TECHNOLOGY
The human touch
“This is when man and machine shake
hands to introduce the so-called ‘human
touch’ to modern technological processes.
A sound example is the convergence of
human intelligence with cognitive computing
in the manufacturing sector to produce more
value-added goods, while consumers will
be able to harness this ability to personalise
their orders en masse,” Eloff says.
As humans and machines continue
to interact and collaborate in the future,
highly automated manufacturing and self-
managed supply chains will become a
reality which, Eloff says, “is much closer
than many would want to believe”. This is
considering the rapid rate of technological
development, especially between the Third
and the Fourth Industrial Revolutions.
The First Industrial Revolution took
place in the late 1700s when steam was
harnessed to provide power. This period
of technological revolution was followed
by the development and application of
electrical technologies in the in the late
1800s. However, it was the significant
strides made in computers and information
technology in the 1970s that would
eventually catapult the world into a new
digital era and pave the way forward for
the subsequent two extremely advanced
phases of industrial innovation. Companies
were now able to start automating
processes to reduce errors and improve
productivity, albeit on a very limited scale
considering that these systems were still
heavily reliant upon human intervention.
Manufacturing was just one of a
number of industries that benefitted
significantly from, among others,
improved Internet access, connectivity
and renewable energy during the Third
Industrial Revolution.
Industry 5.0: Changing mind-sets
Eloff says that the swift and almost
seamless transition from Industry 4.0
to Industry 5.0 will “challenge existing
mind-sets of ‘Captains of Industry’ and
entrepreneurs”.
“In order to stay abreast of the latest
‘disruptive’ technologies and remain
relevant, business leaders will have to
continue looking forward to pre-empt
the latest ‘disruptive’ trends. There will
have to be closer collaboration between
competitors in industries and even with
companies in other sectors to ensure
readiness,” he says.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
Certainly, there is also a need for greater
co-operation between the private and
public sectors, as well as universities
and unions, especially in a country that
faces unique socio-economic challenges,
such as soaring unemployment, mainly
among the youth; low skills levels; and
growing disparities. These are against
the backdrop of economy that has been
underperforming since the worldwide
recession at the end of 2008.
Cooperation between these critical
stakeholders is essential to ensure
a steady pipeline of advanced skills
needed for Industry 4.0, as well as the
increasingly automated era of the Fifth
Industrial Revolution.
In many instances, especially in the
production and manufacturing sectors,
MI and robots will be able to perform
most, if not all, of the functions that have
traditionally been undertaken by low-, semi-
and skilled employees. This is opposed
to only operating in the background and
supporting skilled workers.
Over the past decade, for example,
the banking sector has been using AI and
algorithms to negotiate and define the
share price to make precise buying and
purchasing decisions within Nano-seconds.
Platooning of trucks
Other examples of sophisticated
technologies with autonomous decision-
making algorithms include self-driving
cars and the ‘platooning’ of trucks.
This is in addition to the autonomous
mining equipment that has already been
successfully deployed in drilling; loading
and hauling operations; as well as in and
around stockpiles. All of these ‘driverless’
vehicles are able to determine how to
avoid accidents, increase productivity
and reduce pollution without human
intervention.
Meanwhile, forward-thinking ports
authorities are already deploying
sophisticated technologies to protect
infrastructure and operations against
rising sea levels and storm surges, as well
as other extreme weather phenomena
due to climate change.
A sound example is the Maeslantkering, a
massive storm surge barrier that protects
the Port of Rotterdam, the busiest port in
Europe, against severe and unpredictable
weather events.
When sea levels reach a critical level,
namely three meters above average, the
system engages the doors and swings
them across the 360m-wide entrance.
This large ‘gate’ is controlled by an
automated weather-tracking computer
system and the decision to open and
close it is taken by both skilled people and
sophisticated robots to eradicate the risk of
a catastrophic disaster due to human error.
Closer to home, Transnet Port Terminals
recently implemented Portinsider, a
leading next generation Port Community
System technology, at the Port of Durban.
Comprising a combination of port-
call optimisation tools and hinterland
platforms, the system has significantly
boosted efficiency, information provision
and safety at Africa’s busiest port.
First Technology
First Technology Group is already working
with leading international port automation
technology developers to design
other systems that trigger automatic
notifications via smart algorithms that are
able to receive real-time updates.
They can be converted via IoT and
displayed on First Technology Group’s
dashboard to provide accurate time of
arrival for vessels, as well as improve
the efficiencies of loading and offloading
operations. These are over-and-above the
critical role that the technology is playing
in enabling ports authorities to accurately
predict storms and other severe weather
events, such as tsunamis.
The group’s smart solutions are based
upon its extensive technological track
record, as well as robust partnership
with some of the world’s leading
instrumentation, automation, motion and
robotics development companies.
Certainly, the extremely high level of
sophistication of AI and the large part that
it will play in making far-reaching decisions
in the foreseeable future also means that
the way in which humans and machines
interact in the future will have to be clearly
defined and regulated.
“Now is the time to be thinking about
and preparing for Industry 5.0. Moving
forward, it is imperative that we have a
sound understanding of these advanced
algorithms to ‘pull the plug’ when
necessary and according to set rules and
regulations. First Technology Group is
ready to assist government and leading
high-tech companies define and develop a
framework for machine intelligence,” Eloff
concludes.
APRIL 2020
31