FACTORY SYSTEMES
The Cusp of IIoT Revolution

CIO VendorGrégory Guiheneuf, MD
With the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), initiatives around ConnectedPlants, and Industry 4.0, the manufacturing landscape has transformed rapidly. To outpace that potential disruption, and increase industrial performance, manufacturing companies have been working towards integrating information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT) systems. While this IT/OT convergence has resulted in better visibility at every level, it has also raised inertial difficulties such as governance, connected equipment management, cybersecurity, and data sharing. “In addition to these technical challenges, the main challenge to overcome is the manifested IT/ OT gap due to some siloted organizations within major companies,” says Grégory Guiheneuf, the MD of FACTORY SYSTEMES. “Our firm has organized itself to support smart manufacturing, smart cities, machine builders, and system integrators towards this major evolution by enabling Digital Transformation at every level with the right technology, both software and harware.”

FACTORY SYSTEMES is a value added distributor in France for over 30 years, serving around 5000 sites. Through its Industrial IoT approach the firm offers a best of breed solution, from data acquisition all way up to data analytics, leveraging major global suppliers such as Advantech and Wonderware (Schneider Electric Software brand). “IoT offers a new way to collect, transport and process data with an unprecendent total cost of ownership. LoRaWAN and SIGFOX’s ready modules, battery based devices, provide capabilities to our customers to better control their operations in real-time.

Through its Industrial IoT approach the firm offers a best of breed solution, from data acquisition all way up to data analytics


Our goal is to enable them with such technology so they can remain more competitive and lead their market segment.” Galium IoT Hub, a FACTORY SYSTEMES bundled solution powered by Actility and Advantech, enables companies and cities to deploy and operate their private LoRaWAN network from a central and secured management point. Galium IoT Hub provides an industrial grade solution, scalable with an easy to configure user interface. It positions itself as a complementary network infrastructure designed for low power and multi purpose sensing devices enabling several use cases, such as energy management, environmental control, indoor/outdoor geolocation, predictive maintenance, and so on. “Together with Actility’s team we have designed an On-Premise solution that meets IT/OT convergence constraints taking into account cybersecurity best practices.”

IT/OT convergence also means new software architectures. From low footprint embedded edge software solutions to large scale SCADA, all way up to Analytics as a Service in the Cloud, Wonderware covers a large scale of requirements. Wonderware (a Schneider Electric Software brand) has been leading the HMI/SCADA market for 30 years. “In the Industrial IoT Era and the Digital Transformation, customers need a reliable partner that truly delivers the IT/OT convergence vision, with an integrated software solution. Not only great software provides great value, but it needs great implementation and support. This is where we also make a real difference with our 250+ system integrators in France and over 3000 WorldWide,” mentions Gregory Guiheneuf.

FACTORY SYSTEMES takes its unique positioning on the market from its strong industrial software and hardware DNA. Through this scalable and end-to-end IT/OT convergence model, FACTORY SYSTEMES delivers increased operational efficiency, access to new business models, and the possibility of generating new sources of revenue to their clients.

Commenting on the scalability of the solution, Guiheneuf mentions that FACTORY SYSTEMES endows its IIoT solution to companies operating in different industries such as food and beverage, life-sciences, power and utilities, metal, chemicals but also water and waste water, and infrastructures. Having carved a unique niche in the IIoT landscape, FACTORY SYSTEMES looks all set to establish a strong position in 2018 along with its ecosystem of suppliers and system integrators. “The next years will witness FACTORY SYSTEMES grow their business on the concept of digital transformation, improving operations management,” concludes Guiheneuf.