NEWS
THE INTELLIGENT, EFFICIENT AND SECURE DISTRIBUTION OF INDUSTRIAL APPS I
n the business world, there is a need for a similar platform to Apple’s App Store, to allow the efficient and safe distribution of industrial
apps. This is where Intelligent Plant’s new Industrial App Store leads the way. The Industrial App Store is an online shop window and secure data access portal that allows anyone to provide a service that requires secure access to their client’s process data. This data stays on the client’s network so there is no need to copy, upload, or duplicate data in the cloud, which means no additional storage costs or transport fees. Historically, major automation companies developed and sold
expensive infrastructure and systems that ‘locked-in’ clients, as only they could provide products and services compatible with that infrastructure. Clients were then dependent on that OEM to have the solutions they wanted for the problems they might encounter. This prevented clients from picking the best in class or lowest cost solution, as they were locked into their main equipment vendor (MEV) who would only develop a new product when it felt there was
COMMENT
The ever-widening engineering skills gap in the manufacturing industry is not new news, and many projects are in place to try and fix the problem. A partnership between the Royal Society and the Primary Engineer is the latest innovation aiming to help primary and secondary pupils across the UK develop their data skills and investigate climate change. In the lead up to UN climate
summit COP26, the STATWARS Climate Change Challenge will encourage pupils to train their analytical and creative skills and find the best ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Pupils will be inspired to analyse, interrogate, and present data. Participating schools can apply for a Royal Society grant, worth up to £3,000, to undertake a STEM research project. Read the full story here:
www.processandcontrolmag.co.uk Michelle Lea - Editor
APP ISSUES W
hile 92% of manufacturing
businesses are now making use of employee-facing mobile applications, new research has shown that the many face regular reports of issues from their workforce. The research by mobile data capture specialist WorkMobile, revealed that 79% of CIOs in the manufacturing sector have received complaints from end users about their apps’ functionality.
The two most commonly reported problems are that apps are difficult to navigate (38%), and that they do not work well in areas of low or no- connectivity (33%).
Companies face issues both when developing mobile solutions in-house, and when procuring third-party apps. Colin Yates, chief support
officer at WorkMobile, said: “Newly emerging no-coding app builders offer a fantastic alternative that enable CIOs and their teams to quickly and easily build their own solutions that are specifically tailored to the needs of their employees ...”
www.workmobilesolutions.com
sufficient demand from its own client base. The MEV could then charge what it liked, as clients could not easily approach another vendor as their infrastructure was not “open” to fair competition. What Intelligent Plant has done is disrupt this market with its
Industrial App Store, which is completely open to anyone wanting to develop and sell an industrial app over the Internet, whilst taking away all the difficulties normally associated with connectivity and data security. In addition, app developers retain and host their own apps on the Industrial App Store, so they don’t have to disclose to Intelligent Plant or the end users the domain knowledge contained within the app, which protects them from cloning or hacking their intellectual property. It also means that the client doesn’t need to expose its network to an app developer who may be a small outfit. This means, for the first time, there is an even playing field where app developers can compete to gain market share from a growing number of active Industrial App Store users. For more information visit
appstore.intelligentplant.com
UKCA audit service launched
TÜV SÜD has launched a Machinery UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) Audit service which will support end-users to verify their equipment complies with new UK regulatory requirements. The service is a pre-delivery inspection that complements factory
acceptance tests (FATs). This enables the purchaser to determine if equipment is built and operating in accordance with UKCA requirements before they make a final payment. Any non- compliance issues identified at this stage are still the responsibility of the manufacturer and can be rectified before machinery is delivered, rather than trying to fix issues at an end-user’s site - saving time and money. Paul Taylor, business development director for Industrial Services
at TÜV SÜD UK, said: “As UKCA markings are a visible sign that a product complies with all of the relevant UK regulations, it is essential that machinery end-users understand both their responsibilities and those of their machine’s manufacturer. Our new Machinery UKCA Audit service will help them achieve this.” Since the EU exit transition period came to an end on 31st
December 2020, the UKCA marking is required for new machinery placed on the market for the first time in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), but CE marking will continue to be accepted in Northern Ireland. Machinery manufacturers do have eight months’ grace in the
form of a further transitional arrangement for the acceptance of CE marking until 1st January 2022. After this time, any machinery sold in the UK, irrespective of when that model was first placed on the market, must carry a UKCA marking. All machinery should meet relevant essential health and safety requirements (EHSRs), which are detailed in the UKCA Regulations. A technical file for the machinery should also be available. Alongside this, a UK Declaration of Conformity is required, or a Declaration of Incorporation for partly completed machinery, listing relevant UK legislation and UK designated standards. For specific higher risk machinery that requires type-examination by a certification body, a UK Approved Body will be required.
www.tuvsud.com/uk
4 MAY 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
