Multiprotocol communication in your product – our chips and modules for your highly integrated solutions.
Integrate machines and devices into your network – our turn-key communication solutions make it easy regardless of the network standard.
Centralized edge management made easy - your holistic IIoT platform for device and application management
The right communication solution for your industry – rely on Hilscher’s years of experience as the market leader in automation.
From legacy fieldbuses to Industrial Ethernet and the networking of modern sensors right up to the cloud – Hilscher’s industrial communication solutions in action.
Our IO-Link white-label products put the power of Hilscher’s communication capability in your own brand.
Our processors with variable protocol stacks make up our core technology. They are the foundation of many of our solutions. We also give you access to your machine data with our edge management solutions, paving the way to Industry 4.0.
Do you have any questions? Reach out to us or to one of our partners!
Under Downloads you’ll find numerous drivers, tools and manuals for our products.
We have been the market leader for industrial communications for over 35 years. 35 years in industrial applications and forward-looking research and development.
Find out what makes us who we are.
News, background information and a schedule of events where you can meet us – stay up to date on everything related to Hilscher and industrial communication.
Multiprotocol communication in your product – our chips and modules for your highly integrated solutions.
Integrate machines and devices into your network – our turn-key communication solutions make it easy regardless of the network standard.
Centralized edge management made easy - your holistic IIoT platform for device and application management
The right communication solution for your industry – rely on Hilscher’s years of experience as the market leader in automation.
From legacy fieldbuses to Industrial Ethernet and the networking of modern sensors right up to the cloud – Hilscher’s industrial communication solutions in action.
Our IO-Link white-label products put the power of Hilscher’s communication capability in your own brand.
Our processors with variable protocol stacks make up our core technology. They are the foundation of many of our solutions. We also give you access to your machine data with our edge management solutions, paving the way to Industry 4.0.
Do you have any questions? Reach out to us or to one of our partners!
Under Downloads you’ll find numerous drivers, tools and manuals for our products.
We have been the market leader for industrial communications for over 35 years. 35 years in industrial applications and forward-looking research and development.
Find out what makes us who we are.
News, background information and a schedule of events where you can meet us – stay up to date on everything related to Hilscher and industrial communication.
To get the most out of machines and systems that are equipped with digital services, getting field-level access to the machine and process data is essential. Hilscher’s comprehensive IoT ecosystem addresses this crucial challenge, as Uwe Schnepf, Head of Product Management for Industrial IoT at Hilscher, explains in an interview with the editor-in-chief of Digital Factory Journal.
Text: Ronald Heinze
European manufacturers of machines and systems are under immense pressure to solve some serious challenges. A shortage of skilled workers is limiting their ability to take advantage of potential in innovation and services, while strong competition from Asia is putting pressure on sales and market share. In light of these challenges, they’re planning to interconnect their machines and systems in order to increase production efficiency, improve customer service, develop intelligent products and establish data-driven business models.
To implement digital services, machine manufacturers need access to machine and process data. They also require special software tools that can be used independently of the production control system to configure and analyze the collected data, and for maintenance purposes. U. Schnepf emphasizes the importance of edge management, including edge gateways, their integration into the operational level via fieldbus or Industrial Ethernet, management and operation of edge gateways and the software and the specific business applications running on them.
Hilscher makes machines and systems network capable, offering a modular solution based on an open, scalable and centralized edge management platform. Their scalable IoT ecosystem includes an extensive range of edge gateways, central device and fleet management solutions, as well as application management via private and public cloud infrastructures. Users can also use container-based applications for connecting to the manufacturing floor and to the cloud, and they can also use their own, application-specific containers in the system. For example, users can take advantage of the netFIELD PROFINET Tap App and EtherCAT Tap App, which allow PROFINET or EtherCAT data traffic to be read purely passively without modifying the controllers in these networks. “Solutions are already available for the most important communication systems, and others will follow,” adds the Hilscher manager.
U. Schnepf underscores that Hilscher actually manufactures and sells chips and modules for automation. “Over the past seven years, we have increased our focus on edge computing and combined it with our expertise in industrial communications to lay the foundation for new data-driven services and business models,” said U. Schnepf. He adds that Hilscher offers its customers a comprehensive IoT ecosystem. This industry-proven platform can grow with your needs and does not require a large investment; users typically start with a single gateway and a free netFIELD account for testing.
