Schneider Electric unveils industrial technology to empower workers and help industries grow sustainably
Schneider Electric, the specialist in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today called for industry to move beyond focusing solely on output, and to embrace a model that helps combat both the climate and energy crises.
Speaking at the Innovation Summit World Tour 2022, Schneider Electric’s annual flagship series of customer and partner events, senior company executives highlighted that traditional approaches to industrial development were not designed to meet the challenges posed by climate change, the current energy crisis, market and supply chain volatility, and deep socio-economic tensions.
“To continue on our journey to net-zero, we must integrate sustainability, circularity, resilience and quality of life into every step of industrial decision-making,” says Barbara Frei, executive vice president, industrial automation at Schneider Electric. “Digitalisation, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and automation have driven growth, but this must also benefit society, deliver decarbonisation and protect our Earth’s limited resources. Industry needs to embrace technologies, where every innovation empowers workers, advances society, enhances well-being, and delivers economic growth, sustainably.”
Schneider Electric’s Industrial Automation business used its 2022 customer event to unveil several new offers that focus on promoting engineering effectiveness and meeting the challenges of worker shortages. These empower the modern industrial workforce to work more effectively, reduce commissioning time, prolong the lifetime and efficiency of machines, and reduce energy use.
Furthering software-centric automation
EcoStruxure Automation Expert 22.1, the latest release of the software-centric industrial automation system, further integrates with AVEVA System Platform so, users can design graphics with the Operations Management Interface and access AVEVA’s rich asset library based on the latest situational awareness standards. Designing AVEVA graphics and control applications in the same environment reduces engineering efforts by nearly 50%, minimises training time, and eliminates quality issues.
The new version of EcoStruxure Automation Expert now integrates Modicon M262d to provide a cost-effective controller for discrete manufacturing with greater computing power, and now combines with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Twin to drive engineering and operational efficiencies and enhanced continuity across physical and digital worlds.
EcoStruxure Automation Expert’s HMI can now be deployed to Linux System PCs, offering users a wider range of hardware and form factors according to their use-case and budget. As EcoStruxure Automation Expert’s SoftdPAC controller already supports Linux, users can now configure control applications and HMIs with ease on the same hardware.
Greater insight and integration for power and process automation
EcoStruxure Power and Process further leverages AVEVA Unified Operations Centre, the industrial collaboration interface that connects operational, information and engineering technologies, to provide enterprise-wide visibility, reduce energy consumption and unplanned downtime, and increase profitability.
EcoStruxure Power and Process now integrates with ETAP energy management software solutions that design, operate and automate power systems. This combination of technologies enhances simulation capabilities, as process changes can be run digitally to pinpoint potential efficiencies without making physical changes and provides recovery benefits so that protocols for black-outs or unstable conditions can be programmed into systems.
Schneider Electric’s new cobot in the Lexium range is part of an advanced robotic system that helps workers perform heavy, repetitive and complex tasks. The cobot is easy to implement into existing industrial environments and improves workforce empowerment and safety. It can accurately perform highly technical tasks, lift objects of up to 18kg, and work side-by-side with people on production lines. Users can intuitively program and operate the cobot through an Android app.
Delivering a more resilient, sustainable electric world
With sustainability at its core, and to celebrate and champion initiatives around the world, Schneider also announced its Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards, designed to recognise the critical role customers and suppliers play in delivering a more resilient and sustainable world. Understanding thatour successful partners and supplierswill set the precedent for others to follow in their footsteps, the program hopes to deliver significant impact through considered sustainable and efficient practices. Nominations are now open, and the deadline for submissions is November 25.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN