Mapping a route for advanced digital transformation

Sites in the life sciences, bio and smart manufacturing sectors already have advanced capabilities and a workforce that’s highly skilled in digital technology. However, they still have potential for improvement. Bringing in an expert in power and automation can unlock hidden efficiencies and help a company to map out its next steps on its journey towards digital transformation. 

What it means to be already advanced 

Sectors like biomanufacturing and life sciences make extensive use of robotics and automation to deliver processes to meet quality and accuracy requirements. They typically automate tasks such as monitoring, diagnostics and alarming to enable condition-based maintenance. This reduces unplanned downtime and cuts costs. It is also helpful in areas that are inaccessible or spread across multiple sites.

Digitalisation liberates workers from mundane operational tasks, allowing them focus instead on higher-value activities, putting data-powered insights into action to prevent unplanned stops, maintaining complex assets and ensuring compliance.

Advanced sites already have this type of system in place, potentially seeing themselves as ‘digitally transformed’. But the fact is there is no end point. There will always be an opportunity for even the most advanced facilities to extend their use of digitalisation to improve on KPIs.

The key to these upgrades is to minimise disruption and avoid overloading already-busy workers. 

Three areas of focus for service

When delivering upgrades, it makes sense to call on a service partner with in-depth expertise of energy technology and automation systems, as well as the knowledge and capability to work with technology from any supplier. They can support in three ways. 

The first is strategic advice and planning to meet long term objectives such as meeting Net Zero goals or to map out a route to increase robot density, adopt more digitalisation or upgrade on-site renewable energy generation into a microgrid. The right partner helps unlock critical insights into power and automation technologies, augmenting the internal team's focus on compliance and delivering against Net Zero mandates.

Second, a service partner can support upgrades and integrate digital technology with minimal disruption by replacing only the necessary equipment. This will enable the business to retain things like cabling and cabinets – saving carbon footprint and cutting the duration of planned outages. In addition, they can use their experience of digitalisation to install sensors in key locations to make the most of planned outages. 

The third challenge a service partner can solve is providing remote data-driven support to the in-house team. For example, by tracking remote condition monitoring data, and proactively offering advice such as when to schedule maintenance on key equipment, or escalating issues to tap into advice from technical experts. 

The overall advantage is that services extend the reach of expert operators so that they can focus on quality and delivery for customers.

Unlocking efficiency and sustainability 

One manufacturer that is using a service partner to boost performance is Zilia Technologies (previously known as SMART Modular Technologies), a Brazilian leader in the packaging and test of semiconductor integrated circuits and memory modules. 

SMART’s facility in Atibaia was already equipped with high levels of automation and robotics to deliver state-of-the-art products that are widely used in electronic and computer equipment. Despite its advanced digital maturity, the facility faced challenges in process efficiency and wanted to cut maintenance costs. 

It called on experts from Schneider Electric’s EcoCare service team to modernise electrical equipment and processes. This provided SMART with multiple products and upgrades in addition to a consultancy service that provided expert advice so that SMART could achieve faster response time in remote and onsite support, as well as 24/7 health remote monitoring of electrical equipment that moves far beyond reactive maintenance. 

Real-time data reporting enables SMART to identify maintenance needs before failures can occur. The service partnership has improved uptime, efficiency, and performance, while bringing the facility closer to its sustainability goals. 

"We can summarise our Zilia Technologies project with Schneider Electric in three words - partnership, predictability, and trust," said Adilson Piras, engineering supervisor at Zilia Technologies. 

Pushing towards ever-greater efficiency

Even the most advanced facilities can benefit from using a service partner. In the fields of electrical power and automation, industrial services have been tailored around the three big challenges of strategic consultancy, upgrade or extension of assets, and protecting uptime.   

Services act as a competitive advantage that makes the most of digital transformation investment to ensure that even the most sophisticated systems stay at peak performance. 

Mandeep Sidhu is senior industrial digital transformation consultant, SE Advisory Services - Schneider Electric 

For more information: 

www.se.com 

Tel: 0330 587 8030