Smart Connectivity
Our Digitalisation platform is probably the most transversal and connects most others as its role is to support many of the other developments. It joins all different kinds of competences of CRM Group from very different sectors. Digitalisation is as well about industry 4.0 as making smart products. Hence it is structured with many different bricks that can connect depending on the required solution. Sensors for instance serve in identifying the data during the process and should be well selected as function of the environment and application.
A perfect witness to that is the creation of connected objects thanks to the printed (opto) electronics technologies developed specifically for metal applications. Driven by the quest for connectivity and predictability it has initiated a field of development within CRM Group aiming at smart connected objects and applications. Once objects are connected through these printed circuits the Internet of Things is not so hard to image.
Data that subsequently needs to be transferred sometimes in complex environments so wireless and cloud solutions come into the picture. And hence these huge data sets need to be exploited through models and big data algorithms allowing advanced intelligence and machine learning.
The materials science driver of all these developments is our competence in coatings and interfaces in very complex and demanding environments. The printed electronics that we master with our coating lines will become an integrated part even of our daily objects. The key will be to find the good examples for proof of concept allowing to reduce the cost of implementation of these solutions with respect to the added value it brings on the item itself or the data it generates.