Page 96 - Demo

INDUSTRY 4.0 IIOT FROM PAGE 93 This collaboration enables the sharing of insights into past problems and previous responses to them, thus enabling more precise, effective and profitable solutions for their clients’ projects. Industry experts from these member companies are keen to eliminate the jargon and tackle real-world automation concerns, and are making real progress in getting the IIoT message out to potential users across Australia. Retail World talked to SMC Corporation’s Digital Transformation Leader Jozef Ceh about the growing interest in industry 4.0 initiatives among Australian businesses, and what Open IIoT is doing to support them. He agreed there’s a certain amount of confusion as to what IIoT is all about, with many people not realising much of the technology being used in IIoT initiatives has been around for years. “We’ve had many of the technologies being used for a considerable time, but the challenge was in not having the infrastructure to use those technologies effectively,” Mr Ceh said. “Recently, the speed of wireless and internet data transfer reached the point where those technologies were immediately worthwhile in an IIoT environment. “In the past, we may have had servers based locally but, without cloud-based technology enabling the servers to connect with other locations, the benefits were limited and the opportunity wasn’t being realised. “Additionally, even when efforts were made to gather data, we didn’t have the artificial intelligence algorithms to comb through and interpret that data. Instead, there was somebody with a spreadsheet trying to go through and create graphs that could be analysed. “Today, we’re surrounded with all these capable technologies and we no longer have the roadblocks that, until recently, limited our ability to use them.” The IIoT roadmap As a member of the Open IIoT initiative, Mr Ceh wants to encourage would-be IIoT users to embrace the opportunities and has developed the following four- step roadmap to guide them through the journey of initial IIoT decision making. Step 1. What are your drivers for change? “You need to have a clear end goal,” Mr Ceh said. “Do you want to save on energy cost, are you looking for more flexibility, better functionality, or a higher throughput? Perhaps you’re chasing efficiency? Often the answer is a combination of these elements.” Step 2. Digital assessment “Assess your current equipment to see how scalable it is. What level of compatibility does it offer and what’s the true capability of your infrastructure? “We sometimes find clients who have a very powerful product not being used to capacity. Other times, we come across legacy equipment which can be swapped out on an easy retrofit or perhaps upgraded through additional sensor equipment. “You need to assess the ‘dumb’ and ‘smart’ parts of your factory and find the sweet spot. Your component supplier who should be able to give you advice on what to upgrade and what to replace.” Step 3. Find your key enablers “Work out how far you may go in future and which parts of your ecosystem need to be scalable to future-proof growth. “It may mean training of staff, acquiring new skills, investing in robotics or upgrading hardware and software. “The intention is to create a scalable platform that offers a flexibility ecosystem that can grow with your business automation requirements.” Step 4. Start deployment “Once you have done the homework you need to start somewhere, so speak to the experts and share the work you’ve done in the first three steps. “This is where Open IIOT will be really valuable. Our experts cover the major elements needed to develop a new smart factory, and we’ll help you take small steps and follow a process that aligns with the overall goals you identified in step one.” Retail World asked Nick Psahoulias, Managing Director of industry 4.0 specialist Beckhoff Automation, to share his thoughts and experiences relating to the various elements of the IIoT roadmap. Drivers for change RW: What are the main reasons leading companies to consider adopting industry 4.0 technology? NP: The main reason is to gain transparency and flexibility. This technology is enabled for greater interconnection between IoT devices, servers, machines, and cloud services. It allows the owner to choose how smart they want their processes to be – whether it’s simply to gain better analysis of internal workflows and bottlenecks, or to fully integrate multiple factories, with their suppliers and vendors. RW: How urgent is the need for companies to get on board with IIoT? NP: The urgency is dictated by the individual user’s needs. However, to be considered for future participation in tenders, partnerships and collaborations, some level of intelligent manufacturing and reporting would be required. To be clear, I believe the urgency grows with every passing week. RW: Are some companies adopting industry 4.0 technologies because their supply chain partners have done so? NP: Absolutely. Can you imagine doing 94 RETAIL WORLD NOV, 2020