Hamilton Company introduces ArcAir, a new communication package for its Arc family of intelligent process sensors. Arc Air enables reliable, economical Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity in all environments. The new Bluetooth capability allows users to view or control Hamilton Arc sensors from a wide range of devices, including smart phones and tablets. ArcAir apps are available online for both Android and iOS platforms in three versions: ArcAir Lite (free), ArcAir Basic and ArcAir Advanced.

“The Bluetooth protocol offers a number of advantages including low power consumption and increased reliability in challenging environments,” explained Don Spriggs, sensors market segment manager for Hamilton. “With the rapid adoption of Bluetooth in consumer and professional electronics, the addition of this package delivers ArcAir communication ability to a wide variety of devices.”

Arc sensor technology, first introduced in 2010, has changed process measurement with a built-in microprocessor that provides direct digital and analogue communication and eliminates the need for separate transmitters. Arc sensors have improved process measurement accuracy and speed while reducing installation and maintenance costs. The ArcAir mobile application for Arc pH, dissolved oxygen and conductivity measurement can communicate wirelessly with up to 30 individual sensors at the same time.

Hamilton also offers a Bluetooth version of its GMP Compliance Package, which works with ArcAir Advanced and provides centralised management of users and validation reports for calibration, verification, configuration and communication within the GMP guidelines for all Arc sensors.

Darren Halford challenges the outdated perceptions of sourcing obsolete industrial technology

We have all been there, the vacuum has been rattling for months and you’ve gotten used to the slight aroma of charred carpet after every clean. But a final diminishing groan forces you to admit your trusty vacuum has had its day. Instead of trying to patch up, most of us would take its demise as the perfect excuse to splash out on that lightweight, wall mounted, cordless number we have seen on the telly. In industrial environments, dealing with broken equipment is not quite as simple as a trip to the local retail park.

Rather than upgrading to a shiny new model, replacing a broken part with a second hand or obsolete device is often a much more cost-effective choice for manufacturers. However, in some cases, the potential headache posed by sourcing obsolete parts overshadows the high cost of purchasing brand new equipment and, as a result, manufacturers will often opt for a costly, unnecessary upgrade instead.

Obsolete does not always mean old

While it’s true that using any kind of technology beyond its intended lifespan means reduced levels of OEM support and maintenance, don’t fall into the trap of believing parts won’t become obsolete before that date rolls around. Obsolescence doesn’t necessarily mean the device is past its use by date. It simply means that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has stopped making that specific product.

The rapid rate of technological advancements in equipment manufacturing means that new, upgraded versions of products can replace current models in a matter of years, often rendering ‘almost-new’ devices obsolete.

Obsolete yet efficient

Industrial devices have a bad reputation when it comes to energy efficiency, and manufacturers often assume that obsolete devices are likely to fail against modern day legislation. In fact, there is an abundance of obsolete devices operating today that meets and often surpasses current energy standards. This is what is known as eco obsolete technology (EOT).

Since EOT still complies with energy efficiency standards, it can still be used in industrial settings. This way, compliance with modern legislation such as the energy savings opportunity scheme (ESOS) won’t be affected by sourcing obsolete.

Stick to what you know

According to a recent ARC Strategy Report, 58% of manufacturers surveyed admitted they had no formal plan to manage the lifecycle of their technology. But when disaster strikes and parts break down, opting for that shiny new device can often be more trouble than it’s worth.

Almost a third of industrial production systems are over 20 years old. For these older manufacturing systems, replacing a broken part with a new, upgraded device can require compatibility testing, sometimes leading to an entire systems and software upgrade. In these cases, it’s easier for manufacturers to stick to what they know and source an exact replacement instead.

There are thousands of obsolete automation parts readily available for industry and that’s why European Automation’s catalogue of automation parts is searchable by part number, part manufacturer or part category. So take pity on your industrial equivalent of Henry Hoover, and don’t put it out to pasture without checking whether he can be saved first.

Darren Halford is with EU Automation.

Jonathan Wilkins discusses the advantages and challenges of both small and large companies in industry

In 2009, Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully load tested the most powerful electric motor ever used by the US Navy. The motor is also the world's first 36.5 megawatt high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor, which is double the US Navy's power rating test record. What may surprise you is the motor is less than half the size of a conventional motor, thanks to the use of HTS wire coils that are able to carry 150 times the power of similar-sized copper wire. Sometimes, the best things are disguised in smaller packages.

Big advantages

There's no doubt that large companies are generally more stable than smaller ones, which is appealing to employees looking for long-term job security. Internally, there are other advantages large companies have over smaller ones both financially and in terms of staffing.

The term economies of scale refers to the cost advantage that arises with increased output of a product. Economies of scale are made possible by the inverse relationship between the quantity produced and cost per unit. For large companies who produce or buy large quantities, the cost of doing business is reduced and the return on investment is significantly more attractive.

Having thousands of employees allows large companies to not only reduce their reliance on individuals, but also to hire experts in certain areas. Employees are often attracted to large companies because of opportunities to climb the corporate ladder. Larger companies tend to have a history and a brand that is fairly well-known, at least within the industry. This is not only attractive to employees, but also makes marketing and sales easier.

A small fortune

Despite the advantages large companies have, their vast management structure can also be impeding when it comes to development and innovation. Smaller companies usually have much stronger relationships within the workforce and between employees and customers.

Large businesses tend to have an extensive amount of policies and procedures in place, making simple tasks much harder to complete. This can reduce productivity and make the company rigid. Once processes and procedures are in place, it's difficult for larger companies to change them, as they have to be approved by several layers of management.

On the other hand, in a small company, it's likely that all employees know what the end goal is, whether we’re talking about an individual project or yearly objectives. Large companies don't necessarily have one thing that everyone is working towards, which can lead to lack of employee motivation.

Also, it's not uncommon for two people to work for the same large organisation for years and never meet. Departments are separated on different floors or sites and competition between divisions encourages a more aggressive mentality. A smaller company encourages team solidarity, with the management recognising that every employee is critical to the success of the business.

Large companies spend huge amounts of money trying to replicate the personal connections that smaller businesses have with their customers. When customers feel appreciated by a company, they start to trust the service. Customers who trust a supplier will buy from this particular company more often and are more likely to recommend it . Personalised customer service is one of the factors that helps smaller companies grow relatively quickly.

Leading by example

When EU Automation set up in 2009, the company employed four members of staff. In less than seven years, that number has grown to 68. According to the European Union's criteria for defining the size of a business, this classes EU Automation as a small company.

The thing that differentiates EU Automation from other companies on the market is our obsession with great customer service.. When employing staff, we look for people with specialist skills and additional languages who are keen to develop in other areas and grow professionally. This allows our specialists to share their knowledge, in turn increasing our repertoire and increasing staff satisfaction. Most importantly, we make EU Automation a fun, rewarding place to work, and keep our staff in the loop when it comes to growth and change.

While it's true that large companies have brand awareness and usually a long history in the industry, smaller companies have the flexibility to be innovative and try new things.

The most powerful electric motor may be half the size of a conventional one, but it packs a punch. Similarly, it's not necessarily about the size of your business, but what you do to make it succeed and grow.

Jonathan Wilkins is with EU Automation.

Mark Proctor gives his analysis of DCSs and PLCs in the modern plant

The difference between distributed control systems (DCSs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) can be boiled down to a simple football metaphor. Your DCS is your captain. The first name on the team sheet, your DCS is dependable, hardworking and controls the whole outfit. Your PLC is more like a utility player - he's nippy and doesn't mind where he plays, but don't expect him to be as reliable as your captain.

