The Power of Connectivity and Digitalization in Smart Factories
In the quest for a more sustainable future, the manufacturing industry has a pivotal role to play. As energy consumption in factories continues to grow, managers are faced with the challenge of achieving ambitious energy-efficiency goals while maintaining productivity and competitiveness. The key to unlocking this challenge lies in accessing new data streams and insights from the factory floor, empowered by the remarkable advancements in sensor networks and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies.
The success of a factory’s energy-efficiency efforts depends on understanding where energy is being wasted and identifying opportunities for productivity gains. Lack of real-time measurements, however, has historically hindered the ability to accurately pinpoint these efficiency opportunities. Fortunately, the rapid progress in factory connectivity and digitalization is addressing this challenge by capturing real-time data at the asset level, providing unprecedented visibility into factory performance.
As outlined by Aurelien Le Sant, CTO and SVP of Innovation & Technology at Schneider Electric, a digital factory relies on data and consists of three key facets: connectivity, advanced automation, and sensorization of the factory floor. By leveraging data and sensor insights, decision-making is informed, and automation and robotics are deployed to streamline operations. This results in actionable insights that optimize operations and help reduce energy consumption and waste.
Unlocking the Power of Sensor Fusion and Edge Intelligence
To achieve this digital transformation, manufacturers require enhanced connectivity to access and analyze data across the factory floor, enabling them to unlock capacity and reduce energy consumption. The ability to transport, analyze, and merge this data with existing information streams is paramount. This is effectively the first element of digitization: adding real-time and non-real-time connectivity to access operational insights.
Unfortunately, legacy fieldbus technology in factory networks has historically hindered bandwidth, time sensitivity, and wireless device support. Upgrading to a unified factory network with seamless device connectivity and direct IP addressability enables near real-time communication, independent node configuration, and scalable sharing of operational insights. This enhanced wired and wireless connectivity, with increased security and ease of deployment, allows companies to leverage the wealth of data generated in factory devices for potential productivity and energy-efficiency gains.
At the core of this digital transformation is the Intelligent Edge, which plays a crucial role in generating new data from assets. By deploying advanced sensors on existing assets, valuable information is obtained for maintenance schedules, workflow routing, and more. Smarter, smaller, and more sophisticated sensors are revolutionizing industrial automation, enabling real-time identification of potential issues like product defects or asset health deterioration.
Complementing sensors with increased edge intelligence enables faster, more energy-efficient localized decision-making, helping unlock new levels of operational efficiency. Sensor fusion and Intelligent Edge AI algorithms further enhance performance monitoring and optimization, while helping detect deviations from the norm.
Optimizing Energy Efficiency through Flexible and Precise Factory Controls
The advancements in connectivity, automation, and sensorization are not only driving operational efficiency but also enabling significant energy savings in factories. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are the central control systems in modern factories, and I/O cards are the workhorse, controlling everything from motors and limit switches to pumps and level meters. New software-configurable universal I/O solutions provide flexibility to easily change factory setups, improving adaptability and enabling faster commissioning and reconfiguration.
This agile manufacturing is achieved through nimble control systems and advanced robotic systems that adapt to worker positioning in real-time. Mobile robots with innovative vision sensing technology and sophisticated algorithms enable efficient worker-human collaboration, ensuring continuous robot functioning and enhancing the safety of the workspace.
Furthermore, pairing an industrial motor with a variable speed drive enables accurate torque, velocity, and position control, as outlined in a previous Signals Sustainability Series article. This precise equipment control can lead to improved operation, increased output, reduced energy consumption, and minimized waste.
The Importance of Ecosystem Collaboration
The success of connected, digitized factories hinges on manufacturers forming strong bonds with ecosystem players who deliver advanced technologies that produce trusted, reliable data from the Intelligent Edge. The Global Lighthouse Network (GLN), a World Economic Forum initiative in collaboration with McKinsey, is a prime example of this collaboration, comprising leading manufacturers who are committed to adopting digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies in their factories to achieve both operational excellence and more sustainable practices.
Through a combination of developing the skills of their workforces, sharpening their strategy, and ensuring focus on scalable execution, the GLN members have achieved impressive results, including hundreds of thousands of factories in operation today with the potential to be optimized by digitizing through the power of Connect, Control, and Interpret.
Embracing the Future of Sustainable Manufacturing
The journey towards a more sustainable future for the manufacturing industry is undoubtedly a complex and multifaceted challenge. However, the convergence of sensor networks, IIoT, and Edge Intelligence is unlocking unprecedented opportunities to drive energy efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance productivity in factories worldwide.
By leveraging real-time data, advanced automation, and flexible control systems, manufacturers can optimize their energy consumption, extend asset lifetimes, and minimize raw material usage – all while maintaining or even improving their overall operational performance. Ultimately, the success of this transformation hinges on the collaborative efforts of manufacturers, technology providers, and industry partners, working together to shape a more sustainable and prosperous future for the manufacturing sector.