Industry 4.0: unlocking the productivity puzzle
Author : Martin Walder, VP of Industry UK & Ireland at Schneider Electric
31 January 2018
To remain competitive with the world, UK industry must address its lacklustre productivity record. With many experienced workers leaving the industrial workforce, continued investment in training and skills can only go so far. In addressing productivity challenges, manufacturers of all kinds need to be more creative and open to innovation. Martin Walder, VP of Industry UK & Ireland at Schneider Electric continues...
In a factory setting, enhanced productivity means better output, higher-quality products and less waste. Yet achieving this is no easy task. With the 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.
New possibilities in the industrial arena
The IIoT has immense potential for manufacturers. Enabling data transfer between assets in the physical world and systems in the digital world is a foundational step. It greatly improves communication between devices, systems and personnel both inside and outside of the company, which speeds up processes and has a knock-on positive effect for productivity.
The IIoT breaks down silos and opens new avenues for collaboration. With previously untapped data and insight, personnel will be able to more quickly compare product quality against conditions, and pinpoint where efficiencies can be made. In short, the IIoT frees operations people and IT staff to increase their output, making the best of their specific expertise. For example, by automating the cleaning processes in the Food and Beverage industry, workers have extra time to focus on higher-value tasks.
The IIoT also makes more effective, condition-based maintenance possible. In a factory, equipment uptime is crucial to productivity. If machines break down products cannot be produced and output slumps.
Maintaining equipment at peak condition is essential for a consistent and reliable production line, but this is not guaranteed when companies take a purely reactive or preventative approach to maintenance. Scheduled maintenance can only fix issues that have already happened. Fixing a fault before it turns into a production-halting problem is left to chance.
IIoT-enabled predictive maintenance, however, monitors asset health in real-time. Connected sensors in the production process can identify trends and issue alerts prior to failure. Maintenance can then be performed to fix the problem before it can halt production. Real-time maintenance reduces the effects of wear-and-tear on key assets, improving lifespan and ensuring production stays operational. This is crucial in sectors such as the food and drink industry. Predictive maintenance prevents the damage of machinery impacting on the speed of production and delivery. Not only this, but it also ensures that no broken parts of machinery end up inside the food product, keeping quality to a maximum.
Martin Walder, VP of Industry UK & Ireland at Schneider Electric
Industry must also consider the advantages of automation through the use of robotics, machine-learning and artificial intelligence. If this seems an obvious point, it is not to many UK businesses. There are only 71 robots in the UK per every 10,000 manufacturing employees, compared to over 300 in Germany.
Robots deployed on the production work can work constantly, 24-hours a day and produce a quality-consistent output no human can match. The use of AI and machine learning solutions can make operational changes quickly and without the need for time-consuming programming. Humans will always have a place in UK factories thanks to their creative and decision-making capabilities. However, when a manufacturer combines human expertise with automated efficiency and repeatability, the work of three shifts can be done in one.
Limitless potential
Using the latest technologies to increase productivity and efficiency is no longer just an advantage, it is a must. Without incorporating Industry 4.0 into their operations, British industry will struggle to stem the country’s productivity problem. By optimising their processes with connected devices and automated processes, businesses can develop more responsive frameworks that grow both productivity and profitability. Investment now will translate into long-term success in today’s global, digitised arena.
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