Schneider Electric is committed to creating “Industries of the Future”

August 2, 2022 10:08 am

We are standing at the cusp of industrial automation, exploring the options of embracing automation for becoming future-ready, says Senthil Kumar V., Head – Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric, India.

Latest trends and innovations are impacting the automation industry The automation industry is poised to grow by leaps and bounds, with companies eager to cement their footing in the ‘new normal. Today, automation has evolved from being a mere ‘buzzword’ to emerging as a ‘game changer’. At Schneider Electric, we firmly believe that it is time to nurture a more open and collaborative environment for leveraging the value of automation to the fullest. This is where universal automation assumes great significance for building next-gen industries through a-la-carte automation. The opportunity to break free from the barriers of closed and proprietary systems has arrived. With universal automation, we are set to step into a world of open, interoperable and vendor-agnostic automation for delivering customised solutions to industry players faster and at a reduced cost to ensure smooth and seamless operations. We humbly call upon industry players to widen the horizon of innovation by embracing universal automation. 

Further, ensuring the workforce’s safety is critical for maintaining business continuity. Thus, the demand for smart safety devices is high. They not only look after the safety issues but also provide valuable insights on what is happening, thereby contributing to the overall productivity and efficiency. Also, the convergence of digital technologies like AI, IoT, ML, 5G, Robotics, etc. is redefining the future of automation by developing an interconnected world. 

Products and solutions 

Schneider Electric helps create the Industries of the Future by making manufacturing and process industries smarter, sustainable, more agile, and resilient through open, intuitive, agnostic, and end-to-end software centric automation.

As an industrial automation technology leader with IIoT and data analytics expertise, we can help bring unprecedented flexibility and automation to each level of your industrial enterprise. We do this through connected products, edge control, and digital solutions that improve energy efficiency and lower carbon footprint. EcoStruxure, our IIoT-enabled architecture and system, brings innovation and establishes an automation standard to be replicated in manufacturing and process industries, including Food & Beverage, Water & Wastewater, Mining, Minerals & Metals, Oil & Gas, and Machine Control. The Industries of the Future is leading unprecedented digitalisation of industrial automation applications, which rely on Schneider Electric for unlocking new business models that combine smart control, a digitally connected workforce, and optimised assets to drive operational profitability safely.

Our strong agnostic software portfolio for Industries of the Future, in partnership with world-leading independent software companies such as AVEVA, brings digitalised energy and automation to empower you to design, build, operate, and maintain an unbroken data flow across the entire lifecycle. We can offer digital twin technologies that combine powerful simulations and analytics in a virtual, software-led environment that brings to life your data for better performance, promising significant business benefits. Our scalable solutions help the Industries of the Future achieve strategic data management for agile and optimised operations, collaborative energy management through digital communities for efficiency and sustainability, and improvements in industrial safety and cybersecurity standards through improved bypass methods and the latest IIoT technology. 

We collaborate with the Industries of the Future to develop universal automation solutions with plugand-produce automation software components, open operating platforms, and control automation engineering to create the products that shape our everyday lives. EcoStruxure Automation Expert, the world’s first software-centric universal automation system, is poised to chart the digital transformation journey of its partners and customers. With this, we aim to help our customers achieve step-change improvements using advanced technologies like predictive maintenance and digital twin. The solution is poised to solve specific problems by providing an event-driven, decentralised, and open approach to automation. Thriving and excelling in the digital age requires seamless adoption of the latest technologies and Schneider. Electric is well equipped to enable its partners and customers to become future-ready.

Building automation systems with IoT makes life simpler 

The USP of IoT is its ability to collect massive quantities of data at high frequency and make the integrated datasets accessible and mobile across the organisation to make wellinformed decisions. We are now witnessing the confluence of AI with IoT for tapping business value in industrial data. This paves the way for seamless human-machine workflows, harmonises industrial data management, and continuously transforms raw data into tangible business outcomes. The IoT infrastructure gathers intelligence from the edge to the cloud in industrial environments and converts the data into useful information.

