Etteplan’s private network enables the smart factory of the future at Danfoss

By OEM Update Editorial May 12, 2020 2:27 pm IST

Danfoss is piloting a private LTE network provided by Etteplan at its factory in Vaasa in a one-year project that began in January this year. By deploying the highly reliable wireless private network, Danfoss aims to improve productivity and workplace safety, expand the services Danfoss offers to its customers, and enable one component for the smart factory of the future. The pilot project utilises Etteplan’s connectivity service, in which the customer gets a 5G-ready LTE private network on a turnkey principle in exchange for a start-up fee and a monthly payment.

“At Danfoss, our aim is to use the private network to improve plant productivity. We want our factories to run more efficiently. A private LTE network enables us to collect a larger amount of data, as well as new kinds of data. Another incentive is operational safety. The network enables us to transmit video and detect potential hazards with the help of machine vision applications,” says Jari Marjo, Head of Global Technology, Supply Chain at Danfoss Drives.

Etteplan’s LTE private network accelerates digitalisation by enabling the efficient integration of physical systems with business-critical processes in various industries. A private network is especially well-suited for large factories, mines, logistics terminals, ports, and hospital complexes, since comprehensive network solutions based on other technologies can turn out to
be expensive or difficult. The ability to transmit data with low latency also enables real-time processing and analysis with the help of edge computing. “A private network connectivity service provides the customer with easy and cost-efficient access to stateof- the-art mobile technology. The infrastructure is completely local, which ensures a high level of availability, performance, and information security for network services. A special advantage of this technology is the ability to transmit data from moving equipment,” says Technology Director Jaakko Ala-Paavola from Etteplan.

Etteplan’s service is delivered as an end-to-end solution that includes network design, base stations, the management server, terminal devices with SIM cards, and network maintenance. Etteplan partners with Nokia and Edzcom (formerly Ukkoverkot) in the provision of private LTE networks. As the solution provider, Etteplan is responsible for all the necessary hardware and software integration. “In most use cases, despite its name, a private network does not necessarily mean a fully closed environment. Its true value only emerges when you apply ecosystem thinking. When the same network is used by a group of organisations that operate in the same ecosystem, the benefits of the network are multiplied. A port with many different operators is a good example of such an environment,” Ala-Paavola explains.

During the pilot project as a user of Etteplan’s private network, Danfoss will study the benefits of a private network not only at its factory, which produces frequency converters under the VACON® brand, but also in the product development of the products and services it provides to its customers. “The primary purpose is to understand when a device is close to malfunctioning. This refers to proactive maintenance and the related analysis and diagnostics. In our first customer pilot, our goal is to replace the current data transmission network of our large factory complex with a private network that will solve problems related to data transmission capacity, costs, and density,” says Marjo from Danfoss.

The private network supports the company’s goal of moving towards the smart factory of the future, in which data from devices can strengthen decisionmaking and the physical structures of the factory are easier to change due to reduced cabling needs. “The acquisition and maintenance of the network is very clear and simple because Etteplan takes care of everything. This allows us to focus on developing our factory and serving our customers,” Marjo adds.