About i-flow
The i-flow software is characterized in particular by the following features:
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Simplicity by design: Our user interface is built for ease of use, enabling users to quickly create and manage data flows without getting slowed down by technical complexities.
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Endless connectivity: i-flow comes with 200+ connectors for popular industrial systems, drastically reducing the setup time and effort required.
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Real-Time Monitoring: Get real-time insights into your data flows, enabling simple maintenance and optimization.
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Collaboration: Interconnecting factories is a team sport! Use the know-how of all your experts – from the plant to the central teams and maximize your results.
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Scalability:Designed to grow with your operations, i-flow can effortlessly handle the demands of a single factory or be scaled up to coordinate data flows across multiple locations.
One of the biggest challenges in scaling data-driven use cases (e.g., Predictive Quality) in factories is poor data quality. In fact, most of today’s factory data is buried in data silos due to extreme asset diversity. Today, the integration and preparation of this data wastes up to 80% of the project resources. And that for each new project. Additional symptoms of poor-quality data might include:
- slow progress in your digitalization projects
- time consuming maintenance of custom scripts to integrate your factory data
- high adaptation effort for changing requirements (and data analytics projects in particular are by their nature dynamic)
- high costs due to processing of large amounts of data in the cloud
Thanks to the wide variety of connectors, i-flow reduces your dependence on OT / IT system providers for the digitization of your factories. Decouple the integration of data and systems from your existing OT/IT systems to increase the flexibility and scalability of your entire system landscape. At the same time, you minimize your resources for connecting and processing factory data. This allows your team to focus on the implementation and rollout of data-driven use cases.
The following companies benefit from using the i-flow software:
- Innovative medium-sized and large companies from the manufacturing industry
- Companies that invest in their data infrastructure to gain a competitive advantage and become industry champions
- Companies with one or more brownfield or greenfield sites worldwide
- Companies looking for a standardized solution for system and data integration to seamlessly integrate IT and OT
- Decision-makers who want to decide in real time and know exactly which data is crucial for their success
- Users who not only appreciate low-code software, but also the advantages of maximum intuitive user guidance to develop and roll out use-cases faster.
We have developed and optimized i-flow for manufacturing companies. Within the manufacturing domain, the technology is sector-agnostic. Thus, the software does not require customizing to create value in different sectors (e.g. automotive, machinery).
i-flow edge software maximizes the discoverability, interoperability and flexibility of factory data, enabling faster and more cost-effective piloting of data-driven use cases and accelerating their rollout. No programming or interface knowledge is required for this – so use internal resources to connect your factory. With i-flow you create clean data from your factory operations by default – across all your factories independent from the heterogeneity of your shopfloors.
The do-it-yourself (DIY) approach is always a valid consideration. There are at least two aspects to consider: costs & scaling.
Costs: If you compare the annual salaries of software experts with the annual i-flow license costs, i-flow becomes beneficial quickly. In addition to the development costs, the costs for maintaining custom scripts must be taken into account (e.g. for necessary updates in case of changes in the use case requirements or system interfaces).
Scaling: Using in-house developers usually works in business environments where scaling is not required, use case requirements are rather static and developer fluctuation is very low. In addition, the more factory systems are integrated, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of individual implementations. i-flow, on the other hand, enables scaling in dynamic factory environments.
Absolutely. We offer different service levels. Please contact us for more information.
About our Technology
With the i-flow software you can connect a variety of OT/IT systems. You can find a comprehensive list here.
For the integration of your factory and IT systems, i-flow supports a variety of communication technologies. You can find an overview of our connectors on our website. You can configure the integration and processing of the data yourself (without us or external service providers). We would be happy to discuss your individual requirements and use-case in a non-binding initial meeting.
You just started? Perfect timing! Connect your first factory systems (e.g., machine) to your IT using i-flow. This saves you valuable resources for basic tasks for data wrangling such as integrating, understanding and preparing data. Create clean data right from the beginning and use the integrated data for your upcoming projects.
Yes. Most advanced customers struggle to fully leverage data from already connected systems due to the increased system complexity. Use i-flow to make this complexity manageable by harmonizing factory data. Contextualize large amounts of data so that they can be directly interpreted by your use-case experts. Combine data from different systems (e.g. machines, ERP, MES) for your analytics projects. The introduction of i-flow can be gradual – from project to project.
i-flow is a low-code software . The software offers a development platform that enables users to harmonize and distribute factory data – without any programming knowledge. Depending on preference and for specific use-cases (e.g. complex data processing), i-flow also enables the execution of user-defined code.
i-flow supports two deployment options to meet your needs. All with state-of-the-art security.
- Option: On-premise installation on your factory edge server
- Option: We can deploy i-flow in a cloud environment that is managed by your IT (private cloud environment)
A Unified Namespace (UNS) is a non-hierarchical system architecture in which all data is accessible via a standardized naming convention and data structure in a central message broker. If suitable for your use case, a UNS architecture leads in particular to greater scalability (in scale-up and scale-down scenarios). Further information and the role played by the i-flow software can be found here.
i-flow is available as annual subscription. Please contact us and together we will find the right package for you!
To ensure the highest security standards, we protect your data with a multi-level security concept based on proven state-of-the-art technologies. When deployed in the cloud, i-flow runs in secure data centers that are managed by your IT (inside your private cloud environment). We are using state-of-the art encryption methods and secure access control. We would be happy to explain our comprehensive security concept to you in a personal meeting.
Start with i-flow
Yes. You can test i-flow free of charge for 30 days. Please add your name to our waiting list. We will then contact you immediately.
Yes. The trial license is free of charge for 30 days.
No. Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend the free trial period.
Please contact our customer support at support@i-flow.io. We are happy to provide you with test systems (e.g. virtual control systems).
The i-flow software is usually installed by you or your IT department. We will provide you with a download link, a license key and detailed step-by-step instructions. In any case, we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Please contact our customer support at support@i-flow.io. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Typically, our customers start either with the implementation of a data analytic project (e.g. condition monitoring, cross-plant OEE) or with the automation of processes (e.g. order confirmation in SAP based on machine data). We are happy to discuss potential use-cases with you. Thereby applies: think big, start small. Look for a high-impact low-effort use-case This allows you to evaluate i-flow as a solution within a few days instead of battling organizational hurdles. You can find more reference use-cases on our website.
Please contact our customer support at support@i-flow.io. We will be happy to send you a detailed guide, advise you in a personal meeting or provide you with comprehensive training.
i-flow is a low-code software, all essential functions are programming-free. This means that no programming knowledge is required to use the software. If desired and in very demanding use cases (e.g. complex data processing), you can execute your own code in i-flow. No specific knowledge of factory systems (OT), IT or interface technologies is required.
Any questions? Speak to us now
I am looking forward to speaking to you.
Daniel Goldeband
Director of i-flow