Nalco Water uses digital transformation and the Microsoft Azure cloud to create better solutions for managing water with an eye towards reducing cost and risk while improving sustainability. Microsoft itself used this technology to drastically reduce water usage at one of its own datacenters.

In Part 2 of this article on the legal landscape related to smart manufacturing, we take a look at legal issues surrounding data ownership, data privacy, as well as the implications of artificial intelligence, which is rapidly making inroads to the manufacturing arena. 

ARC takes every opportunity to shout from the rooftops when an owner-operator takes action to help them on their path to digital transformation and operational excellence. Equinor (fka Statoil) is the one operator which ARC has pointed to in the past as being the most progressive in terms of adopting digital technologies, IIoT-enabled solutions and testing/proving these new technologies in the field. One cannot overstate the importance of Equinor’s efforts since it most definitely paves the way for other operators who may be more conservative to adopt and deploy IIoT-enabled solutions to help lower cost per boe, increase production and recovery rates, and improve operational synergies and collaboration among their respective ecosystems – both internal and external.

Edge analytics are necessary based simply on the nature of industrial operations. A more thorough explanation of edge or cloud analytics includes a mix of technology and business reasons.

Automation vendors continue to support standardisation efforts initiated by NAMUR, with demonstrators and reports on pilot implementations of Module Type Package (MTP) that facilitates modular production.  The impressive list*) of users, vendors, integrators and associations that participated in the common booth on MTP testifies on the perceived importance of modular production, and predicts significant rates of adoption of the standard.