Feature Communications & Networking Bronze skies and Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 is a new concept which has been gaining significant momentum in Germany and also across Europe. GAMBICA’s deputy director and convener of the organisation’s Variable Speed Drives group, Steve Brambley, explains how it applies to the automation industry
little known fact about the ancient Greeks is that they didn’t have a word for the colour blue. Because of this, the poet Homer described the sky as bronze in his writings. This is typical of the way language develops - the name we give something is coined after the thing itself comes into existence or is observed. However, Industry 4.0 didn’t follow the normal etymological route - the phrase was introduced at the Hanover Fair in 2011 to describe a new trend towards the networking of tradi- tional industries such as manufacturing. Following this initial launch, the final report on the subject was pub- lished at the same event in 2013, prompting acres of media coverage. Industry 4.0 is closely related to other industry concepts such as Machine-to- Machine communication (M2M), the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-phys- ical Systems (CPS). Alongside the German government, Siemens had a key role in developing and promoting the concept. Industry 4.0 is expected to play a significant part in the future strategy of Siemens and other industry majors. The name Industry 4.0 recognises the existence of three previous industrial revolutions. The first was the mechani- sation of manufacturing using steam power; the second was the introduction of electric power and the third was the IT revolution, particularly the use of computers in automating production.
A The next chapter
Industry 4.0 is the next paradigm shift towards self organising factories, decen- tralised production and machines able to communicate with each other and with the products and components they are making. The direct consequence is that production lines will become more flexible and energy efficient. The era of mass production is giving way to an era of mass customisation.
Automation products such as PLCs and variable speed drives (VSDs) answer the need for flexibility and energy efficiency, which Industry 4.0 embraces. By using intelligent control methods and taking input from sensors, other machines and systems, real time decisions can be taken automatically to optimise the process. Adapting the motor speed to meet the real time
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requirements with a VSD can often save 30% or more of the amount of energy used by industrial electric motors, thus reducing costs and maximising ROI.
Benefits
Industry 4.0 is critically dependent on the disciplines of automation, sensing and networking. In the future, the rich- ness of data available from the manufac- turing process and the highly distributed nature of machine intelligence, will allow customised products to be made profitably, with consistent quality and previously unattainable process and energy efficiency.
An Industry 4.0 smart factory would also reduce the risk of human errors.
Above: Steve Brambley, GAMBICA’s deputy director and convener of the organisation’s Variable Speed Drives group
government has already made approxi- mately €200m available to help industry associations, research institutes and companies develop implementation strategies. Coordinated efforts and research projects such as the RES-COM project or the Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe (OWL) cluster, have already been launched. This is in line with Germany’s posi- tion as a world leader in automation and manufacturing, and as a tradition- ally enthusiastic investor in industry. Given Germany’s track record in automation over the last 30 years, there is a good chance the country will be successful in adopting these emerg- ing technologies and delivering essen- tial changes to manufacturing norms. The question is which other countries will be with them?
Unlike in ancient Greece, where the colour blue, despite being present in nature, wasn’t given a name until late in the civilisation’s history, the label Industry 4.0 was created by a market- ing team to help a series of emerging technologies coalesce into a com- pelling vision of the future.
The human element in manufacturing would remain essential, but will tend to focus on the programming and ser- vicing of machines.
Energy efficiency is already a priority for manufacturers. Motor driven sys- tems currently use up to 60% of all elec- trical energy in industry. Using variable speed drives to match the speed of elec- tric motors to load requirements has had extremely positive results in many dif- ferent manufacturing sectors. Another core benefit of Industry 4.0 comes from using industrial wireless networks in smart factories. Wireless technology allows monitoring and control equipment to be installed easily and cheaply by minimising the need for cabling and associated cable supporting structures.
The future
Some countries are currently more active than others in pursuing the con- cept of Industry 4.0. The German federal
Above: Industry 4.0 was a phrase introduced at the Hanover Fair in 2011 to describe a new trend towards the networking of
traditional industries such as manufacturing
Right: Industry 4.0 is the next paradigm shift towards self organising factories,
decentralised production and machines able to communicate with each other and with the products and components they are making
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 Automation
Industry 4.0 is an opportunity for the UK to apply its many skills and technologies and gradually become one of the first states to eliminate low cost labour as a pre-requisite of a suc- cessful manufacturing economy. If the UK thinks strategically and co- ordinates action between government and industry while it still stands level with other countries on the starting line, Industry 4.0 could be the reason why the UK is ultimately successful in redefining itself as a manufacturing driven economy.
GAMBICA
www.gambica.org.uk T: 0207 642 8080
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