Since its launch in 2016, the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) has become a major player in accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by providing funding for numerous Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) pilot projects and collaborating with the OPC Foundation, Plattform Industrie 4.0, the Industrial Internet Consortium, and other industry bodies to promote the development and dissemination of open standards. Founded by the U.S. Department of Energy, CESMII is primarily focused on supporting projects that increase energy productivity and efficiency, while also improving economic performance.
Recently, CESMII awarded 14 contracts to co-fund private sector initiatives as part of its second round of smart manufacturing innovation projects. Among those selected were edge computing company Litmus and industrial software provider ThinkIQ.
The Litmus project will focus on connecting Litmus edge software to CNC machines at Bray International, a manufacturer of flow control products and accessories. The initiative aims to create a smart manufacturing profile for the production of valves that will optimize Bray’s maintenance procedures, increase uptime, and improve product quality.
“Litmus was chosen because their project directly aligned with our specific areas of interest for applying smart manufacturing principles to real-world manufacturing processes and operations challenges,” said John Dyck, CEO of CESMII. “These projects are vital to a global transformation of the manufacturing industry and we look forward to working with Litmus and Bray International to see real progress in their productivity, performance, and maintenance initiatives.”
The second project, which is being headed up by ThinkIQ, will endeavor to better quantify the impact of supply chain variability on the processing of chicken by-products for a large food company. ThinkIQ will use its analytics software to maximize material utilization on the food company’s poultry processing lines with the intention of later applying the same methods to other food processing and energy-intensive industries.
“Delivering value through interoperability and scalability is essential,” said Doug Lawson, CEO of ThinkIQ. “We are leveraging the CESMII smart manufacturing innovation platform to avoid implementing yet another information island on the plant floor, thereby reducing cost and complexity, and facilitating rapid return on investment.”
Other projects selected by CESMII to receive co-funding as part of its Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform can be viewed on CESMII's website. CESMII also offers co-funding for enabling research and development projects, ecosystem and workforce development projects, platform capability projects, application projects, and innovation centers. Click here for more information on CESMII’s various funding initiatives.
