Kit Helps Engineers Build Their Own IoT Apps

Tulip has launched its Factory Kit, a quick-start solution for powering digital manufacturing. The intuitive, self-service solution is said to include everything that engineers need to design, build and deploy manufacturing apps without actually writing code.

The kit leverages the company's Manufacturing App platform, which brings the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and advanced analytics to engineers and associates on the shop floor. The resulting apps integrate human, sensor and machine data, enabling engineers to gain actionable insights, implement process changes and continuously improve their operations.

The solution provides access to Tulip’s cloud-based Manufacturing App platform, as well as sample apps and analytics that are ready to use out of the box. The kit provides engineers the building blocks they need to get started with Manufacturing Apps, including a Tulip I/O Gateway, which lets users connect their devices to the apps they build, and the Tulip Light Kit for driving pick-to-light (PTL) processes. It also includes a range of IoT sensors and devices, such as a break beam sensor, environmental sensors, a barcode scanner, a foot pedal and a tower light.

The kit lets engineers go from prototype to production in a few hours, on their own, without needing to know how to code, according to the company. It helps manufacturers push bottom-up digital transformation initiatives and empowers their engineers with tools to digitalize their processes.