In a recent edition of the Field Service Podcast, Field Service News, Editor-in-Chief, Kris Oldland sat down with Patrick Jansen, Field Service Manager, VBR Turbines, about why they decided to undertake an in-depth build of their own bespoke IoT solution.

"It all started about 6 years ago. We are an MRO (maintenance and repair organisation)  so we do own anything, we don't produce anything, our business is service. We saw that our market was changing. There was knowledge drain, changes in the labour market and more." Jansen explained. 

"So we started to look at what our service deliver should be like ten years from now and alongside that how could we overcome the challenges that we face in the labour market and how could we address the knowledge drain with our customers. There were a couple of things that saw needed to be done.

"One of the main drivers for us was to create an additional tool to facilitate remote support for the customer but also do diagnostics on the assets. This is because in the energy market within Europe has changed significantly." he added.

One such change has been the shift within the energy sector is that the traditional way of working with a predictive maintenance schedule was to base the schedule on running hours, but this is no longer an appropriate methodology as the amount of running hours has reduced. 

However, there were other benefits that Jansen and the team at VBR Turbines were able to benefit from - including the reduction in training time for new engineers. 

"The remote solutions can help people to get trained faster, the time to training a field service engineer really dramatically reduced." Jansen added. 

 

---

 

Want to know more? Check out the Full Podcast in our Premium Content Library by clicking the button below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes 

 

Field Service News Research identifies trends amongst field service organisations and the Internet of Things when it comes to the KPIs...

A recent Field Service News Research has taken a deep look into how field service companies are continuing face up to the challenge of harnessing the vast amounts of data they are accessing each day... 

 

The Growing Dual Challenges of Data in Field Service... 

In a recent article for Field Service News Research, Kris Oldland explored some of the key findings their current research into the use of KPIs amongst field service organisations has revealed when it comes to analysing,  interpreting and reacting to data...

"In today’s connected world, there is just simply so much data being created that we are very much in danger of being overwhelmed and consumed by it unless we are not careful." Oldland wrote. 

"Paralysis by analysis can be a genuine issue that can stifle innovation. In a customer-orientated world, the ability to adapt quickly is becoming a crucial aspect of modern business. Yet, at the same time, so is the increasingly hackneyed phrase ‘data is the new gold’."

"The ability to be able to monitor, measure and then dissect each aspect of our operation - whether it be internally within our teams and operations or externally with regards to our customer interactions, can offer us the ability to leverage vast amounts of untapped insight into our businesses that can literally open up new revenue streams, or at least maximise to the fullest potential those we already have in place," he continues.

Some of the headline findings within the research which Oldland explored within the article include: 

• 67% of field service companies are now using IoT to provide data from assets in the field.
• 72% of these companies are using data from connected assets to predict failure and schedule maintenance around this data
• 54% of these companies can interpret data from assets in the field when providing triage
• 23% of these companies factor this data into the way they analyse field service KPIs

 

---

To find out more and also discover the impact of servitization on the KPIs field service companies are measuring check out the latest analysis from Field Service News Research visit https://research.fieldservicenews.com/drownin-in-data-or-gold

Sigfox operator WND UK exceeds 90% coverage for secure sensor data network.

WND UK, the UK’s Sigfox Network Operator, has deployed the UK’s first wireless public network for secure sensor data, achieving over 90% population coverage in just 18 months.

The network uses Sigfox, a proven, low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology, which is purpose built to provide low-cost connectivity and enable the use of cost-efficient silicon modules.

Sigfox is the world’s first dedicated low-power wide-area communications service for the Internet of Things (IoT). Harnessing ultra-narrow band technology, Sigfox provides basic connectivity to devices that do not require high throughput. This approach is ideally suited to the vast majority of IoT devices as it requires very little power – enabling devices to run for years on a single battery.

“Our Sigfox data sensor network is fully operational today,” said Tim Harris, chief executive, WND UK. “We now have over 130 channel partners and the list is growing by the day. These companies are using the network for real-world commercial applications – from metering to flood detection to legionella monitoring.”

“Sigfox has growing momentum worldwide,” said Luke Thomas from EBI, a WND UK Channel Partner. “If you want to deploy an IoT application, Sigfox is the logical choice. The other technologies we explored simply did not come close. WND UK’s network rollout has been extremely impressive. The Sigfox network is reliable and the technology is market leading. With thousands of active devices performing above expectation, our IoT deployments have been a huge success and award winning.’’

