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Optimizing Industry 4.0: Efficient software container management as the key to peak production

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5 minutes Reading time
5 minutes Reading time

You are a production manager, IT/OT manager, plant manager or digitalization officer and have the task of integrating IT and OT systems while maximizing operational flexibility. Different hardware, outdated technologies and incompatible communication protocols make efficient data handling considerably more difficult.
The integration of different systems can therefore quickly become a puzzle in which the pieces don’t quite fit together. This is precisely where the solution from Portainer and its strategic partners comes in.

Together, they present a comprehensive IIoT solution that elegantly and efficiently masters the challenges of the industry. This collaboration bridges the gap between IT and OT and provides companies with the tools they need to control their production environment in real time using software container management software.

The driving forces behind the transformation - key players in focus

  • Portainer acts as a central platform that seamlessly connects all elements of the solution. Portainer makes it easy to manage containers as well as multi-cluster and multi-device environments. This makes Portainer an “enabler” that efficiently controls the entire infrastructure. Cooperation with strong partners is the key to success.
  • Softing contributes to the solution with the edgeConnector Modbus by creating a bridge between the industrial protocols Modbus and OPC UA to ensure a standardized data language.
  • Cedalo provides the Mosquitto Pro Cluster, a highly available MQTT broker that ensures that every data transmission is reliable and in real time.
  • With the manubus application and the OPC router, Inray provides the necessary control for QR code-based production processes.
  • With the MAT Dashboard, 40Factory provides a precise visualization of production data that helps decision-makers not only to see it as figures, but also to understand its meaning.
  • WAGO provides the hardware components, such as the PFC200 and edge computer, which serve as the physical basis of the solution. With the SWIFT-BOX, Iniationware offers a central integration solution for data flow and control of networked systems.

Understanding and overcoming the challenge - complexity in the manufacturing process

Industrial environments often consist of machines from different manufacturers, older components (retrofit) and modern technologies. This makes data management particularly challenging. Different communication protocols such as Modbus, OPC UA and MQTT are not inherently compatible, which makes extracting and processing the data a real challenge. In addition, software must be installed consistently on all devices, which is traditionally a laborious and error-prone process. At this point, it becomes clear how great the need is for a standardized solution that makes it possible to connect and manage these components efficiently.

Orchestrating technology - a holistic solution for complex requirements

Portainer is the central platform that manages the entire container-based architecture and creates a consistent user experience, regardless of the underlying hardware. Applications can be rolled out “over-the-air” with just a few clicks – all via a central, intuitive interface. Whether on a developer laptop, an edge device on the factory floor or a cloud cluster – Portainer makes it possible. Iniationware’s SWIFT-BOX provides connectivity, control and computing power by seamlessly connecting technologies such as Softing’s edgeConnector, 40Factory’s MAT platform and Inray’s OPC Router. Thanks to its modular architecture, it enables real-time processing of machine data and flexible adaptation to new requirements.

The result: maximum control and unlimited flexibility

The biggest advantage of this solution is remote provisioning and complete control over all processes. A physical presence on site is no longer necessary. Software updates and configurations can easily be carried out remotely – “over-the-air”, without compromise. New hardware can be easily integrated by installing the Portainer Agent on new devices. The scalability of this solution is virtually unlimited. In addition, Portainer’s Edge Agent ensures that even demanding network configurations, such as air-gap environments or high-latency networks, can be reliably managed. This ensures smooth operation even in sensitive areas.

Economic and operational impact - The revolution in software container management

Thanks to the automation of the installation and configuration processes, manual installations and time-consuming configurations are a thing of the past. Each deployment is consistent, error-free and automatically documented, significantly reducing the time and cost of system integration. With self-hosted management, companies retain full control over their infrastructure, without dependence on third-party providers and without external security risks – the power remains within the company. The use of containers and centralized administration also makes it possible to carry out software upgrades with minimal effort. New components can be easily integrated, making the solution future-proof.

The path to the future: Portainer and the power of collaboration

The success of this project demonstrates the importance of coordinated collaboration between different partners in order to overcome the complex challenges of the IIoT world.

Each partner contributed their special expertise, and together they created a solution that is more than the sum of its parts. PLC 2024 Portainer invites you to PLC in Nuremberg to get to know their fully integrated IIoT solution and find out how they can work with their partners to make your production environment efficient too.

Here you can take the opportunity to exchange ideas directly with all the players involved. 📍 Hall 5, Stand 350

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