Schneider Electric unveils Plant of the Future

November 12, 2017 1:14 pm

Adds new dimension to automation with Industrial Internet of Things offering unprecedented possibilities.

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, today expanded the range of its EcoStruxure product, under its industry portfolio, with the launch of Process Expert System (PES the new age DCS) along with high-end Modicon M580 Ethernet programmable automation controller (ePAC). The new devices when combined with EcoStruxture IoT solutions helps in driving measurable operational profitability by turning industrial automation into a profit engine across industries such as infrastructure, building, and oil & gas. The flagship product of the Modicon range of controllers features hot standby functionality (HSBY), native Ethernet, Safety(Sil3) and cybersecurity embedded in its core.

According to the Boston Consulting Group, by 2020, companies will be spending about €250bn a year on the internet of things, with half of all that spending coming from the manufacturing, transport and utility industries. Digitisation, data analytics and machine connectivity are the way to get the next level of connectivity. This revolution will give the industrial automation sector the opportunity of moving from real-time process control to real-time business control.

“The future of manufacturing and automation lies in the technological advancements especially digitisation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). At Schneider Electric, we aim towards increasing efficiency of the plants by providing an opportunity to industries to move from simply managing processes to controlling them on a real time basis,” said Sudhir Dembi, General Manager-Plant Solutions and Industry Services – Industry Business at Schneider Electric. “With our wide range of products, we provide one stop technological solutions to both small and medium manufacturing units and large industries that ensure better efficiency and higher productivity.”

Technological advancements such as Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing are ushering in major transformation in industrial operations, right from manufacturing processes to supply chain management. The latest offering by the company would enable industries to digitise in terms of Connectivity, Mobility, Cloud and Analytics. With an empowered workforce and optimised industrial assets, one can maximise not only process efficiency, but also safety, reliability and even profitability of operations on a real time basis.

“We’re excited to bring a major innovation in automation with the new high-end Modicon M580 ePAC. Cutting-edge functionality allows us to drive true customer benefit thanks to a future-proof solution designed to meet the most pressing industry challenges,” adds Dembi.

IIoT enables workforce to make smarter, faster, and more efficient real-time business decisions. With implementation of IIoT, a wide range of sensors will be installed in plants and machines and these will be connected to systems that control various manufacturing processes and functions like temperature, pressure, Vibrations… These connected sensors will not only quickly improve process efficiency but the data points produced by IIoT can also be used to keep a check on other important business variables.

EcoStruxure Plant will help to create sustainable infrastructure to drive IIoT growth in India. It is estimated that by 2020, industries such as utilities, manufacturing, automotive, transportation and logistics will see highest adoption levels of IIoT in India. Other sectors such as healthcare, retail and agriculture are also expected to witness significant progress. Building such sustainable infrastructure will be crucial as India’s urban centres expand at a rapid pace with more and more people shift to cities for jobs.

For more details, visit www.schneider-electric.com