IoT: bringing connected services to new places

We know IoT is a critical component for the future of business and a powerful catalyst for digital transformation. That’s why we’re excited to work with companies like Donaldson, a leading worldwide manufacturer of filtration systems, to bring IoT solutions to new industries and solve real business problems.

Donaldson recently introduced iCue™, a connected filtration service. The IoT-enabled subscription service monitors industrial dust collectors, sending data and real-time maintenance alerts directly to facility management teams. This information helps prompt timely maintenance to support production uptime and help reduce operating costs.

Donaldson’s Connected Solutions provide enhanced visibility to data, which help improve filtration management and assist with reducing operating costs. This improves the ability to generate compliance reports and supports equipment management. By combining over 100 years of filtration expertise with Vodafone’s connected technology, Donaldson brings a consistent and scalable experience directly to end-users.

Wade and I caught up recently at Mobile World Congress Los Angeles to discuss how connected solutions have helped improve filtration management.

Phil: Why is it important for Donaldson to have an IoT-enabled service for your filtration systems?

Wade: It started with our customers. They are always looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce cost, but it’s getting harder for them as equipment becomes more complex and skilled labor becomes harder to find.

We are in their plants with our products today, and we saw a big opportunity to deepen our engagement with an additional level of service and support for their filtration needs. The IoT data gives us a scalable way to do that for the customer.

Phil: Can you tell me more about the service you now provide via IoT?

Wade: The first service that we are offering is more of a “do it yourself” connected filtration service, called iCue [a connected filtration device]. There are four key pieces to the service:

1. A high-level dashboard allowing customers to see all of the assets they have on our service plan.  It presents actionable information and deeper details for the customer.
2. Weekly automated performance reports of those assets, which helps with compliance reporting.
3. Real-time, emailed alerts sent directly to those responsible for filtration assets for a fast response.
4. And finally, Customer Success Reps that are available to support our customers in using the tool and learning how to best utilize its services.

Phil: How has Vodafone helped your company to deliver a more connected filtration service?

Wade: There were several things that were attractive about Vodafone. We were looking to scale up this service and Vodafone has an impressive ability to scale. Being global, we also want to offer these services worldwide. Vodafone has the global reach and provides a seamless and consolidated service around the world.

The service plan is very advantageous for a company like ours that is starting from a small number of connected assets before growing to many connected assets worldwide. The platform is working really well for us. Vodafone also has a device management capability so we did not have to build and duplicate services and tools in our own cloud - we can use Vodafone’s.

Phil: What’s next for Donaldson in IoT?

Wade: This is just the beginning. This first offering is really a “do it yourself” model, but we want to continue to add more filtration applications and more complete service offerings that are a bit more involved, so when customers want help with their filtration needs, we are able to offer them an additional level of service and support.

What is unique about filtration is that it isn’t a primary process for most of our customers. Rather, it is secondary, and ripe for outsourcing. That’s where our services come in. We want to be able to provide options for our customers to pick the services they want to outsource.

The beginning is exciting, but there is much more to come from our relationship with Vodafone’s IoT services!

Whatever the thing, being able to monitor and collect data remotely opens up a whole range of new opportunities. Take a look at our remote monitoring and control examples to find out more.