throughout the product's relevant lifetime.
Can IIoT electronics work in harsh industrial environments?
Yes, if it is designed for them. We look at temperature, vibration, EMC, mechanical robustness, component selection, cooling and the expected service life, among other things.
Can you upgrade older production equipment with IIoT?
Yes. It is often a very relevant solution. You can keep an existing PLC and machine control system and add data acquisition, connectivity, cybersecurity and cloud functions as a separate layer.
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