Industry Update is delighted to announce PowTechnology as the winners of our Company of The Year in the Industry 4.0 Industry Sector! Congratulations!
PowTechnology really stood out to our board of directors and editors as a highly innovative company, leading the way in a cutting-edge industrial sector.
Not only does PowTechnology boast over 30 years’ experience in sensing and communications, but they have built on that heritage, embracing new technologies, developing them and incorporating them into their versatile offering.
A glance at their case studies page clearly demonstrates that their robust, innovative IIoT solutions helps customers lower costs, prevent breakdown, maximise resource, comply with legislation, introduce new revenue streams and differentiate their service.
Industry Update took the opportunity to speak to PowTechnology CEO, Dave Oakes, who’s career in sensing, instrumentation and communications spans over 30 years.
“Firstly, I am extremely proud, to accept this award, on behalf of the whole PowTechnology team… and it really is a great team!
This award is especially meaningful, as this is our first year operating as PowTechnology! The name change was the icing on the cake, consolidating an exciting period of growth, restructure, investment and diversification.
PowTechnology’s solutions are known by many terms, including Industry4.0 (I4.0), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital transformation, remote monitoring, big data, smart factories and many more. Whatever term you use, reliable, timely data has been proven time and again to improve decision-making and organisational success.
This time last year, we were all still emerging from COVID-related business challenges. Whilst we can’t say that everything is back to business as usual, COVID did highlight the benefits of remote monitoring to many historically-cautious industrial sectors.
Pre-COVID we encountered reluctance in some industries to embrace the IIoT due to perceived entry costs and payback time. PowTechnology has been exceptionally well-placed to counter these concerns. Our digital transformation kit is user-friendly, proven, affordable and, importantly, it has been designed to be modular and highly scalable.
That has meant that PowTechnology could offer IoT newcomers and customers with more generic needs, a range of ‘off-the-shelf’, ‘plug n play’ solutions, from one system through to an international estate of connected assets.”
A great example of a business transformed by standard PowTechnology products is GreenChem, one of Europe’s largest AdBlue producers and distributors. GreenChem have thousands of contracted customers, supplied from over 40 production facilities around Europe and Brazil.
In 2010, they needed a more reliable telemetry solution to measure tank levels and ensure customers did not run out of essential supplies.
Now, PowTechnology’s Metron hardware reports level data into our MetronView software. Data is exported into Greenchem’s ERP software to assist a range of operational activities. On-site installation is easy and a huge advantage is the ability to remotely configure units to accommodate over 40 tank designs.
PowTechnology’s standard kit helps GreenChem schedule efficient distribution to minimise fuel costs and environmental impact, whilst ensuring that thousands of customers always have product.
In the words of Guy Flochlay, GreenChem CEO, “As one of Europe’s largest AdBlue distributors, GreenChem rely upon efficient logistics.
PowTechnology’s dependable and robust remote tank level monitoring solution supports that and helps us deliver exceptional customer service. PowTechnology have been our telemetry partner for over a decade, because their solutions are exceptionally well-proven in many countries and we are fully supported technically and commercially.”
Dave Oakes went on to explain, “PowTechnology has invested heavily in R&D, collaborating with academia to embrace emerging technologies and enjoying the diverse skill set of a rapidly-expanding internal Development Team.”
Rachel Crowther, PowTechnology CTO, added “The Industrial Internet of Things is ever more relevant to combat cost of living issues. With energy bills and raw material pricing eating into margins, people are actively seeking new solutions to help reduce costs and improve productivity.
PowTechnology can help, putting together new solutions, which integrate systems from a variety of vendors, sprinkling our own magic over the result and giving extra value to our customers. Our development team has tripled over the past year as we do more custom development and integration work!”
This in-house expertise and early adoption of new technologies has led to the development of versatile, modular, digital transformation ‘building blocks’, collectively known as Metron Intelligence.
That, in turn, gives PowTechnology a unique agility! We can often develop sector and application-specific IIoT solutions, based on these existing building blocks, with minimal development costs. We can create proofs of concept within a few months, where others may have taken years.
A fantastic example is our collaborative partnership with Ardent Hire Solutions, resulting in the recently launched Fuel-IT smart fuel tanks, which collect level, flow, dispersal and GPS location data. (https://www.ardenthire.com/).
Ardent is a multi-category rental equipment specialist that differentiates itself through digitalisation, sustainability and spectacular customer service. It manages over 7000 assets, via 10 depots across the UK, using their own multi award winning Site Manager software, which tracks asset performance and alerts sites of safety and productivity events based on telematics data.
Kit is often hired to construction sites. In April 2022, it became illegal to use low tax red diesel on construction sites. White diesel is heavily taxed and can be used by anyone. This meant site fuel would be more expensive and at greater risk of theft.
Ardent is a data-driven business. To accommodate the upcoming change in fuel regulations, they recognised the value of monitoring data from on-site fuel tanks and integrating it into Site Manager, to enhance security.
Ardent reviewed the market for a partner with the flexibility to realise both the functionality and integration elements of their vision. A PowTechnology customer recommended us!
Our IIoT Solution Architects helped Ardent define their project scope and our Development Team produced a proof of concept within 6 months of our first contact.
Feedback on that prototype helped us refine functionality and aesthetics, as well as modify the design for ease of manufacture and maintenance. PowTechnology have also provided full installation and usage training to a range of Ardent personnel.
As well as monitoring level to automate fuel ordering, plan fuel deliveries and avoid run-outs, the Fuel-IT tanks offer authorised dispersals, where users identify themselves and the asset being fuelled. Authorised users can see data on any web-enabled device.
Now Ardent are rolling out a proven, market-leading IIoT solution, which helps their customers streamline operations, reduce costs, improve health and safety and increase sustainability on site. As Jeremy Fish, Ardent CEO told us, “Ardent’s solutions are transformative, differentiated and vital for ensuring safety and productivity on projects involving our equipment.
We needed a partner with the expertise to achieve our vision, the agility to respond quickly to our commercial challenge and the infrastructure to provide exceptional technical support. PowTechnology has been an excellent choice on all counts!
Fuel-IT smart fuel tanks are the UK’s most sophisticated tanks, enhancing our brand and reputation and our customers are delighted! I would have no hesitation in recommending PowTechnology as an IIoT development partner.”
Whether our customers need a ‘plug n play’ or a bespoke solution, our technology is fit to purpose and with controlled whole of life project costs and comprehensive technical support.
Over 100,000 IoT devices have been manufactured and supplied by PowTechnology. They deliver data on level, flow, temperature, pressure, vibration, humidity and more.
Our technology has helped customers respond to organisational challenges within factory automation, fuel management, lubricants, utilities, power, transport, waste management, environment, chemicals, flood protection, construction, security, agriculture, bulk liquid and gas distribution and pumping.
Our case studies page bears testament to our wealth of sector and application knowledge, with over thirty case studies. They include household names and multinationals, such as United Utilities, Royal Mail, Environment Agency, RSPB, Cemex, Fuchs Lubricants and Speedy. If you haven’t visited, then please take a look.
Dave Oakes concluded, “PowTechnology is on track for our best year ever. These are exciting times! We continue to expand, most recently within our Sales and Production Departments and we have new some amazing new technology and a really special partnership to announce very soon.”
As always, we welcome your application enquiries and will do our very best to offer a reliable, fit-to-purpose IIoT solution together with user-friendly installation and outstanding technical support.
What can PowTechnology do for you?
+44 (0) 1827 310666
sales@powtechnology.com
www.powtechnology.com