Traditionally, a DCS system was expensive, large, complex to implement and only seen as a control solution for continuous or complex batch process industries.

On the other hand, PLCs evolved from solid state relays and, as opposed to DCS, were used where process restarts were not a major concern, but processing speed was important.

The best way to think about DCS and PLC is like this: in the majority of cases, a PLC controls a machine and a DCS controls a plant.

A DCS is used when the value of the products manufactured is high, the production is continuous and failures in the system result in damage to process equipment - for example, if a glass kiln dropped below a certain temperature. This is because a DCS normally has built-in redundancy, ensuring a higher level of system insurance. All upgrades are made online while the system runs continuously.

Conversely, PLCs are often used when the value of the product is relatively low and production needs to be flexible. Systems can be shut down for maintenance, troubleshooting or upgrades without damage to equipment or significant downtime costs.

Diagnostics in a PLC system will alert an engineer when something is broken. Whereas in a DCS, asset management software provides alerts of what might break before it does, so a fitting substitution can be made. This kind of predictive analysis is particularly important for obsolete part replacement and avoiding costly downtime.

As a utility player, PLCs are highly customisable. They have standard libraries and routines built in, but also have the capability to be specially programmed using custom code from scratch. On the other hand, engineers expect a DCS to offer an out-of-the-box control system with features such as - historian, sophisticated alarms and logic from pre-existing function blocks. Like a good captain, the highest priority of a DCS is to deliver reliability and availability. DCS designs often trade high levels of functionality for repeatability and dependability.

The speed of logic execution is another key differentiator between DCS and PLC. PLCs are designed to meet the needs of applications that require scan rates of ten milliseconds or less. This allows them to accurately control motors and drives running at high speeds.

However, DCSs do not need to be this quick because they control systems rather than individual devices. A DCS's regulatory control loops generally scan in the 100 to 500 millisecond range.

For all their differences, PLC and DCS are becoming more alike. DCS was originally developed for analogue control. However, the latest generations of PLCs are increasingly capable of delivering simple to complex proportional integral derivative (PID) control. In addition, today's DCS hardware is not as expensive as it was a couple of decades ago and is less difficult to implement. It is also no longer as cumbersome either - modern DCS hardware resembles a PLC in size. This is why DCS is now used in smaller applications, whereby it is not spread across the whole plant, but rather a complex subsection that needs reliable control. For example, take the server halls of data centres: these types of control systems are often seen as hybrids of both DCS and PLC.

Modern industrial applications are demanding the reliability of a DCS system but the flexibility of a PLC. This change has brought about a certain level of technological convergence between PLCs and DCSs that defies traditional ideas of the two. In essence, some industrial plants are now employing more than one captain to ensure critical systems are well managed. Game on.

Mark Proctor is managing director of industrial spares supplier EU Automation.

Metallic inclusions are the number one contaminant in food products, causing product quality and consumer safety issues. Phil Brown looks at the technologies behind effective metal detection, explains the three key frequency options and why it is essential to select the correct frequency for your food application

The most widely used type of metal detector in the food industry functions on the principle known as the ‘balanced coil’. With a general-purpose search head, these can detect ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as stainless steels in fresh and frozen products - either unwrapped or wrapped, even in metallised films. Yet, they are still unable to detect every particle of metal passing through them.

Many factors will determine the theoretical sensitivity of a metal detector. Among them the aperture size (the smaller the aperture, the smaller the piece of metal that can be detected), the type of metal, product effect, and the type and orientation of the contaminant as it passes through the detector. Environmental conditions, such as airborne electrical interference - static, radio, earth loops - vibration and temperature fluctuation may also affect performance.

In order to reduce metal contaminant risks it is essential to identify the optimum frequency for any product. Many products inspected inherently have electrical conductivity and/or magnetic permeability within their makeup. For example, any product that is iron-enriched, such as cereals, creates a large magnetic signal that the detector must overcome in order to detect small pieces of metal. These are referred to as ‘dry’ products. Conversely, wet’ products with high moisture and salt content, such as bread, meat and cheese, are electrically conductive.

Dry products tend to be a lot easier in terms of detection capability, because you don’t have to worry about the product effect. Equally, you suffer with the sensitivity level on the wet products, because you have to deal with the signature of the product. Even amongst wet products, bread, is very different to meat. They are both conductive, but meat has more water, so consequently the two exhibit very different product effects.

The detector must remove or reduce this ‘product effect’ in order to identify a metal contaminant. So the solution is to change the frequency of operation to minimise the effect of the product. The downside is this can impact your ability to find different metals. When you drop frequency you tend to enhance your ability to find ferrous metals but you really limit your performance when it comes to non-ferrous metals, because the lower end of the frequency is more responsive to magnetic effects of the contamination. By the same token, if you take the frequency higher, the reverse happens - you start to limit your ferrous detection capability but enhance your non-ferrous detection.

Running product samples and tests is advisable. Experts will tend to know what the frequency bands are likely to be, but it's always dangerous to be too presumptuous because sometimes different types of the same product can behave in different ways. It's really important to choose the right frequency for the product. The process typically takes specialists an hour or two.

Evolution of metal detection

In the past decade, metal detection technology has progressed significantly. Nowadays, a food manufacturer generally has three technology options - fixed frequency, multi-frequency and simultaneous frequency.

With a single tuned-frequency device, the operating frequency has to be picked to suit the product. With a difficult conductive product like meat or cheese, or a larger product, the frequency has to be set low to deal with the product effect. That makes the system less sensitive to the detection of stainless steel and non-ferrous metals.

About 15 years ago, the introduction of selectable frequency made life a little bit easier, but the metal detector still had to be set to run at a specific frequency. In a worst-case scenario, that would be a low, less sensitive frequency.

To solve this, Fortress built a system that had two frequencies for simultaneous inspection at a high and a low frequency. The high frequency could detect stainless steel, while the low frequency was able to meet specs on ferrous metals. It worked really well, but it was quite expensive and difficult to build. The Interceptor range that Fortress unveiled last year built further on this technology and improves stainless steel metal detection capability on ‘wet’ products by a further 100%, compared to the most recent generations of metal detectors. This means it can pick up metal contaminants half the dimensional size previously identifiable. Like other metal detectors, the Interceptor also reliably detects the full range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including stainless steel, which continues to pose the highest metal contaminant risks in the food industry.

Significant engineering and other challenges have had to be overcome to make the system more affordable for smaller-sized food manufacturers. Adding more electronics and a new coil structure enabled new cost efficiencies to bring the Interceptor system’s costs to only slightly more than a standard metal detector.

The new technology works by carrying out a real-time analysis of a low frequency and a high frequency signal in parallel. Using an advanced algorithm, the Interceptor splits the product and metal detection signals and then link the readings back together. Compared to the traditional approach of tuning into specific frequencies, this new method makes it possible to identify the product effect (most noticeable at lower frequencies) and eliminate it from the higher-frequency signal, where the potential effect of the metal is more prominent.

So, what technology is best in today’s food production environments? A machine with a fixed frequency is good if you are consistently inspecting the same product day in day out, like a chocolate bar, but there are obvious limitations if your product range is more expansive. Multi-frequency systems perform well on range of products passing down the same production line, although the sensitivity and performance may be compromised, increasing the risk of metal contaminants going undetected. Machine operatives may still have to select the frequency, and this raises the issue of what they are basing their decision on. If its not tuned in exactly right, like a radio station, they might not select the frequency that delivers perfect clarity and sensitivity. Automatic product learning does, however, reduce the possibility of human error. With simultaneous frequency it’s more sensitive as you can ignore the product effect, making it ideal for wet products that vary in size and density, like cuts of meat, fish or blocks of cheese. 

Critically, with any metal detector, there’s no ‘best’ frequency. There are only ranges of frequencies, each better for different purposes. Understanding how these frequency options work and differ is fundamental to selecting the right inspection machine for your application. If in doubt, seek impartial and professional advice.

Phil Brown, Sales Director of Fortress Technology. 

In the manufacturing industry the use of apps is becoming a more common way to access information. Jonathan Wilkins compares industrial apps to browser based alternatives

“There’s an app for that”. Encouraging the development of over 1 million mobile apps, Apple’s ubiquitous catchphrase quickly became an icon of its time. Unsure what to have for dinner? Car broken down? Can’t get to sleep? Don’t fret, the app store probably has you covered.  Even in the manufacturing industry, apps are finding a home as one of the best ways to access information.

Without doubt, it is much easier to obtain information by the single touch of a button than the traditional route of starting up a web browser, typing in a URL and navigating your way to the correct page. Accessible through the mobiles and tablets of its engineers, apps would appear to be the ideal solution for information access and visualisation in the manufacturing industry. Able to provide instant access to factory operations and a customised, on-screen view of the manufacturing facility, this solution is improving both efficiency and productivity.

Although apps are great for users and manufacturing organisations, developing the ideal app can be an incredibly lengthy process, especially when compared to browser-based alternatives. In both work and leisure environments, mobile apps are used to enhance and simplify even the smallest of daily tasks. With this in mind, it would be easy to disregard the technological intelligence of PC-based platforms as outdated in comparison. However, they are not as far behind as they may seem.

Today, the majority of factories will already have a number of human machine interface (HMI) platforms installed. These HMIs will generally run off-the-shelf software packages, offering built-in HTML5 support. As the latest version of HTML code, HTML5 provides specific functions to better embed graphics, audio, video and interactive documents onto web pages, regardless of the device being used. As the majority of mobile device operating systems also use this new HTML standard, most HMI, PC-based and remote access devices will have no trouble accessing HTML5 platforms.

For organisations using mobiles or tablets to gain remote access to operating data, the HTML5 standard can prove to be incredibly useful. With the standard, organisations are capable of developing new, remote access screens and deploying these screens to the devices of their engineers. What’s more, as HTML5 supports the automatic adjustment of web pages and content to suit any screen, the size or model of the remote device is irrelevant. For industries reliant on remote access to manage operations, such as the off shore oil and gas sector, this capability is vital.

Mobile apps may still reign supreme when it comes to trending technology, however, the write-once and deploy-many-times functionality of PC-based options may prove superior when it comes to managing facilities remotely. The introduction of HTML5 has already simplified the deployment of browser-based remote access – a priceless benefit for some manufacturing sectors. Inevitably, many manufacturing organisations will consider browser-based options to be long-winded in comparison to the instant on-screen accessibility of mobile apps. However, considering the lengthy development time – apps may not be the fast solution they may seem.

Providing seamless compatibility with mobile devices and easy access to factory data, browser-based applications provide an ideal solution to manufacturers across all sectors, especially those operating in remote locations. There may well be an app for everything, but for visualisation in the manufacturing industry, browser-based access could prove to be the better option.

Jonathan Wilkins is with EU Automation. 

When industry leaders look to gain every possible competitive advantage in business, scheduling is a key area that needs to be given greater precedence. Roch Gauthier reports

Production scheduling is one of the most important disciplines within process manufacturing. Crucially, the scheduler is the linchpin to customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Daily decisions made in this vital function influence outcomes, including what to make and when, which ultimately impacts customer orders and bottom-line profitability. With every corrective and timely adjustment to the manufacturing schedule, the scheduler delivers enormous benefits, including high levels of customer service and responsiveness, fulfilling order commitment promises, manufacturing cost savings and optimised inventory management.

Frequently fluctuating production, restrictions in material transport and storage, unforeseen customer demands, changes to plans and complexity are just some of the daily, around the clock challenges for plant schedulers today. The continual management of constant change places tremendous pressure on schedulers to ensure they keep the operation running according to plan and meet internal and external commitments. With the increasing complexity in today’s market, executives need to view scheduling as a vital part of the business decision-making process and elevate its status within the organisation. Investment in the discipline and empowering schedulers with specialist cutting-edge software has shown to reap an enormous uplift in production efficiencies and overall profitability whilst simultaneously driving improvements in customer service levels.

What-if?

Many organisations experience late shipments and production problems due to poor scheduling. Detailed schedules can be difficult to create and update when using the wrong tools and in many situations, problems occur at the scheduling level due to an inability to easily visualise the immediate cause-and-effect consequences of schedule changes and their longer term ripple effects into the future.

Schedulers need to be able to react quickly, consider multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios and adjust their production schedules accordingly in order to keep production aligned to the plan and achieve customer and internal stakeholder commitments. Poor production scheduling can result in huge losses. The majority of schedulers use less powerful solutions, such as Excel spreadsheets, which may have been adequate in the past, but struggle to meet the needs of companies looking to distinguish themselves in the marketplace by being a responsive and reliable supplier to their customers. Typically, the scheduler spends many unproductive hours creating an initial weekly schedule and expending additional time every day manually modifying and adjusting the schedule in response to actual production and logistical events and changes in demand. With limited time and cumbersome tools, most schedulers’ goal is to develop a feasible near term schedule. Additionally, the inability to see the whole production picture results in ambiguity for setting an effective operational strategy. A myopic view of future events prevents the scheduler from identifying medium to longer term potential issues. However, an improved schedule looks out weeks or months into the future and brings enormous benefits, including the ability to identify and resolve issues well in advance before they become critical problems.

Decision support software, such as production scheduling applications, deal with key questions, including “what will happen or what must happen in the future?” Determining these situation variables is accomplished through the use of ‘what-if’ scenario analysis performed by the scheduler. It is the scheduler that then applies their judgement on the findings and selects the best course of action to take. When a disruption occurs, the scheduler is frequently drawn into coping with emergencies and attempting to correct the problem in hand without fully considering the complete economic and operational consequences of the corrective measures. This fire-fighting culture is inefficient and results in unproductive time and efforts, which would be better used to focus on analysing additional scenarios and making better decisions.

Faster and smarter scheduling

The goal of planning is to determine ‘what/where/when/how to supply and which demands to meet’ within the constraints of a manufacturer’s supply capabilities. Monthly production targets established by planners are handed over to schedulers who work on determining the detailed sequence of production and the synchronisation between production stages to deliver feasible material flow and efficient production within the constraints of a manufacturer’s production capabilities. 

Advanced scheduling tools provide an intuitive user interface that bridges the gap in usability and skills to support schedulers who can perform ‘what-if’ scenarios and easily make use of optimisation methods to create schedules. Optimised schedules help make the most of available production capacity, increasing throughput from the plant facilities whilst ensuring high levels of customer service.

Now companies can navigate supply chain complexity and respond faster to changing market demands and unforeseen events with a powerful and easy to use solution. AspenTech’s supply chain management suite comes with process industry templates designed for rapid and low risk deployments. Aspen Plant Scheduler, a product within the unified planning and scheduling suite, is fully configurable to model unique supply chain/manufacturing characteristics and constraints and fully upgradable. Scalable and flexible optimisation technologies can be employed to create optimal plans and schedules.

