By Johan Potgieter, cluster industrial software lead at Schneider Electric.
There’s fast paced, and there’s supersonic, and the latter certainly applies to the evolution of software or, more specifically, industrial software. The last year has seen the industrial software step to the fore to take over mundane, repetitive and sometime dangerous tasks, allowing us to focus once again on what makes us uniquely human.
The following seven developments are in some ways complementary, but all have one thing in common: improving the human experience.
1. Generative AI and intelligent automation
Generative AI needs no introduction, and combined with intelligent automation, it packs quite a punch. A prime example is robotic process automation (RPA), which today automates rule-based tasks.
According to Gartner, 90% of RPA vendors will offer generative AI-assisted automation by 2025. RPA continues to grow its footprint, and remains a popular software market as organisations look to improve operational efficiency with tactical automation.
Other important benefits of Generative AI in industrial settings include chatbots that enhance customer service and support, and predictive maintenance.
Johan Potgieter, cluster industrial software lead at Schneider Electric.
2. Digital worker-first processes
Driven primarily by user-centric design and collaboration tools, these undoubtedly prioritise and enhance the user experience (UX). In the case of the user-centric design, it adapts interfaces to users’ specific behavioural preferences and work output.
3. Pure play to platform play
Platform play essentially sees industrial software moving from standalone or ‘pure play’ applications to interconnected platforms that include APIs, microservices and cloud-based platforms. These platform ecosystems offer benefits such as scalability, innovation, and data sharing.
4. Strategic applications
It is within industrial settings that strategic applications really shine, allowing organisations to align technology with business-oriented goals. A primary example is supply chain optimisation (SCO), which includes warehousing, logistics and delivery to manage costly infrastructure expenditure.
5. Low-code and no-code development
This development sees citizen developers, who are non-technical users, create applications using visual interfaces. For example, they can leverage drag-and-drop components and prebuilt templates, simplifying the development process. This empowers business users to address their own challenges, without extensive coding knowledge.
6. Ethical automation and ESG compliance
Technically not a software-driven development, both ethical automation and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) compliance play important roles in the of proliferation of evolved industrial software.
Ethical AI aligns with established ethical guidelines, ensuring that AI systems make fair and unbiased decisions, while also addressing concerns such as privacy. ESG forms an important part of software practices, taking into account the rollout of sustainable solutions to reduce environmental impact and the associated social responsibility and governance.
7. Governance and security
The above undoubtedly reconfirms the importance of governance and security. Here, organisations should prioritise governance and security measures, safeguarding both their organisations and workers, while complying with regulatory standards.
Read more...Hybrid DCS for an evolving industrial landscape Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Today’s industrial automation continues to evolve at a blistering speed, which means traditional DCSs have to keep up to ensure continuous integration into modern, digital infrastructure.
Read more...Harnessing AI and satellite imagery to estimate water levels in dams
IT in Manufacturing
Farmers and water managers often struggle to accurately estimate and monitor the available water in dams. To address the challenge, International Water Management Institute researchers have worked with Digital Earth Africa to create an innovation that uses satellite images and AI to get timely and accurate dam volume measurements.
Read more...Why industry should enter the world of operator training simulators Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
System-agnostic operator training simulator (OTS) software is a somewhat unsung hero of industry that trains plant operators in a virtual world that mirrors real-world operations. The benefits are multiple.
Read more...Track busway for scalable data centre power delivery
IT in Manufacturing
The latest generation Legrand Data Centre Track Busway technology addresses the operational pressures facing today’s high-density, AI-intensive computing environments and is being well received by data centre facilities around the world.
Read more...Energy audits pave the pathway to sustainability and savings Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Energy audits serve as essential tools for businesses looking to reduce costs and meet environmental targets. By analysing energy consumption across systems such as lighting, HVAC, ICT and water infrastructure, audits identify inefficiencies and quantify carbon footprints, enabling data-driven decisions for operational and financial optimisation.
Read more...Poor heat management in data centre design
IT in Manufacturing
Designing a world-class data centre goes beyond simply keeping servers on during load shedding; it is about ensuring they run efficiently, reliably, and within the precise environmental conditions they were built and designed for.
Read more...Schneider Electric unveils new range of circuit breakers Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has launched its new MasterPacT MTZ Active range of circuit breakers in South Africa. This is a revolutionary new circuit breaker designed to set new benchmarks for safety, efficiency and sustainability while ensuring business continuity.
Read more...It’s time to fight AI with AI in the battle for cyber resilience
IT in Manufacturing
Cybercrime is evolving rapidly, and the nature of cyber threats has shifted dramatically. Attacks are now increasingly powered by AI, accelerating their speed, scale and sophistication. Cybersecurity needs to become part of business-critical strategy, powered by AI to match attackers’ speed with smarter, faster and more adaptive defences.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version