Pirmin Lickert

From Measurement to Maintenance: IoT in Practice with Ethernet-APL

How can raw measurements be turned into concrete maintenance recommendations? In this episode, Madeleine Mickeleit and Pirmin Lickert from Endress+Hauser discuss a digitalization project at Merck and how the Netilion Cloud enables the step from simple data collection to smart device management. The challenge: existing plants with 4–20 mA signals only deliver simple values without diagnostics. Errors are only noticed once devices fail. At the same time, hurdles arise at the interface between OT and IT when data needs to be securely transferred to the cloud. The solution: through gateways and edge devices, measurements and diagnostic data are visualized centrally in the Netilion Cloud, including error codes and recommended actions. Apps such as Netilion Health (device diagnostics), Netilion Value (measurements), and Netilion Library (documentation) provide additional value. Heartbeat Technology makes it possible to track drifts and paves the way toward predictive maintenance. What makes it especially exciting: Ethernet-APL introduces a new standard that integrates devices directly into the smart network and enables significantly higher data quality and speed. This episode delivers practical insights for anyone driving condition monitoring, device management, and cloud integration in the process industry, and for those who want to make their maintenance processes future-proof.