Companies should invest in complete asset performance management solutions

August 1, 2022 11:57 am

Connectivity, connected assets and organisational change management are fundamental in the manufacturing and process industry, says Rajmohan N., Digital lead, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Process Industries at ABB.

Digital transformation taking place in Indian manufacturing 

Digital transformation is no longer a prospect for the future but the current. It has become integral to our lives and the industrial value chain. The Indian manufacturing players have embraced digital and are learning to ride this big wave. More than ever, there is a demand for higher productivity and efficiency, ever shorter product life cycles, mass customisation, and increasingly stringent safety and environmental protection combined with advances in digital technology. Connectivity, interoperability, connected assets, and organisational change management are fundamental to this transformation in the manufacturing and process industry.

Process automation solutions and digitisation offerings

 ABB Process Automation supports industries that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water, and basic materials, to manufacturing goods and transporting them to market. Its customers include, among others, the hydrocarbon sector, chemicals, mining, metals and minerals, cement, pulp and paper, power generation, and marine and ports. These sectors are taking significant steps to improve energy and resource efficiency while reducing harmful emissions. The digital offering centres around value pillars that capture customers’ most significant value creation potential through advanced analytics and artificial intelligence and help customers across industries predict maintenance, optimise energy, improve cyber security, and increase operational efficiency.

Safety and security are the keys to seamless, integrated automation. 

The complex engineering that was once required to connect different systems and components is being transformed by new technologies reshaping the requirements and streamlining the implementation design in manufacturing. Today’s manufacturing requires extreme agility – making several variations of products, using materials delivered “just in time,” and conforming to regulations and customer expectations. An automation system with modular automation architecture to address customer needs and become more open, interoperable and flexible; while maintaining high levels of reliability, availability, safety and security is the key to seamless, integrated automation

Parameters to be considered for performance 

You need assets to operate well continuously and for a long time to build success. Typically, assets might present performance and safety risks after a few years in operations if not monitored closely. Poor asset visibility impedes planning, procurement, and performance.

Unplanned downtime, reactive maintenance, insufficient technology, inadequate data usage and unknown asset integrity are some of the parameters that can threaten performance. Companies should invest in a complete asset performance management solution for a holistic view and foresight across equipment types, process areas, plants, and enterprises, tightening control over disparate assets, systems, and workflows. This will empower various functions to collaborate and continuously optimise your overall performance.

Exida’s IEC 62443-2-4 certificate to maintain cyber secure automation systems 

Exida’s IEC 62443-2-4 certificate is the highest acknowledgement of advanced capability to manage the delivery and performance of integrated cyber security services according to written policies and defined objectives.IEC 62443-2-4 certifications represent the requirements for Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS) service providers seeking to obtain third-party cyber security certification. ABB has been awarded Exida’s IEC 62443-2-4 certificate.