Industry 4.0 is enabling compressed air users to manage and improve their processes significantly. Charles Joel, global IoT and analytics director at Gardner Denver, discusses how the industry can capitalise on these opportunities, helped by the air management platform iConn.
Many companies are still not making the most of the opportunities available with Industry 4.0. Experts estimate that the data from connected devices will yield insights that drive economic value of more than $11 trillion (£8.4 trillion) by 2025.
Nevertheless, many businesses are still struggling to develop the insights required to grasp this commercial advantage. Generating compressed air accounts for 10% of total energy costs in industry (ref 1), so keeping waste to a minimum should be a key concern. And with industry averages suggesting energy costs account for more than 80% of the total cost of ownership of a compressor, any initiatives that can help companies identify inefficiency and assist with performance optimisation, leak reduction and practical air management processes are to be welcomed.
Industry 4.0 and the IoT are, without doubt, the greatest opportunities available today to help organisations work more smartly.
The move from closed, proprietary products to open ones is a big challenge for Industry 4.0. Traditionally, a product operates and connects to a brand’s own proprietary protocols and data transfer mechanisms. But this closed system can be problematic for those using compressors. Over time, most businesses will have bought units from a range of makers. The compressed air industry needs open and secure IoT analytics support to help it realise the true value of Industry 4.0.
To meet this need, Gardner Denver has introduced a new digital air management platform, iConn. A cloud-based platform, iConn has been developed to provide advanced analytics, enabling users to stay in control of their compressed air installations. The system provides historical, real-time, predictive and cognitive analytics, allowing users to rectify potential issues before they happen.
This can help provide tangible benefits to a business’s bottom line, with real-time monitoring, alarms and warnings to reduce the risk of downtime. The browser-based system means remote sites can be easily monitored, and compressor performance can be optimised with machine parameters and trend analysis over time.
Crucially, iConn is an open platform, supporting ancillary and compressed air products from other brands. iConn can help provide truly meaningful insights, no matter who the manufacturer is. This is what businesses want and need.
For this reason, iConn could be a game changer for the compressed air industry, helping users make considerable improvements in operational efficiency.
UK industry currently uses over 20TWh of electricity every year to compress air – equivalent to the output of four power stations and over 8.1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. It’s no surprise high-quality energy and performance at a cost-effective price continues to be a key consideration for all businesses.
Industry 4.0’s ability to drive companies to share and analyse data every step of the way is creating a real opportunity for compressed air users to consider how data can improve performance and help identify inefficiency. For those seeking a smart manufacturing strategy, it is the most valuable means of evaluating compressed air generation yet available on the market, and iConn helps businesses to do this quickly and easily.
- The Carbon Trust, Compressed air: Opportunities for business,
https://www.carbontrust.com/media/20267/ctv050_compressed_air.pdf
For more information visit
www.gardnerdenver.com/industrials.