5 important factors affecting industrial automation technology.

5 important factors affecting industrial automation technology.

“From a technology standpoint, the most visible change today is the amount of data that can be processed and communicated between sensors with fast speed.”

Despite the undeniable need for digitalisation, the industry is still digitising on a gradual basis. This is because innovation is “based on an immediate need or customer demand”. Manufacturers need to examine the entire value chain and look for opportunities where data can be used to drive improvements, which means data being streamed from a multitude of sensors and using data analytics and machine learning to make predictions and suggest remedial actions.

Owners are more and more sensitive to overall operational expenses as well as increasing interest in some product-as-a-service (PaaS) models. This means that technology suppliers are no longer just looking at the initial cost of implementing a solution, but the total cost of ownership their customers will face. The total cost of ownership shall be able to provide more function, more convenience, more uptime, and more throughput—all at the same cost.

Finally, industrial customers require reliability and understand that downtime, maintenance, and production processes are critical. That’s why the designers of automation equipment have to think about reliability as job one—on top of all the other values they're providing.

We are now in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), also referred to as Industry 4.0. Characterized by increasing automation and the employment of smart machines and smart factories, informed data helps to produce goods more efficiently and productively across the value chain. Flexibility is improved so that manufacturers can better meet customer demands using mass customization—ultimately seeking to achieve efficiency with, in many cases, a lot size of one. By collecting more data from the factory floor and combining that with other enterprise operational data, a smart factory can achieve information transparency and better decisions.

“Industry 4.0 is more than just a flashy catchphrase. A confluence of trends and technologies promises to reshape the way things are made.” - Cornelius Baur and Dominik Wee, McKinsey & Company

1. Internet of Things (IoT) Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a key component of smart factories. With growing demand, field sensors are becoming less expensive and more powerful. In parallel, data transmission methods are getting faster with more options (5G, Ethernet, wireless, Bluetooth) while package sizes keep shrinking. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and similar products will become omnipresent, increasing flexibility in shop-floor equipment configuration. 

The boundaries between sensors and controllers are blurring. This mechanization and connectivity make it possible for large amounts of valuable data to be collected, analysed and exchanged. As field devices gain greater computing power, decision-making will move closer to the field sensor. Industry observers anticipate the old five-layer automation hierarchy condensing to three levels.

2. Open Architecture

For long proprietary hardware and software left manufacturers either locking into a single vendor or contending with islands of automation. Today, there’s a clear trend toward open architecture. Removing communication barriers will simplify integration while stimulating more innovation. The widespread use of open protocols across heterogeneous equipment makes it feasible to optimize horizontally across previously disjointed processes. In addition, owners/operators of assets can more easily link the shop-floor to the top-floor. Connections across multiple layers of the ISA-95/Purdue Model stack provide greater vertical visibility and added the ability to optimize processes. It’s increasingly possible to run applications or software from one manufacturer on hardware from another.

3. Convergence Between Business and Manufacturing Data

With the growth of cloud products and data-intensive computation, models have pushed tighter integration between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). More tools for data visualization, and growth of cloud-based and local “historian” products — all enabling deeper insights into manufacturing performance, helping to pinpoint the causes of loss or waste and identify improvement actions.

4. Cost of Ownership

Even when technologies have made it to market, the cost of implementation will remain a factor, as the new technology will need to present a suitably robust use case to warrant upgrading from the existing tech. Another challenge will be upgrading the legacy automation system to adopt new technology with minimum changes to keep the cost of ownership lower.

Manufacturers shall look at Cloud-based products which have pushed owners towards product-as-a-service (PaaS) to drive change and empower their manufacturing operation can discover benefits such as:

1) Lower Cost 

With PaaS, upfront and installation costs are reduced compared to full on-premise deployments.

2) Scalability

PaaS is very adaptable to a company’s individual needs. A company may wish to start with a partial implementation or a targeted deployment that focuses on specific pain points and then grow as the system begins to deliver results.

3) Compatibility and Accessibility

One very appealing aspect of PaaS is that upgrades can be deployed in real-time.  This greatly enhances security over an on-premise solution as security patches are quickly and effortlessly deployed.

4) Speed, Flexibility, and Accessibility

With a PaaS platform, there is no need to install the software. PaaS is also accessible from web terminals in any location using phones, tablets, and laptops so that visualization of the shop floor can be accessed from any location allowing key staff and managers access from almost any location.

5. Importance of Cyber Security

Manufacturing companies have not always considered the importance of cybersecurity or cyber-physical systems. However, the same connectivity of operational equipment in the factory or field (OT) that enables more efficient manufacturing processes also exposes new entry paths for malicious attacks and malware. When undergoing a digital transformation to Industry 4.0, it is essential to consider a cybersecurity approach that encompasses IT and OT equipment. Appropriate protective measures are imperative, especially for critical infrastructure facilities. The dangers can begin from the web, corporate systems, programming overhauls, unapproved access, and so forth with the possibility to bring about occurrences with significant well-being, security, or ecological outcomes. An approach that covers all levels simultaneously (from the operational to the field level) is essential for comprehensively protecting industrial facilities against internal and external cyberattacks.

Impacts on Industrial Automation Companies

The companies that deliver industrial automation face a challenging future. While core skills such as programming, design, and control integration will remain essential, they will need supplementing with additional capabilities.

A deep understanding of various manufacturing environments will be central to helping clients understand what the latest technologies can do for them. They'll need to know the details of sensor technologies — how they work and how to use them to gather the most relevant data. They'll also need the networking and wireless communications skills to pull this all together in a way that gives their clients the best possible ROI.

How Industry Will Benefit – steps for digitalisation of manufacturing

• Evaluate your current maturity.

• Identify key use cases.

• Determine which technologies are most relevant

• Modernize your legacy systems.

• Educate and train your workforce.

#Automation        #SmartFactory    #CyberSecurity   #Industry4.0         #DataScience      #IoT       #TOC