Page 29 - Industrial Technology March 2020 issue

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

Through Industry 4.0

SMART FACTORIES

PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS ACROSS THE UK HAVE LONG BEEN A SOURCE OF DEBATE. HOWEVER, THE
ROUTE TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS
AND BUSINESS LEADERS NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS TO ENSURE THEIR OPERATIONS DO NOT SUFFER.
MARTIN WALDER, VICE PRESIDENT FOR INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION AT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, EXPLAINS

ompeting in this ever globalised world is difficult.
For manufacturers to improve productivity, they
need to take into account the benefits of
Ccreativity and innovation. This means that
something needs to change. We need a more efficient
production line, we need higher quality products and
ultimately, we need to ensure there is less wastage. By
placing an increased emphasis on performance, the
industrial world should see the technologies of Industry
4.0, including the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),
robotics and automation as great opportunities for their
success.
Industry 4.0 and digital transformation need to
become more than just buzzwords, as organisations need
to learn the importance of staying ahead for their Industry
4.0 journey. This is essential to ensure they do not lag
behind their competitors. The option of fully digitising a
business offers great potential for manufacturers.
Communicating seamlessly between devices, control
systems and cloud data systems ensures that the most
timely decisions can be made by the best people wherever
they may reside. The combination of this and the use of
analytics can help manufacturers optimise their
production process significantly as they will have the
chance of producing products faster and to a better
quality, whilst also creating less waste.
When making the decision to purchase a new piece of
equipment, its connectivity should always be taken into
account. By making this decision at the start,
manufacturers will be able to reap the long-term benefits experience is much greater - start thinking about the wider Moving forward, the Industry needs to consider the
from inception. The ultimate goal of becoming a smarter, more connected Industry 4.0 factory. advantages of automation through the use of automaton
more digitised factory lies in manufacturers taking every The Food and Beverage industry can benefit greatly and robotics, machine-learning and artificial intelligence.
opportunity to embrace smarter, more connected from IIoT and this has become evident in recent years. As it stands, there are only 71 robots in the UK per every
technologies now. With the right inputs and control, the cleaning processes 10,000 manufacturing employees, compared to over 300
For example, connected sensors are helping in the Food and Beverage industry can become in Germany. Robots can really help to enhance
businesses significantly on their journey through Industry automated. This will free up workers to focus on higher- productivity. With the ability to work 24-hours a day and
4.0. This is particularly prevalent when it comes to the value tasks that need more time and attention. Ultimately, produce a consistent output of produce – it really is a no
production process. Here, connected sensors are able to allowing productivity and efficiency to increase. brainer. This, alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and
identify trends and issue various alerts prior to their Additionally, IIoT also makes more effective, online machine learning (ML), will allow operational changes to
failure. This will elongate the lifespan of equipment as it condition-based maintenance possible. Cloud based be made at a much quicker rate.
enables real-time maintenance, reducing the costly effect systems can be looking at the overall performance of every The journey to Industry 4.0 is by no means complete.
of wear-and-tear on key assets. machine cycle and analytics can be running in the There is still a lot more that manufacturers need to adopt
There are a variety of examples where IIoT background to see if performance is deteriorating. This will to achieve better results for their business. A vital way of
technologies are providing extensive benefits for allow focus on when it would be the best time to schedule improving productivity and profitability is to consistently
businesses. One area where IIoT technology should be remedial work at a time that least affects production. In a optimise processes with more connected and smarter
more widely used is in brown field sites. Businesses factory, equipment uptime is crucial to productivity. If technologies. Only time will tell as to whether businesses
should start making use of this technology now and then machines break down, products cannot be produced and will adopt the new technology that comes their way.
later when the penetration of the technology and the output slumps. MORE INFORMATION: www.schneider-electric.co.uk

March 2020 •INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY 29