The phenomenon “Internet of Things” often leaves machine builders and system integrators with open questions. How can I use these new techniques for my company and what benefits do I have? Let us take a closer look on how the Dutch company Pon Power uses data logging and online monitoring to the advantage of their customers.

A customer-focused company

Pon Power has the vision to be recognized as the best. They pay attention to customer’s needs and concerns, throughout the process; from engineering to maintenance, to monitoring your systems. After all, customers not only want to buy a first-class product:  they want to achieve lowest possible cost of ownership. And that is exactly what customers can expect from Pon Power and a Caterpillar engine.

Pon Power offers complete solutions and is active in different segments. Specialized teams are focusing on the customer in the following market segments: seagoing, inland waterways, fishing, yachting and construction, datacenters greenery, industry, health, utility construction, transport & logistics and energy provision. With success: In total, Pon Power comprises more than 80 different companies in 27 countries with almost 13,000 employees.

Special service with Online Monitoring

In its division Engines and Generators, Pon Power offers a special service. With Pon Power Insight.com you establish an internet link to your Cat® motor, generator or bow thruster installation. The system is designed to expand your insight into engine and systems performance and this makes Pon Power Insight.com a unique instrument for fleet management.

PonInsight.com is a complete new system that uses the MB connect line router for data collection and buffering. The buffered data is send inshore when an internet connection is available. On most of the ships connectivity is established via satellite. The data that is send to shore could be about cooling liquid, lubricating oil and fuel systems, (transmitted) output and cylinder temperature. Customers can login any time in order to view messages and alerts from the system. Depending on report output, they decide whether to intervene directly or deal with the alert as part of the next scheduled maintenance service. PonInsight.com is fully programmed to customer specifications and compatible with most current Cat engines. At present, PonInsight.com is used in marine industry.

Marine / Nautical

The availability of a detailed and carefully planned maintenance service schedule for marine engines and generators is important for fleet owners and private ship owners alike. Taking a vessel out of operation costs money and is not an option. Pon Power Insight.com enables you to accurately monitor engine performance, fuel consumption and a number of related functions.

The benefits lined up:

• Complete insight in engine condition for improved maintenance efficiency
• Proactive planning/ operational steering based on trend reports
• Efficient fleet management
• Customer specific maintenance contract with Pon Power addresses all maintenance concerns and planning issues
• Operational security

The right system

For Pon Power it wasn’t easy to find the right partner to realize an online monitoring solution that fits to their needs and the needs of their customers. Their first system was not working properly, it was often difficult to get the systems online or keep online and so it was difficult in communication and responsibilities.

One wish of Pon Power was to do their own management of the installation and data management in-house, which makes it possible to do their own product development and include innovations. They decided to work with MB connect line, one of the market leaders in Remote Maintenance Solutions. To complete their system, they complemented mbNET MDH850, an industrial router specifically designed for serial RS232 communication over Modbus RTU. To the present day, Pon Power has more than 100 mbNET in the field. MB connect line is noted for providing the highest level of security possible and just was tested by a BSI certified IT service provider and attested successfully. In the Netherlands, MB connect line is represented by 4S Industrie B.V., that essentially relieves their customers from all around IIoT.

How it is possible for Pon Power to log about 3000 variables, such as oil pressure, temperatures and operating hours every four seconds over the router. These variables are plugged into a .csv file. Every machine has its own folder on the FTP server. Then these .csv files are uploaded to an FTP server of the company every 15 minutes in connection to data reduction. Alarms go through a separate .csv file and are directly visualized. Data from the SQL database can be visualized through a web server and is available on every user level. Pon Power employees can, for example, look at the condition of the motors. In this way, the customer can see for instance the consumption of their own ship.

Logging into the router itself is now only done in case of troubleshooting. At the moment that the ship has a connection over the satellite or GSM network, they can connect to the mbCONNECT24 portal and connect to the router and hence machine.

Benefits

Pon Power is perfectly satisfied with its data logging and online monitoring system of MB connect line. Not only they could save personnel costs on their ships, they also have more insight into the status of motors and a better customer support by offer. Using this data, they increased their income in the field of support and maintenance.

More information about Pon Power: http://www.pon-cat.com
More information about 4s Industrie: http://www.4sindustrie.nl