INDUSTRY 4.0/IIoT AN AGILE APPROACH TO SAFETY


Paul Taylor, business development director for Industrial Services at TÜV SÜD, explains how the Maturity Index helps support companies in their implementation and integration of Industry 4.0, with a particular focus on machine safety


with most of the machines in factories being unconnected. These isolated systems mean that machinery safety can be comfortably assessed in a static environment, and current regulations are set- up to address this type of environment - where the variables can be easily understood, and control measures applied to minimise the known hazards. However, smart factories are based on modular architectures, with standardised interfaces and state-of-the-art information technology that permit highly flexible, automated ‘plug and produce’ manufacturing. While a smart factory will see reduced risk


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in several areas, the range and flexibility of connected interfaces introduces a new set of machinery safety risk issues. Industry 4.0 will therefore necessitate a move from a human-led static risk assessment approach to a machine-led dynamic risk assessment approach, with an ever-increasing reliance on multiple layers of functional safety. As Industry 4.0 becomes ever more agile and automated, so the approach to machinery safety must reflect and support that. For many, Industry 4.0 therefore raises more questions about machinery safety than can currently be answered. To address these challenges, Deutsche


Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech), a German National Academy of Science and Engineering, has developed the


16 NOVEMBER 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL


urrently, industrial automation is a consolidated reality,


Industry 4.0 Maturity Index. The index was developed by a consortium of research institutions working under the umbrella of acatech, and TÜV SÜD also contributed its expert knowledge in the field of industrial IT security. The objective of this group of


experts was to create a tool that enabled Industry 4.0 to be introduced in manageable steps.


The tool provides manufacturers of automation systems with a solid basis and certainty for their investments and planning. The model covers the entire value chain and focuses on the defined individual benefits for the company.


Six stages The index is a systematic guideline, supporting companies in the integration and continuous improvement of their IT and communication systems. To this end, it defines six successive stages: 1. Computerisation: While the use of IT and


process automation has already become the standard, companies still use insular information systems at this stage. 2. Connectivity: Once the individual


components are connected, companies have reached the maturity stage of connectivity and implemented digitalisation as defined in this guideline. However, they have not yet achieved full integration between information and operational technologies. 3. Visibility: At this stage, companies start


to use sensors for real-time recording of conditions and processes. They produce a


digital model of production, a “digital shadow” that shows what is happening at any given point in time. 4. Transparency: Once companies use the


digital shadow to identify and understand interactions, they have reached stage 4. To do so, they need to interpret the recorded data in the relevant contexts by applying engineering knowledge. Big data applications are deployed in parallel to business application systems, such as ERP – or MES – systems, to provide a common platform for extensive data analysis. 5. Predictive capacity: To simulate


scenarios and evaluate them in terms of their likelihood and consequences, the digital shadow is projected into the future. As a result, companies can anticipate future developments and make the necessary decisions. 6. Adaptability: At the highest stage of


maturity, the IT systems will make these decisions independently. At this stage, Industry 4.0 has been realised in full. IT systems initiate the necessary alignment measures automatically and without delay. The extent to which IT systems will be allowed to act autonomously depends on two aspects: first, on the complexity of the decision, and second, on the cost-benefit ratio of automated versus human actions.


Structured approach The Maturity Index has a modular structure and covers five functional areas: development, production, logistics, services, and marketing and sales. However, Industry 4.0 is more than the mere connection of cyber-physical systems (CPS), as a company’s corporate culture is equally


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