The UK is experiencing a perfect storm in electrical engineering recruitment. On one hand, demand is increasing fast due to the growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles and industrial automation markets. But on the other hand, the number of students has remained at the same level for the past 20 years. This has created intense competition between employers for the best graduates.

The E3 Academy is helping to overcome this challenge by matching employers with young people after A-levels or in their first year of study at participating universities, the Universities of Newcastle, Bristol and Nottingham. Recruiting companies provide financial support and guaranteed employment on graduation, enabling scholars to focus on their studies. Summer work placements provide real-world experience and provide insight that helps the young people map out their future career paths. Furthermore, E3 Academy summer schools help scholars develop a broader professional network.

Having recently won funding from UKRI, the E3 Academy is now able to extend its scope by doubling the number of companies it works with.

Bill Drury, E3 Academy Chairman, says: “From an employer’s perspective, the E3 Academy takes risk out of recruitment and secures the best candidates long before graduation. Our process is designed to give young people the best possible experience of their early career. They graduate as company insiders who are ready to hit the ground running from day one and typically develop as high-achievers who make significant impact in their companies."

“We attract a lot of high-potential candidates from diverse backgrounds and we are scalable as an organisation. This means there is plenty of opportunity for new sponsoring companies to join the E3 Academy and build relationships with the electrical engineers of the future.”

Since it was established in 2008, the E3 Academy has worked with 10 sponsoring companies and has supported the development of almost 150 scholars, 93% of whom received first or upper second degrees and 80 percent of whom stay on after their first two years of employment. The scheme is actively supporting diversity in engineering, for example, women account for 40% of the intake.

Current sponsoring companies range from large engineering companies to businesses that are scaling up in size. They all share the need to develop a pipeline of electrical engineering talent and include Siemens Digital Industries, the technology company’s industrial automation division, as well as Control Techniques, the manufacturer of AC and DC drives, and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains business, as well as powertrain manufacturer Turntide Technologies and Yasa, which produces high-technology electric motors and controllers.

http://www.e3academy.org

HIKMICRO's line of thermographic cameras will be added to IRISS’ existing Sonus brand of Partial Discharge and Ultrasound test equipment, EMSD product solutions, and online training/certification programs through its SMART Academy.

With advanced technology playing a significant role in both safety and accuracy for asset inspection and management, industries know the move to a broader and more efficient system must be adopted. This alliance expands the opportunity for practitioners worldwide to access the superior quality thermographic cameras from HIKMICRO to perform the inspections, as well as the inspection window solutions from IRISS that allow for a safer, closed-panel inspection process. Stand 3/M73

www.hikmicrotech.com/en/

This grant is in addition to two other renewable energy projects, which are focussing on the new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) that the UK government are currently promoting as part of the recently announced Green Energy Strategy. CVE obtained these grants with support from UKEF.

When completed, the Dogger Bank wind farms will generate enough energy to power over 4.5 million homes every year - around 5% of the UK's electricity needs.

As the construction of wind turbines uses a substantial amount of welding equipment, CVE has adapted its latest high-tech welding technology to reduce the fabrication time and cost of the wind turbine foundations by up to 25%. This new technology could represent a significant contribution to Dogger Bank's achievement of being the first wind farm in the world to be able to generate electricity without the need for any subsidies.

The development of this technology required a great deal of investment by CVE, locking up valuable cash and putting pressure on its successful exporting business. Fortunately, they were able to agree on support from UKEF, the UK's export credit agency. Together, they managed to secure a trade loan facility from CVE's bank to finance several export contracts and unlock the capital that CVE needed to supply both the offshore wind and nuclear projects.

"Even though our export order book has been full of orders from China, USA, and India, the economic disruption that has been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to get all of the finance needed from our bank," noted David Evans, Finance and Accounting Director at CVE. "UKEF's guarantee will allow us to deliver contracts with clients around the world and deliver on the Dogger Bank project."

"The UK is world-renowned for the quality of its manufactured goods and is rapidly becoming a centre for green technology," said Jo Archer, UKEF Export Finance Manager for the region.

"UKEF is one of the world-leading ECAs for supporting clean, sustainable projects. Through supporting companies like CVE, it is playing its part in helping the UK achieve its clean energy goals and help the world transition away from fossil fuels."

This support for CVE is part of the UKEF's ongoing support for renewable projects around the world, with £2 billion of direct lending dedicated to supporting renewable energy projects.

In the UK and Ireland, Manufacturing became the most attacked sector representing almost a third of all attacks, while Technology was the most attacked sector globally. The GTIR also highlights the importance of cyber-resilience and security-by-design as cyber criminals look to gain from the Covid-19 pandemic.

A comprehensive view of the threats impacting businesses in EMEA, the Americas and Asia Pacific, as well as emerging trends across different industries, the GTIR reveals that threat actors are innovating faster than ever before. Developing multi-function attack tools and using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities, attackers are investing in automation techniques; 21% of attacks globally were in the form of a vulnerability scanner. Despite efforts to layer up their defences, many organisations are unable to stay ahead of attackers, while others are struggling to do the basics like patching old vulnerabilities.

UK manufacturing under attack

Manufacturing regularly appears as one of the most attacked industries globally. Most commonly linked to intellectual property (IP) theft, it increasingly faces financially motivated data breaches, global supply chain risks and risks from unpatched vulnerabilities. The UK was the only country (apart from Hong Kong) this year where Manufacturing topped the list of most attacked sectors, representing 29% of all attacks, with Technology (19%) second and Business and Professional Services (17%) third. Government and Finance made up the other two sectors in the top five.

Reconnaissance attacks accounted for half of all hostile activity in the UK and Ireland, with web application the next most common form of attack (22%). Reconnaissance activity (60%) was also the most common attack type against manufacturers followed by web application attacks (36%).

Rory Duncan, Security Go-to-Market Leader, NTT Ltd., comments: “UK manufacturing has become a major target for attackers in recent years as a result of the increased risks brought about from the convergence of IT and Operational Technology (OT). The biggest worry is that security has lagged behind in this sector, potentially exposing systems and processes to attack. Poor OT security is a legacy issue; many systems were designed with efficiency, throughput and regulatory compliance in mind rather than security. In the past, OT also relied on a form of ‘security through obscurity’. The protocols, formats and interfaces in these systems were often complex and proprietary and different from those in IT systems, so it was difficult for attackers to mount a successful attack. As more and more systems come online, hackers are innovating and see these systems as ripe for attack.”

Duncan adds: “Now more than ever, it’s critical for all organisations, regardless of sector or region, to pay attention to the security that enables their business; making sure they are cyber-resilient and secure-by-design, which means embedding privacy and security into the fabric of their enterprise architecture and organisational culture. The current global pandemic and the flow of trusted and untrusted information used to mask the activities of cyber criminals has shown us that they will take advantage of any situation. Organisations must be ready to respond to these and other threats in a constantly evolving landscape.”

