Why overhead crane companies should adopt Industry 4.0

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Look up ‘Industry 4.0’ on Hoistmagazine.co.uk and you’ll see search results dating as far back as 2014, while the term itself has been around for more than a decade.

Back in 2014, Industry 4.0 – or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the comprehensive digitalisation of industrial production – was described on the Hoist website as being a “new manufacturing paradigm that is more customisable, flexible and productive than everything that has gone before it”.

That might sound like hyperbole to some – especially when the mechanisation of the Industrial Revolution (18th to 19th centuries), the electrification of the Second Industrial Revolution (19th to 20 centuries), and digitisation of the Third Industrial Revolution (20th century onwards) are the monumental eras that precede and in the latter instance overlap with it – but Industry 4.0 continues to promise much.

This, for example, is what Mitsubishi Electric, which makes variable frequency drives for cranes, says of Industry 4.0 in a blog from a few years ago: “One area where Industry 4.0 technologies can be put to much-needed use is in crane operations in material handling environments. Whether you’re running gantry cranes, suspension cranes, bridge girder cranes, or rotary cranes, today’s advanced solutions can help you improve and optimise performance and efficiency, streamline processes, lower operating costs, reduce equipment wear and tear, keep teams productive, and more.

“By connecting all of your cranes and other machines and applications into a single smart system, you’re able to increase business agility. Material handling organisations that fully embrace Industry 4.0 and put its technologies to use in their crane operations can develop new capabilities. They can also gather and analyse data from a range of sources to gain valuable insights into processes which lead to more informed decision-making and improved outcomes.”

And then there’s this, from crane manufacturer Konecranes’ website: “The heart of the Industrial Internet [Konecranes’ name for Industry 4.0] is based on a series of sensors working together to gather and analyse data. By operating in this way, they can enable efficiencies that were unimaginable just a short time ago.

“The Industrial Internet will bring greater speed and efficiency to a variety of industries, such as aviation, rail transport, power, oil, gas and healthcare. It even holds the promise of stronger economic growth, more and better-quality jobs, and improved living standards, regardless of geographical location.

“Linking intelligent devices, facilities, fleets and networks with people at work and on the move opens up new possibilities for process optimisation and the potential to increase productivity and efficiency.”

And yet, despite the advantages outlined above, not everyone’s scrambling to get onboard the Industry 4.0 technology train.

Last year, Siemens, which produces the Simocrane crane automation system, brought together over 2,000 industry, governmental and economic thought leaders at its inaugural Transform event, where it collected views on progress towards digital transformation in industry. In the subsequent paper, ‘The Digital Transformation Imperative’, Stephen Phipson, the chief executive of the manufacturers’ lobby group Make UK, highlights that there is an adoption problem: “The challenge isn’t so much the technology, it’s getting companies to make the adoption leap, to have management curiosity and try it in their factories. This is particularly a hurdle for SMEs.”

The general manager for motion control at Siemens UK&I, Sarah Black-Smith agrees. “Having leadership onboard and the ability to grasp concepts and make changes is as important as having the right technology in place,” she says.

Those who don’t take advantages of the benefits of Industry 4.0, face possible consequences, warns, Vita Inclinata. The company, which produces crane load stabilisation hardware, says in a blog: “Operators who continue to believe that ‘how I do it has always worked’ risk being left behind by a changing industry. As work sites become more connected, insurance companies mandate new technologies, and governments update regulations, crane operators will be pressured to modernise.

“It is imperative that business leaders, contractors, and operators start evaluating new technologies and have a plan to stay a step ahead of the changes that are about to redefine the industry.”

Why overhead crane companies should adopt Industry 4.0