Siemens Emphasizes Cybersecurity and Real-Time Location at PACK EXPO

Among other products, Siemens’ SiberProtect cybersecurity platform as well as its real-time locating system (RTLS) are on display at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

SiberProtect is an operations technology (OT) threat detection system that can isolate or quarantine plant and field assets upon credible identification of a cyber attack. According to Siemens, the system operates in real-time—independent of the site network—and is capable of responding to a potential threat in mere milliseconds. Upon receiving a cybersecurity notification, SiberProtect initiates a pre-determined series of equipment management actions designed to protect high-value or mission critical assets and initiate other desires responses. To achieve this latter goal, notifications are communicated to operators and other stakeholders via lights, sirens, emails, and text messages.

Siemens’ RTLS technology is used to track the position of assets, containers, vehicles, and other materials in indoor and outdoor environments. To enable tracking, infrastructure devices are placed throughout a facility that function similarly to the satellites that are used to triangulate a GPS network. After the infrastructure devices are in place, transponders are attached to any assets or materials end-users would like to track. The tracking data can then be fed into an MES or other system. One potential application is to use the tracking data in conjunction with geofencing—a virtual perimeter around a real-world geographic area. Through the use of a geofence, alerts can be triggered when a tracked asset or material enters or exits a certain area.