The ‘year of enforcement’

The 2020 Global Threat Intelligence Report calls last year the ‘year of enforcement’ with the number of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) initiatives growing, creating a challenging global regulatory landscape. Several acts and laws now influence how organisations handle data and privacy, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has set a high standard for the rest of the world. The report provides organisations with recommendations to help navigate compliance complexity, including identifying acceptable risk levels, building cyber-resilience capabilities and implementing solutions that are secure-by-design.

The 2020 GTIR – the eigth annual report – analyses and summarises trends based on log, event, attack, incident and vulnerability data from trillions of logs and billions of attacks. To learn more about how this year’s GTIR offers organisations a robust framework to address today’s cyber threat landscape, and to learn more about the emerging trends across different industries and regions, including the Americas, APAC and EMEA, follow the link to download the NTT Ltd. 2020 GTIR.

Building enough track and platforms to solve this challenge in a traditional way is not achievable, so with conventional construction proving expensive and disruptive, a digital solution is being advocated.

Digital Railway is the proposal for the UK to adopt modern digital signalling and train control within the next 25 years and create credible options to upgrade the railway to next generation technology as it becomes available. Central to this is ETCS – the European Train Control System – a signalling system designed as a pan European system for lineside signalling. The control system knows where the train is by detecting ‘balises’ mounted in the the space between the rails on a standard gauge railway line, calculates safe zones both in front and behind it, and instructs the driver through a display in his cab. If safety is threatened, it will even intervene and bring the train to a stand still. As a result it will be possible to run trains closer together without supervision, optimising speed and movements.

One example of such measures has already been embarked upon by Great Western Railway, which is employing a delay-busting Traffic Management system to boost performance on train journeys between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway. Thanks to a two year contract agreed between Network Rail and the British signalling & train control specialists, Resonate, a one year trial of ‘Luminate’ Traffic Management System could see reactionary delays reduced by up to 15%.

Traffic Management systems on the railway manage and monitor the flow of trains identifying conflicts, allowing plans to be changed and so more effectively reduce delays and the impact to passengers. The system takes into account the different types of trains and services operating across the network forecasting their forward journey, highlighting any potential conflicts or delay. When disruption occurs, Traffic Management enables real-time re-planning to happen quickly so that train services can get back to normal as fast as possible, minimising delays.

The project to deploy the system has already commenced and once finished in June 2018, the trial will run for a year until 2019.

Elsewhere, a landmark contract has been awarded to Chippenham based Siemens Rail Automation by Network Rail to start installing European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling on Britain’s freight fleet with an ultimate ambition of equipping around 750 vehicles.

The initial focus will be on the heaviest used types of locomotive and the learning from this first stage will be used to inform the wider potential fleet roll-out from 2022 onwards.

The initial phase is expected to lead on to become one of the world’s biggest ETCS retro-fit programmes; Siemens will install its Trainguard 200 ETCS on-board solution on freight locomotives which operate across Great Britain. Siemens’ Trainguard Level 2, Baseline 3 system will be installed to align with Network Rail’s proposals for deploying ETCS to the rail network.

And it’s not just train movements that the Digital Railway concept encompasses, but those of the passengers themselves; after all, what is the point of having a high performance signalling system and trains capable of achieving a high-capacity service if escalators and stairways get congested and people can’t quickly move off the platform?

According to Siemens understanding how people behave and then predicting and responding to those behaviours is an area where mobile technology and data-farming can start to be used. Engineers can then be better informed in the design of systems to respond to such factors. Along with other companies, industry stakeholders and academia, Siemens is now starting to invest in finding and developing innovative approaches to respond to this challenge.

Modern railways are a complex combination of systems working together. Many of these can operate automatically to set routes, regulate trains and make decisions about passenger flow, but performance and costs of the whole system are optimised when they are fully integrated. This involves clear and detailed system engineering to ensure information is available to all systems that need it, including the operators who need support to make decisions quickly and efficiently.

Battery backup unit

The extended monitoring and control that digitisation requires brings with it a further need for flexible power backup systems. Responding to the needs of a large range of applications and designed for use in enclosed outdoor environments, Powerbox’s BBU-S comprises an industry standard 19-inch rack unit with sub-modules.

System-wise, the BBU-S includes an active power factor corrected input, micro controlled smart charging, automatic battery test, output distribution and several control and monitoring signals. Developed for fast deployment, the BBU-S is available with AC or DC input voltage and can charge and control multiple battery pack configurations.

The BBU-S starts at 340W and is available up to 1200W. For remote monitoring and control, the BBU-S offers multiple options such as LAN interface, a radio communications module (GSM, 3G, LTE) and can be reconfigured to match specific demands as needed for different applications.

Condition monitoring

SKF has a developed a wireless condition monitoring system to enable condition based maintenance practices (CBM) that will help rail operators spend their maintenance budgets more effectively.

SKF Insight gives key information on the state of critical wheel-set components. It relies on retrofitting a small advanced, wireless sensor to the wheelset axlebox assembly – which takes just a few minutes for a complete wheel-set– to detect bearing damage and wheel flats quickly and accurately. By raising wheel-set maintenance efficiency practices, it helps to keep rolling stock in good working order.

“Trains need to be out on the track, rather than spending time in maintenance depots being serviced,” says Mark Rhodes, development consultant at SKF.

Despite being in a noisy environment, the wireless sensor picks up inconsistencies in the vibration of a bearing as it begins to fail. Sophisticated vibration signal processing and algorithms separate the signal from the noise, ensuring that the sensor produces and sends accurate data for further remote diagnostic analysis if needed.

Earlier versions of this technology sent the information from the sensors to a processor installed on the rail vehicle, via cables. However, SKF Insight uses wireless data transmission – sending data directly from the sensor to the cloud and further on to the remote diagnostics center, using mobile networks.

“There’s now no need to fit a cumbersome on-board gateway router – and all the cables have been removed,” adds Nils Ekholm, Technical Leader at SKF.

A key part of the system is its ability to provide clear recommendations from complex data. Once the data from a sensor has been processed and a damage has been detected, SKF experts produce a report. If a maintenance operation is recommended the operator receives a notification and the component/bearing exchange can be planned and performed at a suitable time.

Besides vibration, the wireless sensor system also analyses information on temperature – as well as speed GPS positional data. All generated data is stored securely in the SKF cloud.

Composites

The rail industry is adopting composites materials at a rapid rate to help solve many challenges, with use predicted to grow by up to 40% (£100 million) between 2015 and 2020 according to the Composites Leadership Forum. The key properties of composites that are helping solve these challenges are their strength to weight ratio, durability, longevity and customisability.

Composites high strength to weight ratio means that smaller items like trench covers can be moved manually instead of requiring lifting equipment, larger items like train doors can operate faster and more efficiently, while even larger items like bridges can be built using less material reducing costs. Their durability means they perform year after year in all weather conditions and can withstand exposure to corrosive materials like salt and fuel. Their longevity means they last longer than traditional materials, reducing disruption which is especially important for products like sleepers. Finally, composite products can be custom manufactured to suit the application, instead of building on site, which enables fast installation, allowing products like FRP bridges, which can be installed overnight.

