Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue - 29

and as specific as possible in terms of prioritised functions and
software elements;
* Now it is necessary to assess the feasibility of digitalisation for
individual functional modules; in this step it is advisable to involve all
in-house OEM experts along the performance and service provision
chain - development & design, project planning & sales, production
& assembly, documentation, service & after-sales services. Moreover,
assessments can be obtained from external specialists and any
specifications or standards that have already been drawn up can
serve as a template (e.g. by umati). Remember the sentence: " We will
definitely remain mechanical engineers and will not become a
software house " .
The biggest challenges for OEMs in these steps are:
* The contradiction between the diverse individual requirements of
the customers on the machines and the economic necessity to keep the
number of modules / processes required for this (especially for key
functions) small. OEMs are already solving this problem today by
consistently " breaking down " their systems into logical units and
pursuing modularisation - in order to act economically when digitalising
here, the following should be considered.
* As much existing technological and machine-related data as
possible should be used and aggregated at the " lowest " modular level
for future digitalisation projects, i.e. utilising existing sources, data and
machine and process models that are already in place. Particular
attention should be paid to the previously unused or little used
" intelligence " of the automation components, such as drives, sensors
for machine or process states, etc.
* At all higher levels (edge and above) the most open, future-oriented
standards possible for physical interfaces should be relied on, as well as
the latest software and communication protocols.
* Too broadly designed and not very concretely elaborated targets in
combination with unduly high expectations regarding the economic
effects of digitalisation will result in frustration. On the one hand,
relevant projects are often overloaded with expectations on the part of
C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

the OEM management, while on the other hand, they are also
insufficiently equipped with resources. For the development,
implementation and ongoing support of digitalisation projects, it is
therefore advisable not to want to achieve everything right away.
Rather, the following should be considered:
* Sub-projects should be defined in terms of modules and focus on
high-priority key functions;
* The design of the interfaces on the physical level as well as on the
data level should always correspond to the latest state of the art and be
open for subsequent software updates and extensions (especially for
end users);
* The participants should be divided into interdisciplinary project
groups, so that on the one hand a constant dynamic exchange of
information can take place, while on the other hand, access to the
management level of the OEM is possible at any time at short notice for
the purpose of correcting objectives and targets;
Consequently, the overriding rule is as follows: If the modularity of
digitalisation projects (the " software " ) follows the modularity of
machines and systems (the " hardware " ) and features the latest physical
and data interfaces, as an OEM, you will then be providing an
economically and technically optimal system for the current customer
requirements.
Such systems are also best equipped to cope with the constantly
growing and partly still unknown future requirements.
Interfaces play an important role in modular networked production
systems: they are the " lifelines, nerve pathways and synapses " and
create the necessary infrastructure for the module and machine
transitions, the edge area, the factory and other superordinate levels.
The HARTING Technology Group provides solutions for all interfaces
that are essential in modern and future control, drive, HMI and
communication technology for production systems, in order to
implement and advance digitalisation in this area without functional
restrictions.
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

29
Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue
