Electricity and Control September 2021

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

An accelerated shift in industrial automation

PlantPAx 5.0 release has purpose-built frameworks that easily connect live and historical data from the DCS into reporting and analytical tools. This allows extended experiences, such as Augmented Reality, and easy integration with scalable analytics packages. Wilson adds that, from the control room to the board room, process system users face the constant challenges of balancing productivity against budget and resource constraints, as well as proactively addressing evolving operational risks. “It’s important to meet these challenges and experience real productivity gains in all areas of the plant, which can be done with the PlantPAx DCS. “Digital transformation isn’t going away – at some point, every manufacturer and producer will have to start the journey. For many, it’s considered the new normal. Embracing new technologies will fundamentally change how you do business – for the better. “Evaluate your legacy DCS to see if the latest DCS platform can help in your digital transformation journey. This decision can allow flexibility so you can better meet customer needs, and provide data and insights to help you improve performance, decision-making and profitability. It doesn’t have to be difficult or disruptive. With the right solutions in place, you can embrace tomorrow’s challenges with confidence,” Wilson advises. For more information contact Rockwell Automation. Email: mjunius@ra.rockwell.com Visit: www.rockwellautomation.com need to react quickly to different and complex customer requirements. This means we need the close interaction of mechanical design, electrical design and automation technology. With this solution by Siemens we are well prepared for the future and the challenges of the market.” STiMA chose the NX platform to combine various dis- ciplines – mechanical, electrical and automation – into one environment to manage projects more efficiently and improve quality. With the help of NX and particu- larly NX Automation Designer, STiMA has reduced its engineering time by 45%, facilitated by consistent data across the different areas and a more efficient workflow. The scalability of NX benefits customers like STiMA by allowing them to start with a single module or to combine different modules with each other. The NX AutomationDesigner andNX Industrial Electrical Design applications can work natively (without Teamcenter) or in managed mode with Teamcenter in the background. “With this integrated toolchain from Siemens, digital- isation becomes possible in small and medium sized enterprises,” says Wolfgang Schloegl, Vice President Digital Engineering at Siemens. “It provides for greater efficiency, particularly in realising new products.”

Black swan events like the pandemic may be unpredictable, but they leave a long- lasting impact. Through the turmoil, there is a pressing need and much opportunity to reassess, reconfigure and rebuild in more future-oriented ways. While the conversation around industrial automation has been centre stage for some time, Covid-19 has caused a rapid change in how organisations approach and manage their operations. It has led to many employees working from home and limiting in-person professional interactions, fundamentally changing the way we work. Workforce automation, for example, which has been ramping up in recent years, is likely to accelerate as a result. This is the view of Christo Potgieter, Director at PCMP, a leading industrial systems integrator. As a supplier of industrial automation

Christo Potgieter, Director at PCMP, an industrial automation supplier and systems integrator.

systems PCMP provides turnkey automation solutions, from instrumentation to MES (manufacturing execution systems) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) integration. The company designs, manufactures and installs complete electrical systems, including automation, power, energy and configured software components. Key focus industries include the automotive, packaging, food and beverage, mining, chemical, water and waste industries. All these industries incorporate high levels of automation from the start of the design phase. “The food and beverage sector has taken up the most of the new initiatives and technologies in this space,” says Potgieter, “followed by the mining industry, which is really driving the adoption of state-of-the-art tech to bring itself up to date with new realities.” He adds that more business decision makers are learn- ing the advantages of automation. “Now they know that em- ployees can work from home and you can control a facility or machine remotely. This is only a small part of what we offer.” Potgieter says through the past year PCMP has been in a fortunate position. “We have longstanding relationships with many big businesses. The only negative impact we felt was due to the alcohol sales ban, given that SAB ABInBev is one of our VIP clients.” Commenting on projects recently executed, he highlights PCMP’s installation of a turnkey solution on a new blending facility to produce flavoured alcoholic beverages at one of its VIP clients in South Africa. That was during 2020 through the lockdown. The project was delivered ahead of time and within budget.

For more information contact PCMP. Tel: +27 (0)12 665 0802 Email: christo@pcmp.co.za Visit: www.pcmp.co.za

For more information visit: www.sw.siemens.com

9 Electricity + Control SEPTEMBER 2021