Thyssenkrupp connects machinery through new toii platform

Aug. 22, 2017 – Describing it as a milestone in digital transformation, thyssenkrupp says it has developed an in-house Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform — toii — that connects machines of different makes and generations. 

According to thyssenkrupp, toii enables all machines to communicate with each other, and also helps to forecast the necessity of machine services in the future. The name chosen by the business area is a double play on words – it spells IIoT backwards. Pronounced ‘toy,’ thyssenkrupp says this is an indication of how the new platform makes linking heterogeneous machines to existing IT structures “child’s play.”

The company says processes can be planned and coordinated “optimally and flexibly” across locations worldwide. A further benefit, it adds, is that the platform simplifies data analysis by answering a range of questions: which product has been produced when and in what quantities; which machine needs maintenance; what could be developing into a problem; and what additional materials need to be delivered.

“We’ve created an end-to-end solution that is tailored specifically to our needs. It will enable us to accelerate the automation of our production operations and make our processes much more efficient,” says Hans-Josef Hoß from the board of thyssenkrupp Materials Services. “We are now taking the digital transformation to the core areas of our business: our production shops, our machinery and equipment, and our materials. Our customers will feel the benefit – and so will we.”