Dialog Enterprise, the corporate ICT solution arm of Sri Lankan service provider Dialog Axiata, in collaboration with the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka & Dialog University of Moratuwa Research Laboratory, has devised an IoT-led implementation to assist local rubber plantations with the drying of crepe rubber.
The solution enables continuous real-time – and remote – monitoring of temperature and humidity inside the drying chambers, ensuring that optimal conditions are maintained at all times.
Employing the latest Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution operates on a centralized monitoring and administration platform, with customizable dashboards for displaying the current status of environmental conditions. It also features graphical analysis with historical data and trend analytics for triggering instant alerts and notifications.
As Dr Susantha Siriwardena, Acting Director of the Rubber Research Institute, explains: “This helps us to identify operational deficiencies in the drying process and take proactive measures on time, rendering multiple benefits such as shortening the drying period, assuring the quality of the product being dried, reduction of firewood used, etc.”
Dr Siriwardena adds: “This IoT solution can be used as a very effective and low-cost tool to achieve higher drying efficiency in any hot air-drying system through online monitoring and supervision of the drying process – and is not just limited to rubber drying.”
Considered to be the purest form of rubber, crepe rubber is graded visually and is, therefore, produced under finely controlled conditions. To ensure that optimal conditions are maintained throughout for achieving high quality, the connected IoT sensors can be configured for specific actions in predetermined situations such as the switching on or off of an exhaust fan based on temperature and humidity readings. This also ensures eco-friendly pluses such as saving on firewood.
Not only does constant and continuous monitoring allow early detection and identification of anomalies in the rubber drying process but the availability of historical data for analysis helps in future planning of factory operations.
