As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, one company embracing the opportunities that Industry 4.0 presents is Kaeser Compressors. AMT spoke to Peter Eckberg, Managing Director of Kaeser Compressors Australia, to find out more.
AMT: With the digitalisation of industry, we are seeing a merging of production process with IT systems. Is this simply a continuation of trends that have emerged over recent years, or are we witnessing the dawn of another industrial revolution?
Peter Eckberg: The digitalisation of industry has been advancing for quite some time, so we can hardly call it a new development. However, thanks to the enormous advances in data transfer speeds and data storage capacity, the range of potential applications open to us today is certainly new. Whilst the concepts were already there, it is only now that we are seeing them become a reality through the solutions made possible by IT.
AMT: What challenges does Industry 4.0 bring to your own company?
PE: Kaeser Compressors has always been an innovator. As a leader in the engineering of compressed air technology, we have a long-standing commitment to improving existing technologies, developing new solutions, and constantly pursuing optimisation.
Kaeser continues to drive development forward and has already made substantial investments in key areas. In line with our corporate philosophy, we will master the current and future challenges – reliably, efficiently, and with high-quality results.
AMT: How does Industry 4.0 look in the real world?
PE: For us, Industry 4.0 is not an empty shell or a mere future concept. We have truly brought it to life at Kaeser, and we already deliver products and services that embrace this concept throughout the entire compressed air supply lifecycle. Without a doubt there is still plenty of room for growth in this important area; however the first steps have been taken.
AMT: And what does Industry 4.0 compressed air technology look like?
PE: In the ultra-flexible Industry 4.0 production environment, intelligently networked compressed air systems provide the optimal compressed air power and quality required. Moreover, potential issues within the compressed air network are identified at a very early stage so that appropriate service measures can be taken before a fault even occurs.
A cutting-edge compressed air controller with secure networking abilities – such as the Kaeser Sigma Air Manager 4.0 – is a key technology in the advanced world of Industry 4.0. As the central mastermind, it controls the entire compressed air supply system and – via the ‘Internet of Things’ – it is responsible for data streaming to a centralised application.
All compressed air system performance parameters are transferred from this sophisticated master control system to a data centre in real-time via a powerful Ethernet-based network (the closed Sigma Network). Here the parameters are analysed, processed, supplemented with expert knowledge and output to various mobile end devices (monitoring cockpits).
By monitoring key operating parameters, such as airend discharge temperature (ADT), pressure dewpoint or differential pressure, compressed air system efficiency can be kept in the optimum range at all times. Thanks to real-time transmission and evaluation, the data is always as up to date as possible, even in the event of sudden adjustments to production.
AMT: What role does software play in Industry 4.0?
PE: Not surprisingly, software plays a key role when it comes to digitalisation. After all, it is only through IT developments that concepts such as Industry 4.0 even become feasible. Kaeser has made considerable investments in this area. First, of course, we have to develop and enhance the products themselves. Software alone is not enough. Industry 4.0 is an overall concept that combines strategy, products, software and services.
The next generation of machines will be capable of learning by themselves. This represents a qualitative shift that will make the transition in the coming years from research to the market.
AMT: Have you observed any new trends in this direction?
PE: Yes, this development isn’t just waiting around the corner – it’s already here. At Kaeser we’re already working with it. Our new services in the area of predictive maintenance, such as Kaeser Sigma Smart Air, are designed with ‘self-teaching machine’ concepts in mind. Of course there is still plenty of potential and a great deal of work to do. But the fundamentals are already in place.
AMT: Data security is an issue that we all face in the modern era, both in our personal and business lives. With the development of Industry 4.0, surely this will only intensify. How do you protect your data?
PE: Naturally security plays a major role – both for customers and for us as suppliers and service providers. To ensure best-possible data security, Kaeser chose a unique path in this regard by developing its own self-contained network – the Kaeser Network. This technology ring-fences the compressed air station to provide our customers with maximum data security.
AMT: With the development of these new solutions, another key area must be training. What do you view the challenges in this area to be and how will you address them?
PE: It goes without saying that Industry 4.0 will not function cohesively without qualified personnel. Even with the Internet of Things, human beings will still be responsible for the management and development of these tools. In the same way that machines have to be “trained” and networked, people too require training and need to be networked. This is nothing new though. We’ve had developments and advances in the past, and people have adapted, made changes, and gained the necessary training. Just consider the internet, which totally revolutionised communications. It was only 25 years ago that barely anyone knew a thing about it, yet today we take it for granted that six-year-olds surf the web with smart phones! We will be equally successful in mastering today’s challenges.