Big Data in the context of Industry 4.0
Accumulating data volumes are becoming larger and larger as automation progresses, but handling the extensive data is becoming a challenge for many companies.
Often, the data cannot be adequately processed due to a lack of resources. The lack of processing of important production data means that the potential for improving production processes is lost. This is where professional data processing programmes are becoming increasingly important because the professional processing of accumulating data is essential for the development of Industry 4.0.
Connection to ERP systems/superordinate systems
As part of Industry 4.0 and Big Data, the amount of data collected at the lowest level is increasing and being transmitted further up into other systems. The boundaries between the levels of the business system are slowly disappearing.
This requires, above all, a central instance that links, synchronises and coordinates the sub-areas of the business system: It is impossible to imagine Industry 4.0 without an ERP system.
In order to integrate the processes of the newly created plants into the business system, Keil Anlagenbau also offers its customers a connection to their ERP systems.
This ensures that the processes are coordinated and the company can work efficiently.
The development of automation
As early as ancient Greece, people used scientific knowledge and designed the first automats, such as the self-opening temple doors of Alexandria or the holy water automat, developed by Heron of Alexandria.
The idea of automation is therefore not new, but its content has changed considerably over time. The first phase of automation was concerned with the mechanisation of processes. Since the beginning of the last century, in the second phase of automation, the use of electricity and knowledge from electrical engineering and electronics came to the fore. Today, in the third phase, the focus is increasingly on computer and information technology, which brings about a digitalisation of production processes.
Automation made by Keil
Keil Anlagenbau has also been offering its customers process automation for their plants for decades. Customer-centric solutions, the use of acquired data and resource-saving processes are gaining more and more attention.
Keil Anlagenbau started in 1995/96 with process automation in the field of process engineering. Today, more than 90 % of Keil's plants are automated for the customer.
The company's in-house automation department is divided into three areas of activity.
The electrical engineering project management manages the entire project from order placement to commissioning. In cooperation with the customer, it draws up the concepts, considers how the system should be set up in terms of control technology and coordinates the team during implementation.
The software developer brings the processes together and combines them in a software that is written especially for the customer so that all processes are coordinated to guarantee a trouble-free process flow. In addition to the visualisation of the processes, the software developer also creates the operating instructions, which contain all the functions in detail.
Finally, the project goes to the commissioning engineer, who checks the system on-site and commissions the system together with the customer. During this process, all signals are checked and the automated processes are put to the test. In addition to testing the systems, the employees are also trained on the new systems so that they can be operated properly. The training takes place using the operating instructions written by Keil.
The project is completed on the automation side with the successful wet run of the plant, which is also accompanied by the Keil Anlagenbau team on site.
In addition to the planning and implementation of process automation of mainly process engineering plants, Keil Anlagenbau also offers regular maintenance and remote servicing of the plants.
Trends in automation
For the future, the main focus is on sustainability and documentation.
The consumption of input materials and the measurement of the energy used are becoming increasingly important for many companies, especially because of of rising prices for energy and raw materials.
The logging of production processes also plays a role in this trend. Errors can be detected and corrected more quickly, and processes can also be adjusted more and more efficiently.
Overall, it is primarily about productivity and sustainability, i.e. the efficiency of one's own production while at the same time taking sustainability aspects into account.
It is precisely under these aspects that Keil's automation will also develop in the coming years, individual - sustainable - future-oriented - customer-driven.