Digital Factory, Siemens and Process Industries

Turkchem 12 Aug 2017 65 3 dk okuma

TURKCHEM

Kerim Oal, Director of Siemens Digital Factory and Process Industries and Drives Divisions provided detailed information about Siemens's activities in Industry 4.0 and the innovations that Industry 4.0 will bring to our lives.

What are your thoughts on Industry 4.0? Which sectors will the Industry 4.0 concept affect and what will it change in our lives?

At a time when we are realizing how much technology has changed our lives and made our existence easier, the Industry 4.0 concept is also providing us with considerable benefits in production. With Industry 4.0, which we call the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we can say that considerable conveniences and innovations will enter our industry and our lives. Thanks to Industry 4.0, which aims for all units to communicate with each other and to enable real-time access to large data, market requirements will become faster, more flexible and more efficient. First introduced to the world at the Hannover Fair in Germany, with Industry 4.0, not just a single production line or activity, but the entire operational processes of companies will enter a digitalization phase. The concept we call 'IoT' or 'Internet of Things' is a concept that makes the production environments that enter our lives with Industry 4.0 more intelligent. With the Internet of Things, products with complex manufacturing processes are produced in a shorter time and with higher quality. Through the wide communication network created by this concept, the aim is to blur the boundary between the real and virtual worlds. We can say that Industry 4.0 can simplify processes across all production-related sectors. The automotive sector, in particular, is among those sectors that have adapted most rapidly to Industry 4.0 developments. Thanks to the transparency and remote control capabilities provided by Industry 4.0, solutions can be easily provided to sector needs. All processes from design, planning to production can thus be easily conducted.

How do you, as Siemens, assess Industry 4.0? What are the studies you have conducted for Industry 4.0 and the projects you aim to realize in the future?

As Siemens, we assess Industry 4.0 within the framework of 'Production for Life, Technology for the Future' and focus on improving both our own production processes and the processes of all industrial organizations worldwide.

With Industry 4.0, not just a single production line or activity, but the entire operational processes of companies will enter a digitalization phase.

One of the most important concepts emerging within the scope of Industry 4.0 is 'Smart Factories'. We can cite Siemens's developed 'Digital Factory' concept as an example of smart factories. Before the factories are constructed, all components are designed in a computer environment with appropriate software, creating a digital twin of the factory. In this way, all production processes of the factory being operated can be reviewed and the operating system can be learned while the factory itself does not yet exist. Necessary measures can be taken to establish the best operating system. As Siemens, we continue our efforts to guide Turkey in understanding Industry 4.0. In 2014 we organized the first press conference on this topic in Turkey. By participating in up to 150 events organized on this topic, we have conveyed detailed information to approximately 25,000 industrialists. Additionally, with the Industry 4.0 booklet, which can be considered Turkey's first Turkish-language source on the subject, we have reached a wider audience. With the Industry 4.0 platform for which we serve as main sponsor, we aim to reach a wider audience. On the site, which is visited by approximately 1,500 people daily, 900,000 pages were read last year.

What are your products and systems in the context of Industry 4.0?

Through the advanced technologies we use in the digital factories that we call Siemens's smart factories, we can recreate even the most complex production processes in virtual environments and design facilities that can be quickly adapted to our customers' requirements. Our PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) and TIA (Totally Integrated Automation) software, which we call the Digital Enterprise Platform, enable new products to be developed and optimized in a virtual environment. For example, we can mention that PLM software is used in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Maserati Ghibli factories. With our TIA concept, all automation components work efficiently, and engineering costs are reduced by rates reaching 30 percent. Additionally, we can cite the award-winning Amberg factory in Germany, which is a 'Digital Factory' showcasing all features of Industry 4.0. Thanks to more than 1,000 varieties of Simatic programmable intelligent control devices PLC used in our factory, we can supply products to approximately 60,000 customers worldwide within 24 hours. In our factory, we produce approximately 12 million units annually of the Simatic product we manufacture for industrial control technology, which means producing one product per second in 230 working days. As Siemens, we assess Industry 4.0 within the framework of 'Production for Life, Technology for the Future' and focus on improving both our own production processes and the processes of all industrial organizations worldwide.