As part of the £70 million development of Doncaster’s new Hitachi depot, Fibrelite designed and manufactured 100 metres of custom GRP composite trench covers to fit piping apertures, providing protection from potential heavy vehicle traffic (up to D400/40 tonnes) while allowing safe easy manual access for monitoring and maintenance.

Carbon fibre & 3D printing

Research at the University of Huddersfield could lead to new generations of railway vehicles with carbon fibre frames and key components made using the latest 3D printing technology.

The investigation of novel materials and manufacturing processes is being carried out by the University’s Institute for Railway Research, which has been awarded funding of almost £300,000 as part of an EU-backed project to develop lighter, more reliable, more comfortable and quieter rolling stock.

“We hope that the result will be a step change in the running gear of rail vehicles,” said the IRR’s Director, Professor Simon Iwnicki. The aim is to explore the potential – and any shortcomings – of new materials. The benefits would include reduction in the weight of bogies, simpler designs and reduced life cycle costs.

RUN2RAIL is the overall title of the new project. It is an element of the EU’s multi-faceted Shift2Rail programme, which fosters research and innovation in European railways. The total funding allotted to RUN2RAIL is 2,732,000 euros, and it has four work packages, shared by leading engineering companies and universities throughout Europe.

The Huddersfield Institute is participating in three of the packages, and is the lead institution for the project to investigate optimised materials for running gear.  t will work with the Politecnico di Milano, consultants RINA and the Italian engineering and design company Blue Group.

Professor Iwnicki explained that it was the Institute’s expert knowledge of the design of railway bogies and their dynamic behaviour that was being harnessed for the work package.  At a kick-off meeting in Milan with the partners, it was decided to investigate the use of carbon fibre composites, which would enable bogie frames to be constructed layer-by-layer by robots.

“You can have any number of curves or shapes and therefore build up the shape you actually want, whereas with a steel frame there are only a certain number of shapes you can make,” said Professor Iwnicki.  “Also, carbon fibre is much lighter and you can put the material just where you want it, which makes it lighter still.”
Another strand of investigation will be the use of additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – done with lasers and steel powders.  This technology is becoming more mature and components, such as axle boxes and brackets for brakes are now candidates for this process.

Although one engineering firm has produced a railway bogie that includes carbon fibre leaf springs, the RUN2RAIL project could lead to unprecedented usage of novel materials in rolling stock construction.  For the moment, wheels will probably still be made from conventional steels, however.

“We have considered using alternative materials for wheel hubs or axles, but the failure modes and risks are not yet fully understood.  But we are looking at it,” said Professor Iwnicki.

The RUN2RAIL project is now under way and is due to be completed by August 2019.

Anyone watching the BBC’s current flagship natural history series, Blue Planet II, will be aware of the vast quantities of water that cover around 70% of the Earth’s surface. Of this, however, around 97.5% is salt water leaving just 2.5% as fresh water; of this more than two-thirds is frozen, with another large proportion stored below ground as ground water. What all this means is that only 0.3% of all freshwater on the plant is really available as surface water. Add to this that this relatively tiny proportion of what at first might seem like an abundant resource is often the ‘wrong’ place in terms of demand/consumption, resulting in round 40% of the world’s population living in water stressed areas - a figure which, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, is projected to increase to between 50 and 65% by 2025 - and it is clear that water is not something thatch be taken for granted.

Like any scarce resource, for businesses water presents not just a challenge, but also an opportunity. While an inadequate water strategy can lead to businesses pouring profit down the drain, get it right and there are bottomline improvements to be made, and this is a message that Velioa is emphasising in its recent “Rethink Water’ white paper.

When it comes to water, there is a perception that sewer discharge costs nothing and there is little you can do with wastewater once it has been treated and cleaned in line with industry regulations. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth, and businesses need to change how they see water, asserts Veolia. Delivery of mains water costs £1 per cubic metre, and it typically costs twice as much to discharge the equivalent volume, meaning that reusing and recycling wastewater can save up to £3 per cubic metre, not to mention the potential for converting waste to energy to be used elsewhere in a facility. Companies looking to increase profit while generating positive publicity can start by analysing the total cost and environmental impact of their water usage, and implement solutions to reduce consumption.

There are currently no restrictions for most customers on the amount of water that can be drawn from the network or returned to the drain; you simply pay for the amount you use or discharge. However, we are now beginning to see the emergence of limits for industrial water use to try and manage demand. Although there are currently only financial penalties for excess use, if demand continues to exceed supply, we may see a situation in the future where water supplies are simply cut off once water limits are reached. This would have a far more significant impact, leading to temporary shutdown of manufacturing processes and significantly harming profitability.

Reuse & recycle

If you’re in an industry that cannot operate without water, Veolia advises that now is the time to consider how you can improve water reuse and recycling to reduce consumption and disposal costs before they start to impact your bottom line.

Reducing water consumption is the most direct way to save money, and an internal audit of processes can often reveal examples of inefficient or wasteful water use, such as leaving taps or hoses running unnecessarily during washing processes. Regular water monitoring can help highlight leaks or unexplained water usage in your facility. If trade activities primarily occur during the day time for example, you should expect to see your water consumption almost zero overnight.

Reusing and recycling wastewater can offer even more significant savings, due to the high cost of discharging wastewater. There is reticence within some industries to reusing and recycling water, due to the fear factor around using treated wastewater, for example, to clean a tank involved in food production. But greater understanding of how efficient and effective wastewater treatment can be should alleviate any industry concerns and overcome such objections. After all, it is too easy to forget that every drop of mains water has at some stage been reused and recycled.

Wastewater can be a very valuable resource, particularly in the food and beverage industry. For example, wastewater from dairies and distilleries could be passed through an anaerobic bioreactor to produce biogas, which could be returned to the grid or back to the facility to supply energy – up to 80% of the electrical needs of some distilleries. A second by-product, biomass, could also be repurposed as fuel, or used as land fertiliser on farms.

Water analysis

Maintaining water quality standards is an essential process, not only for water supply companies, but also for those who rely on it for their commercial process applications. Analysing and recording various water quality parameters using the compact and modular solution from Bürkert Fluid Control Systems now has increased functionality thanks to new 'cubes' that add more test options.

Since introducing the Type 8905 Online Analysis System for water treatment processes, Burkert has continued to work on new functions and testing capabilities that increase its functionality. The latest developments include new test cubes for Chlorine dioxide and iron as well as a hand-held cleaning and calibration module.

Furthermore, the ability to adapt the basic principle of the analysis system into a bespoke sampling station that can accommodate any number of sample streams will be of particular interest to larger water treatment facilities.

The original premise was to create a multi-channel, multi-function unit that could communicate using the majority of existing protocols and provide a precise record of water quality, based on the needs of the application. As such, the Type 8905 is already capable of measuring pH, reduction potential (ORP), conductivity, free chlorine and turbidity.

Chlorine dioxide is an important characteristic to measure in the disinfection process as it is widely used as an effective microbicide, disinfectant and sanitiser. The effective control of this popular chemical is very important and Bürkert has now added a sensor cube that can be used in both new and existing analysis stations.
Just as important is the removal of iron deposits from water used for processes that demand a minimum of contaminants. The iron analysis cube can be set up to measure and record iron levels as well as initiate warnings when pre-set levels are reached.

The Type 8905 can communicate with existing control protocols and with personnel both on and off site, ensuring that any deviation from the water quality criteria is notified immediately.

Blockage detection

Blockages of submersible pumps caused by grease and solids are a major problem in pumping wastewater. In the worst-case scenario, this can result in flooded wells, unwanted spillages and eventually, premature motor failures.  Unscheduled work to manually clear the blockages is then required, which entails pump lifting, involving considerable time and expense, not to mention the health and safety aspects.

Anglian Water has extensively trialled the Simocode motor management system from Siemens, at over 200 of its sites. Early results have shown an impressive 70% reduction in blockages, and in many instances engineers no longer have to visit troublesome sites. 

Initially, Anglian Water ran a trial at a site in Corby, which had been experiencing regular pump blockage issues. Upon first use with Simocode the operator was able to identify that the pump was running at a higher than anticipated current, and instigated a reversal operation. The current then reduced significantly, suggesting evidence of freeing a previous blockage.  The system was configured to look for set points indicating higher than normal currents, whereby Simocode would automatically instigate a pump reversal.

Simocode is simple to deploy, which means no new software tools have to be learned and no extra time is wasted in learning new software skills.  In addition to managing the process, if required Simocode will provide all the data associated with the pump over a secure internet connection so decisions can be taken remotely.

Mobile filtration

The UK has been slow to pick up on the advantages of mobile containerised water filtration plants but it is now becoming a rapidly increasing trend. As industry wakes up to the fact that water is a limited resource, more and more options regarding source are being considered. Not only does this mean a variation in the water quality but access to the source can test even the most experienced engineer and it may only be a temporary operation. According to Amiad, flexibility, manoeuvrability and non-permanent nature of a containerised water filtration plant is very appealing.

Units can vary from complete small scale treatment plants to multiple container systems each incorporating a stage in the treatment process. However, it is not just the provision of mobility that has made these popular with some of the most far reaching utility and industrial plants. The ability to pre-commission and ‘prove’ the system before dispatching effectively reduces installation and maintenance issues as they will only require services connection and process interconnection on arrival at site.

Good containerisation requires careful thought. Often space is at a premium and access is limited. Early discussion with the client regarding maintenance requirements and access ability, typical deployments periods, along with their own policies on these matters requires careful consideration. How much heat will be generated by system pumps and the extremes of ambient temperature also have to be examined.

Amiad produces containerised systems with specialised sections in the roof to enable media to be changed and access ports in walls for critical part removal. Units can be purchased outright or procured as a contracted package so costs can be spread out over a period of time.

Zero liquid discharge

Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a liquid waste stream treatment. It involves transforming liquid waste streams from industrial plants into clean water, which can be reused in the process, and the minimum amount of solid residues, which often include valuable by-products that can be sold or reused.

ZLD is suitable for a wide range of industries, including power production, chemical and fuel refining, mining, distillation, food production, and waste treatment, and a variety of equipment is available to treat different waste streams and processes. However, this diversity means every system must be designed on its own merits, considering factors such as the contamination or chemicals present in the water, flow rate, how pure the returned water needs to be, etc. This makes it impossible to design a ‘general purpose’ ZLD system, and makes the necessary custom-made solutions more expensive.

The effective design of any ZLD system is dependent on the correct analysis of the water/waste stream. It is essential to have accurate estimates of composition, flow rates, chemistry, etc. Without this, any designed solution will fail to deliver the required results, if it works at all. For example, calcium, ammonium and some heavy metal salts are difficult to crystallise by evaporation, and so other treatment techniques will need to be incorporated into the overall system design.

According to HRS Heat Exchangers , although every ZLD system will be different, many will comprise a pre-treatment phase, an evaporation phase to remove most of the water, and a further concentration or crystallisation phase to produce the final solid residue. Pre-treatment often focuses on removing organic elements and any chemicals which could damage evaporation or other equipment later in the process. As ZLD has become more widely used, more and more techniques have been employed, with varying levels of success. Most common water treatments, such as pH adjustment, flocculation, membrane processing, degasification, oxidation, separation and even aerobic and anaerobic digestion, have all been used as pre-treatments for ZLD systems.

Traditionally, vapour compression evaporation has been the main method employed for ZLD processing, with evaporation typically recovering around 95 per cent of wastewater as distillate. Any remaining concentrate is then further treated physically or chemically to produce solid residues (such as crystals) and water. Evaporators used in ZLD systems are often run at lower pressures in order to reduce the boiling point of the liquid being treated.

Working with a reduced boiling point means that multi effect evaporation can be made possible. In multi-effect evaporation, steam from a previous evaporation stage is used as thermal energy in the next stage which works at a lower boiling point. This way, multiple evaporation stages are combined and as a result energy savings are obtained. For many components, crystal precipitation is favoured at lower temperatures, therefore lowering evaporation temperatures helps to increase the solids yield.

Whatever kind of evaporator is employed, heat exchangers play a crucial role in reducing the running costs of a ZLD system by utilising heat from process water and other existing sources, and also recapturing heat at the end of the process and reusing it to boost the energy efficiency of the overall ZLD system.

Even if you are not directly involved in the packaging sector, unless you have an existence of self subsistence, packaging will have an impact on your life. In fact, although you might not realise it, packaging actually has an important economic role. According to the World Packaging Organisation without packaging, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country would significantly reduce in value. This is simply because product cannot be shipped from source to manufacturer to retailer to consumer, through the supply chain, without proper packaging. Packaging must be developed from specific materials, into specific shapes and texture, scientifically designed to suit the product being packaged, to suit the hazards of the transit journey, to maximise the shelf life of the product and to ultimately positively influence the consumer purchase decision, resulting in a contribution to the GDP of the country.

Packaging must protect the product, not only from transit and physical damage, but also from microbial and bacterial deterioration as well as climatic hazards, like heat, cold, moisture, frost etc. In this role, especially with respect to food product, packaging significantly reduces the wastage of food during the transit journey. Packaging can also aid in identifing, tracking and tracing the product. Consumers are now more than ever aware of product shelf lives, product traceability to the packer/product originator, enabling effective product recall in instances where product integrity is questionable.

A recent report, “Packaging Automation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025” points to the importance of packaging automation in attaining maximum profits in the light of intense competition and increasing globalisation of manufacturing. One of the factors highlighted is the way in which standardised HMIs help in reducing the learning curve required for training machine operators, as is the growing concern surrounding safety regulation in the pharma, health care and food and beverage sectors, more so in emerging economies such as India, China, and Latin America. Safety regulations can be adhered to by developing applications which include automated reporting capabilities that helps in generating reports for each packaging line.

The report also point to applications where many bulk of items are packed per minute, requiring robotic automation to fulfil the packaging demand. Use of automated machines means it requires less labour to accomplish the packaging process, thus reducing the labour cost in the long term period. Investment in automated equipment is cost a that is easily recoverable; but in cases smaller companies do not want to invest huge amounts as they do not want to take risks at the preliminary stage.

Diving deep

With average human arm measuring just 63.5cm, placing heavy loads of products into deep food Bulk Display Units (BDUs) can be challenging and subjects manual handlers to the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Torso twisting and bending to reach into low corners is especially hazardous when repeated throughout the working day.

With BDUs being an increasingly common sight on the retail shop floor nowadays - particularly within wholesale and supermarket fresh produce aisles - automation specialist Pacepacker Services regularly recommends switching to a robotic solution.

Combining palletising reach and payload with gentle case loading end of arm tooling, these BDU robots are far less risk adverse, and can also significantly reduce product waste from bruising and damaged packaging, notes automation solution team manager, Ian Merchant.

Examining the basic physics of palletising and the torque required to support the weight being moved, robots provide the logical solution, and overcome the issue of poor body mechanics and risk of back strain. “If you compare the reach of the FANUC M410 robot, at 3.1 metres it’s almost five times the reach of the average human arm,” says Merchant.

He expands: “When working in a confined space, which most end-of-line palletising BDU cells are, moving shaped or unstable loads and excessive weights when stooping and twisting will increase the likelihood of workforce injuries. BDUs are typically 1 metre high by 1.2 metres in depth. Even with the front access gate open, reaching repeatedly into the back corners to place and layer sacks of potatoes or other root vegetables weighing anything from 2kg upwards will take its toil on even the strongest person’s body. Yet, if you drop product in from a height, you increase the risk of product bruising leading to unhappy customers and consumers. Both these scenarios impact profitability.”

Used in many palletising applications, the M410 robot can effortlessly handle anything from 25kg potato sacks, to tubs of animal feed and bales of pet bedding. Other robots, like the M20 or M710, can easily circumnavigate a 1m-unit wall and reach into the furthest and nearest corners. 

The type of end effector used will vary by application. But with 80+ to choose from, including multifunctional tools, there are plenty of options. For bulky agricultural products, Pacepacker created a unique cradle gripper and this is proven to work especially well for loading BDUs.

Formed of two opposing finger sections, the grippers incline and taper to form a wedge. These fingers gently lower to cradle fresh poly bags of produce, delicately moving and placing them into BDUs. The tips of the gripper are rounded to prevent bags from being pierced. However, the motion of enveloping products in a cradle style is also designed to ensure the fingers don’t penetrate bags.

During the release stage, the gripper is angled to rotate and adjust according to the depth and positioning within the BDU. For corner placement, the fingers closest to the wall open, gently sliding the bag down into position.

Modified prototype

Mitsubishi electric used interpack to showcase the latest advances in its Smart Carriage technology which have been developed in cooperation with e‑F@ctory Alliance partner, APT Automation. The newly modified prototype features high-speed performance, on-board intelligence, real-time synchronisation with other processes, assured safety and the ability to switch between vertical as well as horizontal tracks.

The Smart Carriage addresses industry challenges such as greater production line flexibility, improved productivity and increased overall equipment effectiveness. It offers significant benefits in a range of industry sectors, but perhaps most significantly in both secondary and end-of-line packaging applications within the food and beverage as well as life science industries. Possible applications include magic belt product grouping, side loaders, wrap-around cartoners, shrink wrappers, as well as transport packing applications in conjunction with carton assemblers, robot top loaders, carton closers and palletising robots.

By offering on-board intelligence and data memory, as well as integrated power for on-carriage devices such as sensors, the Smart Carriage can store product information and production data. It can then communicate information from one station to the next which also allows the carriage to detect different products and then decide on optimum routes and destinations. This is supported by a high maximum speed of 4m/sec, plus, acceleration / deceleration of 3g and a positioning accuracy of ±0.01mm. With this solution, packaging conveyors are entering a new era of speed and accuracy. Together, these features considerably increase the efficiency and flexibility of the packaging process.

Increased OEE

Optima Nonwovens, a member of the OPTIMA Packaging Group, develops leading-edge technologies for packaging paper hygiene products. A recent project for a nappy bagger/stacker features the iTRAK Intelligent Track System from Rockwell Automation, which as well as enabling greater flexibility for rapid product-format changeovers, has also helped to increase the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the machine.

The previous-generation machine used a long belt, with fixed-pitch paddles for transportation and grouping of the product to be packaged. This configuration meant that any product changeovers – especially those relating to the size of the product – required significant re-engineering to adjust the belts to match the new product sizes. In isolation, these changeovers were not too long, but when four or five were required on a shift, the cumulative downtime soon added up.

The iTRAK solution comprises multiple movers running on straight and curved paths, all of which can be independently controlled; instantly removing the limitations of fixed-pitch belt systems. Its highly innovative capabilities combine both linear and rotary motion, resulting in a flexible, fully integrated solution that can increase production throughput, reduce maintenance and overall machine size and, in this instance, slash machine changeover times.

The iTRAK system is part of a Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture solution, which is used to both actuate and control the majority of the machine’s primary functions.

At the heart of the automation infrastructure is an Allen-Bradley ControlLogix programmable automation controller (PAC) working in conjunction with an Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 7 operator interface. In addition to the iTRAK servo solution, the machine deploys a number of more-traditional servo motors and Allen-Bradley Kinetix 6000 multi-axis servo drives. These servo solutions are used for a number of steps and functions, including pushing the diapers/nappies into the packs, driving the belts to move the products between stations, the turntables, the two product compression steps, product positioning, bag welding, bag extraction and final movement to the take-out conveyor.

Horizontal flow wrapper

Another Interpack debut – this time for Paramount Packaging Systems, the UK and Ireland’s exclusive distributor of Fuji’s horizontal and vertical form-fill-seal equipment – the Fuji Alpha 8 Horizontal Flow Wrapper has evolved to incorporate a stronger, simpler and more accessible end seal system, which is quieter, more reliable, with higher sealing pressure. The Fuji Vision System (FVS) is further enhanced with “auto teaching”, which includes automatic detection of film registration, allowing for easier setup and product change, and the detection of correct print for product, thus avoiding incorrect film. 

The high-specification machine is complemented by a new interface, with a larger screen (now 15.6”), which is customisable to allow for immediate access to main and most commonly used functions. A 500mm shorter film path and film rollers made of stainless steel for increased hygiene are other notable developments. Following the introduction of this new technology and optimised processes, Fuji has attained a 20% energy saving, a reduction in setup and changeover times and a further reduction in film waste.

High speed strapping

A high-speed solution with minimum wear, the new Evolution SoniXs MS-6-H marks the arrival of Mosca ultrasonic technology into horizontal strapping machines; the unit triple-straps up to 180 packages per hour. This machine is practically noiseless and energy-efficient with minimal wear.

Manufacturers of furniture and household items primarily use strapping to protect their products with corrugated cardboard or other materials for transport. Along with processing speed, one of the key challenges in preparing packages for transport is the variable product heights. The Evolution SoniXs MS-6-H masters both problems with ease. Up to ten individually programmable settings ensure a wide variety of products can be securely strapped. The operator simply selects a program on the touch panel. Alternatively, a sensor on the Evolution SoniXs MS-6-H can measure the height of a product. The machine then straps products automatically based on the parameters set by the customer. The SoniXs side sealing unit and reduced wear electromechanical components ensure smooth, reliable operation, even at high cycle rates.

Mobile monitoring app

The Beumer Group has developed the Beumer Overall Operation Monitoring app, an application which enables staff to maintain an overview of all the relevant parameters of their packaging line on their mobile devices at any time. The application shows availability, performance and quality levels, as well as energy and compressed-air consumption. This ensures efficient operation of all systems. The program can be adapted to customer-specific requirements.

With this development, the Beumer Group is taking a further step towards Industry 4.0: Beumer Overall Operation Monitoring enables users to keep a constant eye on the current status of the filling, palletising and packaging machines connected to their system using their mobile devices. The app clearly shows all lines with their most important parameters. This gives staff important information on the effectiveness of the entire line: availability, performance and quality level of the line or single machines, energy and compressed-air consumption. The customer can quickly evaluate all data and have them displayed in a target-performance comparison or diagram.

Users can adapt the app to their specific requirements. Parameters can be added, line constellations changed and further dashboards added.

According to the Chemical Industries Association the chemical and pharmaceutical sector is the UK’s largest export earner with annual exports of close to £50b and, while it’s global market share might still be relatively small, the country is widely recognised as being at the forefront of the pharmaceutical industry, in particular. And, as the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) points out, as well as developing new medicines for many diseases, the sector in the UK provides a myriad of benefits to the economy, including income, employment, expertise and major investment.

As part of its manifesto for the 2017 UK General Election, ‘Securing the Opportunity for UK Life Sciences by 2022’, the ABPI urges the next Government to implement a new industrial strategy that cements the UK’s position as a leading global hub for life science, and attract significant new international investment, by:

•    Reaching a target of 3% of GDP spend on research and development by 2022 through a strategic vision for publicly funded science research
•    Attracting global scientists to the UK and enable the UK to collaborate at scale in global scientific projects
•    Improving the global competitiveness of UK medicines manufacturing, through targeted infrastructure investment in advanced manufacturing
•    Ensuring the NHS is seen as a global early adopter of new cost effective medicines and vaccines.

Robotics upstream

While it is, indeed, vital that the Government works hard to ensure the sector continues to be the success it undoubtedly is, behind the scenes developments in technology are also driving standards and productivity. For example, as Neal Welch of Mitsubishi Electric explains, robots have become an established technology within the industry for precise and efficient processing and packaging of drugs and solutions, and that success is seeing the technology being steadily introduced further upstream, in the processing of live cultures and handling of cell tests. Helping to automate the research and development stages of new drugs, robots can boost accuracy and repeatability, increase production capacity without increasing floor space, and minimise the need for human intervention in physical production.

According to Welch as life science companies and institutions look to develop new drugs and treatments, the key challenges when processing of vast numbers of live samples and cultures for production and screening applications are volume, accuracy and repeatability. Traditionally, accuracy and repeatability have been very dependent on human skills, while increasing production volume has meant increasing lab floor space.

Lab floor space, though comes at a premium, while the requisite numbers of people required in order to ramp up volume also come at a cost. And there are limits on how much people can do and how long they can concentrate and still maintain accuracy and repeatability. Thriving in a highly competitive market depends upon accelerating time to market, increasing production effectiveness and minimising costs.

With modern, small, articulated robotic technologies able to meet stringent hygiene requirements, whilst becoming easier to integrate and more affordable to purchase, life sciences facilities have the opportunity to dramatically increase production capacity without increasing floor space. Mitsubishi Electric, for example, offers MELFA robots certified for use in ISO class 7 and 8 cleanrooms, with compact designs that provide flexible automation even where space is restricted.

Increasingly used to carry out even very delicate handling tasks, robots enable high cycle rates to be achieved while maintaining a high level of precision, enabling line efficiency to be increased. There is a reduced need for human intervention in physical production, with the robots taking over tasks that previously would have been physically demanding or manually-intensive, and enabling existing personnel to devote time to more value-adding tasks.

Mitsubishi Electric has recently provided robots for a number of challenging tasks within the life sciences sector that demonstrate robotic advantages. These include the handling of stem cells, where the robots are delivering a higher degree of repeatability, and an automated primary antibody screening work cell for early stage development of potential new treatments for central nervous system and immunology disorders. The robots in this application are helping to speed up the process of antibody discovery by automating the screening of billions of antibody-producing B cells.

Blister filling

Meanwhile in a more traditional robotic application, a Fanuc LR Mate 200iD robot has been selected by FlexLink for a cutting-edge medical assembly line located in Italy. Combined with a Fanuc M-1iA delta robot and an integrated iRVision system, FlexLink completely re-engineered the blister packing operation, automating an intricate and time-intensive job that previously performed manually. 

Increasing productivity enables the FlexLink system to consistently produce 60 blister packs per minute, the M-1iA delta robot starts by undertaking the first selection task. With a work diameter of 280mm, this specific model was designed by FANUC to deliver accurate movements and handling of small objects at high speeds, so suits the application perfectly.

Presented in bulk quantities on the conveyor belt, the delta robot picks up and using FANUC iRVision, quality checks each product component. “Integrating the visual system eliminates the need to orientate objects as the robot finds them. It meant we didn’t need further conveyors and devices that would have made the conveyor system more complex and cumbersome,” explains FlexLink’s engineering manager Davide Zuffa. Imperfect pieces are rejected at this phase of the process, remaining on the conveyor to be discarded.

With the quality inspection complete, the delta robot then places each product piece onto a middle conveyor for presentation to the blister-packing robot. This FANUC robot - the LR Mate 200iD – which undertakes the blister pack packing task was customised with a double gripper (EOAT). This enables it to handle and load two product pieces simultaneously resulting in an increased output.

But the unique positioning of the medical pieces means that they can’t simply be loaded into the blister packs and sealed. Instead, the robot is programmed to carefully manipulate and fold each medical device before delicately pushing into the blister pack. At this stage the vision system checks for correct insertion of the assembled medical device to ensure it is seated correctly within the blister pack. This guarantees a good seal and eliminates any rework.

Track & Trace

Perhaps more than any other industry, mandated serialisation standards across markets require pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to adopt specified standards to track and trace products across their supply chains. The newly updated serialisation solution from Rockwell Automation is helping these manufacturers and OEMs think beyond compliance and capitalise on major business benefits, such as long-term profitability, with a comprehensive, scalable, end-to-end supply-chain platform.

Built on the latest Rockwell Software PharmaSuite manufacturing execution system (MES) software, the new serialisation solution v4.1 is more scalable to adapt to a wide variety of packaging-line technologies and production-management systems. Easy integration across control and enterprise levels means the solution provides a centralised platform for managing serialisation data and facilitates product traceability across the entire supply chain.

A new Logix-based unit controller with FactoryTalk View HMIs from Rockwell Automation enables scalability, allowing the company to apply this solution to a variety of delivery models – from full, turnkey solutions to retrofit and OEM solutions – to meet the needs of virtually any customer. The unit controller acts as the connection point between each production line and various system devices. Beyond providing serialisation, the solution helps manufacturers improve troubleshooting and proactive maintenance by providing direct visibility into the full, end-to-end process – production through distribution.

The updated serialisation solution includes a serialisation integration gateway with preconfigured channels for order creation and EPICS data exports to easily integrate into each customer’s system, greatly helping to reduce upfront engineering costs. The goal of Rockwell Automation is to build a comprehensive library of pre-engineered gateway channels to drive down costs and deployment of business systems integration.

Tool coating

As you might expect, when it comes to tooling, the pharmaceutical sector has some very exacting standards, which have been addressed by I Holland with its PharmaCote ECxtra , said to be one of the most advanced tool coatings on the market today. The coating has been engineered to protect tablet punches from a range of common manufacturing problems including wear and corrosion and formulation sticking issues.

Commenting on the product, Alex Bunting, I Holland Marketing Manager said: “It is not only beneficial in production with many major issues like sticking being addressed, but unlike traditional hard chromium, the most commonly used tooling form, it is applied by an advanced spluttering method, rather than electro-plating. This means we can eliminate problems encountered during the hard chromium coating process like hydrogen penetration and micro-cracking both of which significantly reduce tooling life.

“Due to the technique in which PharmaCote ECxtra is applied, we also avoid the environmental problems associated with the plating process of hard chromium, which produces a waste product containing hexavalent chromium, and has significant implications to worker safety and on the environment.  PharmaCote ECxtra is beneficial not only to tooling life and the bottom line, but it is also a relatively ‘green’ product.”

Customised inspection units

Following expansion of its solid dose operations, leading USA contract manufacturer, AAA Pharmaceuticals has recently installed customised Insight Pharmaceutical (PH) Metal Detectors from contaminant inspection equipment specialist, Loma Systems.

For over 20 years, AAA Pharmaceuticals has been providing manufacturing, packaging and distribution services for store brand and private label customers and national brands. The company markets a wide variety of over-the-counter (OTC) solid-dosage formulations that are comparable to national brands such as Tylenol and Advil.

Produced from polished stainless steel for hygiene and wash down benefits, Loma’s Insight PH Metal Detector’s compact design allows it to be located on virtually any production or packaging line without disrupting the plant layout.

The tablet presses at AAA Pharmaceutical are located in close proximity so Loma set up the frequencies on the metal detectors to avoid interference.

Jeff Biggs from AAA Pharmaceuticals comments: “Although I had experience of Loma metal detectors in another business, the Insight PH Metal Detectors were selected after a rigorous review process by AAA Pharmaceuticals.

Biggs continues: “We conducted an across the board comparison between six metal detector companies and even requested demonstration units so that we could properly assess both functionality and specifications. Loma was the first to respond to our request for a trial machine and it quickly became evident that their Insight PH model rated highly for performance and features.

“With the help of the Loma team, the metal detectors were installed quickly and have proved easy to use, clean and maintain. Our operators particularly like the simple, intuitive user interface.”

Loma has recently enhanced the Insight PH to further improve stability and manoeuvrability, allowing easy integration with tablet presses, de-dusters, polishers and encapsulation equipment commonly used by pharmaceutical and neutraceutical manufacturers.

The system offers full digital processing functionality for conversion of analogue signals to digital processing in the detection head and a voltage measurement read-out allows the customer to properly monitor calibration. It offers industry-leading calibrated detection levels of 0.3mmFE, 0.35mmNFE and 0.5mmSt/St while eliminating false rejects from vibration and product signal. Four password protected security levels are provided for operators, supervisors, engineering and administration.

The system is available with fully documented Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ) and Performance Qualification (PQ) validations for compliance with FDA, GAMP and GMP specifications. It is design and construction compliant with 21CFR parts 210 and 211 and certified to NEMA 4X / IP66.

Other key features include Loma’s Direct Digital Signal (DDS), which displays a clear graphical representation of events during the set up process, and 200 product pre-sets and permanent memory stores up to 8000 data events. The Insight PH is also available with 12 different reject options.

Warehouse cooling

Often it’s not just the processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors than need to be closely controlled, it can also be the way in which products are stored and distributed. Merck Sante, based in the French city of Orleans, manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical products. The main warehouse is required to operate under the conditions of ‘controlled room temperature’, which for the range of products is less than 25°C .

To achieve this, 18 down discharge EcoCooling ECP16000 evaporative coolers were installed, feeding high level plenum chambers. These positively pressurise the warehouse and air is extracted using automatic vents. The coolers are all linked to a common control panel.

Temperature is monitored at three levels in the ware- house and the coolers controlled accordingly. A humidistat ensures that the internal humidity does not exceed 85%.

Similarly, at pharmaceutical product importer, Chemilines’ 90,000 sq ft repackaging and warehouse facility in Wembley, EcoCooling evaporative cooling was applied as part of a complete warehouse temperature control scheme. The existing heating system was incorporated into an integrated approach to heating, cooling and de-stratification. A central controller also provides data capture with remote access and automated alarm communication.

Full monitoring and data logging was provided together with SMS messaging of alarm conditions.

What is more recent is the ability of the devices to transmit data which can then be analysed to provide valuable a insight to the operation, enabling businesses to see and understand warehouse and supply chain activities.

According to Dave Berridge, secretary of the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA) I4.0 in the logistics sector – often dubbed Logistics 4.0 – data transparency over all distribution channels will allow inventory optimisation across all internal and external warehouse locations, through to items stored at the sites of suppliers.

In Logistics 4.0, embedded chips and sensors turn the handling equipment into cyber-physical systems (CPS) that interact with their environment and respond to changes. Such data is stored to allow smart objects to ‘remember’ certain sequences and access and this ‘knowledge’ when required. It also enables forecasting for all distribution centre processes – from receiving, to order picking and then dispatch – to optimise the use of both machinery and labour. The amount of data coming from smart ‘things’ will dramatically increase over the coming years. It is calculated that worldwide data volumes double every two years. From 2013 to 2020, the digital universe will grow by a factor of 10, from 4.4 trillion gigabytes to 44 trillion gigabytes (that is, 44 zettabytes). Data is, says Berridge, the world’s new natural resource.

Successful implementation of Logistics 4.0 will require warehouses to become more automated. Berridge observes that there is a reasonable amount of automation in the logistics industry today, although little of it could be described as robotic, due to the complex nature of the picking and sorting tasks involved. Traditional robots have been adept at repeatable tasks in a controlled environment – such as moving heavy but identical metal parts on a car production line – but have struggled with uncertainty, such as when tasks vary over time or the working environment changes. With advances in sensor technology that will allow robots to react dynamically to their environment, this is set to change. In particular, we are already seeing the introduction of co-operative robots – ‘cobots’ – within warehouse operations. These robots are sufficiently intelligent to ‘learn’ from their environment and are therefore considered to be safe enough to work alongside humans without the requirement for fencing and other safety precautions.

Strategic partnerships

The form an I4.0 application any can take in any sector is hugely varied and often needs to encompass vast areas of expertise, resulting in the need for strategic partnerships. In one example Bosch and SAP have agreed to work together on internet of things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, with forklift tracking as one possible application.

To this end, there are plans to enable customers to use the SAP HANA database platform in the Bosch IoT Cloud. The aim is to process large quantities of data for IoT applications in real time. In addition, Bosch and SAP will work to combine their software and cloud expertise in the future. Bosch IoT microservices will be made available on the SAP HANA cloud platform, as a way to connect different devices and components.

This includes enabling secure and more efficient connectivity for vehicles, manufacturing machinery, or tools with various, and preferably open platforms. The aim is always to offer customers new, smart services.

One specific example of cooperation between the two international companies is positional data for forklifts, increasing the transparency and efficiency in logistics. In an existing IIC-coordinated testbed known as Track&Trace, it is now possible to determine the location of forklifts in large warehouses, aircraft hangars, or industrial sites in real time and to the nearest centimetre. Zeno Track, a start-up founded by Bosch, pinpoints the forklifts using cameras, GPS, laser scanners, radio, and connected motion sensors. The location data is transferred via the Bosch IoT Cloud to the SAP Vehicle Insights fleet management system. As a result, vehicle fleets can be managed intelligently and in a way that best supports the planning and fulfilment of transport orders or maintenance schedules. This reduces outlay and increases efficiency. The cooperation between Bosch and SAP shows how the interplay of sensors and software enables the creation of new services that go beyond individual companies.

Moreover, the two companies aim to develop further solutions in areas such as automated and connected driving. These always produce great quantities of data that must be evaluated quickly and reliably.

Pilot AGV project

One company that is embracing the intelligent, integrated and connected processes of Industry 4.0 is automotive manufacturer Audi, which recently hosted a TechDay on the theme of the smart factory at its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria.

The technology day focussed on current projects using smart technologies to improve efficiency in production and logistics. Among them was a project using automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for internal transport. In a pilot project, Egemin Automation will be equipping part of Audi's logistics operations at Ingolstadt with AGVs. Vehicle automation will also be provided by Egemin.

April 2017 will see the start of a pilot AGV project aimed at improving internal transport at the Logistics and Goods Transport Centre Ingolstadt, which is currently carried out by trained personnel using manual forklifts. For the project Egemin will be integrating an automated E’gv Hybrid (Egemin Guided Vehicle) solution based on two FM-X 12 reach trucks manufactured by Still, Egemin’s sister company in the KION Group. Automation will lead to space savings for Audi, as the manoeuvring areas between storage racks will be eliminated. The vehicles will also be available round the clock across all three shifts, increasing efficiency in the warehouse.
Audi supplies contract manufacturing operations in China and India from the 25,000 sq m warehouse, and fills up to 2,500 freight containers per year with goods from the Logistics and Goods Transport Center Ingolstadt.

At the TechDay, Stefan Meier, project manager at Audi, showed how containers will be moved into and out of storage using an E'gv STANDARD FLV2012/N vehicle, and explained: “The components for our vehicles come to us in 'large load carrier' containers. In future, the automated guided vehicles will work autonomously to move the containers into and out of high-rack storage and supply the packaging areas."

Augmented reality

Last year saw DHL Supply Chain roll out the latest phase of its Vision Picking Program following a successful trial of the augmented reality technology in the Netherlands. Following the trial, DHL and partners Google, Vuzix and Ubimax refined the vision picking solution and DHL is now expanding the program across different industry sectors on a global scale, forging another step forward for augmented reality solutions in logistics.

“We are excited to further test and develop vision picking as a solution that can be readily available to our customers. More importantly, this technology is not just one step towards digitalising manual processes on the shop floor, it also takes us one step closer towards Industry 4.0. Testing technologies like augmented reality, robotics and Internet of Things will continue to be a big part of our DNA,” said John Gilbert, CEO Supply Chain.

Pickers are equipped with advanced smart glasses which visually display where each picked item needs to be placed on the trolley. Vision Picking enables hands free order picking at a faster pace, along with reduced error rates. Throughout 2016, the smart glasses were piloted across various industries such as technology, retail, consumer and automotive industries. The data available from these pilots will further determine the technology’s potential for broader implementation. The pilot sites are spread across the United States, Mainland Europe and the United Kingdom, with the Ricoh facility in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, where the solution was first tested, being the launch site for this new exploration phase.

Driverless vehicles

A recent smart warehouse project is making use of driverless vehicles with Basler time-of-flight 3D cameras. Up to now, driverless vehicles have tended to be a relatively inflexible solution, having to follow predefined routes and being unable to react to changes in the working envelope. For example, if a barrier is encountered the autonomous vehicle would be forced into making an emergency stop. If an object is not located precisely where it is expected to be, then the vehicle would be unable to take any further action. Another disadvantage is that these vehicles require extensive orientation aids, such as magnetic sensors or marked pathways along the floor to understand their current location.

As a result, to date driverless transport systems have been time-intensive and expensive to set up. However, the introduction of Industry 4.0 brings new approaches and ways of providing machines with the innate human ability to orient themselves and understand simple commands. At Hannover Messe 2016, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Germany presented its work on ‘driverless transport vehicles’.

The intelligent driver-less ‘reach trucks’ developed as part of the research project learn to orient and adapt themselves based on their environment.
They begin by taking part in an initial human guided tour of the facility to note all aspects of their environment. Communication with the vehicle is easily done using speech or gesture commands, easily commanding the vehicle. If a warehouse worker were to issue a command such as “Store this pallet on shelf 3”, the vehicle can interpret both the spoken word and any associated gesture. It can then reliably identify the desired pallet and perform the requested storage, fetching or re-positioning task without the need of human intervention.

The experimental technology can be used for identifying transportable goods and permitting them to be picked, transported and deposited at their destination through smart autonomous reach trucks. The vehicles are very easy to operate meaning one single warehouse worker can control multiple vehicles at once.
3D Time of Flight camera technology

Time-of-flight camera technology provides an effective way to capture 3D shape and volume measurements ideal for driverless-vehicles technology. Both light source and image acquisition are synchronised in such a way that the distances can be extracted and calculated from the image data. Basler (Germany), time-of flight camera manufacturer, describes the principle as similar to the way dolphins use sonar to navigate, except the camera uses light and not sound.

Each ‘reach truck’ utilises three Basler 3D Time-of-Flight cameras. Each individual camera takes a three dimensional note of its environment, ensuring that its spatial perception is correct. Two cameras are mounted on the roof to allow for free movement in all directions. The reach truck take note of any landmarks within its environment, establishing an internal map. Any changes in the environment are immediately noticed, such as when a shelving unit is re-positioned or any barriers are located in its path and reacts to these problems appropriately. If there were a barrier blocking its path, they would edge around it the same way a human would.

The third camera is a modified Basler Time-of-Flight camera mounted on the reach arm. This is required to ensure accuracy when picking up pallets. The 3D data delivered by this camera ensures that the reach truck navigates precisely into the pallet on the first try, without the need for human guidance.