Just the other day I saw a manufacturer looking to double its production capacity and cited lean manufacturing as the way to get there. Not adding workers, more equipment and lean principles.

A new product, from HMS Industrial Networks, called Netbiter looks to increase monitoring and control of plant equipment with this new remote
management solution. The system includes communication gateways, secure
hosting servers and a web interface that connects to plant equipment
for real-time monitoring. A user, via a web browser, can access dashboard data by logging into the
data center at www.netbiter.net and see temperature values, statuses and
levels for multiple types of equipment. As with any remote monitoring, the system offers a dashboard tool and
provides the user the ability to create graphical displays with gauges
and tables of the most important parameters. Historical
data is stored on parallel servers in the data center, allowing for
reporting and statistical analysis of equipment.

Besides monitoring, the offering provides
the ability to start or stop equipment.

Security is a big concern among
manufacturers as it relates to plant data being shared in the cloud and
this solution offers secure connections from its gateways. The system
can use an Ethernet or GSM/GPRS (Global System for Mobile
Communications/General Packet Radio Service) connection. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or static IP addresses are not needed.

Applications include monitoring of power generators, water/wastewater plants, tanks, building automation and renewable energy.