Orange Business Services and Microsoft have announced that they will collaborate to deliver large-scale, end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that boost the digital processes of companies in the manufacturing sector. Enterprises can use the Orange modular IoT solution, Datavenue, strengthened by Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, to transition to Industry 4.0 and optimize the entire manufacturing value chain.
Through this collaboration, the two companies said, companies can take advantage of the combined expertise of Orange and Microsoft regarding data protection, in addition to device and data management. Users can leverage Orange Business Services’ IoT connectivity options, including LoRa. Use cases range from supply chain and smart inventory management to digital operations, such as predictive maintenance, employee safety and facility and equipment management.
For its long-term customer e.l.m. leblanc, Orange delivered a customized IoT platform on Microsoft Azure, which provides a tailored solution for remote monitoring, along with curative and predictive maintenance. Subsidiary of the Bosch Group, e.l.m. leblanc manufactures gas boilers and water-heaters since 1932. The company is a major player in the French housing and industrial markets for heating & cooling systems and hot water for sanitary use.
“Innovation is part of e.l.m leblanc’s DNA, continuously providing our customers with new services and more comfort,” said Philippe Laforge, CEO, e.l.m. leblanc. “We have a vision of a connected world where every heating system optimizes its energy performance to protect the environment. This ambition is illustrated in the Optibox solution for our connected boilers. e.l.m. leblanc has fully relied on Orange Business Services’ expertise to develop this solution. Using the Azure Cloud allows for high-level scalability and efficient machine learning solutions with reasonable costs.”
The remote monitoring solution collects the boiler’s data and alerts technicians of any malfunction. This allows for more efficient maintenance intervention, with fine-tuned predictions on the probable causes of failure based on real-time data analytics. Preemptive alerts can also be raised by the platform through predictive maintenance algorithms.
With its Azure IoT Suite, Microsoft offers a software environment designed to facilitate setting up and scaling large device and data management projects. In order to accelerate the roll out of industrial projects, Azure IoT Suite provides pre-packaged solutions and allows companies to swiftly get familiar with the set-up and explore the most common IoT project scenarios.
“Orange Business Services and Microsoft have been partners for several years. We are excited to engage in this new collaboration tackling the growing market of the Internet of Things,” said Maziar Zolghadr, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Microsoft EMEA. “With a partner such as Orange Business Services, we can offer a full end-to-end solution, relying on Orange expertise in IoT connectivity and particularly LoRa, and its proven know-how in integrating IT projects surrounding connected sensors and devices.”
Ken Briodagh is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.Edited by
Ken Briodagh
