October 2019

32 n SMART FACTORIES October 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com How smart are you, really? S peak with most senior managers or leaders in industrial businesses about what the future looks like for their companies, and you’ll inevitably hear many of the same things being discussed. Most businesses are familiar with digitalisation, the rise of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), and the need for adaptable processes to confront unpredictable market conditions. Most speak in vague terms about adopting automation or smart technologies to reduce process inefficiencies, bolster productivity or gain better insight into their plant operations. Unfortunately, digging beyond this level of understanding is where a lot of uncertainty surrounding the benefits and true value of industrial connectivity becomes apparent. Although we are now several years into the Industry 4.0 boom of smart systems and digitalisation of industrial processes, much of the conversation is dominated by brands selling the latest“smart”machines and systems. Many conflate achieving the benefits they seek with investing in a new piece of hardware or automation software. This narrative – of making more data available from industrial equipment by investing in more sensors or new smart equipment – is not inherently bad, or even wrong. It’s been a vital first step in helping more industrial businesses to connect systems and develop intelligent networks that provide valuable insight into previously obscured operational data. It’s particularly impressive that engineering businesses – which, over time, have developed a reputation for being risk-averse – have made the strides they have in digitalisation. The problem is that these strides have created a situation where many plants have a piecemeal set-up of automation systems and devices. This presents issues in terms of connectivity and interoperability. The accountancy giant PwC noted one such barrier to digitalisation in its Industrial Manufacturing Trends 2019 report:“Technology in most [industrial manufacturing] organisations is fragmented, and the sheer complexity of connecting machines from different vendors on a shop floor, where numerous information technology and operational technology systems may be in use, is a headache that many companies would prefer to avoid.” This compatibility headache splits the industrial sector into two types of businesses. Firstly, there are those who push on with innovation and attempt to resolve the piecemeal problem by investing in unifying communications systems or new equipment. Secondly, there are those which become reluctant to invest further until these digital technologies prove their value. If business leaders are to achieve what they want from connected systems and smarter factories – that is, greater efficiency and productivity for operational flexibility and a buffer against unsteady markets – then we must change the conversation. We should look at efficiency at the data level to really derive value from these smart systems, rather than looking towards newmachinery and equipment with more sensors. Once an industrial business has its most important processes andmachinery connected to control or monitoring systems to aggregate and analyse performance data, the next step is to improve the speed at which this data is accessible and usable. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean getting a new system to analyse data. Instead, it means looking at the network on a communication level, to ensure the fastest andmost efficient industrial communication protocols are being used. For example, a high-performance industrial Ethernet technology, such as EtherCat, can process more than 1,000 I/O points in as little as 30 microseconds, eliminating send/receive delays in industrial networks. What this means is that industrial businesses can ensure their systems are communicating in a efficiently, underpinning every other aspect of modern industrial automation systems. If digitalisation is all about getting real-time insight into complex industrial processes that were previously difficult to monitor, high- speed industrial networks can ensure that real- time data is as instantaneous as possible. With this level of rapid data transmission, it becomes far easier for businesses to optimise operations and adapt — and therefore realise the true potential of the smart revolution. n Efficiency at the data level can be a key to achieving smarter manufacturing Are industrial leaders and plant managers focussing on the right areas of the smart revolution? Stephen Hayes, managing director of Beckhoff UK, explains why you might be looking at smart manufacturing in the wrong way.