July/August 2020

www.drivesncontrols.com July/August 2020 31 TALKING INDUSTRY n Anthony (Tony) Pickering President Control Techniques Withmore than 25 years’experience working at a senior level for big-name players in including Schneider, Danfoss and Lenze, Tony is proud of being a true drives specialist. Now, as president of Control Techniques – part of Nidec – he is responsible for growing one of the industry’s best-known brands. Andrew Jones End-Use Sales Manager HP 3D Multi Jet Fusion Andrew has been working in additive manufacturing for more than ten years, and has experience of most polymer technologies, as well as metal printing. He believes that additive manufacturing can transform how we design, purchase and use everyday things. Nikesh Mistry Sector Head of Industrial Automation Gambica While relatively new to the trade association world, Nikesh has an understanding of both the technical and commercial areas of manufacturing and automation. He believes that, with the right mindset and use of innovation, the UK will excel at the fourth industrial revolution. Job Euwes Commercial Manager Ixon Netherlands-based Job started the international core sales team which is now responsible for almost 70% of Ixon’s sales. His vision is that the world can – and will – be connected and that innovation in industrial IoT should be kept simple and small. Sean Robinson Manager, Software Solutions Novotek UK and Ireland With nearly three decades’ experience in the automation and controls sector, Sean has delivered projects in North America and Europe, specialising in manufacturing execution systems. Andy Pye Webinar Chair and Consulting Editor DFA Media Andy has edited many leading UK design and manufacturing titles over the past four decades. He is a material engineer and spent five years in engineering consultancy before entering technical publishing in 1980. machines manage their ownmaintenance. Jones explains the concept of “3D as a service”, using a similar model to domestic printers.“The machine relays that it needs powder, agents, or a new printhead, and the items are delivered automatically from the local warehouse,”he reported.“There's no stock ordering required as the machine will do that itself. It's another way to take the human element out of the loop on the shop floor.” Near Field Communication Control Techniques is both a producer and consumer of automation products.“We have just invested nearly £20m in surface-mount technology machines,”Pickering revealed.“These machines have capabilities like the Lamborghini of the motor car industry – so fast, so efficient. But we haven't really wrapped a massive data collection programme around them. Although going forward, predictive maintenance is a requirement.” From the viewpoint of trying to sell automation products, Pickering feels that although the variable-speed drives all have devices on to enable predictive maintenance to be carried out, the customer doesn’t actually want to pay extra for it! CT is introducing NFC (near-field communications) for its drives. Using an app running on a smartphone, it will be possible simply to touch the drive, read the motor profile and upload and download data and program revisions.“NFC costs fractions of pennies to apply, but it allows you to program the product with the smallest device,”Pickering adds, who views Bluetooth as a bit of a gimmick in the industrial sector. “Everybody's got Bluetooth on a lot of devices now – and on a lot of equipment that we manufacture – but you're paying for something that you're not using. NFC is ideal for those who do not want to read the manual of a drive which may have as many as 3,000 parameters to set, and we think it is a game-changer.” Domestic trust, industrial mistrust The panel reflected on the paradox of why many business executives find it easier to accept advanced technologies in their domestic lives than they do at work. “People need to realise that they already trust artificial intelligence in their daily lives,”Robinson – originally from Canada – pointed out.“We are simply asking them to do the same in their factories. I have sat in a factory and heard somebody say: How can I trust this algorithm to make a good decision about what to do on this process? “I responded by saying, turn off your anti-lock brakes before you drive home in a cold, snowy, Northern Ontario Canadian winter!”‘Why would I do that?,’replied the customer.“Well, if you don't trust an algorithm to take thousands of sensor readings, apply some intelligence and thenmake a physical decision that affects your life, turn off your anti-lock brakes!” Job Euwers expressed similar sentiments:“I was with a customer and he said, ‘I don't want to use your cloud. I want everything to be stored on premise.’At the same time, he had to transfer some money – he took his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, used his bank app, and sent the money!” “I would say that consumer technology is far ahead of what we actually see on the production floor,”Euwers adds.“These new technologies are already there. Understanding what is the added value for customers is missing today – many factory owners, managers or operators don't want to mess with different IT systems and software packages; they just want to have an overview of whether or not their process are operational. To combine all of that you not only need data and some smart algorithms, but you need to collaborate. We need to communicate with each other.” n The Panel You can view the complete Talking Industry discussion at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShIOubeJdwA Talking Industry

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