COMMENT u Automation


The case for automation digitalisation in Ireland


Festo Ireland’s Mark McArdle looks at considerations for key decision-makers wishing to implement a smart factory strategy.


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nvesting in your production plant is always daunting and this is particularly true when introducing digitalisation. Making the business


case involves examining the cost benefits, so let’s review the benefits of automation digitalisation… 1. Increased uptime: digitalisation reduces unplanned downtime by predicting device failures before they happen. It also reduces consequential losses due to unplanned stoppages and can save time installing, commissioning, and adapting production processes. 2. Improved reliability: parameters such as vibration, noise, temperature and energy consumption can be monitored constantly, providing invaluable insights to make your plant more reliable and less costly to run. Production lines can therefore run effortlessly at higher performance levels for longer periods with less human interaction. 3. Optimised production: digitalisation enables continuous improvements that enhance production cycle times, optimising daily output. More accurate, streamlined production results in less wastage, improving the bottom line. Digitalisation enables Artificial Intelligence which, in turn, allows systematic improvements at component, functional unit, machine, production line and/or plant wide levels. 4. Enhanced quality: the ability to deliver consistent, traceable product, already prevalent in food and pharma, is likely to become a key success factor in other industries in Ireland too, particularly as environmental and sustainable benchmarks


10 November 2021 Irish Manufacturing


become increasingly important. Automation digitalisation enables detailed monitoring to minimise process deviations and achieve total traceability. 5. Reduced waste: product defects can be identified early, before value has been added: reducing waste, avoiding recalls and maximising profits. Automation digitalisation reduces waste right through to final packaging. 6. Improved agility: automation digitalisation keeps you ahead of your competitors and makes you more responsive to changes in demand. It increases production efficiency, enabling the business to accommodate demand spikes without the need for extra processing plant that sits idle out of season. 7. Staff retention: the opportunity to up-skill your staff, freeing them to learn more value-added tasks, contributing to staff wellbeing and career satisfaction. Engaged and motivated employees are an invaluable business asset. To invest in automation digitalisation, you don’t need a new factory – it can be retrofitted to the degree you wish in order to achieve automation benefits.


Upgrading existing machinery is an affordable and manageable place to start. By automating one production line, you begin to collect data and insights on achievable, tangible results: for instance, identifying where process improvements can be made and replicated on other lines. It’s important to start the process with proof of concepts, pilots and easily-understood projects


that can be scaled up when proven. Taking a step-by-step approach ensures factors such as networking, machine-to-machine communications and integration with legacy systems are considered and addressed in a timely and cost-effective way. Phased adoption also enables you to take your people with you: investment in technology can be negated by resistance from colleagues and employees who do not fully understand the overall vision. The smart factory journey is best achieved when the entire organisation has the knowledge to implement the necessary changes. If you can, try applying digital twin simulations to model production line alterations to ensure the changes will work before interrupting production. Otherwise, it is best to keep your initial forays small and tightly managed. Do not wait until you are building a new facility to implement automation digitalisation. The benefits of adoption are compelling. Have a clear vision and purpose, communicate that vision to the team, and sense-check that the proposed investment will achieve the desired outcomes. Automation specialists, such as Festo, are on hand to offer expert advice and provide the support that business leaders require. By following these steps, Ireland’s decision-


makers can be assured that their automation strategy will be a lasting legacy, starting a journey towards ever greater levels of automation, and perhaps a more effective and profitable business.


Festo Ireland www.festo.com www.irish-manufacturing.com


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