Struggling to interpret your industrial operations data? It’s time for a smarter approach

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The ability to capture and interpret live data is essential to driving industrial operational efficiencies. However, until recently, only a tiny percentage of the data generated within plants and manufacturing sites has been isolated and leveraged to drive additional productivity. Even in today’s new era of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), where more field devices produce even more data, most businesses are challenged to extract and interpret this new data.

Significant obstacles have held many industrial organizations back, such as the lack of openness of hardware technologies, proprietary software, and the cost and complexity associated with mining and interpreting data. However, cost-effective interoperability and integration are critical to maintaining competitiveness.

Simplify and streamline industrial operations with universal automation

The industry is now focusing on a groundbreaking technology: universal automation to address these challenges. This innovative world of plug-and-produce industrial automation software components, akin to an app store for manufacturers and integrators, empowers managers, engineers, and equipment operators to implement “best of breed” approaches, enhancing the efficiency of their operations while reducing costs. By investing in hardware-agnostic “open” software tools based on the IEC 61499 standard, industrial stakeholders and systems integrators can significantly minimize solution development time, simplify interoperability complexity, and maintain overall digital continuity.

Companies like Schneider Electric have built universal automation software, such as EcoStruxure Automation Expert, that enables organizations to mix and match their technologies without high system integration costs and lengthy project delays.

At Nedco, a division of Rexel Group, we actively support Schneider Electric’s universal automation and digital transformation efforts, which is why we have developed an Alliance Master Industrial Automation Distributor (IAD) based in Quebec. Our team supplies digital automation and electrical infrastructure products and solutions to local small to large system integrators, engineering firms, OEMs, and industrial end-users. We also provide expert consultation on how these new technologies can significantly enhance production efficiencies.

Generating technology value-add at multiple levels

Plant owners today face significant challenges in their quest to remain competitive. As customers demand more sustainable and innovative products, manufacturers wrestle with the ability to shrink time-to-market while lowering operational costs and boosting product quality. In addition, many firms face difficulties attracting and retaining an ever-shrinking pool of engineers and technology experts.

That’s where organizations like Nedco come in. We are reinventing the role of the industrial automation distributor by acting as a consultant and generating business value in several unique ways:

• Investment in people and resources — We channel a significant portion of our financial resources into building a high level of technical and business expertise across customer industrial segments and understanding the value of new solution trends, like universal automation.

• Consulting expertise for simplifying digital deployments — Nedco is part of an elite class of distributor partners with thought leadership consulting capabilitywho fulfill customer requests by assessing business requirements before architecting technology solutions.

• Collaborative approach in working with systems integrators and end users — Nedco experts know how to navigate the highly integrated modern industrial automation ecosystem. We establish long-term relationships and offer multiple levels of technical support in collaboration with knowledgeable system integrators capable of building and linking the digital technology architecture needed to succeed.

• Realistic in communicating our capabilities — We have direct access to a global network of experts within our organization, across Rexel Group, and our manufacturing partner, Schneider Electric. We are straightforward with our clients and set realistic goals and technology delivery schedules. This helps establish a deep level of trust early on across our client base.

• High credibility among key stakeholders — By building close relationships with systems integrators and manufacturers like Schneider Electric, Nedco works as a knowledge aggregator on both the relationship and product and solution levels. This high level of credibility lowers the end-user’s risks when deploying successful technology modernization projects.

• Easy access to a wide breadth of technologies — We have access to a comprehensive inventory of products (e.g., robotics, drives, motion control, and automation software) with multiple delivery options, which helps improve the end user’s time to market.

As an Alliance Master Industrial Automation Distributor with Schneider Electric, our consulting experts enable open discussions without restrictions on new ideas. We recognize that our potential clients understand their processes and pain points very well. Our teams understand the technology architectures, solutions, and systems. Working together, we can succeed in addressing even the most complex business needs while reducing business and technology transformation risks.

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To learn more about how your organization can benefit from universal automation and Schneider Electric solutions, visit our Nedco Quebec IAD Alliance Program webpage.