Finding a Reliable Partner

to Start Manufacturing

The only problem was that the

vehicles were not adapted to

French forests. The company

based in Novalaise in the Savoy

region of France therefore had to

adapt them as much as possible

to meet the needs of each

customer. Their customizations

were not always supported by

the manufacturers, however.

Consequently, François Lacroix

decided two years ago to embark

on a venture to manufacture his

own machines. This ambitious

project meant that the company of

ten needed to engage a technical

expert in the field of hydraulics and

electronics—enter RGDH, based in

Melun in the French department of

Seine-et-Marne.

Tackling Electro-Hydraulic

Challenges to Design

Custom Solutions

RGDH is a specialist in embedded

hydraulic and electronic solutions,

and in the integration of IoT

systems. The company has also

been a partner of the global

specialist in motion and control,

Parker Hannifin, for over thirty

years. All of which could not fail to

support Foretmat in producing

and assembling its own machines,

as demonstrated by the cable

skidder example.

The production floor at Foretmat

comprises machining tools as well

as welding and assembly

machinery. Each element was

designed by the head of the

company himself, François Lacroix,

but he needed a partner to help

him select, adjust and finish the

components.

“Our mission is to find solutions

that are customized and adapted

to each requirement,” explains

Philippe Novier, Director at RGDH.

Parker components are already

very prevalent in the forestry

industry, particularly in Sweden and

Canada, and demonstrate

excellent maneuverability just like in

the woodworking professions,

where it is important to perform

simultaneous movements that are

independent of one another. In other

words, Parker components provide

excellent load distribution.”

The systems also impressed

François Lacroix, who recalls

working with RGDH “since 2013,

back when we were doing

machine conversions, then again

when we started to make our

own machines.”

A Controller That Responds

to the Most Stringent Safety

Demands

Another problem for Foretmat was

the electronics. In the forestry

sector, as in many industrial

sectors, safety and control are just

as important as the level of

performance. Tested to the limit,

Parker electronic components are

responsible for controlling the

hydrostatic transmission, the crane

and winch distributors, the

high-precision output controller

and the FS controller (equipped

with safety function), which enables

the components to meet the

requirements of the ISO 13849

standard in relation to machine

safety.

This is why RGDH guided Foretmat

towards IQAN and Parker Mobile

IoT system solution by Parker.

The solution is easy to install in

comparison to other IoT solutions

on the market. In addition to its

efficiency and high precision, it

meets higher levels of safety

and performance than standard

controllers.

Toward an IoT Solution That’s

Quick and Easy to Implement

IoT, short for “internet of things”

(or industrial objects in this case),

is a major technological

advancement. The challenge is

based on achieving quick and easy

integration. The goal is to make the

system user-friendly for both the

manufacturer and its customers

who use it. 

This is why RGDH

decided to rely on a turnkey

solution that also enables the

Savoyard company to implement

an IoT solution on a mobile machine

without having to deal with any

other players on the project.

Two-Way Communication

The IQAN system by Parker, which

has been in operation on Foretmat’s

forestry machine since last spring,

is equipped controllers that are

quick and easy to program. During

development, the application

code can be simulated with IQAN

software tools.

“The aim is to respond to the

demands of a mobile machine by

connecting the sensors to the

CAN bus in order to gather all the

information coming from the engine,

from its speed and oil level to its

temperature over time…,” Grégory

Cormier, Project Engineer at Parker

Hannifin and Head of Electronic

Applications, points out.

All the information is then collected

by IoT system. This enables the

machine’s monitoring and projected

maintenance to be expanded upon,

simulated and improved. 

Afterward, the data is gathered together and

sent to the cloud. This simple

feedback system enables alerts

to be sent via SMS. Above all, it

enables machine functionality to

be adjusted remotely to carry out

maintenance on machines that

are often situated in hard-to-reach

places, for example.

Precise Monitoring of

Machine Status

Moreover, IQANrun is a readyto-

use service tool, which can

be used to view settings and

diagnostic information. A data

sampling function brings together,

for example, the pressure peaks

and numerous statistics on the

functional state of the machine.

“The distinctive feature of forestry

machines lies in the investment they

represent for their users,” François

Lacroix adds. The owners expect

a lot from their vehicles, their return

on investment and their reliability.

This is why the IoT solution by

Parker Hannifin offers the

advantage of being able to

monitor your machine at any time

from wherever you are, to gather

all your information on the Parker

cloud, to locate your vehicle on

the map, and to know its exact

movements.”

Parker and RGDH, a

Longstanding Partnership

That’s Ideal for Getting

Starting With IoT

The partnership between these

two parties is well established.

The French subsidiary of Parker

Hannifin approached RGDH as early

as 1994 on account of its expertise

in integrating hydraulic and electronic

solutions in embedded applications.

The well-rounded partnership is

based on two very different types

of business. On the one hand, a

global corporation that never stops

innovating, and on the other, a

responsive SMB that is close to

its clients and gifted with technical

expertise. This expertise allows it

to quickly respond to each client’s

issues and to provide a tailor-made

service. This is especially the case

when it comes to the internet of

things (IoT), an area in which Parker

continues to go from strength

to strength.