“Analyzing and processing data on machines is becoming increasingly complex,” continues the IoT expert. He believes it is no longer enough to simply collect data; today, data pre-processing at the edge is essential. Edge gateways are the solution; they can collect and pre-process the data directly at the machine. Equipped with a hardened and secure Linux operating system, these edge devices are smarter than typical gateways, enabling, for example, remote access to user interfaces and apps, as well as the collection and analysis of machine data for configuration, commissioning, diagnostics, and other IoT applications. They make it possible to operate machines and systems that would otherwise require skilled operators, of which there is an increasing shortage.
In the modern industrial environment, edge management is becoming increasingly important. A large number of edge gateways and their software that are used in machines and production systems need to be centrally managed. Not only the devices and their operating systems, but also the operator’s own applications need to be continually updated and kept compliant with the latest security standards. Hilscher’s netfield.io platform, which is based on Azure IoT but which can also be operated in conjunction with other cloud platforms, e.g., directly in the user’s network, acts as a central hub. “With this service, users can easily manage their fieldbus devices and applications remotely from anywhere in the world,” explains U. Schnepf, emphasizing that netFIELD can of course be used to implement cloud solutions via the Internet, but that local implementations can also be realized with netFIELD.
An operating system is also required for the devices to communicate with the edge management platform netfield.io. Hilscher’s netFIELD OS, which is based on a hardened Linux, is provided. This operating system will also soon be open to third-party devices. “This will allow users to flexibly choose whichever hardware they want to operate on our platform. If some initial development steps have already been taken with your own devices, this is no longer a concern and costs are reduced when switching to netFIELD.io. “Of course, the hope is that this will lead to an even wider user base of our solutions,” says U. Schnepf.
Remote management and monitoring of edge devices and the central rollout of updates, for example, are made possible through containerized software via the user account. With an increasing number of edge gateways, this can become quite complex rather quickly. A professional edge management system helps users keep track of the gateways and the software running on them by centrally managing software and configurations. “This is called fleet management,” adds the Hilscher manager. “This can also be implemented as a server solution on the customer’s premises, not just via a public cloud. Firmware updates and software rollouts can be carried out specifically for certain device groups, which can be defined statically or dynamically.”
With its gateways and the netFIELD cloud, Hilscher aims to make machines smarter and more efficient, and provides the complete infrastructure needed to do so. “We leave the data analysis to our customers, who understand their own data better than we do,” adds U. Schnepf. A good example of this is the packaging machine manufacturer MULTIVAC, which has developed digital tools that have now been rolled out and are running on Hilscher gateways worldwide. This enables transparent processes and real-time data, which go a long way in making MULTIVAC systems more efficient.
Remote access also offers advantages during commissioning. “During the Corona pandemic, virtual commissioning proved to be valuable,” says U. Schnepf. At that time, it was often the case that machines could be delivered but not commissioned and therefore not billed because on-site access was not possible or skilled workers were not available. Many machine manufacturers are also considering offering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). “Digital services help to optimize machine operation, which is particularly important when there is a shortage of skilled workers,” adds the manager.
According to U. Schnepf, another Hilscher customer and leading provider of thermal spraying technology offers its customers Smart Services as an add-on product to the machines. This increases their efficiency, boosts throughput and contributes to greater sustainability and transparency. The solution is based on netFIELD as the IIoT infrastructure. “Our Edge Gateways are installed in every machine ex works and activated as required,” says U. Schnepf.
In addition to machine manufacturers, Hilscher also offers its services to plant operators in order to combine data from different machines and operate plants more efficiently. “This also applies to older systems that are retrofitted,” adds the Head of Product Management IoT. The IoT solutions are also of interest to software manufacturers, for example, who are exploring ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into machines.
“We see ourselves as an enabler that supports SMEs in particular in using best practices,” says U. Schnepf. The container-based structure of netFIELD enables users to easily integrate and roll out their apps via the gateways. The Hattersheim-based company has also collaborated with selected partners, such as UReason from Rotterdam, Netherlands to develop a solution for valve and pump monitoring, as well as with Tomorrow Things GmbH from Bonn for a solution to monitor injection molding machine processes and with byteFabrik from Karlsruhe for an AI low-code solution.
Hilscher enables servitization, a business model innovation that combines both goods and services. One example of this is “Tires as a Service” offered by a tire manufacturer. “Such business models are also possible in manufacturing, and we help companies obtain the necessary data,” explains U. Schnepf.
In conclusion, U. Schnepf also emphasizes the importance of OT security. Regulations such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act impose stringent requirements, which will also determine CE approval. He is convinced of the success of Hilscher’s solutions, which focus primarily on industrial communication and secure device management. “We offer an open-standards platform that is designed to solve real SME customer needs, while also being scalable to quickly and easily adapt to the evolving market landscape,” he concludes.
