Process Industry 4.0: There is still so much untapped growth potential

Great strides are being made when it comes to digitalization in the process industry. Small and medium-sized plant operators, however, remain hesitant. Not even the digitalization push in the wake of the Corona pandemic has altered this attitude.

Interview

Prof. Julia C. Arlinghaus has been Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg since 2019. She is also Chair of the Department of Production Systems and Automation at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

Digital twin: Using integrated data to achieve inteligent control

Digital twins are virtual replicas of existing or not yet developed industrial plants that reflect all of the circumstances, operating conditions and events of the actual plant. This allows for an optimized system design, predictive maintenance, improved industrial asset management as well as a general improvement in the performance of the plant and its systems.

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Maintenance Self-Check: Fast and easy

VPN connections offer plant operators an entire range of new options for controlling and maintaining their plants: It is no longer necessary for employees and service providers to be on site in order to access plants, components and systems. The advantages offered are many.

Process Automation: Using smart Apps to make processes leaner

Among the daily tasks of employees in an industrial plant is the documentation of all procedures and processes, as well as the scheduling of work – in plant maintenance, for example. To ensure that no errors occur in the process, it is important that these tasks can be completed easily and without much effort. Smart apps help to ensure that this is the case.

Energy Transition: Project of the century

For energy suppliers and the process industry, the energy transition brings with it a far-reaching set of chanes. New high-performance infrasructure and processes must be established while innovative technologies and solutions are developed and implemented. It is apparent that there are basically four approaches to becoming climate neutral.

Energy Efficiency: Small steps with a huge impact

There are a lot of ways for industrial companies to become more climate-friendly and climate-neutral over the long term. The cheapest, simplest and most obvious approach is to increase your energy efficiency.

Renewable Energy: With the power of water

Hydropower is by far the largest source of renewable energy in the world. Stephan Ebner, Head of the Hydropower Business Unit at Bilfinger Industrial Services Austria, explains what potential hydropower still has for the future – and what challenges exist in the construction and modernization of hydropower plants.

Turnarounds: Every minute counts

Operators tend to view turnarounds from two very different perspectives: While such processes make the plant fit for the future, they also result in significant revenue losses due to the temporary shutdown of the plant.

The objective, therefore, is to ensure downtimes are as short as possible.

Further articles