Networks that formed the base for many cutting-edge technologies to run smoothly

Old and low-bandwidth industrial networks suck in the modern, technologically advanced world. With new manufacturing tech and equipment, they become the bottleneck in your transformation journey. ELGI Equipments faced similar challenges.

Netcon’s client since 2007, ELGI has multiple plants across India and is one of the renowned manufacturers of advanced compressed air machines and solutions. With 63 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, they are pioneers and innovators in their domain of expertise.

We have contributed significantly to their digital transformation journey, particularly for their two plants in Kinathukadavu. We will take you through one such success story in this case study.

The Challenge of Future-Proofing the Shop Floor

ELGI has plenty of experience in the industry and knows when to upgrade to the latest assets and machinery to aid its facility’s output. They had cutting-edge equipment to make their manufacturing processes efficient and robust. Their network architecture was holding them back from utilizing the full potential of the advanced manufacturing methods.

We already had the Annual Maintenance Contract for everything network-related at their plants since 2007. But when the network architect team at Netcon was roped in to upgrade their networks, we had a task on our hands.

One of the major challenges was to design the network while considering the industrial technology trends of the coming decade. The network must stand the test of time.

The next challenge was the security of the network.

The final challenge was to enable reliable communication and collaboration between the officials and workers on the shop floor to enhance worker mobility.

Let us explain how we solved these challenges for ELGI, one at a time.

Networks: Assessing the Current Needs and the Future Demand Forecasts

First, we needed a baseline. So, we assessed the shop floor and the current network in place. We inspected it for strengths, weaknesses, bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, flexibility, and scalability. Our observations from this exercise were our baseline moving forward.

We then thoroughly analyzed the network bandwidth and speed requirements of CNC lathes, milling, and grinding machines, wire EDMs, injection molding machines, die-casting and sheet metal fabrication machines, automated assembly lines, and many other systems to function and communicate optimally.

Our team then studied the future of the manufacturing industry as a whole, the forecast of demand for air compressors and related solutions, and the advancements expected in the network technology. After doing thorough research and simulations, we came up with the network design.

A Scalable and Solid Core Network

It started with designing a modular and scalable core network architecture. We laid down more than 20 kilometers of high-speed optic fiber network backbone throughout the plant with more than 750 nodes. We used CISCO 4500 as the core switch, CISCO 3750 as the distribution switch, and CISCO 2960 as the Access Switch.

Wireless Connectivity Across the Facility

Aruba Controller-based wireless solution was implemented. It involved Aruba wireless access points to create a mesh network with dynamic tunnels, called Mesh Dynamic Tunnelling(MDT).

Why did we use MDT?

The reason for using MDT is to create dynamic tunnels between the Access Points to optimize data transmission and connectivity. Because wired connectivity across the shop floor is impractical, we decided to use MDT. This results in robust, reliable, and improved wireless coverage and connectivity within the plant environment.

IWLAN with Redundancy

IWLAN is an Industrial Wireless Local Area Network. We a software-defined IWLAN to strategically segment the network based on the department, function, and security levels. It results in better network management. It prioritizes critical applications over less time-sensitive traffic. It ensures important data flows are not adversely affected by less critical traffic.

With redundancy at critical points, we aimed to reduce downtime in case of failures.

Next, Enhancing Collaboration and Worker Mobility Across the Shop Floor

To meet this objective, we upgraded the telephony system across the board. We decided to utilize the network we implemented to deploy the CISCO IP telephony solution. To ensure all the workers are reachable almost everywhere on the shop floor, IP telephony with intercom functionality was the perfect answer. We made every phone on the shop floor an IP phone.

Industrial Network Cybersecurity at ELGI

We implemented four pillars to secure and reinforce the network that we deployed.

BlueCoat Proxy

Web content filtering, malware detection, and prevention, bandwidth management, SSL Inspection, user authentication, reporting and auditing - BlueCoat Proxy does all these.

It keeps malicious downloads and unauthorized websites away. It dynamically manages the bandwidth, reducing latency and increasing responsiveness. SSL inspection enables it to decrypt encrypted traffic and identify hidden threats.

CISCO ASA

Adaptive Security Appliance from CISCO is a firewall and a security appliance, as the name suggests. Network segmentation, intrusion prevention, VPN connectivity, stateful packet inspection, and advanced threat protection against emerging threats - are some of its highlights that help ELGI networks remain secure from cyberattacks.

Aruba ClearPass

It manages the security policies of the network. With it in place, ELGI was able to do the following - User Authentication and Access Control, BYOD Management, IoT Device Security, Role-Based Access, Guest Access Management, and Compliance and Auditing.

Integrating Microsoft AD

Microsoft Active Directory, or AD, serves as a directory to manage users, groups, and resources within a network. And its integration into the network infrastructure plays a significant role in the network security. Here is why.

• Centralized authentication and user management

• SSO or Single Sign-On

• Creating security policies

• Ensuring security compliance by enforcing access controls, tracking user activities, and maintaining audit trails

How Has Our Network and Security Architecture Impacted the Operations at ELGI’s Facilities?

On top of the network infrastructure, connected their multiple plants and offices across India with SD-WAN. Let us showcase how effective and future-proof our design and solution were.

Running AR and VR Without Any Hiccups

During the pandemic when everything was shut down and physical contact was a big no-no, ELGI deployed Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) technology in their manufacturing facilities to keep the assembly line moving with zero physical contact, adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. Our network backbone enabled this.

Flawless and Reliable Asset Health Monitoring Solution

ELGI also decided to have an Asset Health Monitoring solution with data flowing from a lot of sensors, a data collection system, a centralized database, and other paraphernalia. They have not found the need to upgrade their networks.

ELGI has been a valued customer since 2007. We still have their AMC(Annual Maintenance Contract). And all we hear from them are praises about how capable the solution we installed is. They face less downtime and can use new technologies without worrying about the need to upgrade their network infrastructure.

If there are new developments in this case study, we will add them here in the future.

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Are you facing the need to upgrade your industrial network? Contact us.