Colombia. According to findings obtained by analyses conducted by Panduit, it is expected that by 2028 most of the industry in Latin America will be ready for the use of 4.0 platforms; that is, production based on the Internet of Things applied to industry (IIoT) and consisting of the use of robots, machines and network infrastructure that allow to maintain high quality production without the need for human supervision.
According to Panduit, in 10 years machines and robots will be interconnected in a machine-to-machine (M2M) collaboration scheme to carry out production tasks on the plant floor without human supervision, which will give way to a transformation at work, as it will allow staff to concentrate on other functions, how to monitor and analyze production processes, to base their performance 100% on creativity and innovation or other specialized areas.
The formation of a robust, secure and scalable communication infrastructure, together with the integration of digital technology that is currently being experienced, is the key point to migrate to the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0.
For his experience, Alfredo Martínez, Account Manager for Industrial Networks of Panduit, said that the production area houses within its responsibilities the critical processes in which the greatest gains or losses in financial matters of the companies are located. "In a large-scale production of any good, the fact of presenting a technical failure that causes the interruption of energy distribution or data flow, could represent delays in the processes of packaging, dispatch and delivery, among others; therefore this would result in significant economic losses for any company."
Among the findings located by Panduit's analysis, it was found that the interconnection infrastructure of the manufacturing area with the administrative network will become a critical asset for companies, as it will provide the different communication and collaboration services that need to be established between processes and human resources. The communication failure could mean a very important economic impact for the organization, so it is important to consider the implementation of a logical and physical design of the network, complying with industrial and telecommunications regulations that lead users to protect and maximize their investment.
Similarly, Panduit placed as an important point the need for developers or implementers of the infrastructure for the industrial network to be certified for it, since the type of materials must be selected according to the environmental conditions of operation of each of the areas of the plant. This will help strengthen the physical infrastructure of the network, increasing its availability and lifecycle.
In this sense, the infrastructure of the network plays a fundamental role, because "it implies robustness and special designs, because in the plant there are areas of high environmental aggressiveness where there is, due to its inherent nature, presence of water, acid, dust, vibration or high temperatures, which require adequate shielding, flexibility, conduction and durability of the physical elements", martinez says.
Against this background, high-performance cabling, software dedicated to real-time industrial network monitoring, such as IntraVUE, IIoT-based condition monitoring systems such as SynapSense, as well as Intelligent Power Distribution Units (iPDU), are elements that enable the implementation of Industry 4.0 and that are already a fundamental part in the use of high industrial networks. technology.
