Electricity and Control September 2024

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Advancing digital technologies in process industries

As a global leader in advanced industrial technologies, ABB is campaigning for process industries to realise the performance benefits enabled by digital transformation. Working from its long experience across pulp and paper, mining, metals, cement, and other process industries, ABB has assembled an expert team to support these sectors with advanced industry-specific solutions, implementing digitalisation progressively and enabling them to accelerate digital adoption in a shorter timeframe. It highlights the opportunities to build on successes in energy management, process safety, skills retention and process performance. Although these industries will continue be enhanced through technology development, including generative artificial intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, cloud and edge computing, they also present challenges due to factors such as the volumes of production, location of operations, energy and heat chemistry, and others. Notably, pulp and paper, mining, metals and cement are seen as ‘hard to abate‘ industries in terms of the high emissions they generate. The World Economic Forum [1] reported in 2022 that digital solutions can accelerate the achievement of net zero in high-emission industries, delivering up to 20% of the total reduction required by 2050, in terms of the International Energy Agency’s calculated forecasts. ABB is leveraging its expertise, its recent record in industrial software development, and its 140 years of heritage across multiple industries, to guide customers on their digitalisation journeys. The company has worked with customers across the process industries for decades, supporting them with the deployment of digital solutions such as advanced process control (APC), energy management systems (EMS), and manufacturing execution systems (MES). These have evolved from original packages to become variations used for specific industries, with their own tools and libraries, and remain the foundation for continuing progress in advancing technology. Customers recognise that they are at different stages of the digitalisation journey – often, ABB encounters ‘starters‘ (those embedding digital for the first time), ‘stallers‘ (those piloting a new advanced solution, often with a start-up), or ‘scalers‘ (those moving to the next level, perhaps with a technology company). ABB is currently working across this spectrum to design and develop new solutions collaboratively with customers and other industry players, to meet current and future needs. “The adoption of advanced digital technologies is still slower than one might expect in the process industries,” said Sanjit Shewale, Global Business Line Manager for Digital, ABB Process Industries. “Customers are facing new challenges in proving and scaling up solutions that will drive real, transformative change. However, there are opportunities for all parties to use technologies to retain knowledge of processes in their business, as people retire or move on in shorter timeframes than was

typical in the past. Through co-creation, there is also the opportunity to show more and do more for positive investment decisions that quickly result in improved levels of energy management, efficiency, sustainability, safety and service.” ABB is working with fellow global technology companies to integrate new capabilities like generative AI into the ABB Ability™ suite of industrial software, supporting industrial companies to improve data collection, unlock insights hidden in operational data, and enable significant gains in efficiency and productivity. It is also working through various partnerships to accelerate the adoption of digital solutions to help industries meet their goals on net-zero emissions. One example is in real-time data transmission using cloud-based software integrated with ABB systems. ABB’s team works with a focus on five key pillars – operational excellence, process performance, asset performance, sustainability, connected workforce, all with embedded cybersecurity. The company uses this framework when advising industries looking to keep pace with rapid innovation, to optimise efficiency and, in turn, minimise waste and reduce costs. References: [1] Digital technologies can cut global emissions by 20%. Here’s how | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) ABB is supporting faster adoption of progressive digitalisation in the process industries.

For more information visit: go.abb/processautomation

7 SEPTEMBER 2024 Electricity + Control