Electricity + Control February 2019

COMMENT

ON THE COVER

FEATURES: · Cables+ accessories

· Control systems+ automation · Sensors, switches+ transducers · Transformers+ substations

Industry 4.0: an enabler

A s I write this comment, 8% of the year has passed. An interesting thought, and a moment for reflection. Of late, and not as a result of any fault of my own, I have been engaging more and more with the mining industry. Since I am not a miner, my involvement, as it were, has been at a broader level. But it has been driven to a large extent by everything 4.0, something readers of this magazine have been dealing with some decades, really – though maybe not as forthrightly as they are now. I concede that my last comment may be a little facetious – but actually it is not that far off the mark. Think about the evo- lution of control systems since the mid 1980s, and then consider the explosion of electronics and communications systems into our plants – and the impact they had on how we managed, monitored and con- trolled every aspect of the plant. That is what we have been doing. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, the point now is that Industry 4.0 is be- coming more and more pervasive – to the extent that every industry is making the obvious observation. It is an enabler: The proper use of digitalisation will ensure that you do what you do – but better. In this regard the mining industry has become a major player in the sector. The reasons, of course, relate to a wide range of issues not least of which will clearly be to ensure improved safety in every part of the mining value chain; but obviously also to ensure better operations at every level. It is therefore not surprising that read- ers of Electricity + Control will be observ- ing a growing interest from authors, and advertisers, in applications around the

mining industry. And this is actually an ex- citing development. I was intimately involved in the pow- er industry in the mid 1980s (also no fault of my own), and databases, knowl- edge-based systems, and even CFT moni- tors were invading that industry – and folk who were then as old as I am now (pos- sible) were both excited and terrified. A wondrous combination of feelings, really! This is where we are headed. And with this comes the daunting realisation that many tasks currently undertaken by humans will, indeed, be better done by smart machines. Not all such tasks; but many. This implies the urgent need to im- agine how re-skilling can take place, and to what extent it is likely to be success- ful; and equally speaks to the current, and quite rapid, evolution of all the edu- cation and training programmes preparing youngsters to enter our profession. As it was when I was entering the pro- fession; I have no doubt that we will be enthused by what these young people are bringing to our industry – and possibly just a bit scared.

EC_Feb 2019 cover.indd 1 1/31/2019 8:57:14AM www.electricityandcontrolmagazine.co.za

ifm 's IO-Link master serves as a gateway between intelligent IO-Link

sensors and the fieldbus. (Read more on page 11).

Magazine Team

Publisher: Deputy Publisher: Design & Layout: Advertising Managers:

Karen Grant Wilhelm du Plessis Adél JvR Bothma Helen Couvaras

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