Maria Silenti Sales Manager at JUMO Instrument Company
Maria has 23 years sales experience at JUMO in the sensor and automation sector, both in the UK and 3 years in the US. As Sales Manager at JUMO UK she enjoys working in a small team within a large global German company, servicing a variety of industries. Her particular areas of interest are Key Account Management and New Business Development where being fluent English, Italian and German is often valuable.
1. How is JUMO involved in the IIoT industry?
As a manufacture of sensors and automation products with 70 year experience, JUMO has naturally evolved to also become a control systems supplier with ever demanding internet and networking communications. We try to offer a complete solution supplying both JUMO smart sensors to a Cloud system.
2. What do you think are the key factors in driving this industry forward?
A growing demand in all industry sectors expecting intuitive integrated devices, which can be accessed globally via internet or closed networks is the key factor. Therefore, demand means increased control of processes and easier access to measured data and control settings.
3. What do you think are the most challenging aspects to working in this industry?
There is a constant change in communication interfaces with no real standard in specific industries. As a manufacturer, which interface/network do you invest your products in? Which is the customer preference? Shorter product life cycles also pay a large part. Where a traditional controller life span was typically 8-12 years this is now 2-4 years at best. Keeping up with these updates requires a fast moving knowledge base, continuous investment and correct market and legislation research to enable success.
4. What do you think is holding some companies back from investing in IIoT?
Within process control the traditional 4-20mA system has been around for many years. The reluctance to change to the modern digital communication with smart sensors and modern interfacing communication systems often comes with lack of knowledge and fear of the options and costs involved to develop products for manufacturers and their customers
5. What do your customers say about your solutions?
The JUMO Cloud is in the category of “Software to Service” (SaaS) with predefined user interface. We simultaneously offer the JUMO smartware SCADA. This is a state of the art system based in the JUMO Cloud technology to provide easy access to measurement date using conventional browsers. There is no need to use any other software. Flat rate or a pay per use model allows variable customer specific pricing. Successful projects in the meat and dairy processing sectors indicate our customers say our system is an easy to use, reliable, well supported and a highly scalable powerful digitisation platform that support both manufacturing and work processes with efficient visualisation.
6. How do you think security concerns have been addressed?
JUMO Cloud uses a redundant infrastructure for data storage saving a significant amount of time. The computer centre where the data is stored is certified according to ISO/IEC 27001, is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation and located in Germany. As a system the smartWARE SCADA supports multiple clients where the software also has user rights that can be configured on a individual basis. Security is guaranteed by end to end encryption with possible two factor authentication.
7. IIOT is very much a data driven industry, do you offer data services? How does this solution fair over other competitor services?
The JUMO Cloud is an IIOT platform for process visualisation as well as data acquisition, evaluation and archiving. Additionally it enables worldwide access to measurement data, supporting all common browsers with a high level of security. Several distributed plants, processes or sites can be monitored in one dashboard increasing process reliability. Our inhouse software teams offer support at all stages of the process.
8. Companies investing in IIOT solutions can be costly if not done right, what level of support do you offer your customers in adopting your solutions?
From the start, fully understanding the customer demands in a process is the major factor. We believe in onsite visits to evaluate the best solution, with commissioning and after sales support. It is important for us to create a partnership with our customers to evolve from a starting point to an optimised system. Individual training courses are also offered.
9. What do you think will be the main focus in IIOT over the next couple of years?
More and more wireless communication from sensor to Cloud will be required in the next few years. Together with more intuitive data acquisition, monitoring and archiving without compromising any data security.
10. What are you the most passionate about working in this industry?
JUMO strives to provide a comprehensive, flexible, value added solution that excedes the customer requirements.
11. Is JUMO already looking towards Industry 5.0?
JUMO is a leading innovator, always looking at the next step to evolve our products and solutions to best meet the ever changing industrial market.
12. What are your company’s current and future digital ambitions?
Our goal is to offer more digital/IO Link sensors covering, temperature, pressure, humidity, pH, conductivity etc. to enable two way communication with Cloud systems.
13. The IoT industry has many manufacturers all working toward various standards or proprietary specifications, this prevents challenges when communicating between one-another. How open would you say your solutions are in the Industry?
JUMO uses the most common and standardized communication protocols to ensure the best possible communication capacity between systems. We work with many industrial bodies and legislators as well as our competitors and universities to be part of the best route for the future.
14. What is unique about your JUMO technology in connecting all systems into one data driven solution?
We offer both the sensing and automation to the Cloud with a mix of communication protocols, focusing on industry specific solutions.
15. How do you support real-time data driven productivity?
Cloud and SCADA based systems allows process information and changes to be monitored and controlled from global locations.
16. What is your latest innovation in driving Al automation? (real-time data collection, tracking, planning, control and solution proposals)
SmartWARE browser based software solutions enable intuitive analysis and visualisation of process data from JUMO variRON automation system. Individual dashboards allow targeted fast access to recorded process data. Real time data collection via the cloud, which can enable on the fly changes if required.
