Electricity + Control July 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0 + INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIOT)

4IR – the next steps for industry in South Africa

Africa Automation Fair, which was staged from 4 to 6 June in Johannesburg, provided a platform for a host of players involved in Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and what is broadly termed the 4 th Industrial Revolution (4IR), to come together and share new technologies, new systems and services, new ideas and new opportunities. Electricity + Control had the chance to meet with and interview two leading players in industrial automation, digitalisation and IIoT to explore their views on 4IR, what it means for industry in South Africa, where we stand now and what are the next steps.

Siemens Digital Industries

Take Note!

1. Industry 4.0 and the IIoT are essentially aimed at driving improvements – across industries – in production flexibility, quality, safety and time to market. 2. The digitalisation of in- dustry means we can look at and link the whole value chain digitally: from product concept, through production process to distribution. 2

Ralf Leinen, Senior Vice President, Digital industries, Southern and Eastern Africa

A ccording to Leinen, Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are essentially aimed at driving improvements – across industries – in production flexibility, quality, safety and time to market. “We are looking at the same business principles as applied 30 years ago, when the industrial auto- mation journey began,” Leinen says. “The big differ- ence today is that the pace of technological change is much faster. And the digitalisation of industry enables a much wider, generally more complex but essentially more inclusive network of interconnec- tivity. This means we can look at and link the whole value chain digitally: from product concept, through production process to distribution.” Leinen has been with Siemens for 30 years, having joined the group from university where he did his research thesis on one of the company’s original drive systems. Hence he has witnessed the technological evolution from machine and plant automation to the digitisation of information and the ongoing rollout of digital transformation and integration across all aspects of industry. Next steps In South Africa, Siemens is especially strong in the mining, automotive, oil & gas, agriculture and food & beverage and food processing industries.

The company’s approach is to work with its customers to implement the digital transformation process where and as far as suits each customer’s present needs. Leinen highlights, for example, the advantage of plant engineering technologies that enable a digital twin of a plant to be created in design. This simulated process plant, a bottling plant, for example, can then be commissioned and tested virtually for comparative performance using variable inputs before the design is finalised and implemented. Based on the product concept, production requirements, process requirements and related inputs, production can be optimised. He also emphasises that optimisation is a recurring cycle, encompassing the whole value chain, so that once the digital network is in place, sensors feed information back to plant management and maintenance teams. Edge computing links real-time operational information from the plant floor into the operations monitoring network. Operational adjustments for energy savings, for example, or other modifications can be made where opportunities are indicated and this information is incorporated into the digital twin so that it remains a true replica of the built plant. With its software portfolio, Siemens is the only automation company that supports the digital

4 Electricity + Control

JULY 2019