Published:  7.12.2020

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is inspiring many companies to boldly adopt this new technology. Nokeval, a company from the town of Nokia, has watched the success of IoT technology from a prime seat.

How soon can freshly baked, piping hot cabbage rolls be packed for shipment? How can we anticipate whether the moisture-sensitive Appenzeller cheese will be exposed to excessive humidity during its long aging process? And how can we automate the monitoring of concrete drying and save a huge amount of time by eliminating visits to a construction site?

Nokeval has developed measurement solutions for almost 40 years. The list above contains some examples of problems for which Nokeval has developed solutions that leverage automation and IoT technology.

IoT technology is already used in many everyday things we take for granted. The demand for IoT solutions is currently growing rapidly among Finnish companies.

– Many companies are currently considering the business benefits they could gain from IoT technology. The technology attracts more and more companies, but making large investments just for novelty’s same is not sensible. Companies must see the genuine benefits that accelerate growth, says Aura Lehtonen, Development Manager at Nokeval.

A team of experts solves measurement problems

At the core of Nokeval’s operations are technical experts from diverse fields who implement solutions to the multitude of challenges involved in collecting and transmitting information.

– The design projects we implement usually stem from a customer’s need to measure a quantity in their own process or product offering. We then design a solution that measures and aggregates the results in a cloud service, for example, describes Lehtonen.

The most common measurement challenges faced by Nokeval are cases in which the customer has already tried a solution.

– Either the solution does not measure the right thing or is not sufficient reliable and accurate, or an existing measurement instrument cannot be installed in the location preferred by the customer. Data transfer might also pose a critical problem: sometimes the measurement itself works, but data transfer should be more reliable and cost-effective, states Lehtonen.

Being a Finnish company is one of Nokeval’s greatest assets. All implementations are planned and manufactured in Nokia, which is also the location of the company’s own electronics factory.

– We strive to produce solutions that always meet the need, have a long lifespan, are future-proof and can be calibrated and serviced. The solutions must be sustainable and of high quality.

Nokeval sees that the need for measurements is constantly increasing, which will also be reflected in the price of the technology. Lehtonen estimates that the prices will fall already in the next few years.

– As the number of IoT solutions increases, the prices of individual measurements will decrease.

The drying of concrete poured at a construction site is now monitored remotely

IoT technology is used in many industries. One of the largest industries that is increasingly using automation and IoT solutions is the construction industry. Construction sites already have an existing need to measure and monitor everything from environmental conditions during the construction to access to the site.

Nokeval also develops and manufactures measuring devices for the eGate service used by the construction industry. The project is an example of a versatile whole that was created to meet the customer’s needs fully.

– eGate needed our help in the monitoring of the conditions in buildings. Together, we developed a versatile range of measuring instruments and a cloud service that can be used for specifying the location of the devices, monitoring the measurement results and generating reports, says Lehtonen.

The measuring instruments can be used, for example, to monitor the drying of poured concrete and the concentration of dust and relative humidity in real time during construction. During the building life cycle, the measuring sensors can be used for monitoring indoor air quality, among other things.

– The construction site can monitor the conditions in real time and receive alerts for deviations. For example, the traditional way of monitoring the drying of poured concrete to visit the site to inspect it. Sensors save time and money, as they enable remote monitoring, says Lehtonen.

Digita’s network was a natural choice

Also eGate’s measuring sensors work in Digita’s LoRaWAN network, which for Lehtonen was a natural choice.

– The solutions we offer to our customers might consist of measuring instruments located at considerable distances from each other. Thanks to Digita’s network, we do not need a separate base station for each measuring point, which is a really huge advantage.

Wirelessness also makes the installation of sensors quick, since underground cables are not needed. Wireless solutions require good network coverage: data transmission from the sensors must be fast and carry over long distances, if necessary.

– Digita is an expert on networks and has given us really good advice on what needs to be taken into account in our LoRaWAN implementations. Another strength of Digita is that they invest continuously and visibly in developing the network and improving coverage.

Digita’s LoRaWAN network

• A national network that can be used for IoT (Internet of Things) solutions
• Designed for wireless and energy-efficient data transfer
• Based on LoRa (Long Range) technology, which is especially well suited for sending and receiving small amounts of data over long distances
• Key features of LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) technology include two-way data communication, portability, tracking solutions and easy deployment
• The sensors used to collect data are lightweight and easy to install wirelessly
• A wide range of sensor solutions available

Watch the video to see how a sensor is installed.

This article was originally published on the mtvuutiset.fi website as part of a commercial partnership.