What is behind the DTOS partnership?
Bansidhar: DTOS stands for 'Design To Order Services'. This includes two concepts that offer the user flexibility and planning security. On the one hand, customer-specific adaptations of the system and, on the other, customized service as required.

Individual system adaptations include housing and electronic modifications, lettering, logo placement, interfaces and the implementation of system and software settings requested by the customer. Furthermore, required services such as setting up special test environments, handling certifications or the long-term availability of components and systems can also be covered.

How did the collaboration come about?
Bansidhar: Inonet has been a certified channel partner since 2001 and has been an Advantech DTOS partner since this year. Both companies contribute their core competencies to the long-term cooperation. As the global market leader for industrial PCs, Advantech has a broad product portfolio and a high level of innovation. Inonet, on the other hand, has a development department with technical expertise, fast access to prototypes and a production facility that supports both flexibility and high capacities.

Users benefit from this symbiosis of a broad standard product range and conceptual customization. This means that specific systems can be manufactured more quickly and cost-effectively, even in small quantities.

Doris Krücker: "The specific solutions always focus on the task at hand."

© Inonet

How does DTOS differ from Advantech's standard configurator?
Bansidhar: Advantech offers the configuration and assembly of industrial PCs based on standard components - for example CPU, memory, storage capacity, operating system or burn-in tests - as a standardized process under the name BTOS 'Build To Order Services' in the online configurator eStore. The configured systems are then assembled and tested at Advantech's European Service Center in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Krücker: "DTOS starts where the Advantech configurator ends. For example, a user needs a system with a total storage capacity of 20 TByte, but the heat emitted by the hard disks cannot be regulated by standardized cooling systems. In this case, the development of a new cooling system is a 'Design To Order Service'.
In addition to technological feasibility, service is becoming increasingly important. For example, the availability of systems and spare parts far beyond product cycles is an increasingly important factor. Industries such as rail and air transportation often require systems with life cycles of up to 20 years. An availability of IT components of usually a maximum of seven years does not meet such requirements by far. Here too, the implementation of the individual service offer in the logistics sector supports the user's DTOS requirements.

How do you achieve this?
Krücker: When electronic components and assemblies are stored over a longer period of time and under normal conditions, around 70 to 80 % of them already undergo ageing processes in the form of considerable material changes in the first two years. Corrosion, oxidation and diffusion are common phenomena that can be avoided by constantly monitoring the air pressure, humidity and temperature in the warehouse.

In addition to storing very new components that have not yet been exposed to any ageing process, special preservation ensures that the electronic assemblies remain functional for decades to come. Gassing with nitrogen or comparable gas mixtures prevents the material ageing process. In addition, a functional check prior to storage guarantees that only flawless components are stored.

Capacitors are very critical components that quickly lose their functionality during long-term storage. In addition to the special gas flushing, energization several times a year prevents insulation breakdown and burning of the aluminium layer, which can occur during commissioning after several years of storage. Regular energization supports the regeneration of the oxide layer and thus the operational readiness of the capacitors.

The aim of strategic obsolescence management is to identify failure and supply risks at an early stage, plan any action required and close any gaps in supply. By ensuring the long-term availability of electronic components with the required quality, discontinuations lose their explosive nature.

What is the Inonet Design Center all about?
Krücker: Customer-specific products require a precise recording of the requirements prior to development. With its own Design Center in Taufkirchen near Munich, Inonet offers a platform for intensive analysis. Thanks to our wealth of experience in the field of customer-specific developments and the pragmatic nature of the company, we are able to carry out developments with a high level of professionalism and short cycles - from additional interfaces, mechanical adaptations and special housing shapes through to completely new computer systems. We also implement all the necessary approvals there.