IT in Manufacturing


Schneider Electric's SmartStruxure solution for building efficiency

March 2013 IT in Manufacturing

Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, has announced the release of its SmartStruxure solution, which maximises building efficiency and reduces operating costs across the entire lifecycle of a facility. The SmartStruxure solution integrates customised hardware, software, engineering, installation and services to ensure our customers’ facilities are energy-efficient and effectively managed.

“People who design, own or manage buildings today face a number of challenges, including a sluggish economy, tighter regulatory requirements, ageing equipment and rising energy costs,” says Artur Socha, building management system (BMS) product manager, Schneider Electric South Africa. “To stay competitive, their buildings need to do more with less.”

The SmartStruxure solution breaks down traditional information silos and delivers integrated building information and real-time data via web access, powerful graphics and trend visualisations, rich reports, and mobile applications to ensure buildings are running at maximum efficiency.

Socha adds: “Our SmartStruxure solution provides benefits across the spectrum of building stakeholders: Architects and engineers save time and money with an integrated solution from a trusted business partner. Building owners and managers get a robust platform that is scalable and easy to use. Business executives have instant access to energy and sustainability metrics, enabling them to better make decisions and control costs, and occupants enjoy a safe, comfortable environment.”

The SmartStruxure solution is powered by StruxureWare Building Operation software, which provides integrated monitoring, control, and management of HVAC, energy, lighting, and other critical building systems. Additionally, this application will connect easily to other StruxureWare software within suites, developed to address the unique needs of key market segments. Supported by EcoStruxure Web Services, the suites will unify key software applications across all levels of an enterprise, providing a scalable platform, easy integration with legacy and third-party systems, and a consistent user experience. StruxureWare software delivers the right information to the right person, anytime, anywhere.

Key features of StruxureWare Building Operation include:

* Support for multilingual buildings with the following architectures as native protocols: BACnet, LonWorks and Modbus.

* New level of scalability – from a small area in a building to a global enterprise.

* All systems, regardless of size, have the same robust feature set.

* IT-friendly and able to withstand the most malicious attacks on the IP network.

* Broad range of hardware modules to meet customer requirements.

* User-friendly with customisable workspaces, amazing graphics capabilities, out-of-the-box reporting functionality, and robust online help.

* Easy to install – modules are hot swappable and plug and play.

* Both backward compatible and forward thinking – will work with existing field devices while supporting future growth.

The most important benefit of StruxureWare software is the ability for users to combine the management of their power, data centres, process and controls, building management and security onto one seamless system through the SmartStruxure solution – reducing energy consumption by up to 30%.

The SmartStruxure solution represents the building management domain of expertise in the larger Schneider Electric EcoStruxure solution architecture. Introduced in 2009, An EcoStruxure architecture connects five domains of expertise – power, data centres, process and machines, building management, and physical security – within an open and flexible technology architecture that delivers significant savings on capex and opex.

For more information contact Jacqui Gradwell, Schneider Electric SA, +27 (0)11 254 6400, [email protected], www.schneider-electric.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Bringing brownfield plants back to life
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Today’s brownfield plants are typically characterised by outdated equipment and processes, and face challenges ranging from inefficient operations to safety hazards. However, all is not lost, as these plants stand to gain a lot from digitalisation and automation.

Read more...
Power supply with scalability optimised
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has introduced the Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular to the South African marketplace. This robust uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed to protect critical loads while offering third-party verified Live Swap functionality.

Read more...
Generative AI for immersive real-time visualisation
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens will deepen its collaboration with NVIDIA to help build the industrial metaverse.

Read more...
Mesh networks: a multidirectional electrical superhighway
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Today, many power industry stakeholders are faced with mounting requirements for improved grid reliability, resilience and distribution efficiency. It’s a challenge which requires power service providers to rethink their infrastructure. Enter mesh networks, which can overcome the limitations of traditional star networks.

Read more...
Award-winning Gen AI solutions
IT in Manufacturing
Amazon Web Services recently hosted an exclusive event in South Africa on ‘Elevating Possibilities with Partners - a Showcase of GenAI Excellence’. This event brought together ten esteemed partners, including Synthesis Software Technologies, to highlight innovative advancements in the field of Generative AI.

Read more...
Schneider Electric announces 2023 Global Alliance Partner Programme award winners
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric has announced the winners of the 2023 Global Alliance Excellence Awards. Throughout 2023, Schneider Electric’s Alliance Partners supported customers in the digitalisation of industrial automation, delivering value with innovative initiatives, solutions and services.

Read more...
AI is driving data centres to the edge
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
The data centre has become the cornerstone that links our digitally interconnected world. At the same time, the rapid growth and application of AI and machine learning (ML) is shaping the design and operation of data centres.

Read more...
Full-scale central control room simulator
Valmet Automation IT in Manufacturing
Valmet will deliver a full-scale central control room simulator to Nordic Ren-Gas, the leading Nordic green hydrogen and e-methane developer in Finland.

Read more...
Re-imagining business operations with the power of AI
IT in Manufacturing
inq. has introduced a range of artificial intelligence solutions to assist organisations across industry verticals in optimising business operations and improving internal efficiencies.

Read more...
Safe, sustainable cycling helmet technology
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Lazer Sport, one of Europe’s leading cycling helmet manufacturers, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to bring to market KinetiCore, its new proprietary rotational impact protection technology.

Read more...