Scalable Business Intelligence Just Got Easier

Keeping the Conversation Going

Powerful digital technologies and information solutions are transforming the industrial landscape, but while major corporations continue their march toward digital transformation at an impressive pace, smaller companies often feel lost in the shuffle.

“Most of our customers are small or mid-sized companies that immediately shut down the conversation when we mention information solutions,” said Marcia Pohl, Business Development Leader at Horizon Solutions. “They value new digital technology, but they think these initiatives are simply beyond their reach financially.”

Horizon Solutions, a Rexel company and Rockwell Automation Distributor Partner, is determined to change that mindset.

“Our Business Intelligence Solution-in-a-Box keeps the digital conversation going,” Pohl said. “It is designed to give companies a cost-effective way to think big, start small – and scale fast.”

How It Works

To develop the new offering, Horizon Solutions relied on its 100-year history of collaboration with Rockwell Automation and other companies participating in the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ program.

“We were very familiar with the available technology,” said Jim Bischoff, Director of Automation at Horizon Solutions. “We identified best-in-class products, but we knew our customers would struggle to implement an integrated solution on their own.” 

Put simply, the Business Intelligence Solution-in-a-Box bundles software and hardware to jumpstart data collection, intelligence gathering, and reporting. The solution features:

Software

• Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk® Historian
• Ocean Data Systems Dream Report

Hardware

• Stratus Technologies ztC Edge Platform

The plug-and-play system starts small – tracking data and reports generated from 250 FactoryTalk Historian tags. The edge appliance delivers the computing power for analytics and is installed in the control panel. Both the number of tags and generated reports can be scaled as needed.

“Typically, the solution is easily implemented by a controls engineer – without additional IT infrastructure or capital expense,” Bischoff explained.

And because the solution is virtualized, it can be easily duplicated and repurposed for other applications or locations.

From Concept to Pilot

The first opportunity to use the system presented itself in 2021. A controls engineer at a mid-size food company was challenged to identify the source of downtime and other issues hampering operational efficiency.

“Our customer knew that equipment monitoring and analytics could deliver insights that would improve operations,” said Pohl. “But to secure upper management support, he also knew he had to demonstrate the value of the solution.”

After Horizon Solutions outlined the system’s scope, scalability, and affordability, the customer quickly came on board.

“Basically, he understood he could implement the Business Intelligence Solution-in-a-Box within his control and budget,” said Pohl.

To demonstrate value, the customer first applied the solution on a filling line and installed a large screen at the end of the line, which projected operating efficiencies in real time. Management’s reaction was almost immediate.

“Once the management team saw what type of data could be generated, they understood the value,” Pohl said.

Data-Driven Success

While the customer originally installed the solution on a discrete filling application to monitor line efficiency, they quickly expanded the system to the process side of their operation.

“Now, they are capturing and analyzing their chart recorder data for coolers and freezers – and they are adding clean-in-place (CIP) system data,” Pohl said. “The information generated by the system has led the company to make many improvements.”

In addition, the customer is expanding their use of the Business Intelligence Solution-in-a-Box to a second manufacturing location.

Back at Horizon Solutions, the company continues adapting the offering to a wide range of applications for both end users and system integrators.  

“While this is a plug-and-play solution, we can accommodate specific application requirements,” Bischoff said.