Based on its recent analysis of the production analytics industry, Frost & Sullivan recognises Softing with the 2017 Europe Enabling Technology Leadership Award for providing industrial data intelligence solutions that drive operational efficiency with “edge”-based advanced analytics, supported by a broad portfolio of data-gathering, network diagnostics, and plant asset management solutions. Headquartered in Haar, near Munich, Germany, Softing has been active in the industrial data solutions market for over 35 years.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming how businesses work by enabling real-time insight into operations. Through creating hard, actionable analytics from an ocean of data, IIoT helps drive clear business results. However, gathering and analysing these massive amounts of data present significant challenges in data security, real-time processing for data collected at the “edges” of an environment, and errors in processing such large data amounts. The consequent lack of data understanding and its inaccurate use can lead to strategic decisions that result in inefficiencies; sub-optimal productivity; higher costs; and increased exposure to service-level misses, penalties, and risks. Manufacturers need solutions that allow efficient and accurate analysis of industrial data to optimise assets and improve reliability, productivity, and overall organisational efficiency.
“The sheer amount of big data now available to manufacturers is both an advantage and liability,” said Frost & Sullivan IIoT Program Manager, Karthik Sundaram. “On one hand, the accurate assessment of data and the resulting application from analysing that data helps manufacturers make improved decisions, drive innovation, and identify new business growth opportunities. However, with growing threats to data security, companies must find a way to safeguard their critical data, often through some form of data encryption. Most companies choose open platform communication (OPC) unified architecture (UA) as their interoperability standard to respond to the security challenges and ensure the secure data exchange in the industrial automation space.”
Softing offers a broad portfolio of customer-specific software and hardware products for a variety of applications, such as technology and data integration, communication components, network monitoring, and diagnostics. The company implements OPC UA functionality into customer-specific products and applications through the use of industry-leading Softing OPC UA data exchange solutions to address customer need for secure and reliable data exchange. As a result, the OPC UA implementation becomes ready-to-use for fast customer results.
Softing’s dataTHINK analytics solution provides real-time, data-based production optimisation, allowing for on-site streamed production insight. This solution eliminates unsolved disruptions and reduces scrap while optimising plant performance and contributing to increased revenue and cost efficiency. dataTHINK uses current machine learning procedures, such as anomaly detection and time series analyses, to detect outliers and prevent unexpected situations efficiently, allowing companies to respond quickly to market challenges and use resources more efficiently to enhance business performance and gain competitive advantages.
“Softing has positioned itself as a market expert because the company maintains close relationships with customers to understand their needs and what the market expectations are,” said Sundaram. “The company also offers customised training and workshops. By using customer feedback, Softing ensures product relevance and provides added value.”
Softing dedicates to developing industrial data intelligence solutions that drive operational efficiency with advanced analytics, enabling cost and risk reduction while analysing all systems and data needed to make optimal operational decisions. The company commands a leadership position with its strategic mix of application depth, consultative approach, and proactive efforts to bring best-in-class solutions to its clients. For these reasons, Softing earns Frost & Sullivan’s 2017 Europe Enabling Technology Leadership Award.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that develops a pioneering technology that not only enhances current products but also enables new product and application developments. The award recognises the high market acceptance potential of the recipient’s technology.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
