Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue - 28

Only with modular networked machines will one be economically
successful in the long term - more details are described in the
HARTING article on modularisation " How granular can production
technology be? " . So it is precisely the modularity and the possibilities of
scalability and expandability of existing systems - a " state of the art " of
" hardware " in modern mechanical engineering - which from today's
point of view is the key to the success of digitalisation (IIoT)!
This is also illustrated by two examples from " related " areas:
* The modularisation of today's industrial PLC, CNC and HMI
systems is proverbial. The respective hardware and the development
environment involved here is designed for each concrete application
according to the principle of " only as much as necessary " ; but if
necessary, these can also be designed for subsequent upgrades, which
applies in particular to the data interfaces; in this case, subsequent
expansion, the " growth " of control software in delivered systems is in
principle no problem - and only limited by the know-how of the given
OEM supplier;
* The scalability of high-performance drive systems consisting of a
servo-inverter and a servo-motor is nowadays very often not realised by
the manufacturer via the hardware, but only through the software
(similar to the " chip tuning " of combustion engines). Consequently, the
hardware is identical for simple and " high-end " products, and only the
software determines the functionality and performance of a concrete
system at the customer's site.
Since the economic success of digitalisation in the mechanical
engineering industry can vary greatly from segment to segment, and
depends among other things on company focus and business models,
we will not make any recommendations here.
In answering these questions, you should refer to current studies: e.g.
" Industrie 4.0 Barometer / Summary 2019 " by MHP, the " Market study
industrial communication / Industry 4.0 " ( " Marktstudie Industrielle
Kommunikation / Industrie 4.0 " ) by VDMA / M. Rothhöft or the very

C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

recent study " Customer centricity as opportunity for the digital
breakthrough " ( " Kundenzentrierung als Chance für den digitalen
Durchbruch " ) by VDMA / McKinsey & Company.
HOW CAN DIGITALISATION BE SHAPED AND DESIGNED
SUCCESSFULLY FOR AN OEM?
Evaluating the experience of HARTING customers in different
sub-segments of the mechanical engineering industry and in different
countries, three aspects must first be considered:
* The functions and existing software elements of the basic, initial
system must be prioritised:
* Key functions that reflect the core competence of the OEM;
* Basic functions that apply across the entire system, but do not
impact on the core know-how;
* Add-on or auxiliary functions that are secondary for the OEM and
the end user, and are usually purchased as sub-systems;
* In the next step, collect the expert knowledge of the end users
(customers) and own experts relevant to possible digitalisation
projects and give preference to high-priority functions and software
elements. Possibly compare with the know-how of competitors and
develop a list of requirements. This list must be modular throughout

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

28
Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada - Cables & Connectors Issue
