Smart Solution for the Dredging Industry

Royal IHC (IHC) and Semiotic Labs have signed an agreement to develop smart solutions for the dredging industry. As part of the collaboration, both companies will combine their knowledge in the field of shipping and the dredging industry with smart Internet-of-Things sensors and artificial intelligence, which together will increase the availability and reliability of production resources.

Jan van der Wouw, Director Digital Business at IHC, said: “As a market leader in the development and production of dredging vessels, we are constantly looking for innovative solutions to further increase the reliability and availability of our vessels. Digital transformation plays an important role in this.

“The combination of sensors, artificial intelligence and smart applications ensures that our customers gain valuable insights into the condition, performance and energy consumption of machines on board. This in turn allows them to optimise their use.

At the forefront of digitalisation

“Our collaboration with Semiotic Labs allows us to combine our industry expertise with their specialist technical knowledge. The agreement is a direct result of our ambition to be at the forefront of the development of digital tools on board ships.”

Semiotic Labs has developed SAM4, a condition monitoring solution that consists of sensors, artificial intelligence and a dashboard that displays information about the condition, performance and energy consumption of electric motors and rotating assets, such as pumps, compressors and conveyor belts. Unlike traditional systems that measure vibrations on the asset in the field, SAM4 measures electrical signals from the motor control cabinet. This is relevant for shipping, because many assets are located in hard-to-reach places on board the ship. The motor control cabinet is easily accessible, making it possible to remotely monitor the condition of assets.

Dream partnership

Simon Jagers, founder of Semiotic Labs, says: “IHC has been on our list of dream partnerships for a long time. The company has a clear digital transformation vision and is the leader in its industry. Together we share the conviction that innovative solutions must primarily have a practical application.

“Our collaboration allows us to benefit from IHC’s domain knowledge and helps us to focus on developing tools that provide value in day-to-day operations. We certainly hope to return the favour by adding our data science and software development skills to the mix.”