Maintaining the trajectory for innovation and growth

20 February, 2023

“This links into people looking at more telematics and the idea that we shouldn’t just be measuring temperature and pressure but also the flow – as it is the flow makes it go - as they say in hydraulics. If you are not measuring that then you are making assumptions about it and that can be dangerous as they can be completely wrong so something like the CTA, that has been designed for heavy industry, but still has excellent repeatability and ruggedness, is part of the jigsaw puzzle to enable machine manufacturers and operators to improve productivity and upside by predicting that something will fail before it does by having additional information about how that machine works.”

Sands believes UK training institutions are catching up with the investments that were seen on the continent in the preCOVID period and there are more digitalisation pilot installations in operation. “We are nearing the planned mid-point for the formal digitalisation program laid out in the Industry 4.0 plan in 2010/11,” he says. “Awareness of the opportunity has certainly risen and in some cases people are disappointed at the lack of progress toward the utopian vision. However, solid progress is being made. Digital twins are one of the foundations of digitalisation and are planned to be used throughout the machinery lifecycle from design to operation and even repurposing, or recycling. At the recent SPS Drives fair in Nuremburg, Cadenas announced their commitment to supporting the roll-out of digital twin technology in the form of the Asset Administration Shell [AAS] alongside the likes of Festo, BoschRexroth, Harting, Phoenix Contact, Sick, Siemens and Wago. This is a clear reflection that digitalisation cannot take place in isolation but is an industry-wide trend that needs to progress in concert.”

Mander comments that Ingersoll Rand customers are looking increasingly to introduce smart technologies and analytics to their compressed air system, using products such as iConn smart compressor service, which provides comprehensive service data in real time. He adds that the Internet of Things and data analytics can help operators to understand how efficiently a compressor is running, and whether any improvements can be made.

“These insights will not only help highlight any potential issues now, but also enable operators to forecast any potential future problems, based on deteriorating machine performance,” says Mander. “We are certainly seeing more customers invest in predictive maintenance models based on real-time data to help reduce energy consumption, improve process efficiencies and limit any risks. Connectivity continues to be a key focus in the CompAir portfolio, with the company’s iConn service offering intelligent insights that help operators monitor a system’s performance in both real-time and remotely. Accessible from smartphones and tablets, the browserbased system ensures users can proactively manage any potential issues that arise at all times, reducing associated downtime and guaranteeing the system is performing as required.”

Reshoring

What is the current status regarding reshoring? To add some context, Butcher makes the point that many OEM suppliers were forced east by their customers to drive down cost. “This may have been a great opportunity in the early 2000s, however, due to strengthening currency in countries such as China, rapid wage rises and volatile fuel and commodity pricing, companies have been reshoring in recent years,” he says. “This will clearly not result in the moving of all demand back to the UK, but much of it will