Schneider Electric teams with Microsoft to speed development of open IoT applications

Customers can now gain access to multiple cloud-based applications from Schneider’s EcoStruxure architecture that utilise the full capabilities of the Azure cloud platform, as well as next-generation capabilities like mixed reality, to bring new levels of decision making capabilities, productivity and efficiency.

The two industry leaders will accelerate the delivery of cloud-based, IoT solutions for all of Schneider Electric’s end user segments, marrying Microsoft’s experience in the cloud with Schneider Electric’s deep domain expertise in power management, plants, machines, buildings, data centers and grids to empower companies in a wide variety of markets to use IoT as a competitive differentiator. This includes several cloud-based applications available today driving plant, building, people and asset optimisation, with others being developed for delivery later this year and beyond.

Safe drinking water

The powerful combination of Schneider Electric industrial software and Azure is already enabling customers, like Seminole Country Florida, to mobilise big data solutions for use in the field. Seminole County has dramatically improved its ability to ensure safe drinking water for its more than 440,000 residents by allowing plant managers and operators to view plant data on mobile, handheld and tablet devices and receive critical operational data in minutes.

“By bringing together the strengths of our two companies, we can continue to make IoT valuable, delivering tangible and measurable business results, allowing customers to tap into new data, create new insights and fuel digital transformation in their organisation,” said Cyril Perducat, Executive Vice President, IoT and Digital Transformation, Schneider Electric.

“We are thrilled to have Schneider Electric alongside Microsoft at Hannover Messe this year,” said Caglayan Arkan, General Manager of Worldwide Manufacturing and Resources at Microsoft. “The EcoStruxure architecture is an incredible example of how, together, we empower our customers and the outcomes they are looking to drive.”

Mixed reality capabilities

The open and interoperable design of the EcoStruxure architecture and the computing power of Azure will arm industrial companies specifically with easy-to-integrate advanced analytics, maintenance and training solutions and empower operations and maintenance personnel with new mixed reality capabilities that provide an enhanced user experience with digital hologram context and prescriptive actions.

Schneider Electric will continue to build HoloLens technology into its process design and simulation and enterprise asset management solutions to bring mixed reality capabilities to its industrial maintenance, asset performance and training offerings. Provided as part of the company’s EcoStruxure for Industry solution, this capability significantly improves personnel safety and asset performance. It also transforms training outcomes by creating an immersive experience that exposes personnel to interactive and simulated situations and environments to help make operational decisions and investigate processes prior to interacting in the real-world. This feature will drastically reduce time-to-competency, costly errors in the field and enable more proactive and predictive maintenance.