All the features in this May 2023 issue of Electricity + Control look to optimising performance, efficiencies, and the monitoring and maintenance of production and process plants, from original design and through their lifecycles.
In Control systems + automation, Stefan Ziegler of Beckhoff Automation sets out how the STIWA Group, based in Austria, has been working with PC-based control technology from Beckhoff since the 1990s. Taking a collaborative approach, this has enabled it to achieve the accuracies and active system monitoring it needs to optimise its production lines. Interestingly, with its different companies, the STIWA Group is both a manufacturer and an operator of high-performance automation; this means it can use its own production environment for proof-of-concept work and push the boundaries on what is technically possible.
In Drives, motors + switchgear, Jürgen Blickle, Managing Partner at SEW EURODRIVE outlines how the company seeks to optimise performance and efficiencies in its own operations as well as for customers within an overarching focus on sustainability. Recognising climate change as possibly the most serious challenge humankind has ever had to tackle, Blickle says, “This means every one of us has a responsibility to do what we can to slow down and stop the process of climate change, and this is particularly true for industry.”
Looking at monitoring plant operations and performance, in Sensors + switches, Darren Barrett of Omniflex highlights how wireless monitoring using fit-to-purpose telemetry systems provides a convenient and cost-effective alternative to installing cabling plant-wide, particularly in highly regulated industries such as the petrochemical sector. It enables plant and asset managers to monitor and manage all important system data across their sites efficiently.
In Plant maintenance, test + measurement, Comtest presents some of the latest Fluke tools and technologies it has available for use in the design, commissioning, monitoring and maintenance of solar PV installations. High-precision handheld tools are increasingly in demand to ensure plants are performing as intended.
For the power utility sector, Dwibin Thomas from Schneider Electric explains the benefits of using digital twin technology to monitor and maintain power station assets and the energy grid with a view to optimising performance and longevity.
And there’s more of interest in our regular columns: the value of technical skills in tackling SA’s critical unemployment levels; how generative AI is changing the way businesses operate; Chat GPT and what AI means for digital security; and the promise of green hydrogen for SA.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD AND READ THIS ISSUE IN PDF FORMAT.
