The Indian manufacturing industry is well-initiated in the active pursuit of Industry 4.0. Reiterating the thought is Jitendra Singh, Director- Business Development and Strategy, Leadec India. He said: “The Indian manufacturing industry is very excited about Industry 4.0 and the opportunity begins on the table.” Presently, he added, the industry is still struggling to justify the ‘Return on Investment,’ and therefore, customers have been found wanting to go beyond the ‘Proof of Concept’ stage. While elaborating on the various stages leading up to Industry 4.0, Singh said: “Phase one of Industry 4.0 talks about digitization or data enablement of machinery and equipment and phase two is focused on the consolidation of data onto a central server,” he said. In Singh’s opinion, the two phases help a plant realize its goal of ‘real-time data availability’ for management intervention. However, on the other hand, the third phase of industry 4.0 involves data analysis and predictive or prescriptive analysis that brings forth the areas of improvement for overall equipment effectiveness. The fourth phase, however, is a game-changer with a machine to machine interaction – machine learning, the involvement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and manpower optimisation. Presently, he said: “The Indian Manufacturing Industry is struggling as of now to go past phase two and therefore we are unable to get the real benefit.” In addition, he said that the number of start-ups mushrooming in the IoT space is very much a reflection on the interest the industry is showing. Right now, we are stuck on establishing ‘Proof of Concepts.’
Advancements in tech: Cross-linking and the ability of systems to ‘talk’ to each other
The availability of the ‘Internet of Things,’ has made it possible to do real-time monitoring of machine equipment and conditions. “The data available is used for prescriptive analysis for process improvements and break-down reductions that result in productivity improvement,” Singh said. Also, the data generated helps identify the frequency in which time-based maintenance and undertake planned maintenance for replacement of a part-identified-to-fail proactively must be conducted. In the near future, predictive technology will help identify the potential failure mode that can be used to rectify a problem through planned maintenance rather than reactive breakdown maintenance of equipment, thereby reducing the impact of a breakdown in terms of time, cost and productivity. “Predictive techniques work on the principle of ‘machine tells all’. It calls for regular monitoring of certain parameters like vibrations, noise, oil leakage, temperature etc depending upon the machinery and usage.” Vibration analysis and thermography are well-established methods to do predictive analysis and such services are readily available in the market. “However, new methods such as ‘Online Vibrations Monitoring,’ – data can be monitored on a real-time basis and remotely, making predictive maintenance even more productive and fast-paced inferences.
Vision and Mission: Leadec’s pioneering steps as Industrial Service Provider
Leadec India’s vision is to be the leading Industrial Service provider for the factory of today and tomorrow, said Singh – “In India, we are servicing customers at more than 50 manufacturing plants, and we support the plant basically from cradle to grave.” We help plan and erect plants while also operating plants by maintaining and running critical infrastructure. He said: “Presently, Leadec is integrating any advancements in technology to ‘digitize and optimize’ its services. More specifically, the use of IoT to help improve customer’s OEE or cost optimization through Remote Maintenance or efficient Supply chain is being pursued. Clearly, the organization is looking at growth beyond the Automotive industry into Chemical & Pharma, White goods, tyre Industry, Food & Beverages to name a few. Also, Leadec is an industrial service provider for factories. “We are servicing customers globally across 250 sites within the automotive industry,” Singh said. The company has invested heavily in setting up a Smart Factory Group that works on solutions based on digital applications that add value to what we offer our customers. One such solution is drones that are equipped with measuring and thermal imaging cameras for use within our facility management solutions.
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Ranjana Konatt is the Editor – Industrial India, she may be contacted at – ranjana@charypublications.in
