Automation plays a crucial role in unlocking the full benefits of Industry 4.0.
In most manufacturing, engineering and production facilities, achieving complete automation can help solve many challenges, from reducing waste, minimising safety risks and mitigating environmental impact to enhancing productivity and improving efficiency. However, while creating a ‘smart factory’ in which everything is automated and autonomous sounds great in theory, in practice it can be difficult to bring to fruition.
That’s because there are so many things to think about – moving parts, if you will – and so many things which interlink and are dependent upon each other to make the whole thing a success. So, with the end goal of implementing Industry 4.0 concepts to achieve smarter, safer and more sustainable processes in mind, here we look at the five steps to industrial automation.
Step One – Connection
It may seem obvious, but complete automation can be achieved only with connected assets.
To fully automate a process, there needs to be connectivity between every element, from machines and the control panel to sensors, peripherals and other components.
Connecting your assets achieves two things.
First, it creates the interconnected network of equipment, machinery and databases required to enable machine to machine communication, where the central control system dictates all the activity based on its programming and parameters.
Second, it enables each component of an entire process to feed data back to the central control system, which, in turn, makes the adjustments necessary to keep the process running as it should.
Step Two – Collection
The second stage in unlocking the benefits offered by industrial automation is the collection and storage of production data.
Once all your assets are connected and communicating with each other, they will start producing vast amounts of real-time data as the process runs. Such data provides invaluable insight into a host of mission-critical KPIs, from performance and production quality to waste, emissions and downtime.
It can be analysed to identify where improvements can be made and any issues that need to be addressed and highlight any potential safety or maintenance issues that need to be factored in. This data, and the way it’s collected, stored and analysed, provides the key to achieving continuous improvement through industrial automation.
Step Three – Visualisation
Step three builds on the above point. Its main aim is to use the data generated by your automated processes to make evidence-based decisions to enhance your production processes to bring about further efficiency and productivity gains.
With the right electrical control systems and programming in place, all your data can be stored and displayed in user-friendly dashboards, accessible from a range of devices, which can help you ‘visualise’ what the information is telling you.
For example, you’ll be able to access insights into a host of performance-related issues, including output quantity and capacity utilisation, product quality and consistency across a shift, machine downtime and common errors, and energy consumption, to name but a few.
These insights can be used to predict maintenance, adjust components to improve product quality, reduce energy consumption, address potential safety issues and achieve better production efficiency.
However, while your machines can help pull together, store, analyse and present data in a way that’s easy to understand and visualise, the real benefit comes from the human element. Your engineers need to have the experience, knowledge and expertise to understand what to do with the information to make the right choices when it comes to improving production. This leads us neatly onto…
Step 4 – Analysis
As we said above, machines and software can collect, store and present data in a way that’s easy to understand. It can also make suggestions and predictions based on previous data and outcomes.
But, it takes a skilled human eye to analyse and understand the data, spot any trends and apply them to your operations.
While an automated system will provide you with real-time process data, the way your engineers interpret it is vital.
Some of the things to think about here include how to use the data to increase uptime, productivity and production quality, predict and schedule maintenance activities and identify when any worn or deteriorating components may need to be replaced to help reduce safety risks and keep downtime to a minimum.
In the factories of old, this sort of activity would be done by look, sound and feel. A significant benefit of Industry 4.0 is it generates data-driven insights which enable production operatives to address any potential issues before they become major problems.
Step 5 – Automation
Automation is the end goal of Industry 4.0. It means that entire processes can be left to run with minimal human interaction and be able to maintain consistent product quality throughout a production run.
If you’ve nailed steps one to four, step five is where your hard work comes to fruition, and production takes care of itself.
This means that employees can be redeployed from hands-on roles on the production line to overseeing programming and parameter changes within the control system. These enable the machines and equipment to carry out the tasks at hand while optimising and maintaining themselves.
And obviously, the longer your automated production lines run, the more data they generate, giving you further insights into where improvements and enhancements can be made to achieve ongoing efficiencies over the long term.
How can Banelec help?
Automation can deliver a step-change to your manufacturing processes and future-proof your operations.
As Industry 4.0 applications come more to the fore, adopting this technology now will ensure your business is truly ready for when the fourth industrial revolution is in full swing.
If you’re looking for a fully automated system or want to implement a new automated section into an existing production process, we can help you achieve the improvements you’re looking for.
Our automation services include complete systems, electrical controls, robotics and conveyor controls. Whatever you do, if you want to do it better, get in touch.