GENERAL NEWS The digital transformation
The automation hardware market is undergoing significant change as it adapts to the growing digital transformation in manufacturing .
“ Manufacturers are now attempting to identify best-of-breed offerings , leveraging the increasing openness of products and integrating these different assets into a comprehensive overarching solution . Nextgeneration Human Interfaces ( HMIs ), Industrial Personal Computers ( IPCs ) and Programmable Logic Controllers ( PLCs ) are essential to deploying modern factory architecture , and each market will see strong growth over the next ten years ,” commented analyst , ABI Research .
According to its latest analysis , the automation hardware market is forecast to increase from a current value of US $ 38.7- billion in 2023 to US $ 64 billion in 2033 , a Compound Annual Growth Rate ( CAGR ) of 5.1 %.
The PLC market is the largest industrial automation hardware segment with sales projected to reach US $ 30 billion by 2033 .
“ PLC market growth is driven by new manufacturing requirements , such as for smart connected products , EVs and battery manufacturing . New production techniques and a ‘ digital-first ’ mindset are also encouraging new automation solutions such as software-based PLCs ,” explained James Prestwood , Industrial and Manufacturing Industry Analyst , ABI Research .
Software-based PLCs are an increasingly notable vector of transformation for the PLC market . This trend is illustrated by Siemens ’ s announcement of SIMATIC S7-1500V , a virtual PLC completely independent of hardware that is downloaded and integrated directly into a manufacturer ’ s IT environment .
“ As manufacturers continue to adopt automation solutions with complex architectures , which increasingly demand powerful PLC assets , large PLC controllers are the ideal solution rather than using multiple smaller PLCs to achieve similar results ,” Prestwood concluded .
These findings are from ABI Research ’ s Industrial Automation Hardware Innovation : PLCs , IPCs and HMIs application analysis and market data reports . n
www . abiresearch . com
£ 3m sustainability upgrade
A custom-built automated powder coating system from Eurotherm has revolutionised production processes at Broxap Street Furniture ( Staffordshire , UK ) as part of a £ 3m-plus sustainable manufacturing project . The introduction of the system is the latest stage in a huge transformation project for the firm , which has seen it make sweeping changes to support a more sustainable operation .
“ Incorporating an innovative pre-treatment stage , the £ 1.2m powder coating system will help Broxap reduce waste , save energy and lessen its environmental impact . The system will also double the powder coating capacity at Broxap ’ s 125,000 square-foot North
Staffordshire manufacturing facility , resulting in more competitive lead times and a superior product finish ,” commented Eurotherm .
Matthew Miles , Manufacturing Director , Broxap , explained : “ The system not only respects the environment , it also improves the quality and Matthew Miles . safety of working conditions for our production teams , delivers better flexibility for management and provides excellent results for customers .”
The ‘ power and free ’ system enables manual loading of products before they travel through the powder coating processing zones via an automatic overhead bi-rail conveyor . This option means the system can handle Broxap ’ s wide range of product shapes and sizes . It is capable of processing maximum component sizes of 5,500mm long x 1,050mm wide x 2,900mm high at a conveyor speed of 1m / minute and at component weights of up to 550kg .
Work is underway to further streamline operations . Founded in 1946 , Broxap is a specialist in the design , manufacture and installation of street furniture ; seating ; litter bins and recycling bins ; bollards ; canopies , shelters and covered walkways ; cycle parking products ; playground equipment and outdoor gym equipment . n
Renewables on the rise
Scenes from a world baking in record heat in recent weeks present a grim reminder that limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 ° C is crucial to avert the worst effects of climate change . Meeting this target demands strong action in the energy sector to drive a major reduction in the world ’ s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 . Renewable power technologies have a critical role to play .
The International Energy Agency ’ s global ‘ Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 ’ sets out an energy sector pathway that would limit global warming to 1.5 ° C . The pathway makes clear that , in parallel with doubling progress on energy efficiency , massively scaling up a wide range of clean energy technologies this decade is necessary to drive down demand for fossil fuels and reach net zero quickly enough .
“ Within that portfolio of technologies , the single most important lever to bring about the reduction in carbon-dioxide ( CO₂ ) emissions needed by 2030 is to triple the global installed capacity of renewable power by the end of the current decade . Expanding renewable capacity on this scale would avoid about seven billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions between 2023 and 2030 . That would be comparable to eliminating all the current CO₂ emissions from China ’ s power sector ,” said the IEA .
“ Impressive progress has already been made , with renewable power capacity additions expected to post their largest absolute increase ever in 2023 . Renewables are on track to cover all the growth in global electricity demand over the next two years ,” it continued .
The amount of renewable power capacity added worldwide rose by almost 13 % in 2022 . In 2023 , it ’ s expected to jump by a third as growing policy momentum , elevated fossil fuel prices and ongoing energy security concerns drive strong deployment of solar PV and wind power , according to the IEA ’ s Renewable Energy Market Update . Global electricity generation from renewables could overtake coal as early as next year , it said , depending upon weather conditions .
“ Just a slightly higher annual growth rate would put renewables on track to meet the 2030 capacity target although it will require stronger policy actions by governments , notably to ensure resilient technology supply chains , secure and cost-effective system integration of solar PV and wind , and renewables deployment in many more emerging and developing economies ,” concluded the IEA . n
8 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2023