“We have pioneered the development of AMR, or automated meter reading, using Sigfox,” said Ian Rose, professional services director at PassivSystems. “As part of an ongoing deployment programme with a major utility, we’ve already delivered 3,000-meter readers for district heating installations, enabling accurate billing for residents. With 17,000 district heating networks in the UK connected to nearly half a million properties, the market opportunity is substantial.

“Most retrofit AMR devices use mobile GSM networks but achieving reliable signal connections can be problematic. Heat meters are often tucked away, located in a basement or in housing blocks with poor signal coverage. Using Sigfox is cheaper than using GSM networks and we get a higher level of coverage that offers better penetration within buildings. In addition to the improved reliability in signal for accurate billing, we can also collect data on the flow and return temperatures within a property to optimise performance of the heating system.”

“We’re continuing to strengthen the network by working with our customers to achieve deep in-building coverage where it’s required,” continued Tim Harris. “We will also be installing a further 500 repeaters during 2020, which will further enhance our coverage. The range of IoT applications is set for explosive growth and Sigfox is the natural, low-risk enabling technology.”

Research forecasts IoT gateways, routers and modems shipments will hit 8.0 million by 2023.
Berg Insight has released new findings about the market for cellular IoT gateways, routers and modems.
More than 3.4 million cellular IoT gateways were shipped globally during 2018, at a total market value of approximately US$ 921 million. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5 percent, annual shipments are expected to reach 8.0 million in 2023. Cellular IoT gateways are standalone devices intended for connecting machines to a cellular network.

These include general-purpose cellular gateways, routers and modems that are enclosed in a chassis and have at least one input/output port. Trackers, telematics devices and other specialised devices are excluded from this report.

North American vendors dominate the cellular IoT gateway and router market. Cradlepoint, Cisco, Sierra Wireless, CalAmp and Digi International are the largest vendors worldwide. Combined, these five vendors generated close to US$ 500 million in annual revenues from cellular IoT gateway and router sales during 2018, accounting for a market share of 53.3 percent. Other important vendors include Multitech Systems, Systech and Encore Networks in the US, InHand Networks, Robustel and NetComm in the Asia-Pacific region, and HMS Networks, Advantech B+B SmartWorx, Matrix Electrónica, NetModule, Eurotech, Westermo and Option in Europe. The European and Asia Pacific markets are fragmented with a large number of small and medium sized players that generate annual revenues in the range of US$ 3–10 million. The North American market is dominated by a handful of major vendors, largely due to entry barriers in the form of carrier certifications required for cellular devices in the region.

“North America experienced the fastest growth globally during 2018, driven by deployments in the public safety, transportation and retail sectors”, said Fredrik Stalbrand, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight. The region has also been subject to significant merger and acquisition activity in recent time. “Deal activity has been low over the past decade but has picked up since the beginning of 2018”, continued Mr. Stålbrand. He mentions as examples the recent deals such as Lantronix’ purchase of Maestro Wireless Solutions in July 2019 and most recently Digi International’s announced acquisition of Opengear in November 2019. In Europe, Westermo acquired the remote access specialist Virtual Access in November 2019, expanding the company’s presence in the utilities sector. “Several players continue to have inorganic growth as a strategy and further consolidation can be expected among IoT gateway vendors in 2019–2020”, concluded Mr. Stalbrand.

Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News hosts with Gopinathan Krishnaswami, Senior General Manager, Global Head, Infrastructure Alliances at Tata Consultancy Services as his guest as the two dive into the importance of data in field service including how much data is too much data and the importance of Machine Learning in getting actual insight out of the deluge of data you may be drowning in. 

Report suggests spend largely driven by new emerging digital services such as cloud, the Internet of Things and the roll-out of 5G.

IBASE, a provider of embedded products for IoT has released its AGS100T/AGS102T IoT gateways.
Powered by Intel’s Apollo Lake Atom™ x7/x5 series, Pentium® N4200, and Celeron® N3350 SoCs, the systems enable seamless and secure data flow to the cloud in IoT-focused applications with enterprise-grade security, and easy manageability.

