OEMs also will benefit with the development of standard communications and open protocols for access to onboard data in a number of ways, particularly in the areas of human resources, ease of development, customer relations and product improvement:
- Reduces level of technical expertise required to support technologies, thus alleviating the challenge of finding, attracting, training specific individuals with specific skill sets to manage proprietary systems. For example, would the MineStar Group, MMSI, Wenco, and Leica have to expend resource time and effort in developing interfaces if the Mining standard for health interface was J1939;
- Larger resource pool for industry standard technologies makes it easier to attract/retain skilled people. Addresses the challenge of maintaining a sufficiently sized technical team to manage and maintain proprietary systems and upsetting customers when technology departments are downsized. Experience shows that some OEMs and dealers are not capable of meeting customer demands from the technology perspective right now and are having similar problems in attracting and keeping people;
- Integration with an enterprise system for sites with equipment from multiple vendors (most sites) will not require the development of a new standalone interfaces. It should be plug and play to some degree; thus reducing costs of development
- Good customer relations – help customers port data into systems (or in-house solutions) to provide information/services that the OEM does not currently provide. Opens up the possibility for customers to use third party data mining software to help ferret out problems; shows value-add and commitment to meet customers’ needs
- Better access to operational context related to equipment performance data from customer sites to help improve their product. Better knowledge of performance characteristics leads to improved product design. As well, more available data will enable OEMs to better understand failure modes
- Greater ability to learn from and leverage technology and solutions from other industries. Common interface opens up potential for hardware vendors to participate in customer support allowing OEMs to focus on core business (example: mine communications; most OEMs have allowed companies such as 3D-P, Rajeant, and Cisco to provide better networking solutions to their customers)
- Allows OEMs to focus on their core business, to create value and differentiation
- Create a level playing field – all OEMs providing an agreed minimum level of data access, and enabling greater awareness of relative competitive position with respect to technology
- Increased Condition Monitoring capability will lead to a reduction in failures in warranty, period. As well, as operators typically abuse equipment, more access to data will support OEMs in rejecting warranty claims.
- Standard access reduces the risk of litigation, due to customer developing their own tools and using unacceptable methods to access data
- Be a part of the solution. Avoid the risk of developing on a protocol/platform that becomes obsolete, and instead play an active role in shaping the standard to meet the OEM value proposition
- Transparent access is low cost to achieve – does not require redesign of existing products
- Create unique, standardized definitions on the content of all parameters used in IREDES to ensure parameters from different systems have the same meaning – and machines can “talk to” and “understand” each other
