Le géant de l'ERP SAP et l'entreprise d'automatisation industrielle Schneider Electric ont annoncé mardi qu'ils allaient étendre leur coopération dans le domaine de l'IIoT (Internet industriel des objets) et de la transformation numérique, en mettant l'accent sur l'infrastructure durable et la facilité de déploiement.
The two companies plan to create preconfigured deployment options for IIoT customers, so any company looking for field service management tools that use augmented reality can simply select and use the partnership’s preset hardware and software configurations. (Technology integration for shop floor operations using digital twins for lifecycle management is also planned.
The idea is to simplify and speed up the deployment of so-called Industry 4.0 applications – systems that link IT such as ERP software with operational technologies used in manufacturing processes, the companies said in a joint press release. While potential customers are interested in Industry 4.0, many of them view design and deployment as headaches, which slows the spread of new technologies.
Nos entreprises sont d'accord sur l'importance de la collaboration, de l'innovation et des normes ouvertes pour faciliter l'utilisation par nos clients mutuels de solutions technologiques intégrées en matière d'information et d'exploitation", a déclaré Peter Maier, président de la division "Industry and Customer Consulting" de SAP, dans un communiqué de presse.
Sustainability was also mentioned in the press release, with the companies saying they plan future products to help companies with energy management.
However, the fact remains that Industry 4.0 is still very much in its infancy, which means the new agreement between Schneider and SAP is as much a matter of blending cultures as it is of creating new solutions, says Marcia Walker, research director for IoT at IDC express.
“Effectively integrating the cultures of two companies is just as challenging as integrating the cultures of the IT and OT people,” she said. “I see huge potential for Schneider Electric’s industrial and energy-centric perspective to complement SAP’s ERP-centric heritage. Schneider Electric has proven their ability to integrate cultural change into technology development, as evidenced by the establishment of Schneider Electric University Got this.
Additionally, the drive for new industrial technologies comes with its own dangers, said Katell Thielemann, vice president and analyst at Gartner Research. Any time technology is added to existing production systems, it creates cybersecurity risks, she said.
“Industrial production systems are filled with cyber-physical systems that need to be protected in unprecedented ways, and the announcement is conspicuously silent on this front,” Thielemann said.
French 
English 
Russian 
German 
Spanish 
Italian 
Portuguese 
Dutch