Connectivity is key to Industry 4.0. From fieldbus to industrial Ethernet, from proprietary technologies to open standards, the evolution of network technologies has boosted productivity and increased interoperability. The latest Talking Industry online panel discussion considered at issues involving these technologies, as chairman Andy Pye reports.
Link to article in Drives and Controls Magazine
The tenth Talking Industry Webinar in the series covered a variety of issues centred around the topics of the IIoT, communications and 5G. The five-man international panel comprised some regular panellists, along with two appearing for the first time. The speakers joined the discussion from the US, Israel, France, Scotland … and Essex.
One of two first-time panellists, Jonathan Orr from R&D Advisors, specialises in financial incentives and tax credits for research and development. His company helps small and large businesses to access funding to help accelerate innovation in these areas.
The second Talking Industry first-timer, Gilad Garon, is from an Israeli company called Asocs, which enables industrial enterprises to connect their production lines to edge applications via cloud-based private 5G networks and a scalable Software as a Service (SaaS) model. Garon co-founded Asocs in 2003 and has been spearheading the company as CEO ever since. He explained how the company’s software-based private 5G network enables applications such as video and imaging AI processing, autonomous vehicle mobility, synchronised production line robots and real-time big data analysis.
“Factories are typically set in areas where the cellular infrastructure sucks, especially when it comes to providing mission-critical communications, and certainly in rural areas,” Garon reported. “Sometimes it’s so horrible that they can’t even call their homes! That’s where 5G private networks come in – and they come with a completely different business model from what the big carriers or the big vendors are offering.”
During the pre-Covid era, the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom allowed the control of 5G to move from the traditional carriers to business owners by defining a specific spectrum that everyone can use. In doing so, the UK has aligned itself with Germany and Taiwan – the first three countries to enable 5G private networks to be established without involving the large Telcos.
“Most business owners have tonnes of information, but barely know what to do with it,” Garon said. “What we’re trying to achieve with 5G is not to collect information, but to act on it in real-time.
“Everybody is talking about 5G being able to support a million devices, but most users are going to support 50 or 100 devices,” he continued. “You do not need to build a monster private network coming from a large vendor for millions of pounds – even if you can get some of that back from the UK Government! What you actually need is a good enough ‘pay-as-you-grow’ network that meets your business expectations.”
People and culture
The middle segment of the event involved two experienced panellists: Michaël Lefeuvre from Red Lion Controls, and Chris McComb from Itech, who was representing the Profibus community. Lefeuvre focused on the often-forgotten importance of people and cultures in implementing IIoT projects. McComb then provided an update on Profibus and related technologies.
“I wanted to talk about people and culture based on what we have observed by meeting people,” Lefeuvre said. “They all understand that they want to capitalise on the production data. But there is a disconnect between the big picture and what these people are capable of doing.
“People just get lost in the technology and changed processes,” he continued. “They don’t really understand why they get so much data or what to do with it. And because it’s so fast, they are bewildered by going from nothing to something too big in one step. And that’s one reason why around 70% of IoT projects fail.
“But if you can invest in a small application,” Lefeuvre argued, “even with a normal maintenance team, and without advanced IT skills, you can you already can put in place a good IoT application. It’s better to invest successfully in a small IoT project, then you will be able to capitalise on and improve it, year after year.
Chris McComb is on the steering committee of Profibus, an organisation that, he says “provides valuable insight and support and education”. He believes that having the right mix of network technologies is the best way to do industrial communications, not picking just one.
Projects should be implemented in small steps: a pilot project or proof of concept, with one machine, one line, one small part.
“At its simplest level,” McComb continued, “it is about how you get the data out of the system, how you connect that those points of data together. And really, that is the backbone of IoT.
“We are starting to see a big move to an Ethernet base for everything. It’s a flatter structure and we need to look at the network security implications, but it does give us a more robust structured network.”
The electric motors and drives manufacturer Nidec is has been applying IIoT technologies in its operations. As director of software engineering and technology, Prakash Shahi manages the development and production of smart motor electronics globally for Nidec Motor Corporation.
He told the audience that his interests extend beyond engineering into business challenges as well. Joining the panel discussion from St Louis in the US, he described how he is pursuing a doctoral programme at a local university which involves studying consumers’ expectations.
Nidec’s portfolio extends from tiny motors that fit inside smartphones, to large industrial motors and drives. “The way we use them now is changing, thanks to, IoT and 5G,” he reported. “Now, we can sell value-added services. One simple example is that we have a product called Select Tech Pro, which is a selection system designed to identify the lowest-cost motor that provides the specific feature set a customer needs.
“Currently, when an installer goes to install a new motor, they have to carry as many as 20 motors for a service call,” Shahi explained. “Select Tech Pro uses IoT to be able to connect via their phone to the database and download the right profiles, so they only need to carry one or two motors and avoid making more, very expensive service calls.”
Turning to the subject of government funding for r&d, Jonathan Orr, from R&D Advisors, reported that, since 2004, the UK Government has injected £10bn into UK industry. R&D tax credits are not the only source of funding; there are a variety of grant funds available for innovation.
The legislation remains identical to European legislation – European governments all want to encourage innovation and provide incentives to help them with their r&d efforts.
Similar legislation also extends into the US and elsewhere, Orr added. Although his company does not practice in these countries, it can advise international companies where they to look for options.
Orr provided details on how the tax credits systems for research and development work in practice. He offered these interesting tips: