The benefits of IP convergence, such as enhanced efficiency, improved manageability, and lower total cost of ownership, have long been the driving force behind the impressive growth in the number of industrial Ethernet deployments for supervisory and control-level applications. According to studies conducted by IMS Research, the global number of industrial Ethernet nodes at […]
In this article Dr. Ursula Frank, project manager, R&D Cooperations at Beckhoff is interviewed about the research and innovation projects within the “it’s OWL” Leading-Edge Cluster, focusing on its ScAut and efa innovation projects. Research results achieved so far and their practrical implementation are discussed. Since 2012, Beckhoff has been a core participant in […]
Schneider Electric’s “Rainbow Hive” South African headquarters is home to 200 of its local employees. The offices were designed with energy-efficiency at the forefront and aim to attract young professionals. In this article, I explore how renewable energy and energy-efficient building management were used to make it as energy-efficient and as financially feasible as […]
Why technology evolution, generational workforce changes and competitive challenges require innovative approaches. We’ve all heard the management mantra, “You can only manage what you can measure”. We see this in our personal lives all the time. If we decide to lose some weight, we measure our progress with a scale and, in many cases, […]
The internet of things (IoT) is coming – and in some industries is already here, albeit in its infancy. Industrial automation is ahead of most other industries in its readiness for IoT and more specifically for the industrial internet of things (IIoT). When one looks at the deployment of the sensors, actuators, and low-level […]
The industrial internet of things (IIoT, also known as Industry 4.0) and its ever-increasing numbers of connected devices is generating unprecedented volumes of data for today’s “smart” plant. In order to consume and abstract value from all of this data, the industry is turning to advanced communications protocols such as OPC UA to model […]
Changing social attitudes give rise to new awareness and expectations, which in turn put new demands on the technologies that benefit our everyday lives. A perfect example is the worldwide phenomenon that champions energy efficiency. The advantages of following green policies are indisputable. For businesses, the enticing prospect is cost reduction. To turn this […]
We’ve all heard about the internet of things (IoT ) and its promises: bringing useful data directly to people who make business decisions, and enabling machines to communicate with each other and make decisions for human benefit. But how does the IoT actually work? What’s the pathway, from the ground up, that all these […]
The factories of the future will demand advanced circuit protection technology to keep everything connected. The original Industrial Revolution marked the transition from making things using human and animal power to making them with machines by harnessing water and steam power. The ability to use electricity in the mass production of goods made the […]
Application of technology is one of the major contributors to mining operations’ profitability – by introducing major savings in operation, training and support costs. This concept was recenty illustrated in one of the largest mining projects in Southern Africa, with a capital cost of some R10-billion. Exxaro’s Grootegeluk is the largest coal operation in […]