Aspen Plant Scheduler can be integrated with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and other, possibly in-house, systems to maintain the schedule in alignment with the most up-to-date information on customer orders, forecasts, stock transfer orders, raw material receipts and production activities.

Manufacturers who have deployed Aspen Plant Scheduler experience significant benefits in the areas of increased throughput, reduced transition and setup costs, reduced inventories and the reduction of expediting costs. Schedulers report significant time savings and productivity gains compared to traditional spreadsheet based approaches.

Optimising customer service

Process manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to maximise productivity from their plant assets. Today’s volatile market environment and complex production processes require advanced plant scheduling software solutions to react quickly to production upsets and demand changes. An intuitive scheduling tool simplifies the user experience and streamlines workflows to provide easy access to vital plant data, which schedulers need to achieve process manufacturers’ plans. Unlike less powerful solutions, such as Excel, advanced scheduling tools open a world of opportunities for schedulers to realise numerous benefits, including reduction in manufacturing costs, reduction of inventory levels, better responsiveness to operational problems and better customer service.

Scheduling is the linchpin to customer satisfaction. This vital function provides process manufacturers with the ability to efficiently manage their production assets. Viewing the role of scheduling with greater importance is the first step in closing the likely gap between the sales and operations planning (S&OP) process and manufacturing execution processes. 

Roch Gauthier is Senior Director, Product Management, AspenTech.

When industry leaders look to gain every possible competitive advantage in business, scheduling is a key area that needs to be given greater precedence. Roch Gauthier reports

Production scheduling is one of the most important disciplines within process manufacturing. Crucially, the scheduler is the linchpin to customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Daily decisions made in this vital function influence outcomes, including what to make and when, which ultimately impacts customer orders and bottom-line profitability. With every corrective and timely adjustment to the manufacturing schedule, the scheduler delivers enormous benefits, including high levels of customer service and responsiveness, fulfilling order commitment promises, manufacturing cost savings and optimised inventory management.

Frequently fluctuating production, restrictions in material transport and storage, unforeseen customer demands, changes to plans and complexity are just some of the daily, around the clock challenges for plant schedulers today. The continual management of constant change places tremendous pressure on schedulers to ensure they keep the operation running according to plan and meet internal and external commitments. With the increasing complexity in today’s market, executives need to view scheduling as a vital part of the business decision-making process and elevate its status within the organisation. Investment in the discipline and empowering schedulers with specialist cutting-edge software has shown to reap an enormous uplift in production efficiencies and overall profitability whilst simultaneously driving improvements in customer service levels.

What-if?

Many organisations experience late shipments and production problems due to poor scheduling. Detailed schedules can be difficult to create and update when using the wrong tools and in many situations, problems occur at the scheduling level due to an inability to easily visualise the immediate cause-and-effect consequences of schedule changes and their longer term ripple effects into the future.

Schedulers need to be able to react quickly, consider multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios and adjust their production schedules accordingly in order to keep production aligned to the plan and achieve customer and internal stakeholder commitments. Poor production scheduling can result in huge losses. The majority of schedulers use less powerful solutions, such as Excel spreadsheets, which may have been adequate in the past, but struggle to meet the needs of companies looking to distinguish themselves in the marketplace by being a responsive and reliable supplier to their customers. Typically, the scheduler spends many unproductive hours creating an initial weekly schedule and expending additional time every day manually modifying and adjusting the schedule in response to actual production and logistical events and changes in demand. With limited time and cumbersome tools, most schedulers’ goal is to develop a feasible near term schedule. Additionally, the inability to see the whole production picture results in ambiguity for setting an effective operational strategy. A myopic view of future events prevents the scheduler from identifying medium to longer term potential issues. However, an improved schedule looks out weeks or months into the future and brings enormous benefits, including the ability to identify and resolve issues well in advance before they become critical problems.

Decision support software, such as production scheduling applications, deal with key questions, including “what will happen or what must happen in the future?” Determining these situation variables is accomplished through the use of ‘what-if’ scenario analysis performed by the scheduler. It is the scheduler that then applies their judgement on the findings and selects the best course of action to take. When a disruption occurs, the scheduler is frequently drawn into coping with emergencies and attempting to correct the problem in hand without fully considering the complete economic and operational consequences of the corrective measures. This fire-fighting culture is inefficient and results in unproductive time and efforts, which would be better used to focus on analysing additional scenarios and making better decisions.

Faster and smarter scheduling

The goal of planning is to determine ‘what/where/when/how to supply and which demands to meet’ within the constraints of a manufacturer’s supply capabilities. Monthly production targets established by planners are handed over to schedulers who work on determining the detailed sequence of production and the synchronisation between production stages to deliver feasible material flow and efficient production within the constraints of a manufacturer’s production capabilities. 

Advanced scheduling tools provide an intuitive user interface that bridges the gap in usability and skills to support schedulers who can perform ‘what-if’ scenarios and easily make use of optimisation methods to create schedules. Optimised schedules help make the most of available production capacity, increasing throughput from the plant facilities whilst ensuring high levels of customer service.

Now companies can navigate supply chain complexity and respond faster to changing market demands and unforeseen events with a powerful and easy to use solution. AspenTech’s supply chain management suite comes with process industry templates designed for rapid and low risk deployments. Aspen Plant Scheduler, a product within the unified planning and scheduling suite, is fully configurable to model unique supply chain/manufacturing characteristics and constraints and fully upgradable. Scalable and flexible optimisation technologies can be employed to create optimal plans and schedules.

Aspen Plant Scheduler can be integrated with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and other, possibly in-house, systems to maintain the schedule in alignment with the most up-to-date information on customer orders, forecasts, stock transfer orders, raw material receipts and production activities.

Manufacturers who have deployed Aspen Plant Scheduler experience significant benefits in the areas of increased throughput, reduced transition and setup costs, reduced inventories and the reduction of expediting costs. Schedulers report significant time savings and productivity gains compared to traditional spreadsheet based approaches.

Optimising customer service

Process manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to maximise productivity from their plant assets. Today’s volatile market environment and complex production processes require advanced plant scheduling software solutions to react quickly to production upsets and demand changes. An intuitive scheduling tool simplifies the user experience and streamlines workflows to provide easy access to vital plant data, which schedulers need to achieve process manufacturers’ plans. Unlike less powerful solutions, such as Excel, advanced scheduling tools open a world of opportunities for schedulers to realise numerous benefits, including reduction in manufacturing costs, reduction of inventory levels, better responsiveness to operational problems and better customer service.

Scheduling is the linchpin to customer satisfaction. This vital function provides process manufacturers with the ability to efficiently manage their production assets. Viewing the role of scheduling with greater importance is the first step in closing the likely gap between the sales and operations planning (S&OP) process and manufacturing execution processes. 

Roch Gauthier is Senior Director, Product Management, AspenTech.

Siemens has further developed its SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system and released Version 8.2 to meet the rising demands of automation. This version comes with a range of new functionalities to improve user convenience as well as the performance and efficiency of the process control system over the entire life cycle of process plants – from the planning stage through to maintenance. Plant engineers will benefit from more efficient engineering solutions, while operators will experience greater convenience in daily operations due to greater system availability and lower overall running costs.

To allow production processes to run with the greatest possible stability and efficiency, Version 8.2 of SIMATIC PCS 7 offers individual, networked and reliable plant monitoring. Web systems can now also be operated and observed over the Intranet/Internet. For this, operators can use extensive configuration possibilities for individual and secured online access to the operating and monitoring level of a production plant, enabling the implementation of benefits such as remote control room concepts.

The integration of mobile terminals in SIMATIC PCS 7 has also been extended. This allows information such as production characteristics, trend or alarm functions to be viewed at any time from any location using smartphones or tablets – no matter which operating system is used.

SIMATIC PDM (Process Device Manager) supports plant-wide access to field devices. Diagnosis, maintenance, parameterisation, configuration and commissioning can now be performed from mobile terminals with standard browsers or from any optional computer within a system. By enabling the parameterisation of field devices, the PDM solutions help improve servicing productivity.

Intuitive plant operation

The new version of SIMATIC PCS 7 supports operators with a new range of search and visualisation functions. One of these is the measuring-point-browser, which accelerates the selective search for measuring points with relevant plant information. The Operator Trend View tool depicts the process sequence in the form of trend graphs for a rapid overview, helping the operator achieve optimised plant monitoring and process control. The group view visualises existing measuring points, making operation faster and more intuitive for plant personnel.

Efficient plant engineering

The new Logic Matrix plays a key role in ensuring efficient plant engineering. It allows the efficient switching of interlock statuses in a production plant in compliance with the cause and effect principle. The Logic Matrix can be efficiently processed, exported or imported with Microsoft Excel. Furthermore, in SIMATIC PCS 7 version 8.2, mass data engineering has also been substantially extended: for instance, technological engineering with function, system and layout plans and the relevant documents for SIMATIC PCS 7 projects. This substantially reduces the work entailed in compiling PCS 7 documentation.

Industry-specific applications

To avoid load peaks in the power supply, the new version of PCS 7 also offers integrated monitoring of all energy-relevant consumption data for a complete plant. The load management functions to control loads such as drives are a constituent part of the technology library and can be simply implemented. This supports plant operation within contractually-agreed energy supply conditions and enables the selective optimisation of power consumption.

Reduction of lifestyle costs

To ensure that the process control system stays abreast of the latest technological developments at all times, Siemens offers a Software Update Service (SUS) for SIMATIC PCS 7. This also encompasses support for new operating systems such as Microsoft Windows 10 and Server 2012 for PCS 7 V8.2.

Power quality specialist REO UK has launched the REOTRON MDW 700 WK, a three-phase power controller with water-cooling for industrial applications. The controller offers a compact, low maintenance power solution to electrical engineers, making it suitable for industrial ovens and heating equipment in the process, automation and plating industries.

The REOTRON MDW 700 WK offers reliable regulation of current, power and voltage as well as integrated current and voltage monitoring from absolute zero to 10V. The module can be easily switched between two modes — three phase-angle, ideal for controlling ripple sensitive electrical loads, and burst-fire up to 3 x 450A, better suited to applications that require low radio frequency interference (RFI).

In order to extend the lifespan of the controller itself, the REOTRON MDW 700 WK is available with water cooling. In using a liquid coolant in place of air cooling fans, the device is more compact and reduces the risk of corrosive or harmful particles entering the housing and damaging internal components.

“There has historically been a sense of apprehension towards using water-cooled electrical power controllers,” explained Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK. “However, these coolants offer a range of advantages over traditional air-cooling designs, both in terms of device longevity and convenience. Not only does the more compact design make the controller suitable for a wider variety of applications, the water-cooling eliminates the need for frequent maintenance of fan filters.

“Without the need for vents on the enclosure itself, there is a greatly reduced risk of debris and dust from production lines infiltrating the unit. This is especially important for sites that work with corrosive elements as these can cause serious damage. For example, electroplating plants often create copper sulphate particulates as a by-product of operation. With an air-cooled controller, these corrosive particulates can be drawn into the vent and damage the device, a risk we've eliminated by using liquid cooling.”

Engineers can also use the water from the REOTRON cooling system in other processes. This allows businesses to make the most of resources and take a more sustainable approach to plant management.

“Rather than waste the water that is used to regulate the power controller temperature, it makes sense to also use this water in other applications,” continued Hughes. “The water itself is heated due to the operating temperatures of the REOTRON, so this could be used in factory heating. Measures such as this can lead to an industrial circular economy, resulting in cost-saving benefits to businesses.”

The device is also available in an air-cooled model, the REOTRON MDW 700, for companies that prefer fan usage. Both models offer a number of fieldbus connectivity options, including DeviceNet, EtherCAT, Profinet and Profibus-DP.

The ARCA IEC enclosure series from Fibox is designed for flexible handling in any and all on-site conditions.

The various wall mounting options are a case in point. The polycarbonate enclosures feature double-walled corners with mounting holes located outside of the IP66 protected installation space. These enable direct wall attachment with screws that cannot be accessed from the outside.

Alternatively, Fibox offers stainless steel wall mounting lugs that resist adverse environmental conditions. The threaded lugs can be fastened with a screw from the inside of the enclosure. The wall mounting lugs available in two depths of 10 and 40 mm also enable hidden routing of cables behind the cabinet.

In addition, Fibox offers pole mounting sets (100-300mm diameter) for all 14 cabinet sizes from 200 x 300 x 150mm to 800 x 600 x 300mm.

Power quality specialist REO UK has launched the REOTRON MDW 700 WK, a three-phase power controller with water-cooling for industrial applications. The controller offers a compact, low maintenance power solution to electrical engineers, making it ideal for industrial ovens and heating equipment in the process, automation and plating industries.

The REOTRON MDW 700 WK offers reliable regulation of current, power and voltage as well as integrated current and voltage monitoring from absolute zero to 10V. The module can be easily switched between two modes — three phase-angle, ideal for controlling ripple sensitive electrical loads, and burst-fire up to 3 x 450A, better suited to applications that require low radio frequency interference (RFI).

In order to extend the lifespan of the controller itself, the REOTRON MDW 700 WK is available with water cooling. In using a liquid coolant in place of air cooling fans, the device is more compact and reduces the risk of corrosive or harmful particles entering the housing and damaging internal components.

“There has historically been a sense of apprehension towards using water-cooled electrical power controllers,” explained Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK. “However, these coolants offer a range of advantages over traditional air-cooling designs, both in terms of device longevity and convenience. Not only does the more compact design make the controller suitable for a wider variety of applications, the water-cooling eliminates the need for frequent maintenance of fan filters.

“Without the need for vents on the enclosure itself, there is a greatly reduced risk of debris and dust from production lines infiltrating the unit. This is especially important for sites that work with corrosive elements as these can cause serious damage. For example, electroplating plants often create copper sulphate particulates as a by-product of operation. With an air-cooled controller, these corrosive particulates can be drawn into the vent and damage the device, a risk we've eliminated by using liquid cooling.”

Engineers can also use the water from the REOTRON cooling system in other processes. This allows businesses to make the most of resources and take a more sustainable approach to plant management.

“Rather than waste the water that is used to regulate the power controller temperature, it makes sense to also use this water in other applications,” continued Hughes. “The water itself is heated due to the operating temperatures of the REOTRON, so this could be used in factory heating. Measures such as this can lead to an industrial circular economy, resulting in cost-saving benefits to businesses.”

The device is also available in an air-cooled model, the REOTRON MDW 700, for companies that prefer fan usage. Both models offer a number of fieldbus connectivity options, including DeviceNet, EtherCAT, Profinet and Profibus-DP.

The worlds of engineering and IT are banding together. There are clear crossovers between IT and engineering, such as the use of data visualisation, mobile and android enabled devices in industrial automation systems. Manufacturing is becoming more IT focussed and this is accelerating the cycle of product obsolescence. Jonathan Wilkins reports

Steak and chips, strawberries and cream or rum and coke - some things are meant to be together. Yet, in the same breath, many things that are forced upon each other can create outstanding combinations.

It is no secret that the engineering sector has been heavily criticised for its reluctance to embrace change. Industrial components are often so rugged, that many hold an expected life span of between 20 and 50 years. With longevity in mind, it is unsurprising that 90% of manufacturers today continue to use this ageing machinery.

However, in today’s climate, such an extensive life span is not always the case. Technology is advancing at a phenomenal pace and now, many industrial components are becoming obsolete in as little as three years.

In modern factories, the introduction of advanced IT is having more of an impact on component obsolescence than ever before. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the internet-enabled network of connected devices, is continuing to speed up the obsolescence process in industry. Admittedly, IIoT is not a new phenomenon; interconnected devices have been sharing information in factories for the last few decades. However, with manufacturing becoming more IT focussed, the cycle of product obsolescence is tightening every year.

The crossovers between IT and engineering are clear. Manufacturers are using data centres to store production data. Technologies like data visualisation, mobile and android enabled devices are being implemented into industrial automation systems. While embracing these technological advancements is necessary for organisations to thrive, at the same time, this is only advancing the speed of equipment obsolescence.

However, it is not just hardware feeling the force of obsolescence. In the world of IT, industrial software is also suffering and most of this software is likely to become obsolete or outdated in as little as a year. The vital difference is that an IT team can quickly download patches or enhancements to improve and upgrade software at any time of day, from any location. Industrial automation components are not as simple. For machinery, obsolescence means a much more difficult choice of either sourcing a replacement or upgrading to a newer model.

Much has changed since many traditional assemblies were built decades ago. Back then, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were responsible for producing the entire finished product. OEMs no longer have total control of their product life cycle. Instead, various standardised protocols, outsourced manufacturing and the introduction of advanced IT have changed the engineering process completely.

It will come as no surprise that tensions are rising between the fields of traditional engineering and modern IT, but by no means should this indicate the two practices cannot work in harmony.

Today, there is an ever-growing number of manufacturers who choose to maintain or retrofit older industrial automation systems, rather than upgrading to new models. There is no reason that factories cannot continue to use these traditional, Ethernet-based protocols with a physical connection to the operating system, while also embracing the convenience of industrial IT too. With these traditional assemblies, many organisations are simply supplementing automated infrastructure with new, mobile technology.

Using an IIoT connected human machine interface (HMI), for example, will give engineers the convenience of access to historical and current performance of operating systems, even when the engineer is outside the factory walls. Through a tablet display, the HMI will do everything its traditional, stationary predecessor could, but with the added benefit of location flexibility and of course, compatibility with more sophisticated software. After all, rum and coke might have seemed a bit awkward when it was first combined at the beginning of the 20th century, but it has definitely won the masses over.

Jonathan Wilkins is marketing director of industrial automation supplier EU Automation.

The trend for factory automation and machine control solutions to move from classic fieldbus setups to Ethernet based systems is being supported by new CC-Link IE I/O blocks from Balluff.

Stephan Langer, product manager with Balluff specialist for sensor systems and solutions, says there is a need to develop robust, high performance and intelligent infrastructures for industrial communications. He cites CC-Link IE and CC-Link as being key drivers for enabling this advance.

Balluff offers a range of I/O blocks and also IO-Link sensor hubs, which enable simple, rapid building and/or reconfiguring of networks, including CC-Link IE and CC-Link enabled versions. They are configured as two galvanically isolated segments, so that two separately switchable safety circuits can be implemented using a single module. Further, they can support both digital and analogue sensors and can be used with an additional power module if required.

All types are available in a rugged IP67 format for reduced installation costs.

Balluff is a global manufacturer for sensor systems and solutions for the industrial automation headquartered in Germany, with representation in 61 countries around the world. Langer notes that its customers are increasingly asking for sensor solutions based on intelligent networks that can reliably collect data from sensors, interpret it to create higher level information and deliver this to locations in the network where it is used.

CC-Link IE is the Industrial Ethernet version of the CC-Link fieldbus. It is unique in providing gigabit bandwidth so that large amounts of data can be transmitted very quickly. Both CC-Link IE and CC-Link have the combined support of over 300 different device manufacturers worldwide.

The networks enjoy a leading position across Asia, and are also popular in other major regions such as Europe and the Americas. The technical specifications for CC-Link technologies are available to any company that joins the CLPA, which is responsible for the development and promotion of the technologies. The CLPA is one of the largest open network associations, with over 2,600 partners globally.

Langer again: “We see that CC-Link IE’s gigabit bandwidth is crucial for customers developing the Ethernet based communications networks that are increasingly in demand due to the trend for Industry 4.0 solutions. Compatibility therefore aids us in supplying them with complete solutions. Further, its strong position in Asia makes it absolutely essential for comprehensive export success in that region.”

Balluff’s I/O blocks, both digital I/O blocks and IO-Link hubs, enable up to 16 standard sensors or other field devices to be connected into networks quickly, conveniently and reliably. The blocks are available with plastic or metal bodies, their fully encapsulated housing providing protection against impacts and corrosive liquids to IP67. They are designed for temperatures of up to 70 degrees C and for use in harsh industrial environments.

“The blocks enable quick and easy building of large networks. CC-Link units are vital for our Asian projects and CC-Link IE facilitates the increasingly large data transfer capabilities that are required. Once system designers know they have access to an open gigabit network, they tend to design around that capability, so our products are being used as enabling parts of that development process.”

Balluff also manufactures solutions for: object detection, linear position sensing, industrial RFID, fluid sensors and, increasingly, industrial networking. The company’s sensor ranges include inductive, proximity, photoelectric, vision, ultrasonic, capacitive, pressure and magnetic.

Usually, fans do not need a braking resistor and chopper. However, when operating in a closed system, fans are at risk of over-speeding, causing the DC voltage on their motor drives to rise.  John Mitchell reports

Fans don’t normally need a braking resistor and chopper but when they are operating in a closed system, a situation may arise where one fan will over-speed the next and the DC bus voltage on their motor drives will then rise.

External dynamic braking choppers are useful to drive manufacturers, panel builders and end users alike. A seventh IGBT (Isolated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) for the chopper in a six-pulse drive is one way drive manufacturers can reduce the cost of the product by rating the IGBT to a given torque and duty level. Some six-pulse off-the-shelf AC drives manufactured today have a seventh IGBT built in as standard.

The calculation for sizing the internal brake chopper is not a difficult one, but getting accurate data in the first place can be. Some brake choppers on board a drive range from 25% to 100% ratings. And let’s not forget the fact that not all drive manufacturers fit a seventh IGBT above ratings of 22kW.

To this end, where it is too expensive to change the installed drive or where regenerative energy has been overlooked, CP Automation offers a range of external brake choppers that covers 99% of application needs up to 360kW peak, 100kW continuous.

Available in nine models across three frame sizes, there are several options to set the threshold to the desired switching level, along with fault output and master-slave options to chop higher power levels.

External brake chopper units should allow for a fit and forget procedure. During emergency stops the unit will still function – because it is powered by the DC bus and not by an external supply. These were key features for a fan application at GA Pet Food Partners.

GA Pet Food Partners, Leyland, Lamcashire, UK, works with some of the biggest pet food businesses in the world. However, it doesn’t manufacture an own label product because it doesn’t believe in having an own brand. It sees itself as a partner, not a competitor, to its customers.

From concept to launch and storage to dispatch, the company claims it partners with more private label pet food brands than any other pet food manufacturer, making it easy and profitable for pet food brands to launch and grow their business.

GA Pet Food Partners operates an environmental extraction system comprised of three parallel 185kW ABB Motors spinning the Halifax fans cascading into smaller fans, and was encountering difficulty in decelerating the biggest of these units. The effect of over-speeding becomes cumulative the more fans there are in close proximity on a factory floor.

The three large fans are controlled by Allen Bradley Powerflex 753 variable speed drives (VSDs) from Rockwell Automation, which count among their features predictive diagnostics to extend the life of cooling fans.

“In an environmental extraction system, if a fan runs too fast, it either pressurises air too much at one end or creates suction at the other,” explained Jayne Whittaker, engineering director at GA Pet Food Partners.

“Some machines on the shop floor have exhaust fans, which need to run at the appropriate speed. CP Automation supplied external brake resistors and retrofitted brake choppers within the existing panels that house the Allen Bradley drives.”

Advanced extrusion

The new GA Pet Food Partners factory is home to the most technically advanced extrusion plant in the world, making some of the finest super premium dry pet foods. GA Pet Food Partners has invested in the world’s first thermal twin extruder, which allows it to include very high levels of fresh meat in premium dry pet foods without the use of dry meat meals.

With four extruders, the company has a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of super premium pet food and can make batches from 3-200 tonnes to suit small or large brands, delivering the same quality and consistency whatever the batch size.

A reliable electrical equipment provider should have a clear understanding of the application as a whole, the machine itself and the components. This way, CP Automation is able help make the manufacturing process more efficient, more cost effective and more sustainable in every sense.

John Mitchell is business development manager of CP Automation.

Siemens is expanding its range of industrial management software for the process industries with the release of its XHQ Operations Intelligence platform. The solution provides near-real-time visibility of operations within a process manufacturing facility, helping enterprises to get more value out of existing investments in plant automation and IT.

XHQ Operations Intelligence is a set of tools that help aggregate, integrate, analyse, and present operational and business data from multiple data sources to improve enterprise performance. These can include process control systems, ERP, MES, production databases, asset management systems, process historians, inventory databases and supply chain management systems. The solution provides a single, coherent view of all critical business and transactional information, enabling a variety of performance-management and decision-support solutions.

With XHQ Operations Intelligence, operations personnel and senior management alike are able to monitor real-time performance against business goals which helps to make more informed decisions about plant performance to positively impact the bottom line.

The toolset synthesises information from multiple sources into views that provide users with the appropriate information in a familiar context.

While key performance indicators (KPIs) such as plant utilisation, the availability of raw materials or product quality enable managers to compare their entire production process with other production lines.

The process can then be optimised and adapted, where required, to achieve business objectives and targets. The metrics generated are updated in real time, making adverse trends and variances known and allowing these deviations to be compensated for prior to any serious impact on the organisation's overall objectives. Any changes in the market can also be taken into consideration, as well as the influencing factors at different production locations.

XHQ Operations Intelligence is a key element of Siemens strategy for digitalisation in the process industries along with the Simatic PCS 7 process control system and the Comos lifecycle engineering software.

As the manufacturing industry embraces industrial automation and cloud computing, the number of cyber attacks is growing. Martyn Williams discusses the three steps manufacturers should take to stay safe in the cloud

You would not allow an intruder to spend 229 days in your house undetected, so why would you do that with your manufacturing facility? As incredible as that sounds, the average time between a cyber security breach and its detection is 229 days. Manufacturing facilities are leading the list of potential targets for cyber espionage, denial of service (DoS) and web-application attacks. Here, Martyn Williams, Managing Director of industrial automation software supplier, COPA-DATA UK, discusses three steps manufacturers should take to stay safe in the cloud.

As the manufacturing sector moves towards industrial automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the cloud, the number and nature of cyber threats is also growing. A decade ago, user security was the IT department’s responsibility. Connected devices, the collapse of traditional industrial automation architecture and the move to the cloud means cyber security needs to take centre stage in any manufacturing facility.

Hackers traditionally targeted the IT and enterprise systems, but now manufacturers are seeing the same threats on their production lines, sensors, PLCs and SCADA systems. Traditional security focussed on passive defence, but increasingly advanced attacks require a different approach.

The one thing manufacturers need to understand is that any industrial automation system today is vulnerable to cyber attacks. The only way of taking advantage of the benefits of IoT and the cloud is to stay vigilant and use industry best practice. Industrial security is no longer the IT department’s concern, but a 24/7 job for everyone, including those in the boardroom.

Identify and protect valuable data

From intellectual property (IP) to trade secrets or critical production data, most departments in your organisation have sensitive information that could be the target of cyber-attacks. The first step is to identify these valuable data assets and restrict access to them by “hiding” them behind additional layers of protection and encryption.

Manufacturers can protect valuable production data using industrial automation software that has comprehensive security features, such as strong encryption, secure user administration and digital file signatures to recognise bogus programs. Software that allows you to allocate password-protected access to individual users is particularly beneficial because it empowers manufacturers to create individually configured access levels for different users. This means only authorised users gain access to valuable information.

Best practice

One of the biggest concerns many people have about cloud computing is that once data is in the cloud, it can be accessed by unauthorised users with malicious intentions. However, there is a significant distinction to be made. Validated software and cloud computing providers help ensure that their cloud is protected at the physical, network, application and data layers so that their services are as resilient to attack as possible and client data remains safe.

The problem arises when users store or access company data through alternative devices or consumer cloud solutions. The most common ones are personal smart phones, tablets or e-mail addresses.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) was an industry trend five years ago – today it is a reality. Employees everywhere use their own devices to access work e-mails, remote monitoring applications, CAD designs and other sensitive information. Unfortunately, this practice exponentially multiplies the risks of a cyber attack.

However, manufacturers can’t afford to hide their heads in the sand and hope BYOD will go away. Your best bet is to train your employees on the best-practice use of BYOD and reduce the number of devices and applications used to access company data. BYOD is not a replacement of corporate devices; it should be a controlled strategy to enable mobility.

Industry standards

Slowly, but surely, industry is starting to outline and implement cyber security standards to make industrial networks, devices, software, processes and data more secure. For example, the NIST Cyber Security Framework published in the US compiles leading practices from several standard bodies. There is no such thing as a foolproof formula, but NIST is a good place to start.

For Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS), IEC-62443 offers industry guidance that allows end users, systems integrators, security practitioners and the designers and manufacturers of industrial automation and control systems to work to the same standards. This results in a comprehensive and secure hardware and software system — the basis of any cyber-secure manufacturing facility.

Although cyber security in today’s connected factory is never 100 per cent airtight, best practice helps manufacturers detect threats early and address them in an effective way. This means your industrial security system will be able to spot intruders early rather than after 200 odd days when it might just be too late.

Martyn Williams is with  COPA-DATA. 

Social networking tools and graph technology can map and extract insights between entities in a network. Machine learning can be used to analyse networks in a way that can adapt over time to increase the accuracy of predictions. Jonathan Wilkins looks at how both can be used to make sense of big data in the manufacturing industry

The theory of six degrees of separation, first proposed in 1929, suggested that every individual in the world was connected to anyone else in no more than five links. Today, social networking tools and graph technology can accurately map and extract valuable insights from the relationships between various entities in a network.  Networks can also be analysed by machine learning, a technique in which a computer can adapt its own algorithms. Modern manufacturing equipment has been advancing rapidly; plants are filled with sensors to monitor equipment performance. The number of sensors that allow devices to connect to the internet is growing and so too is the volume and complexity of data available to plant managers. The collection, storage and analysis of this data is vital in unlocking the benefits big data can provide.

Graph databases

Traditionally, data has been stored in table-structured relational databases, but development in this field has led to the introduction of the next generation of relational databases, graph databases, a type of NoSQL database. In a graph database, information is stored and represented with nodes, edges and properties. Nodes represent individual entities, edges are lines that connect nodes to each other and properties represent information relevant to the nodes. Unlike relational databases, which form a square structure, graph databases are much more flexible.

Graph databases can be used to quickly access information and identify trends in large data sets, such as supply chain patterns, logistics and new business leads. The system is naturally adaptive, allowing new nodes to be easily added. The analysis can be done in real time to address problems in manufacturing.

Machine learning

Machine learning is a concept that has been around for many decades. In machine learning the computer doesn’t rely on rule-based programming, rather the algorithms can adapt and learn from the data. This means that manufacturers using this software don’t need to rely on the time and expense of dedicated data analysts to find patterns and make predictions. Companies like Amazon have also used cloud based machine learning to make warehouse logistics more efficient by being able to quickly and seamlessly adapt to changes in inventory demand at peak times and during seasonal highs and lows.

Machine learning can incorporate hundreds of causes, effects and non linear responses. This model can adapt itself over time to continually improve the quality of predictions. Machine learning can be combined with graph databases to gain valuable insights into processes. Whether it’s condition monitoring or predictive maintenance of a process plant, demand forecasting in automotive manufacturing or digital twinning — a type of virtualisation — machine learning facilitates better decision making in an increasingly complex business environment.

Machine learning is commonly used for predictive analytics, which can give insight not only into customer intentions, but also into the state of machines on the factory floor. Information analysed from the sensors can relay any potential suboptimal performance that may lead to unplanned down time if left unaddressed. This leaves plant managers time to order replacement parts, such as an obsolete or refurbished part from EU Automation, or perform other necessary maintenance to prevent system failure.

Machine learning is particularly useful in largely automated systems, where equipment is required to make its own decisions. The continuous learning process makes data more reliable, analysis techniques more repeatable and ultimately improves the human input into any system. Aside from predictive analytics it can also be applied to optical part sorting, failure detection, analysis and product testing.

Although machine learning and graph technology both offer a powerful way of analysing the ever increasing volume of data available to us, much of the technological potential is yet to be realised. To gain the most valuable insights, it's important that business leaders embrace a thoroughly modern form of analysis. In doing so, it may come as less of a surprise that competitive advantage is less than a mere six degrees of separation away.

Jonathan Wilkins is marketing director at EU Automation.

With the launch of the latest addition to the GOT2000 family of HMIs, Mitsubishi Electric says it has introduced a new style of operator interface. The open-frame, back mounting design enables machine builders to reinforce their own brand identity and provides a flush finish to the machine panel for a smarter, more stylish aesthetic.

Further, with the addition of an adhesive film that overlaps onto the machine panel, the new Open Frame GOT2000 models offer IP67 protection at the front, meeting the needs of hygiene sensitive applications, for example in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

The flush front surface looks like an integral part of the control panel, which enables machine builders to reinforce their own brand and corporate identities and gives a premium feel to the machine.

With the addition of the environmental protection film with its stainless look, the touch panel blends perfectly into the machinery, and fits the needs of hygienic production equipment for the pharmaceutical and food industries, aiding machine builders as they look for competitive advantages.

Further there are no nooks and crannies for dirt to hide, and the screen can be wiped with a damp cloth and washed with water. The film also allows the HMI to be operated with wet hands.

As well as its smart look and flush mounting, the new Open Frame GOT2000 offers a price advantage when compared with the measures that would normally be required to fully hygienically protect a conventional style HMI for use in sensitive applications.

The design of the Open Frame GOT2000 ensures easy and flexible installation into the panel cut-out, with simple adjustment to different panel thicknesses of between 1.5mm and 4mm. Additionally the edges of the touch panel are protected by a moulding to eliminate the risk of any damage to the HMI during installation.

Valuable features for applications within the food and pharmaceutical industries include data logging from PLCs and other devices, with the presentation of data in lists or graphical form for simple analysis. Further, with built-in web server functionality, the Open Frame GOT2000 can be accessed remotely from a standard web browser on a PC, or its status monitored using the GOT Mobile function on a smartphone or tablet.

Security has also been considered, with the GOT2000 offering operator authentication and operation log functions, enabling users to see who was operating the machine, when, how and for what purpose. With the same features, functions and connectivity options as the front-mounting and well established GT25 models in the GOT2000 range, the new Open Frame GOT2000 boasts advanced functionality and acts as a seamless gateway to other industrial automation devices, helping to drive increases in productivity and efficiency.

Stephen Parker discusses the fear of automation and explains how businesses can use technology to enhance jobs rather than replace them

There is a persistent myth that the rise of automation, robotics and software is a recipe for disaster. Many people worry that technological innovation will lead to the demise of human jobs, otherwise known as structural unemployment. These claims are dangerous for generation Z, creating an uneasy atmosphere of automation anxiety and paranoia over job security.

Many of us have heard about the idea of automation anxiety, which is the fear that robotics and software will one day come to replace humans in the workforce. Likewise, we have all been told by older generations that things were much harder in the days when they were younger. It is almost a rite of passage for each generation to overcome a type of social adversity, usually in the job market.

For generation Z, those people born just before the turn of the millennium, this adversity is often attributed to the rise of automation. As robots become more advanced and software becomes increasingly intelligent, much of the economic and academic debate surrounding the topic is being sensationalised, with warnings of mass unemployment and the demise of the labour job market.

Age-old anxiety

It’s worth remembering, however, that this doom and gloom isn’t anything new. In the early nineteenth century, a community of hand weavers rioted and attempted to destroy mills that were using power looms — rudimentary mechanical looms that automated the weaving process.

Despite the fear and the uproar, and not long after they were displaced, the weavers returned to take up positions that involved working with the power looms. Even today, the textile production industry still uses human employees in different roles that do not involve manual weaving. This shows that the fear was unfounded and didn’t lead to the redundancy of the human workforce as predicted.

We will overcome the problem with modern automation anxiety in a similar way. The two main areas of concern are industrial robotics and business automation software, the former has been operating alongside manual workers for several decades, while the latter is simply not designed to replace humans. As long as businesses implement new technologies effectively and appropriately, there should be no concerns about structural unemployment.

Implementing automation technology

In order to automate business processes effectively, it is vital that decision-makers understand what the technology is designed to achieve. When choosing business automation software, there is often a misconception that it is meant to replace the work of humans. This impression is especially prominent in customer service, where the recent adoption of chat-based artificial intelligence (AI) has led many to believe that this is the future of business.

However, software automation should be used as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. If a company wishes to improve its customer service offering, for example, managers should set up process automation software to make it easier to connect customers with staff.

AI has proven that it cannot replicate the human touch, so using it to quickly and seamlessly bring people together through live chat functionality is the best course of action. By doing so, there will be an increased need for customer service representatives to address the concerns and needs of new and existing customers and make meaningful connections.

It is for this reason that automation will not replace humans and why automation anxiety is an unfounded fear. We are seeing many sectors, such as manufacturing and medical, move towards the idea of collaborative robotics where humans work alongside robots. A similar approach from wider commercial businesses will allow generation Z to enjoy a bountiful job market enhanced by technology, without the unease of automation anxiety.

Stephen Parker is CEO of digital engagement specialist Parker Software.