Manufacturing with Industry 4.0/ 5.0 to optimise production In this rapidly evolving and dynamic world, businesses have begun to realise the potential of technology in driving increased efficiency, resilience, agility, and sustainability. We are standing at the cusp of industrial automation, and business leaders are increasingly exploring the options of embracing automation to become future-ready. 

A report by Nasscom reveals that investments in Industry 4.0 by Indian manufacturers are expected to grow to more than $200 billion by 2025. These investments will primarily be driven by digital technologies such as IT-OT Integration, IoT, AI, ML, robotics, etc. For building the ‘Industries of Future’, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert provides a platform for our partners to achieve higher efficiency, reduce unscheduled downtime, anticipate maintenance issues well in advance, and ensure effective energy management, thereby contributing to sustainable development. The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is set to re-energise the manufacturing landscape, and companies must look to avail of the earlyadopter benefit to gain a competitive edge.

PLI scheme leverage the use of AI and IIoT manufacturing to ramp up production 

The PLI scheme can potentially increase the scale of manufacturing in India significantly. The recent investment commitments announced by the government worth Rs 2.34 Lakh Cr. across 14 sectors are expected to encourage growth and create employment opportunities for the youth. An ICRA report states that the PLI scheme is on track to revive the Indian manufacturing sector’s CAPEX. What is essential is that the country needs to realise the opportunity to create an industrial setup that is both smart and green. Technologies such as AI and IIoT can significantly ramp up the production of products across sectors. Schneider can play a crucial role here as we provide solutions for smart Machines, Smart factories through EcoStructure three layers architectures which allow organisations to leapfrog & upscale to the next level. We aim to strengthen the Indian economy by developing eco-friendly solutions, thus enabling agility, resilience, and efficiency in their operations. 

Localisation of components for the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign 

The government’s focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat, coupled with the rise of trailblazing entrepreneurs, and the shift towards localisation, has reinvigorated the Indian economy. The policy environment and public perception have further opened countless opportunities for the manufacturing sector to innovate and thrive. We are fully committed to pushing the pedal on India’s Atmanirbhar journey at Schneider Electric. Being the most local of global companies, we see a lot of potential in the country and plan to double our exports from India over the next four years. With the integration of L&T E&A, we are now developing India into one of the four global hubs for innovation and manufacturing. We now have a combined strength of 32,000 employees, 30 factories, and 35 distribution centres in India. Nearly 4,000 people are explicitly working in the innovation & Technology department to develop solutions suited for the Indian market. We are committed to playing an active role in shaping India into a global export hub by developing products and solutions in India for India and the world and exporting its Made-in-India products to more than 35 countries.

Smart factories evolving with AR and autonomous robotics implementation 

Organisations across the globe have started to realise the potential of smart factories. Manufacturers are now taking advantage of recent advances in machine learning, big data, and robotics to achieve new levels of efficiency and competitiveness. Using automated technologies such as AR and robotics, smart factories can increase productivity and build more flexible, optimised processes. As a part of the World Economic Forum’s ‘Lighthouse Factory’ program, Schneider Electric is leading the space of a smart factory. Powered by the EcoStruxure solution, we strive to drive end-to-end efficiency. The machines are fitted with sensors and connected to a cloud network from which they analyse all the data. Another remarkable feature of a smart factory is that information is just a click away. Updating your system’s health on your mobile phones was unimaginable until a decade ago, but it is a reality now. This increased internal coordination translates into a 30-50% reduction in unscheduled machine downtime, troubleshooting, maintenance costs, and energy consumption. 

Our Hyderabad Smart Factory has gained recognition for Advanced Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum. With exciting expansion plans and the Bangalore plant expected to earn the lighthouse distinction soon, SE India strives to build sustainability and contribute to taking India’s economic growth to the next level.