Nexans chooses VISEO to design its IoT data management platform
The world leader in network cabling has selected VISEO to integrate its IoT data storage solution.
Nexans is the world leader in cables, network cabling solutions, and advanced connectivity. With an industrial presence in 34 countries and business activities spanning the globe, Nexans employs nearly 26,000 people. In 2017, the group achieved gross sales of €6.4 billion.
Launching an IoT Platform for Connected Cable Drums
In 2017, Nexans began the industrial production of its connected cable drums. To maximize value, the company decided to develop its own IoT platform, focusing on data analysis and management rather than the tags themselves. As a long-time Microsoft user, particularly for desktop software, Nexans collaborated with Microsoft to design its internal IoT data management platform using Microsoft solutions.
Data Management and Integration with Azure Cloud
The Azure cloud platform seamlessly interfaces with Nexans’ ERP (SAP), enabling the sales team to distribute drums to clients quickly and efficiently. In addition to managing the fleet of drums, the Azure IoT tool provides real-time alerts when drums malfunction or require repairs. On the client side, an interactive dashboard allows users to manage stock in real time, monitor deployment rates, and track rotation cycles.
Scaling Across Europe
Currently, Nexans has distributed connected cable drums on a large scale across several European countries. The long-term goal is to equip all consigned drums with electronic tags. “Today, we have a fleet of 100,000 consigned drums across Europe, and we’ve already equipped 1,000” says Thibault Goulin, Nexans Digital Services Manager. “Our objective is to equip at least 50,000 drums quickly and the entire fleet within five years.“
Future Plans for Predictive Maintenance
Nexans is also planning to introduce a predictive maintenance service for the drums, leveraging the powerful calculation capacity of Azure AI. Additionally, the company has begun connecting other products, such as its cable reels, to the IoT platform.