At the recently concluded Automation Expo, held in Mumbai, B&R’s stand embodied the theme ‘Over the EDGE into the cloud.’ With EDGE architectures from B&R, machine data from its source is seamlessly transferred to the cloud safely and securely. Connected factories are expected to generate and analyze enormous amount of data boosting performance of machines as well as providing insight of the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
EDGE architectures make it simple to shape a complete Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solution into machines and factories with flexibility, scalability and intelligence. EDGE Architecture – EDGE connect, EDGE embedded and EDGE controller – helps to achieve greenfield installation benefits to brownfield installation in a cost-effective way. B&R’s stand also featured a live demo showcasing how critical data from machines and mechanics is moved seamlessly to the cloud.
Another highlight of B&R’s stand was the intelligent transport system, ACOPOStrak, which is designed to deliver ultimate production effectiveness, from mass production down to batches of one. ACOPOStrak is targeted mainly towards primary packaging, and processing applications in many industries such as food & beverage, medical devices and consumer goods. It is protected by stainless steel housing that meets the stringent hygiene requirements of primary packaging.
B&R also displayed how open source connectivity such as OPC UA, MQTT, POWERLINK and openSAFETY enables implementation of advanced manufacturing concepts with seamless connectivity from the field level up to ERP systems or to the cloud.
This year Automation Expo had a dedicated Industry 4.0 zone, where B&R provided visitors with a guide for selecting the right automation partner while building smart machines and factories. Apart from the exhibition, B&R experts were part of conferences at the show grounds focusing on Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT. PV Sivaram, chairman – non-executive, was part of Factory Automation Roundtable where he presented a topic – ‘Factory Automation – Low hanging fruit’. He explained what factory automation means in reality, and how companies can harness it to achieve maximum returns in their business and production processes. Ninad Deshpande, head – marketing spoke in the Industrial IoT Conference on the topic ‘New communication architectures for Industrial IoT’ and elaborated on possibilities and benefits of open source connectivity enabling horizontal and vertical connectivity.
