Using historical and current data in real time and reacting to critical water quality parameters is not only a technological advance and competitive advantage, but also an essential step towards meeting the increasing demands for environmental protection and health safety. INNOWATECH GmbH has digitalized its water treatment and disinfection systems. An innovative solution was developed together with Data Coffee GmbH: The Smart Aquadron system enables extended processing of the data so that INNOWATECH no longer has to evaluate it itself. The data is also available for the service.
The challenge: Providing user-friendly status and process data from water treatment plants
INNOWATECH GmbH from Empfingen in the northern Black Forest offers numerous products and services for water treatment and disinfection. The company has been active in its sector for over 20 years and produces, among other things, the well-known Aquadron system. It uses membrane cell electrolysis technology to produce a disinfectant called INNOWATECH “Anolyte®“.
The system is used for the treatment of drinking, cooling and process water as well as for germ reduction in the production and processing of food. It continuously monitors parameters such as the “free chlorine” value, pH value and conductivity to ensure that the treated water meets the required quality standards. This ensures the safety and health of consumers.
The company has already taken several steps towards digitalization. For example, each plant is mapped in the ERP system with a digital twin, which, however, did not receive any runtime data. The company uses this to manage its service business, such as maintenance by technicians. INNOWATECH aims to provide its customers and its own service technicians with additional historical and current status and production data on mobile devices. Service and maintenance orders are to be coordinated and optimized on the basis of this data.
The solution: The Data Coffee Connector connects Aquadron systems with IT infrastructures
Together with Data Coffee GmbH from Horb am Neckar, INNOWATECH has developed a solution for the simple processing of value-added data from the Aquadron system to an IT infrastructure. This provides customers with the information they need to monitor and optimize their processes. They gain an insight into the status of their systems and can access further information if required. An Internet connection is not necessary as the data is initially stored locally.
The basis is the Data Coffee Connector. It offers a plug-and-play connection so that an INNOWATECH system can be connected very quickly. The software supports standard protocols such as Modbus TCP/IP, OPC-UA or MQTT. Proprietary protocols from control systems such as Siemens and Beck are also supported. This means that the companies using the system only have to make a few preparations and can connect their system quickly. The Data Coffee Connector is ready for operation within a short time. With the clear user interface, employees from other specialist domains are also able to read out control data and create data connections.
In this application, data is processed via edge devices that send data to the cloud as required. They are analyzed as soon as they are read out in order to obtain relevant information. This enables the user companies to obtain important information about the status of the system directly and without detours. This also helps with compliance: customers must demonstrate compliance with certain regulations and the dosage of disinfectants. Data visualization is also important, as customers are often not on site and need information on their mobile devices.
The result: Improved basis for decision-making through continuous analyses and provision of runtime data from the Aquadron system
Thanks to the plug-and-play functionality of the Data Coffee Connector, the provision of value-added data is realized within a very short time. Users of the Aquadron system monitor water quality and meet regulatory requirements.
The direct availability of historical and current runtime data enables better planning of service and maintenance work. Instead of regular checks, technicians can be deployed when they are actually needed. This leads to a more efficient use of resources and reduces operating costs.
