Nexans Canada Launches ‘Connected Drum’ Internet of Things Service

September 17, 2020

Nexans Canada has launched a service providing cable reel tracking via connected devices. The “Connected Drum” Internet of Things (IoT) service allows customers to benefit from real-time location, theft and loss detection and management of residual cable lengths on reels. 

By tracking and monitoring a fleet of cable reels that are off-site or at subcontractor locations, significant savings can be realized. The service includes an online and mobile software platform for efficient and convenient management. This innovation provides customers with the real-time location of each reel as well as an alert system for monitoring on-site events including deliveries and pick-ups. The current pilot with a utility customer includes residual cable length monitoring and management. 

Reel Losses are a Real Industry Problem

Utlities can easily lose thousands of dollars a year due to the lack of visibility or theft of their reels scattered across construction sites. This is because complex supply chain processes can involve multiple teams, construction sites and subcontractors; as a result, expensive cable reels are frequently lost, stolen or left idle on sites. It is also challenging for utilities to monitor their stock across multiple remote storage sites.

Device options available for connection to the software platform include 3G, 4G and 5G devices. These devices, with temperature and rotation sensors, are integrated into each reel and connect wirelessly to a cloud-based management platform. Real-time geolocation is used to identify the cable reels’ locations. The service also allows for an alert notification if a customer’s reel is moved outside of normal working hours.  With artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing, the solution identifies how much cable is left on each reel after cuts are made. A real-time interface between the connected drums platform and Nexans Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution ensures customers can monitor their reels and access business information such as cable type and remaining lengths, site locations, stock levels and other important details. Multiple KPIs can also be visualized on dynamic dashboards.  The service may be used with both wood and steel reels.

Nexans Services & Solutions Manager for North America, Nada Filipovic said, “Most customers do not have a way to know how much cable is on a specific reel and where the reel is—whether in a warehouse or out on a project site. We spoke to customers during the development of our service and included their requirements to include the monitoring of residual cable lengths on the reels.”

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