IT in Manufacturing


Live insight into production processes

March 2019 IT in Manufacturing

Live Monitoring is a local South African software house that develops MES as well as asset monitoring and energy efficiency systems to provide a competitive edge through cost effective live insight into production processes.

All manufacturing industries face increasingly difficult trading conditions due to a depressed economy, in South Africa this is compounded by rising input costs, especially electricity and labour. In order for them to remain globally competitive therefore, they need to ensure maximum output value from assets and equipment.

ProduMax and PowaMon

ProduMax and PowaMon have been successfully deployed on the shop floor in a number of manufacturing industries. This is especially the case in injection moulding, printing, carpeting and textiles, where clients have indicated they have improved production efficiency by more than 11% and managed to get ROI in a matter of months.

ProduMax is a tool that helps to improve manufacturing efficiencies, reduce downtime and visualise production data. While PowaMon is a live energy consumption data collector, billing, alert and reporting engine, which helps companies visualise their power consumption, set goals and be alerted of issues.

ProduMax enables manufacturers to monitor their production process in real-time. This enables the operators and management to view their efficiency visually and adjust or report on issues as they occur. The data is logged for historical analysis and reporting, which enables the bridging of manufacturing processes between the shop floor and the management processes, an often overlooked link in manufacturing. The ProduMax system also has an alert engine that warns users of events such as machine downtime or performance problems. This allows the timely correction and improves production output before it affects downstream processes.

PowaMon is a specialised module of the LiveMon asset monitoring platform, which collects data from a range of sensors and devices, and is easily extendable when required. PowaMon is also designed to collect data from smart meters installed onsite or remotely. Alerts can be set using the LiveMon core to be sent via SMS or email if data is out of thresholds i.e. low power factor correction etc.

PowaMon and ProduMax enable powerful web services, which allow further data integration and interrogation utilised to produce real data on power consumed per item produced. They allow the fine details to be examined to determine the impact of energy efficiency projects and identify wasted energy usage. Visualisation enables power draw to be monitored against the impact on time of use tariffs for the reduction of consumption during peak periods.

Recent enhancements to the platforms include the Mobile HMI for ProduMax, where users and managers can view and operate the Produmax or LiveMon solution via a tablet or mobile device. Currently biometric integration is being added to allow for positive operations identification and tracking via data streamed into an analytical engine.

Live Monitoring vision

Even though the current LiveMon platform is already IP-based and can be hosted in a virtual environment, Live Monitoring has secured the first round of funding to develop a proof of concept solution that will see the ProduMax, GreenMon and LiveMon functionality built into an IIoT cloud-based solution coupled with dedicated modular sensors for a full end-to-end cloud hosted system that includes a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas.

For more information contact Roger Fraser, Live Monitoring, +27 82 465 9472, [email protected], www.livemonitoring.co.za





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Sustainable energy management
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Utilising its innovative ONE approach technology, Siemens provides complete transparency on resource consumption and offers data-driven optimisation recommendations for sustainable energy management.

Read more...
Paving the way for a carbon-neutral future in South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
At ABB Electrification, we believe the infrastructure of the future must do more than support daily operations, it must anticipate them. We are committed to building intelligent systems that connect and optimise infrastructure across sectors.

Read more...
Africa’s hidden AI advantage
IT in Manufacturing
Through my work implementing AI systems across three continents, I’ve become convinced that Africa’s unique context demands urgent AI adoption. Successful implementation requires local expertise to understand resource constraints as design parameters to create the innovations that make technology truly work under real-world conditions.

Read more...
Siemens Xcelerator empowers space-tech pioneer, Skyroot Aerospace
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced that Skyroot Aerospace, a leading private space launch service company in India, has adopted Polarion software from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio to digitally transform its software development processes and enhance efficiency as it aims to accelerate access to space for its customers worldwide.

Read more...
Water is running out, is your ESG strategy ready?
IT in Manufacturing
Water is one of the most critical yet undervalued resources in modern business. Water stewardship asks businesses to understand their water footprint across the entire value chain and to engage with others who share the same water resources.

Read more...
Cybersecurity in 2025: Six trends to watch
IT in Manufacturing
Rockwell Automation’s?10th?State?of?Smart?Manufacturing report finds that cybersecurity risks are a major, ever-present obstacle, and are now the third-largest impediment to growth in the next 12?months.

Read more...
The state of the smart buildings market in 2025
IT in Manufacturing
Smart buildings are entering a transformative phase, driven by sustainability goals, technological innovation and evolving user expectations. According to ABI Research’s latest whitepaper, the sector is undergoing a strategic overhaul across key areas like retrofitting, energy efficiency, data-driven operations and smart campus development.

Read more...
Digital twin for Bavaria’s National Theatre
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens and the Bavarian State Opera are digitalising the acoustics in Bavaria’s National Theatre in Munich, Germany. The result is a digital twin that simulates sound effects, orchestral setups and venue configurations in a realistic 3D acoustic model so that musicians, the director and conductors can assess a concert hall’s acoustics even before the first rehearsal.

Read more...
How AI can help solve South Africa’s water crisis
IT in Manufacturing
Climate change, ageing infrastructure, pollution and unequal access are putting intense pressure on the country’s water systems. A powerful question arises: “Can artificial intelligence help us change course?”

Read more...
Backup has evolved, but has your strategy?
IT in Manufacturing
With cyber threats rising and compliance standards tightening, South African organisations are under growing pressure to revisit their data protection strategies. The era of treating backups as a box-ticking exercise is over.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved