As the world moves further into digitization, there is a growing need for adequate provision for proper digital management and control. This means, that as companies implement innovations, they remain in control and fully in charge of their affairs. One of the most critical areas to grasp in this digital era is the use of control systems for machine automation and troubleshooting. Troubleshooting is a systematic process to solving a problem. It helps in determining why a system does not carry out the tasks it has been created to perform, and suggests steps to resolve identified issues. Oftentimes, troubleshooting requires an operator to first identify the malfunction. Afterward, there is a series of critical thinking and problem-solving analyses that are necessary. Where advanced control systems are critical like space stations or nuclear plants, the cost involved is never an issue. When it comes to smaller companies these control systems are often a luxury that cannot be afforded, while the downtime that they help avoid can be financially crippling.
In today’s automated and digitized environment, the expertise required to solve any one issue is not always on hand or on-site to address a pressing issue affecting production or service stability, which leaves facilities vulnerable to inefficiency or even a shutdown. For instance, an organization that runs an automated production line 24/7, cannot afford the loss it could incur if its key systems go faulty for hours or even days. An unexpected breakdown could cause significant delays and costs. But, having a technology in place that could detect an imminent fault and also fix it while the system continues to run, can save the organization from such moments of error and inactivity that could translate into huge losses.
Another example: you have a complex machine and your internal maintenance team needs external support from the experts. For security reasons, you can’t give the external experts remote access to your machine. Now, the experts have to drive (or fly) in off-hours to identify and fix the problem, which can cause a loss of productive time and money. Now, having a secure remote access system in place enables you to give remote access to your external experts who can remotely identify the fault and also fix it without being anywhere close to the facility.
This is where BL Monitor & Control comes in. BL Monitor & Control is a tech company that helps companies set up remote access control systems that help in remotely analyzing, controlling, and troubleshooting equipment, components, and machines from the comfort of their phones. CEO of BL Monitor & Control, Georg Hulla, says the team is made up of engineers who have been building atom smashers all around the world for 25 years. He adds that they’ve helped businesses sustain efficiency, maintain high productivity, and maximize time while being more productive. He also talks about this technology being invaluable to companies of all sizes and referred to a Swedish client whom they helped to save $8,000 monthly.
“We once had a non-profit motor museum client in Sweden whose electricity bill was always very high due to the central heating system. In Sweden, they have a central heating plant in the districts, and they also have a heat pump. When the electric prices get too high, it becomes too expensive to run the heat pump. But when the electric prices are low enough, it's more affordable to switch over to the heat pumps. So, we built a remote switching system for these guys, which basically switches their heat pump between district heating and the extremely small-scale heating system. By doing this, their electricity bill fell by $8,000 monthly. While this wouldn’t break the bank for a small business this is make or break money. It is not rocket science. We are accelerator engineers who have been building atom smashers around the world for the past 25 years and we have a strong 24/7 maintenance mindset in place. We want to bring the remote access enjoyed by nuclear power plants and atom smashers who can afford it, to the little guy, and in the spirit of this, the technology is free to use and open-source,” Hulla says.
For his part, Chief Technical Officer, David McGinnis, says what sets BL Monitor & Control apart from others is how they use simple tech to build secure remote access solutions. He explains that all their applications are web apps that can be securely accessed from anywhere in the world. According to him, web apps require no installation, and clients are always guaranteed to get the latest version. He notes that Blinky-Lite can be added on top of existing control systems.
“Blinky-Lite can be added independently or on top of any existing control system. It is full stack from the beginning. It comes with all the necessary features that make it extremely easy to use. Blinky-Lite can integrate with many different communication protocols from Modbus to SCPI to S7 over many different types of communication technologies from WLAN, 5G or LoRa. Most other control platforms only offer a communication protocol, but Blinky-Lite provides other functions like alarm scanning, SMS alarm messaging, data logging, access logging, settings logging, application role-based access, and other top functionalities, McGinnis concludes.
On future goals, BL Monitor & Control hopes to have individuals, businesses, and organizations adopt this open-source, free-to-use system, which it believes will boost efficiency and promote sustainability.
Media Contact
Name: Georg Hulla
Email: [email protected]
