Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes are joined by Graeme Welton, founder and CEO of Flow Software, and Jeff Knepper, managing partner at Flow Software. They discuss the vital role of Flow Software in industrial analytics. Key topics include the challenges and solutions in data integration, the concept of the Unified Analytics Framework (UAF), and the introduction of a free time series historian.
Origin and Evolution of Flow Software
Graeme Welton details how Flow Software was born out of a need for better data integration and reporting tools in the industrial sector. He shares his early experiences, "I used to work for a brewery…and had tons and tons of raw data sitting in systems…but we had no tooling at the time to be able to pull that data together.” Realizing that many companies struggled with transforming raw data into actionable insights, Welton co-founded a system integrator company. There, he noticed, “A lot of those customers had all of this data, but they just weren't converting it into value-adding information." This realization led to the creation of Flow Software. The tool empowers businesses to convert raw data from disparate sources into useful information, ultimately enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
The Unified Analytics Framework (UAF)
The Unified Analytics Framework (UAF) is an innovative concept designed to streamline data management and analytics. Welton points out, “Flow doesn't fit into a typical box…it's not just an HMI or a reporting solution.” The UAF abstracts data from various sources into a common format, allowing for consistent and standardized calculations across an organization. Jeff Knepper emphasizes, “The goal is to empower engineers to be citizen developers,” enabling them to manipulate data seamlessly. The UAF addresses the challenge of managing data from multiple systems, providing a centralized approach to data aggregation and analysis. This not only simplifies data handling but also enhances the accuracy and reliability of insights, driving better decision-making across operations.
Introducing Flow’s Free Historian
A major announcement from Flow Software is the release of a free time series historian, aimed at addressing a significant market gap. Knepper highlights, “It's shocking the number of customers that approach us…and they haven't secured good, reliable data storage.” The new free historian, available at timebase.com, enables manufacturers to start collecting and trending data immediately without incurring additional costs. This initiative lowers the barrier to entry for data historization, promoting broader adoption of data-driven practices in manufacturing and other industries. Graeme Welton adds, “We've tried to do something a little bit unique…being able to go forward and back to see and correlate and overlay different things that are happening.” This makes it an incredibly valuable tool for operators and engineers.
Empowering Operations with Data
Jeff Knepper discusses how Flow Software empowers engineers by making them citizen developers. He explains, “If we're going to make AI effective and profitable, we have to create a really good map for AI of what data points are related to what data points.” By providing tools that allow engineers to build models without requiring extensive coding knowledge, Flow Software democratizes data management and analytics. This approach helps companies identify and act on insights more efficiently, ultimately reducing errors and improving operational outcomes. The ability to work with pre-modeled data significantly cuts down on the time required for data scientists to map and clean data, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making.
Real-World Applications and Impact
The practical applications of Flow Software extend across various sectors, offering real-world impact. In one instance, Flow was used to monitor and optimize water and electricity usage for a manufacturing plant. Welton notes, “People were now looking at the data…The first thing that started happening was instead of it being erratic, it started stabilizing." This stabilization led to further optimization, demonstrating how actionable data can drive significant operational improvements. In another example, a global yogurt producer used Flow to optimize waste management, quickly expanding its use cases after initial success. These examples highlight the tool's versatility and effectiveness in addressing diverse industrial challenges.
Key Quote From The Episode
"The goal is to empower engineers to be citizen developers.” - Jeff Knepper
Key Takeaways
Flow Software addresses the challenge of integrating and analyzing data from multiple systems.
The Unified Analytics Framework simplifies data management and empowers engineers to manage data more effectively.
- The introduction of a free time series historian democratizes access to essential data analytics tools.
Wrap Up
Flow Software provides essential solutions for data integration and analytics in the industrial sector. The Unified Analytics Framework empowers engineers to manage data more efficiently, while the free time series historian makes data historization accessible to all. For organizations aiming to enhance their data practices, adopting these tools can significantly improve operational efficiency and decision-making. Incorporate these tools to stabilize and then optimize processes, yielding better outcomes and promoting a data-driven culture within your organization.
About the Guest
Graeme Welton is the founder and CEO of Flow Software, bringing extensive experience in industrial automation and data analytics. Jeff Knepper, managing partner at Flow Software, has expertise in time series data and information management, contributing to the growth and scalability of Flow Software. Both are committed to advancing data-driven practices in the industrial sector.
Learn more about Flow Software:
https://www.flow-software.com/
Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/graemewelton/
Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn:
