Rise in Industrial Low Code-No Code Data Platforms Benefits Operational Historians

Overview

Manufacturers have accelerated digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives over the past couple of years. The ability to store and manage data quickly from multiple sources across multiple platforms and plants is an integral part of this transformation. Low code-no code industrial data platforms usage has increased due to the benefits they provide for the digital transformation of organizations. In manufacturing, traditional data platforms were used for data storage and management and referred to as a data historian that often required some programming to implement. But this scenario is changing due to the rise in usage of low code-no code data platforms and cloud computing.

Manufacturing Data Challenges

Although more manufacturers are trying to standardize on technologies, most manufacturers have complex technology stacks – from PLCs to DCS to MES and ERP, custom machines, supply chain, systems as well as multiple cloud, edge, and data lakes and all on different versions or from different suppliers – and this can be an inhibitor for the digital transformation. Many manufacturers have legacy and custom homegrown/custom systems, machines, spreadsheets and other data sources in data silos. As a result, the ability to collaborate, scale, contextualize data from all of these data sources and obtain accurate end-to-end manufacturing intelligence continues to challenge many manufacturers. Maintaining and updating all these technologies is also challenging, and even more so today, with data storage in the cloud, edge and on-premise. Rip and replacement of these older systems and applications is often too costly, making it difficult for some manufacturers to modernize and adopt digital transformation technologies. Even today, many organizations continue to operate with dark data – some stored in excel spreadsheets.

Most manufacturers have multiple systems with various software versions and applications, and most operations want to move away from non-standard or custom applications and systems and consolidate, synchronize, and collaborate. The many mega mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships in the industrial world presents each industrial manufacturing company with different systems, machines, custom applications, dark data silos, and shadow user IT. This often tends to inhibit collaboration within and amongst users in the plant, site, and across the enterprise. Shadow IT can be costly, difficult to maintain and inhibit standards and innovation across the enterprise. The lack of collaboration tends to inhibit data intelligence and insights, causing missed opportunities.

Having a Competitive Edge

Modern data platforms and automation can synchronize processes and systems, leading to greater flexibility, resiliency, and efficiency. Many of the data platforms include powerful advanced analytics and visualization tools for collaborative intelligence. Historically, connecting siloed data whether on a separate traditional data historian or on an excel spreadsheet can be time consuming, and by the time the information is integrated with the other information in the plant, the intelligence gained may already be too late to make a difference in the process, product quality, material sourcing, product demand, and more. This limits the manufacturers’ ability to remain competitive. Having multiple data sources, multiple views, and multiple data management technologies can inhibit a manufacturer’s efficiency. It also inhibits the company’s ability to take advantage of the digital transformation and Industry 4.0 technologies and the subsequent benefits offered.

Why Use a Low Code-No Code Platform?

A low-code-no code data platform is a data platform that allows data users to create and connect data from systems and applications with little to no coding skills. A low code platform may require minimal programming, but a no code data platform requires no programming. Low code typically allows for more flexibility, but no code enables better standardization and visualization by using built-in templates.

Many companies are already using some low code-no code tools. The definitions of low code-no code data and production platforms vary, but the meaning of low code-no code data and production platforms are platforms that employ visual objects like programming tools and services that simplify and speed up application development, deployment, and execution capabilities mostly in the cloud but also in the edge and on-premise.

Some of the benefits from using low code-no code platforms include:

• Scalability: The low code-no code makes it easier for users to scale.
• Lower costs: Costs are reduced because users do not have to be programmers to develop applications quickly and continuously.
• Manufacturing and business agility: The tools enable data platforms that connect data silos for collaboration across multiple platforms, plants, and the enterprise.
• Efficiency improvements: Low-code-no code data platforms allow you to develop applications quickly and empower workers for operational excellence.
• Regulatory compliance: Manufacturers must deal with different regulations globally that change frequently, and these often require different types of data from multiple sources. Low code-no code platforms can reduce risks and enable compliance.

• Competitive edge: Being able to connect data, and provide end-to-end intelligence leads to improved profitability (reduced costs) and agility to innovate quickly.

How It Works

The ability to manage data and build applications that utilize the low code-no code data platform can empower manufacturing employees with the agility to respond faster and more efficiently, collaborate and provide better intelligence that will ultimately affect the bottom line. These data platforms are also more secure and can be scaled up or down quickly.

By streamlining the data, manufacturers can simplify data handling for complex operations and scale as needed with speed, data quality, improved user experience for end-to-end manufacturing intelligence and efficiency. The data platforms provide consistent unified data for applications throughout the enterprise and greatly reduce the time to obtain value.

Benefits and Features of Low Code-No Code Data Platforms

The data platform often links multiple databases, and reduces the gap between manufacturing, IT, and business because it makes it easier for users to develop more standardized applications. A low-code-no code data platform enables non-programmers the ability to create data integration and management applications with little to no programming knowledge, through prebuilt reusable blocks of code, with drag and drop visual tools. These tools can enable companies with out-of-the box functionality that can utilize data faster and more efficiently.

By streamlining the data management process, manufacturers can simplify data handling for complex operations and scale as needed with speed, data quality, improved user experience for end-to end manufacturing efficiency. Using connected low code-no code data platforms simplifies data management and enables users to access the data when they need it. These platforms can transform companies digitally with consistent unified data and standard applications for data management throughout the enterprise and greatly reduce development time and improve efficiencies. The user experience can be personalized so that the individual gets the intelligence needed in a format that makes sense rather than spending their time searching for the data.

Recommendations

When embarking on the digital transformation journey, users should consider low code-no code data platforms to integrate, deploy and provide the intelligence from data easier and faster, improve agility and collaboration, reduce costs, and improve competitiveness. Low code-no code data platforms are transforming manufacturing with tools that enable businesses to transform data into valuable insights quickly with less effort, time, and cost.

Low code-no code data platform tools should empower manufacturers with the ability to get the right data and intelligence at the right time for actionable results, with the ability to scale and grow as needed. These visual data platforms empower users to realize the value of connected data quickly and at lower costs.

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