Discrete manufacturing in a changing world

whitePaper | October 11, 2022

Identifying problems before they cause equipment failure and costly, unplanned downtime is the purpose of proactive and predictive maintenance programs. And one of the most reliable ways of catching problems before they become failures is to detect when a piece of equipment is beginning to operate outside of its normal parameters – especially if it is beginning to run too hot or too cold. Variations from normal heating are often the first signs of impending equipment failure, so frequent thermal inspections of critical equipment such as motors, belts, and drives not only helps extend the life of these assets, but keep your entire operation up and running normally

whitePaper | October 11, 2022

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Accenture and EPRI, launched the “Transitioning Industrial Clusters towards Net Zero” global initiative at COP26 in Scotland, to accelerate the transition of industrial clusters globally towards net-zero emissions. This initiative promotes and enables industries to realize the benefits of co-location and take an integrated approach to transitioning towards net zero. Industrial clusters are where sector-specific decarbonization efforts and clean energy technology deployment efforts converge to enable a systemic approach towards industrial decarbonization

whitePaper | January 15, 2022

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, whose fields of innovation include the industrial internet of things (IIoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of cyber-physical systems, is transforming the relationship between technology and human beings. The exponential development of technology is undeniably exciting: it has the potential to unlock efficiency, productivity, sustainability and growth at scale. Yet such developments also give rise to a series of challenges concerning the role and place of human beings.

whitePaper | April 28, 2022

The growing trade friction between Western countries and China encompasses numerous products and industries, but few more critical than semiconductors. Essential to all electronics manufacturing, the semiconductor industry has been in upheaval since the start of the pandemic and, given the industry’s concentration in Taiwan and downstream dependence on China, is likely to remain of subject of concern for the foreseeable future.

whitePaper | August 11, 2022

Industry is the backbone of growth and prosperity in Germany and in Europe. Around a quarter of gross value creation comes from the goods-producing sector. German industry is a global leader with its Industrie 4.0 initiative; its exports of goods and services make it a major contributor to job creation in Germany and in Europe. Some 5.5 million people were directly employed in companies in the goods-producing sector in Germany at the end of June 2021. Around 15 million of the 45 million jobs in Germany depend directly or indirectly on the goods-producing sector.

whitePaper | January 20, 2022

The roadmap commitments now indicate the manufacturing industry’s readiness to work towards net zero. There are however conditions required for the manufacturing sector to reach the net zero goal and fully realise the opportunities presented by the net zero ambition. A deeply or fully decarbonised power supply, reliable, in sufficiency and at a reasonable cost is one of these conditions. This includes the development of a hydrogen network that reaches not only industrial clusters but also dispersed manufacturing sites.