 

The AGS100T/AGS102T compact fanless platforms offer maximum reliability and longevity support, featuring wide-range operating temperature of up to -40°C ~ 70°C and dimensions of 160 x 110 x 44mm. Both models are suitable for space-constrained applications in harsh environments that require devices equipped with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology.

 

“Our AGS100T/AGS102T gateways come with an extra advanced security TPM 2.0 chip to provide a high level of hardware-based security,” said Wilson Lin, Director of IBASE Product Planning Department. “By using TPM together with Windows 10, these devices carry out cryptographic operations for access control and authentication. TPM enables integrity measurements during system boot and makes TPM-based key unavailable outside the TPM to prevent phishing attacks and authorization value guesses.”

 

The rugged AGS100T features 4GB DDR3L-1866 DO-DIMM, a 64GB MLC industrial-grade mSATA SSD, dual display ports (DVI-I and DisplayPort), 4x USB 3.0, 2x GbE, 2x COM, a DC-in terminal block for 9V~36V input and over/under/reverse voltage protection. Expansion is available with a full-size Mini PCI-E, a 2230 M.2 E-Key socket for WLAN & BT, a 3042 M.2 B-Key socket for WWAN & SSD, an mSATA socket (Mini PCI-E), and a 2242 M.2 B-Key socket for mSATA SSD. The AGS102T has two extra serial ports for COM3/COM4 and GPIO 4-in & 4-out multi-purpose interface.

 

M5STACK expands further into AIOT(AI+IOT) edge computing market with the K210 RISC-V 64 AI Camera.

In today’s society whereas consumer’s we are becoming increasingly used to and expectant of instant results is an obvious challenge for field service organisations but can remote services help bridge the gap? Manuel Grenacher, CEO, Coresystems discusses...

With the pervasiveness of the Internet of Things (IoT), everything from device performance to customer interactions has become faster and more connected. Devices that require maintenance and repair now operate on an accelerated timeline of immediately notifying the user when service is needed. Because of this, customers expect real-time responses, leaving little to no time for a field service technician to travel to the site, troubleshoot the issue and fix the device. Therefore, to maintain and improve customer satisfaction, technicians are exploring ways to provide the same level of onsite, but while remote.

The idea behind remote technicians stems from the technician’s ability to diagnose a problem, determine possible solutions, and lay out a plan for issue resolution - all before they take one step onto the worksite. In a perfect world, remote technicians essentially only have to leave their workstations once to perform tasks that require a high level of skill, or perhaps not at all for routine maintenance and repair. Naturally, this drastically cuts down the amount of travel cost and time and total project duration needed to solve an issue with a customer’s device, streamlining the entire service request from issue detection to resolution.

Field service technicians no longer need to blindly infer what is happening on the broken device based on descriptions from less experienced users, nor do they need to fumble through repair instructions over the phoneField service technicians no longer need to blindly infer what is happening on the broken device based on descriptions from less experienced users, nor do they need to fumble through repair instructions over the phone. Indeed, the remote technician takes full advantage of tools such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and even the IoT itself to deliver the same experience as a technician standing in front of the customer would.

So how does it work? It starts with putting the proper infrastructure in place to allow technicians to troubleshoot issues on devices and machines from afar. Taking issue detection as an example, remote technicians can use augmented reality to share a mobile phone screen with a customer for a visual walkthrough of the issue. From there, the remote technician can schedule an onsite appointment if needed and manage the parts orders needed for specific projects, ensuring all the necessary assets are in place well in advance.

To be fair, managing a workforce of remote technicians is no easy task. In order to optimize your field service operations, it is extremely beneficial to be able to automatically assign the most qualified and available technician for respective service requests, taking into account expertise, location, and availability. As a fail-safe, the onsite technicians should have easy access to online product specifications and other assets needed to complete service requests. Additionally, similar to how remote technicians use augmented reality to connect to the customer for issue detection, on-site technicians can connect to more experienced journeyman technicians back at headquarters to troubleshoot unforeseen issues. This creates a network of knowledge that will keep project duration to a minimum, improving efficiency for the technician while onsite.

The way in which field service technicians work has evolved and is continuing to do so. The next generation of technicians are prioritizing independence, autonomy, and flexibility, on top of foundational knowledge and customer service experience. As the IoT continues to grow, so will the need for remote technicians, and the field service industry assuredly has the infrastructure to maintain the high level of customer satisfaction that we strive for today.

What are your experiences experimenting with a more remote field service workforce? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Be social and share

Despite words like innovators and pioneers being regularly used to describe high profile companies, there is an argument that in business you never really want to be the first. Wang Computers released the Wang 3300 five years before the Apple 1. Friendster arrived two years ahead FaceBook. The difference between bleeding edge and earlier adopter can be critical to success as Rohit Argawal, Editorial Director at Copperberg writes...

The ‘creation of a technology’ and the ‘adoption of the technology’, what’s more important? One way to look at it is that technology prowess for an organisation helps it advance and differentiate but its scope is limited unless the technology is adopted widely and simplifies tasks or generates revenue.

Narrowing down to the Field Service Industry, keywords such as ‘Democratised Service’, ‘Augmented Workforce’, ‘Humanoid Field Workers’, are abundant and very easy to encounter today in most articles, podcasts and webinars. The hype around IoT, AI, AR and VR is causing Field Service Directors to sweat and are inducing fear of being left behind in the digitalisation race.

The major question of the hour is: has the industry crossed ‘The Chasm’ yet for digitalisation? For those not familiar with the technology adoption lifecycle curve, the curve breaks down technology adoption into five phases with respect to time. When a new technology is introduced, the innovators (read tech geeks, influencers and technology over-enthusiasts) are the first to try it. In the field service area, these innovators would be large field service companies that have an abundant budget, manpower and cushion to fail for new innovations.

Once these innovators find a use case for the technology and deem it fit is when the early adopters start using the technology. This is the make or break zone for most technology. The number of users increases non-linearly and more rapidly compared to the initial phase.

To move from the innovators to the early majority is the toughest phase for the technology and is known as ‘crossing the chasm.’ After the ‘chasm,’ the use of technology increases rapidly till peak usage when the market starts to saturate and the late majority comes in. The laggards are technophobics who are last to adopt the technology. Most field service companies that consider keeping machines up and running as important play it safe and would be in the ‘early to late’ majority category.

Coming back to digitalisation in the field service industry, the majority of field service organisations have started addressing the need for IoT and data collection to ramp up their field service offerings and have more satisfied customers. At the recent Field Service Forum 2019 in Amsterdam, Europe’s leading event for field service, more than 115 Field Service Directors came together to discuss the present trends in field service, the upcoming challenges and the future of customer satisfaction.


         "To move from the innovators to the early majority is the toughest phase..."


Most of them agreed that IoT and data will have a major impact on service businesses and that they need to start small, arrive at results and then move forward. They acknowledged the speed of technology development today and also benchmarked their own services to the standards set by the keynote speakers. Acknowledgement of the impact of the technology by the wider audience and relating to case studies show that IoT has crossed the chasm and reached the early innovators. All those not on board the IoT bandwagon are now scurrying to do so.

According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2018 report, IoT platforms will reach their plateau of productivity in the next 5-10 years. The Field Service Directors who have adopted IoT and data collection reflected that tech trends can be misleading and that they should rather focus on business problems. Translating the data to meaningful insights that can lead to better business decisions. There was also contemplation and debate on whether machines could take over humans in the workplace, though the consensus was that it wouldn’t be likely.

One technology that can help in this data processing and generating insights is AI. However, only the early innovators and technology leaders have tested it so far. Has AI jumped the chasm in the field service industry? Not yet.

Most innovators are still creating use cases and the projects are on test-beds. The majority of field service leaders are starting to see the potential and value in using AI in their data processing, but then the implementation, adaptation and ROI are a long way down the path.

Another technology that is premature but is deemed to have high value is augmented and virtual reality. The potential to have an experienced technician assisting a new line of the on-field workforce is very appealing but will the customer be satisfied and confident with the blunt show of inexperience? Will the chances to have faulty repairs increase once the technology is out of test trials or on the field?

There is always a debate about technology, its potential forecasted and the actual benefits derived. Over the next few years, we will realise if these technologies will jump the chasm and go on to become basic necessities in the field service business.

To be involved in the Field Service Directors Community, pre-register here for the Field Service Forum 2020.