South African red meat provider uses IoT platform to simplify information management
chrispeng [ad_1]
Cavalier Group is a South African red meat provider, operating a number of cattle and lamb livestock farms, feedlots, livestock trading companies, slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in South Africa. The company relies on various managers to manage corporate operations-such as the use of thermistors to ensure that coolers, security systems, CCTV cameras, etc. are in their best condition. However, these sensors and safety networks are usually connected in isolation using different interfaces, so they are very difficult to use. Therefore, managers want a single platform for employees to receive information about the company’s operations and security systems.
Therefore, the company found the Pretoria startup IoT.nxt to jointly develop a common interface to integrate these isolated information, so that Cavalier Group employees can obtain information and warnings through desktop software or mobile phones. Currently, the technology has been deployed at a multi-purpose facility in Cullinan.
(Factory security camera video and biometric access point perspective image)
IoT.nxt CEO Nico Steyn said that the company’s goal is to provide connectivity between the different systems that customers have deployed, so that it can avoid the cost increase caused by the “restart” of the Internet of Things technology. He explained: “We decided to build a technology-agnostic platform to connect IP devices and analog devices. So we started looking for similar solutions locally.” Unfortunately, we did not find such a platform, so we decided to develop our own An integrated platform, IoT.nxt was thus established.
The Raptor 1000 gateway device is the core of the platform. It supports multiple communication protocols and wireless and wired interfaces for sensing and control systems. The company also created an abstraction layer to run software on the gateway and translate the communication protocols of various control systems and sensors connected to the gateway device. IoT.nxt has also developed a series of software tools and modules built into the Microsoft Azure platform for processing and distributing data between the gateway and the user interface. These tools include a message queue based on MQTT; a module for collecting and filtering events and exchanges passing through the gateway; and a module for automatically sending information to employees based on pre-configured business rules.
The Cavalier Group is located at the facility in Cullinan, where employees can receive and respond to warnings on different security and operating systems. For example, when an action alarm is triggered in a facility, the IoT.nxt platform will transmit video from nearby CCTV cameras to employees, and employees can also receive this information through mobile apps and emails. Cavalier Group IT Manager Heinrich Bahlmann said: “Now, when the warning sounds, employees can see the cause of the trigger. If the video shows no threat, then employees can eliminate the alarm message on the app.
The gateway can also collect sensor data used to monitor the temperature of the chiller, the fuel level of the generator set, and the uninterruptible power supply charging data. Bahlmann said: “Now, when the generator fuel is too low, employees can add fuel to solve the problem.”
Most of the reminders and SMS functions are sent through the IoT.nxt platform server, but the Cavalier Group hopes to store it on a cloud server and use Power BI software for analysis.
Bahlmann said that the IoT.nxt platform also integrates security cameras and access control systems in the Cullinan facility, and uses fingerprint recognition technology to manage access. In this way, the administrator can quickly view the movement records of employees in the facility.
(Meat processing plants use conveyor belts to transport processed meat)
The Cavalier Group also plans to integrate the RFID livestock tracking system into the IoT.nxt platform, which has recently completed a proof-of-concept test. Employees can use the platform to track specific livestock. Currently, the company uses manual methods for tracking. Starting next year, the company will attach ear tags with built-in UHF tags to animals and use drones equipped with UHF readers for regular inventory and tracking.
In addition, IoT.nxt has deployed the platform in an automobile factory and has cooperated with a large coal company on a project deployment. In the Cavalier Group project, it is difficult to process the alarm data of Siemens PLC. The company needs to read, analyze, and monitor 100 different alarm messages generated by the PLC.
[ad_2]
