Maakindustrie

CNH is automating quality control using IoT

CNH is a world-class industrial player. The company, which has a Belgian branch in Zedelgem, develops cutting-edge equipment for the agricultural and construction sectors, such as combine harvesters, balers and forage harvesters. Innovation, sustainability and productivity are central to CNH’s approach to developing and manufacturing its products. In this regard, machine data is becoming an increasingly important asset, explains innovation engineer Steven Devos.

Machine data: valuable for both farmers and machine manufacturers

“Wheat threshers have traditionally been very mechanical machines, but in recent decades we have seen increasing electrification and automation in our sector,” explains Steven. “Sensors are playing an increasingly important role in this.”

The machines developed by CNH are equipped with various sensors capable of measuring a wide range of information regarding usage, performance and so on. This data is extremely valuable to the machine operator: “Today, information about the harvest and the harvester really adds value for farmers: not only to optimise their harvest, but also to manage their fleet of machinery and collect legally required information,” says Steven.

But IoT data also brings added value to CNH itself. Every machine that leaves the production line undergoes extensive testing on a test track to ensure that everything meets the customer’s requirements. “During these tests, we also use sensor readings to check the machine’s quality,” explains Steven.

Watch the video testimonial

Een maaidorser van CNH wordt met behulp van sensordata getest op kwaliteit.

Tackling IoT challenges

Setting up an IoT platform and collecting machine data involves a number of challenges. Consider, for example, the sheer volume of data, as well as its analysis and security. “The sensors on our machines generate enormous amounts of data. For every measurement, 40,000 data points are generated per sensor. All of this needs to be efficiently collected, processed and stored,” explains Steven. “That’s why, a few years ago, we started looking for a partner who could support us in developing such an IoT platform. In Savaco, we found the right partner for the job.”

Specifically, Savaco helped CNH set up an IoT platform based on Microsoft Azure. “All sensor data from the machine is sent to this platform for further processing,” explains Steven.

Wim Van Geem, Solution Architect at Savaco, explains how the platform works: ‘To send data from the machine to the cloud, we used Azure IoT technology. This allows us to run containers close to the machine at the edge. To then process the machine data in the cloud and make it available for analysis, we deployed Azure Databricks technology.’

The platform ensures that the machine data is delivered quickly, securely and accurately to the tester via a mobile app also developed by Savaco. “The data from the sensors is processed via the IoT platform into specific tasks. Through the app, the tester then knows what still needs to be done before the machine can be dispatched to the customer.” The data is then further processed by the R&D department within CNH. They use all this machine data to analyse whether there are any recurring issues that could be avoided in future production and even in terms of machine design.

Knowledge sharing as the basis for collaboration

In his collaboration with Savaco, Steven values the focus on knowledge-sharing, the proactive approach and the way consultant Wim listens. “Wim really tries to understand what we need and tailors his technology advice accordingly. For us, the speed and security of our data were crucial. After all, our tester needs to be able to receive feedback on the machine’s quality within minutes, whilst R&D works with the data over a longer term. Savaco took this into account right from the start. The choice of a cloud platform and Savaco’s agile way of working also have advantages: we are able to respond very quickly to changing circumstances or new ideas, to push updates to the machines, … Finally, I also see great added value in Savaco sharing their knowledge with us. After all, this provides the foundation from which we can then continue to build our IoT platform.”

Another aspect we particularly appreciated about our collaboration was that Savaco proactively came up with solutions to prevent us from running into certain limitations later on if we were to expand the system.

Steven Devos

Innovation Engineer, CNH

Impact on future innovations

CNH has been using the new IoT platform for some time now to carry out quality control on its machines using sensor data. This approach not only benefits the quality department itself, but also has a wider impact on CNH’s focus on innovation. “Quality control is a dynamic process,” explains Steven. “A problem that arises after production provides valuable information for the designer in R&D, who can use this to further optimise the next machine. In this way, we create a digital loop that helps us to continually find innovative solutions.”

Industrial Internet of Things

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