Abstract
This case study explores the integration of industrial IoT and cloud services, Hycleen Automation, into existing control systems at Georg Fischer Piping Systems (GFPS). The integration aimed to reduce energy consumption, ensure optimal hygiene standards, and maintain compliance for buildings like hospitals and care homes. The project involved a comprehensive analysis of business models, technical functions, and organizational requirements. Key steps included protocol selection, physical layer assessments, and lifecycle management.
The integration process involved several phases, including requirements gathering, QFD analysis, prototype development, and final vendor selection. The outcome was a cloud-based solution that enhanced operational efficiency, improved hygiene compliance, and enabled predictive maintenance. The transformation positioned GFPS as a leader in smart water management, demonstrating the potential of IIoT and cloud technologies in revolutionizing traditional industrial processes.
Challenge
Georg Fischer Piping Systems (GFPS), a leading flow solutions provider, faced several challenges in integrating their Hycleen Automation System, an industrial IoT solution for water supply management, into existing control systems. The primary objectives were to reduce energy consumption, ensure optimal hygiene standards, and maintain compliance for buildings such as hospitals, care homes, and large residential complexes.
Legacy Infrastructure
The existing Hycleen Automation System required on-site management and lacked remote accessibility, which often led to neglected inspections and increased risks of improper operation. This limitation hindered GFPS’s ability to provide efficient and timely services to their clients.
Data Management and Analysis
With the growing complexity of water management systems, GFPS needed a solution to collect, analyze, and act upon vast amounts of data generated by sensors and devices across multiple locations. The challenge was to transform this data into actionable insights for operational optimization and predictive maintenance.
Scalability and Integration of industrial IoT and Cloud Services in corporate IT
As GFPS expanded its operations globally, the company faced difficulties in scaling its IoT solution across different countries and integrating it with various existing building management systems. The need for a unified, scalable platform that could accommodate diverse regulatory requirements and technical specifications became apparent.
With quite strict requirements in IT-architecture and IT-security, GFPS, or rather GF as a world-wide group, needed the solution to fit exactly their existing rules.
