SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS
Madiha Khalifi, global distribution VP, Industrial
GREENER GROWTH
I
ndustry today is responsible for almost half (45%) of global greenhouse gas emissions,
the majority of which are caused by energy production and consumption. There is therefore growing pressure on industry to improve efficiency at every level and find ways and minimise waste. The International Energy Agency believes that new efficiency programmes can eliminate 70% of industry’s carbon emissions, showing the untapped potential for businesses to transform their operations. End-users are looking for ways to lower the carbon footprint of their plants, sites and processes, but in the current economic climate can be reluctant to invest in new high-cost sustainability initiatives. With several challenges to balance, including growth, competitiveness and navigating a workforce and skills gaps, making processes more sustainable must be embedded as part of the activity taken to address all. Digitalisation is a means to drive industrial operational efficiency, optimise processes to reduce operational costs, enhance profitability and empower corporate sustainability. However, whilst customers understand the need to digitalise, many lack an overarching strategy or do not know where to start, with only 55% of businesses believing they’re only “somewhat equipped” to deploy it successfully. Distributors and system integrators (SI) play a key
role in supporting industrial operators when it comes to digitalising in a cost-effective way that improves efficiency and sustainability. Specialists can play an instrumental role in reshaping operations to support more agile, resilient and sustainable industries of the future.
HARNESSING DATA The starting point is identifying where there are areas for improvement. Digitalised energy monitoring systems provide managers with real- time data looking into plant consumption patterns, that are customised to their sector, and highlight areas for optimisation. From here they can articulate to their customers where they are currently inefficient and make data-informed recommendations which forecast the advantages that improved automation would enable. Digital monitoring and automation systems can adjust energy demands in real-time based on demand and resource availability, leading to reduced consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. They can also minimise material waste by ensuring accurate measurements and error reduction in production processes. They even enable better
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tracking of materials throughout the supply chain, powering more recycling and reuse initiatives. When executed correctly, digitisation and automation power more efficiency and precision. Distributors and system integrators possess expert
knowledge of how this can be achieved, and specialising by sector is key. The demands of the mining industry will be very different to food production, for example. The knowledge of how best software-defined automation technologies can be deployed for a specific industry is valuable knowledge that system integrators can provide. Being more efficient then allows more resources to be ploughed back into production, meaning there’s no need for green initiatives to cause output to fall, as they integrate software to track, manage and automate efficient energy consumption.
ENSURING FLEXIBILITY OF OPERATIONS One of the biggest problems an industrial operator faces in tackling inefficiency is that many of the automation systems they are using were designed and installed decades ago, based upon hardware. These systems don’t support the needs of today’s industries. Through software defined automation, system integrators can support customers to navigate away from being restricted by legacy processes and invest in new technologies. This results in a reduction in the number of touch points and system complexity as the plant can be managed through one interface. The few touch points that remain can then be fully optimised to contribute more to maintain or expand the level of efficiency. This open approach to software and
automation breaks down data silos, making it accessible for true digital transformation where companies utilise industrial intelligence to implement actionable insights, unlocking higher levels of productivity, efficiency, and resilience throughout the entire value chain. An example of this can be seen in the agriculture
industry. Brilliant Planet, a pioneer in low-cost, algae-based carbon capture, was able to deploy software-defined automation to improve efficiency across its entire operational lifecycle. Platinum Electrical Engineering was chosen by
Brilliant Planet as the system integrator for this transition and worked collaboratively with Schneider Electric to embed the technology within its existing infrastructure, which involved integrated software and domain expertise to provide better data access, visualization and connectivity. This partnership significantly reduced the time spent on integrating and testing control software
Automation, and Sanjith Singh, global VP, Software-centric Automation at Schneider
Electric, look at the role of specialist distributors and system integrators in
optimising operations and driving efficiency
for each of Brilliant Planet’s sites and gave them the tools to work with green and brown-field projects in a much more agile manner. The standardised application made it straightforward to troubleshoot and adapt processes to customer-specific needs and deliver a complete bespoke, yet scalable system. As a result, Brilliant Planet benefitted from
a reliable and flexible automation system using EcoStruxure Plant, underpinned by the capabilities of the IIoT, modernising its infrastructure and enabling great efficiency. These dual-edged improvements show the
tangible progress that can be made from bolstering their technology infrastructure with software-defined automation through the right partnerships. This success underlines why it is vital that businesses have access to the expertise and technology to integrate software into their operations and track, manage and automate energy consumption.
SPEARHEADING CHANGE When executed correctly, digitisation and automation power more efficiency and precision. Distributors and system integrators play a crucial role in supporting the end-users on the journey to reduce consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Those at the forefront of these markets recognise
that comprehensive service offerings with deep domain expertise can transform operations. An example of this can be seen with Nedco who, as a distributor, provide guidance on selecting the right digital technologies to fuel growth, helping clients to identify new technologies that can be converted into business value. This enables them to build trust and longevity in their relationship with the customer, as well as broadening their access to new technologies and solutions. This demonstrates how distributors are leveraging the ecosystem of partners to better serve customers right the way from pre-sales to post-sales. Schneider Electric’s Alliance Program arms partners with the tools and training needed to become highly specialised and able to tackle the challenges that the industrial automation landscape presents. With partners fully supported in delivering outcomes, not just technology, the whole ecosystem can then take advantage of change with greater value and deeper cooperation to meet their wider business goals.
Schneider Electric
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