Toppan Thailand, a subsidiary of Toppan Printing based in Japan which offers communication and marketing solutions, and REPCO, a subsidiary of SCG Chemicals offering high-value, innovative solutions for maintenance and inspection, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the joint development of ZETA technology-based artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for industrial and business applications.
ZETA is an innovative Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) network protocol developed by ZiFiSense (http://www.zifisense.co.uk/index.html) that features Ultra Narrow Band (UNB), distributed access with intelligent mesh topology and bi-directional communication. The collaboration between Toppan Thailand and REPCO aims to use ZETA technology to develop AI IoT solutions that enable unmanned anomaly detection and failure prediction for industrial machinery and plant facilities. The two companies anticipate that these technologies will make it possible to prevent loss associated with factory equipment problems.
Smart factories – AI & IoT predict failure & detect anomalies
The evolution of AI and the IoT has prompted efforts to predict failure and detect anomalies on large-scale industrial machinery. The monitoring of machinery operations requires sensors for temperature, current, sound, and vibration, as well as related communication functions. However, this means higher costs for the transmission of increased volumes of data and replacement of sensing equipment when performance levels drop. Other issues include installation costs associated with wired networks and the number of staff hours required for data acquisition. ZETA industrial AI IoT solutions can be applied to smart buildings and smart factories to improve efficiency and enhance product quality with lower operational costs.
In trials by the Chemicals Business of SCG, ZETA industrial AI IoT solutions were shown to provide low power consumption, advantages in terms of intelligence, and high data transmission success rates. SCG Chemicals and Toppan Thailand aim to employ these solutions to support digital transformation in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries and drive their use in buildings and factories.
“Our intention for this collaboration at the first stage is to develop an AI IoT solution for machine monitoring by utilizing each company’s expertise. REPCO’s expertise in advanced plant monitoring and Toppan’s service experience in ZETA LPWA networks to create new innovative solutions to meet demand within the industry,” said Dr Suracha Udomsak, vice president and CTO, Innovation and Technology, Chemicals Business, SCG. “I strongly believe that the MOU we have signed will be the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between our two companies.”
“Toppan has a long-standing relationship with SCG, and we are delighted to be able to extend it further with this collaboration in a new field with an outstanding company,” said Hiroto Sasaki, managing director of Toppan Thailand. “ZETA technology has the potential for wide-ranging applications, and we are confident that working with REPCO will enable solutions that contribute to SCG’s business and a wide range of industries throughout Southeast Asia.”
REPCO, SCG, Toppan
Rayong Engineering and Plant Service Company (REPCO), a subsidiary of SCG Chemicals, develops robots for the petrochemical and other industries. It conducts engineering and plant servicing for SCG Chemicals, especially in types of work that pose risks to employees. SCG Chemicals is one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Thailand offering a full range of petrochemical products ranging from upstream production of olefins to downstream production of three main plastics resins—polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
Toppan Thailand is engaged in the space communication business, including digital signage-based sales promotion and smart office/smart factory solutions making use of the IoT and ID authentication/authorization technologies. In addition, for national and local government agencies and tourism, it provides cultural asset digital archiving and virtual reality technologies, business process outsourcing, and security solutions. Toppan itself is a global provider of integrated solutions in the fields of printing, communications, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics with a team of more than 50,000 employees.
