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business without mobile phones or the internet? I don’t think that’s even a possibility these days. We embraced that technology because of its benefits and efficiency. Well, Industry 4.0 is very much the same. Once you understand the power and freedom it offers, you’ll not look back. Digital assessment RW: What helpful or harmful elements are found in businesses that can influence the IIoT decision? NP: The most helpful is having senior leaders who understand the needs driving the change. It’s also beneficial when there’s a local champion who understands the technical requirements. RW: How does one undertake the digital assessment phase of the roadmap? NP: It’s important to assess your internal needs versus your capabilities. If the overall task is going to be intensive, then it will be worthwhile having an experienced automation engineer on staff. If you want to start small, then you can outsource the work. Incrementally build on your positive experiences Finding key enablers RW: What low hanging fruit (quick wins) can be found in an industry 4.0 implementation? NP: Quick wins can be found in integrating a stand-alone machine that has always performed well. Without interrupting the machine’s process, values can be extracted to an edge device and immediately viewed on a local computer. By visualising data, such as throughput, downtime or energy consumed, you can quickly learn more about the machine. With this added knowledge, you can choose to optimise the machine, or use the knowledge to fine-tune other machines while continuing to capture data revealing what you’re doing well and what can be improved. RW: What are the typical challenges companies experience during their industry 4.0 journey? NP: The two greatest challenges are an unknown budget and guru jargon. Senior management needs to know the implementation cost and the anticipated ROI without all the unnecessary tech talk. RW: How can a company minimise the risks? NP: Start small and focus on a particular task and outcomes. When you’ve seen what’s possible, you can add more components and functionality to the project. If you expect too much from the start, it can quickly become overwhelming. Start deployment RW: How does Beckhoff approach the deployment process with your customers? NP: We ask multiple questions, starting with, ‘What are you trying to achieve and by when?’ With these two questions, we can learn much about the wants and needs of a business. Some can be simple and others very complex but, regardless of the size of a project, it’s always better to stagger it, picking up the small wins along the way. RW: It sounds like you advocate a slow start with IIoT projects. NP: In an established business, it’s better to start small, and believe me, it always grows from there. In a greenfield installation, holistic planning is really important, while choosing the right vendors is critical. For example, Beckhoff offers a complete set of industry 4.0 hardware and software for the universal control of machines. With the comprehensive integration of IIoT and analysis, Beckhoff opens new opportunities to companies to increases their competitiveness, efficiency and safety, while being able to reduce downtime from errors and other preventable maintenance issues. The real benefits to the factory owner are measured in time and dollars. Make a start It’s clear that embracing automation doesn’t need to be a costly, all-or- nothing dive into the deep end. There are many ways to put a toe in the water and explore the possibilities alongside experienced automation partners such as Open IIOT. Whether you understand the jargon and technicalities or know absolutely nothing about the world of industry 4.0, your focus should be on what you want to achieve, not on understanding the technological processes that can help you achieve it. So, take a step back, and consider the journey we’ve outlined as you explore the future possibilities. In its simplest form, it’s a case of answering four questions that will guide you along the industry 4.0 roadmap. 1. Needs (what do we want?) 2. Infrastructure (what have we got?) 3. Opportunity (what can we do?) 4. Engagement (how can we do it?) There are experts to support you every step of the way, including those at openiiot.com. INDUSTRY 4.0 IIOT NOV, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 95