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Industry is at the forefront of change and this is termed as 4th industrial revolution by many. The three C’s – Convergence, Co-existence, and Collaboration are the major drivers of this revolution. At a recently concluded ARC Forum, ABB’s Niraj Vinaik, (VP & Head Oil, Gas and Chemicals) discussed the concepts of, convergence (of IT and OT), co-existence (of old and new systems and operators), and collaboration (of devices, assets, and people) related to ABB’s technology advancements and solutions.
Convergence:
The fourth industrial revolution powered by Internet is expected to drive the next level of change in automation. With internet at the centre, business models can be transformed, to improve data analysis, boost productivity, enhance reliability, save energy and costs, and generate new revenue opportunities. Services form an integral part of this transformation as there are tens of thousands of critical equipment in a plant, which needs to be monitored and maintained continuously for expected results. People form another pillar of this transformation as they make decisions based on real-time data from the plant's equipment. ABB has developed a platform termed as IoTSP (Internet of Things, Services and People) to personalize technology, put customers in the center, and improve the way they connect. IoTSP has a major role in integrating with enterprise assets and has a huge impact on the “smart” factories of the future.
In one example shared by Mr. Vinaik, an almost credit card-size, IIoT-connected sensor developed by ABB is installed on motors throughout a plant to communicate critical parameters like temperature and vibration to a cloud-based ABB server that stores data and performs analytics. The server keeps track of how the motors are performing (including imminent motor failure) and when they need to be serviced and communicates this and other asset information to the customer and/or ABB engineers via a PC or mobile device.
Co-existence
Mr. Vinaik shared his observations on and concerns about operators on the plant floor. On the one hand, plants have highly experienced operators who understand and can get into a complex, closed-loop control system to fix a problem. On the other hand, the new-generation operators are less experienced, but have the advantage of being tech-savvy, conversant with technology, and comfortable troubleshooting remotely. With automation, IoT, and analytics, increasingly driving today’s plants, experienced operators may struggle to keep up with the pace of new technologies. But both tech-savvy, new-generation workers and more seasoned and experienced operators are needed to run today’s plants.
While newer and older operators must co-exist in today’s plants, so must newer and older systems. There is a growing need for new advancements that have desired outcomes, but in the process of revolutionizing, existing systems should not be discarded.
Collaboration
The session also focused on the fact that by connecting smart devices to an overall plant ecosystem, industrial organizations can achieve the next level of productivity. For example, connecting an asset (such as a motor) to the overall ecosystem, can provide significant benefits for a wide variety of ecosystem participants, both within the plant itself, across the enterprise, and even within the technology supplier’s organization. For example:
To provide some real-world examples of this concept of collaboration across an ecosystem in a connected world, Mr. Vinaik mentioned offshore platforms running in North Sea that are completely unmanned.
Convergence:
The fourth industrial revolution powered by Internet is expected to drive the next level of change in automation. With internet at the centre, business models can be transformed, to improve data analysis, boost productivity, enhance reliability, save energy and costs, and generate new revenue opportunities. Services form an integral part of this transformation as there are tens of thousands of critical equipment in a plant, which needs to be monitored and maintained continuously for expected results. People form another pillar of this transformation as they make decisions based on real-time data from the plant's equipment. ABB has developed a platform termed as IoTSP (Internet of Things, Services and People) to personalize technology, put customers in the center, and improve the way they connect. IoTSP has a major role in integrating with enterprise assets and has a huge impact on the “smart” factories of the future.
In one example shared by Mr. Vinaik, an almost credit card-size, IIoT-connected sensor developed by ABB is installed on motors throughout a plant to communicate critical parameters like temperature and vibration to a cloud-based ABB server that stores data and performs analytics. The server keeps track of how the motors are performing (including imminent motor failure) and when they need to be serviced and communicates this and other asset information to the customer and/or ABB engineers via a PC or mobile device.
Co-existence
Mr. Vinaik shared his observations on and concerns about operators on the plant floor. On the one hand, plants have highly experienced operators who understand and can get into a complex, closed-loop control system to fix a problem. On the other hand, the new-generation operators are less experienced, but have the advantage of being tech-savvy, conversant with technology, and comfortable troubleshooting remotely. With automation, IoT, and analytics, increasingly driving today’s plants, experienced operators may struggle to keep up with the pace of new technologies. But both tech-savvy, new-generation workers and more seasoned and experienced operators are needed to run today’s plants.
While newer and older operators must co-exist in today’s plants, so must newer and older systems. There is a growing need for new advancements that have desired outcomes, but in the process of revolutionizing, existing systems should not be discarded.
Collaboration
The session also focused on the fact that by connecting smart devices to an overall plant ecosystem, industrial organizations can achieve the next level of productivity. For example, connecting an asset (such as a motor) to the overall ecosystem, can provide significant benefits for a wide variety of ecosystem participants, both within the plant itself, across the enterprise, and even within the technology supplier’s organization. For example:
- Process operators in the plant can use the asset health data to predict failures and arrange for alternatives without affecting the current operations.
- Plant maintenance organizations can use the asset health data to optimize maintenance scheduling in collaboration with corporate planners.
- Control engineers (either in the plant or in a central engineering group) can use asset performance information to fine tune control strategies. Process engineers can also use this information to fine tune the process itself.
- If the overall asset health information is shared with the OEMs, they can use this data to perform remote diagnostics and support. They can also use overall asset performance information to improve the design and manufacturing of the asset.
To provide some real-world examples of this concept of collaboration across an ecosystem in a connected world, Mr. Vinaik mentioned offshore platforms running in North Sea that are completely unmanned.