Industry 4.0, like “Big Data” and “the cloud” has become an unavoidable buzzword in the last few years.
For all the seminars and talkfests about what it might deliver, some of the benefits are arguably already here.
And what will I4.0, fully realised, bring?
This will include “highly networked system structures involving a variety of people, IT systems, automation components and machines” goes one explanation[1]. It will also enable far more flexibility and adaptability in factories, with scenarios involving “batches of one”.
Investment in enabling technology is essential to start moving down the road.
Manufacturers in all the advanced economies are seeking to gain the edge through technology.
The benefits of the fourth revolution suit the profile of the kinds of firms that tend to thrive in Australia: generally high variability, high complexity, low volume producers[2].
Germany’s Pilz is among the worldwide leaders in the movement. It is already providing solutions relevant to Industry 4.0. It is part of numerous initiatives including the Industry 4.0 Management Team at ZVEI, the manufacturer-independent demonstration and research platform SmartFactory KL, and the Industry 4.0 Platform.
It understands what is possible and has its own, unique approach. A safe automation specialist, it is well-placed to meet the parallel – and well-known[3] – challenges related to security as communications become more and more decentralised and distributed.
“With Industrie 4.0, highly networked system structures emerge, involving a variety of people, IT systems, automation components and machines,” believes Pilz.
“New challenges with regard to modularisation, networking and distribution of control functions into ever smaller subfunctions are the result.
Pilz has rigorously pursued this modular & distributed approach with its latest automation system the PSS 4000 and its real-time Ethernet based safety Protocol (SafetyNET p).”
The PSS 4000 automation system is easily implemented and allows control functions to be distributed simply, using its state-of-the-art programming software, PAS4000. The software platform has been specifically designed and created from the ground up using Industry 4.0 principles.
A further extension to the PAS4000 software is Pilz’s new visualisation software, PASvisu. This enables a real-time view of the entire factory on a smart device, and enables the user to cut through the streams of complex content with highly customisable visual displays.
To help navigate through the maze of I4.0, and what’s needed to participate in it, it makes sense to partner with a leader in this exciting new field.
Do you want to know more?
For more information on where you can take your factory with Industry 4.0, download this FREE whitepaper or call Pilz Australia
1300 723 334
[1] https://www.pilz.com/en-INT/company/industry40#hl_11010_4
[2] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/innovation-key-to-keeping-manufacturing-onshore/story-fn59niix-1226761314445
[3] http://www.hannovermesse.de/en/news/news/latest-news/safety-first-data-security-essential-to-industry-4.0.xhtml