Innovations in industrial automation will work on interconnectivity

June 9, 2022 6:14 pm

Smart factory systems offer real-time updates on order status and work-in-progress advancements.

The tech community and traditional industrial hardware manufacturers are constantly developing innovative solutions, deliberates Mahesh Gurav, Product Manager, Exor India, while speaking to OEM Update.

Products and solutions for the market EXOR 

International is a manufacturer of HMI, control, and industrial IoT solutions. EXOR provides easy-to-use tools, which express a highly advanced technology fully responsive to the concepts of Industry 4.0.EXOR controls all the macro areas of product design and development. EXOR is the only company in the global sector that engineers from the edge to the cloud, from the level of System on Module to the Industrial cloud. The rR&D department of EXOR brings more than 50 years of practical experience to resolve challenges. 

Trends impacting automation industry Industry 

4.0 encompasses every aspect of a data-driven manufacturing process and intends to bring us closer to achieving the smart factory, in which real-time automation rules. Today, the manufacturing industry has begun embracing Industry 4.0 business concepts, but the journey is still ongoing. Research by Gartner shows that only 15% of SMEs had full, on-premise deployments of IIoT platforms in 2019, with an expectation of 30% by 2023. Today’s innovations in industrial automation are largely focused on interconnectivity. The tech community and traditional industrial hardware manufacturers are continuously developing innovative solutions to enable the collection and analysis of data from the factory floor. Providing various options for implementing digital transformation initiatives has ensured that industrial companies can get the solutions they need at a more affordable price. Industrial companies have realized the enormous potential behind the data they collect and how to properly analyse it to improve operational safety, enable automation and remote monitoring, and increase revenue. The benefits of a digital industrial space far outweigh the old way of doing things.

Manufacturing with Industry 4.0/ 5.0 

EXOR International has teamed with Intel, JMA Wireless and Telecom Italia on a leading-edge factory that combines 5G and AI as manufacturers worldwide ponder the best ways to implement capabilities of I 4.0. EXOR, as an industrial PC (IPC) and HMI manufacturer, is using the new facility to expand the capabilities of the latest networking, cloud and edge computing technologies in an environment where AI and 5G are also in use. EXOR’S Smart factory in Verona is a working example of digitalization, which is important for small and mid-size manufacturers

EXOR plans to use the smart factory to showcase the operational benefits of digitalization, including autonomous human resources scheduling and reacting to changes in orders and employee availability in real time. Factory intelligence can also determine whether the week’s projects, including supplies, components, and documentation, are in order and ready for production. The smart factory systems also offer realtime updates on order status and workin-progress advancements. In addition, EXOR has built a 5G lab inside its Verona facility for manufacturers to explore how we can build private wireless networks and integrate with existing solutions. 

How will PLI leverage the use of AI, IIoT, and additive manufacturing? 

Manufacturers face increasingly unpredictable demand, rising consumer expectations and a significant labour shortage. The rise of Industry 4.0 technology is helping companies navigate these challenges by improving product quality and streamlining factory workflows. Artificial intelligence and IIoT are helping to improve quality and efficiency in manufacturing. But, as these technologies require relatively large capital initially, PLI will motivate manufacturers to do the investments and reap long term advantages.

Design-led manufacturing for 5G 

Companies are racing to have a wireless enhanced broadband, massive machine type and Ultra-reliable, low latency networks. And countries are competing to be the first to deploy fully functional, to be the first to deploy fully functional, nationwide 5G. That’s because the benefits of the new technology are expected to fuel transformative new technologies, not just for consumers but also for businesses, infrastructure, and industrial applications. Much of the hype around 5G has to do with speed. But this alone is not so helpful in an industrial application. With 5G there are other perks too. 5G will have greater bandwidth, meaning it can handle many more connected devices than previous networks. The rise of internet-connected “smart” devices will mean that we need a faster, higher-capacity system to support the billions of devices already in existence. With these and other perks, mobile data becomes cheaper, less power-hungry, and quicker to connect way more devices than we can today. Below mentioned perks will be very useful in an Industrial application. Reduce latency; Network slicing; Distributed Cloud; Realtime machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). As mentioned earlier Exor’s Verona facility is ready as a showcase with 5G lab.

PLI to help MSMEs achieve maximum localization of components?

 Currently, small Indian manufacturers rely more on imports as local component manufacturing is expensive because of comparatively low quantities. The new PLI schemes aim at MSMEs, which are into manufacturing, to scale up their production to reduce excessive reliance on imports by achieving better economies of scale to become export competitive. It will enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities and bring in more investment as well as it will be home for more quality products. Incentive for incremental sales will push more sales and increase in revenue. With fresh investment and growth, PLI scheme will also help create thousands of new jobs in India.

Technologies to achieve localization and to raise manufacturing output 

At peak performance, 5G will deliver ultra low latency, 99.99% reliability, and high bandwidth data packet transfers estimated to be a thousand times faster than 4G. 5G is expected to support industrial automation by enabling the application of edge computing, IoT, and smart devices on the plant floor. Features such as the support for data transfers or direct communication between end devices, partial availability of private 5G networks that add security, and localization have been added to the latest release. The addition of these features brings 5G closer to its goal of replacing wired networks and 4G as the network of choice within the industrial sector. Supporting machine-to-machine communications and the inter-exchange of large data sets across the plant floor is a foundational aspect of Industry 4.0. Ensuring that deterministic communication takes place also enables real-time automation to reduce human involvement and ensure safety on the plant floor. Although wired networks and 4G provide some support for the above interactions, the reliability they offer is less than optimal. A fully functional 5G network will precipitate the move from near-real-time to real-time, thus advancing the application of digital transformation technologies on the plant floor. 5G networks will extend the application of digital-twin technology, simulation modelling, edge computing, and IIoT on the average plant floor. Industrial enterprises will be able to tap into the booming IIoT and edge-analytics market to solve the unique challenges they face; thus provide effective control over everything related to the plant operations and positively affect business productivity and profitability.