IT in Manufacturing


Accelerating digitalisation across process industries

August 2024 IT in Manufacturing

ABB has launched Do More With Digital, a global campaign highlighting the opportunities for the process industries to realise their full potential through digital transformation. Leveraging its deep ties across industries such as pulp and paper, mining, metals and cement, ABB recognises a significant opportunity to continue equipping these sectors with advanced industry-specific solutions. This will drive their digitalisation journey, and allow them to accelerate their adoption curve in a shorter timeframe.

While these industries will continue to be enhanced through technology development using the likes of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), data analytics, machine learning (ML), and cloud and edge computing, they are also considered hard-to-abate because of the volume of production, the location of operations, the energy and heat chemistry, and many other factors. The World Economic Forum reports that digital solutions can accelerate net zero in high-emission industries, delivering up to 20% of the total reduction that the International Energy Agency says is needed by 2050. ABB is leveraging its experience of previous energy transitions, its recent record in industrial software development, and its 140 years of experience across multiple industries to guide customers on their digitalisation journeys.

ABB has worked with customers across the process industries for decades, supporting them with the deployment of digital solutions such as advanced process control (APC), energy management systems (EMS), and manufacturing execution systems (MES). These have evolved from original packages to become variations used for distinct industries, with their own tools and libraries. They remain the foundation for advanced technology progression. Customers recognise that they are at different stages of their digitalisation journey. These can be with starters (those embedding digital for the first time), stallers (those piloting a new advanced solution, often with a startup), or scalers (those moving to the next level, perhaps with a technology company). ABB is currently working across this ecosystem to design and develop new solutions for current and future needs.

“Adoption of advanced digital technologies is still much slower than one might expect in the process industries,” said Sanjit Shewale, global business line manager for ABB Process Industries. “Customers are facing new challenges in proving and scaling up solutions that will drive real, transformative change. However, there are opportunities for all parties to use technologies to retain knowledge of processes in their business as people retire or move on in shorter timeframes than was typical in the past. Through co-creation, there is the chance to show more and do more for positive investment decisions that quickly result in unprecedented levels of energy management, efficiency, sustainability, safety and service.”

ABB is currently working with fellow global technology companies to integrate the likes of Gen AI capabilities into the ABB Ability suite of industrial software, supporting industrial companies to improve data collection, unlock insights hidden in operational data, and enable significant gains in efficiency and productivity. Partnerships also exist for initiatives to accelerate the adoption of digital solutions to help industries meet their goals on net-zero emissions. One such example is real-time data transmission using cloud-based software integrated with ABB systems.

ABB’s team embraces what it refers to as five key pillars – operational excellence, process performance, asset performance, sustainability, and connected workforce, all with embedded cybersecurity. ABB considers such a framework when advising industries that need to keep up the rapid pace of innovation, optimise efficiency, minimise energy waste and reduce costs.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

How to navigate the high-stakes economics of AI infrastructure
IT in Manufacturing
Nearly 60% of data centre operators are expected to adopt liquid cooling within five years as AI workloads drive demand for higher rack densities. Understanding the full financial picture of liquid cooling, from capital investment to long-term operational savings, is now essential.

Read more...
Protecting the digital mine
RJ Connect IT in Manufacturing
As mining becomes increasingly connected and automated, cyber threats are emerging alongside the benefits of digitalisation. RJ Connect and provides rugged networking, edge computing and cybersecurity technologies from MOXA to help protect critical mining operations from evolving attacks.

Read more...
SICK launches AI-powered 3D quality inspection
SICK Automation Southern Africa IT in Manufacturing
SICK has combined deep learning with 3D height data analysis in its Nova machine vision platform.

Read more...
Predictive maintenance is the critical enabler for AI data centre liquid cooling systems
IT in Manufacturing
As liquid cooling becomes essential for AI data centres, predictive and condition-based maintenance are emerging as critical enablers of thermal stability. Schneider Electric argues that the infrastructure is already generating the data needed and the question is whether operators are equipped to use it.

Read more...
Siemens software scales with Simple Energy EV development
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
: Simple Energy, an Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer, has expanded its use of Siemens Xcelerator software to manage complex vehicle variants and enterprise-level bills of materials, accelerating product development as its EV portfolio scales.

Read more...
ESG as a growth lever
RS South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Leading organisations are treating ESG not as a compliance obligation but as a practical tool for operational efficiency, supply chain resilience and business performance, with data and collaboration central to unlocking its value.

Read more...
Preparing Africa’s data centres for the demands of autonomous AI
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Africa’s data centre infrastructure must evolve significantly to support agentic AI workloads, with GPU-intensive computing, advanced cooling and reliable power demanding a fundamentally different approach to facility design and investment.

Read more...
Virtualising the control room to reshape building management systems
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric explains how virtualising building management systems frees facilities teams from ageing hardware, delivers stronger cybersecurity and enables portfolio-wide control from a single interface.

Read more...
AI infrastructure solutions for data campus
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric and Motivair deliver more than $290 million in power and cooling infrastructure for TeraWulf’s AI-ready Lake Mariner data campus.

Read more...
Africa’s data centre evolution: AI, edge computing and new energy demands
IT in Manufacturing
With less than half a gigawatt of active white space capacity serving over a billion people, Africa’s data centre sector faces a stark gap that AI’s surging power and cooling demands are set to widen. Vertiv and Open Africa Data Centres unpack how modularity, edge computing and smarter energy strategies could change the equation.

Read more...









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.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved