Schneider Electric and 4Sight have embarked on an exciting project at a prominent South African mining group that sees the partners implementing a value chain optimisation (VCO) solution, which includes AVEVA’s Production Management & Unified Supply Chain offering.
Charl Marais.
The project, which is earmarked for completion by November 2023, will replace the mine’s multi-layered and highly complex Excel-based supply chain environment with two components:
• AVEVA Unified Supply Chain, which plans up to two years into the future, optimising activities such as processing, logistics, inventories and product requirements and provision.
• AVEVA Production Management, which monitors current activities to track conformance to the optimised plans.
“Combined, the two components will allow the mine to plan for future demand, while making provision for activities that have not been completed, or that have deviated from initial planning. The implemented solution therefore becomes a dynamic, repeatable and predictive system that allows the customer to accurately manage its supply chain based on past and future information,” comments Charl Marais, OT Digital Transformation BU manager at 4Sight.
“With the project, we’re providing the mine with a VCO solution that will allow it to manage demand and supply accurately, ensuring that the right material is in the right place without incurring unnecessary expenditure,” says Dr Suven Ramsunder, digital transformation expert at Schneider Electric.
“As a practical example, due to fluctuating fuel costs, it might be more cost effective to use trucks at certain times to transport materials to the various ports, as opposed to trains and vice versa,” adds Marais.
Suven Ramsunder.
Information automated
The current Excel environment is highly complex and managed by a few individuals – a risk factor if one or more individuals are not available. By implementing the VCO solution, the mine will benefit from an automated system that is less reliant on human interaction. Furthermore, the automated system mitigates human error such as finger trouble, which can cause havoc in a manual environment, thus delivering reliable information across the various systems on the mine’s sites.
This does not imply that people are not essential, as Schneider Electric and 4Sight recognise that people are the lifeblood of an organisation. The aim of this solution is to enable the relevant personnel to be more efficient and effective in their duties, without the added stress of a complex system. A fully automated system also delivers answers in minutes and can be run frequently, unlike the current system, which delivers forecasting slower and less frequently.
Schneider Electric’s products are vendor neutral, which means the VCO solution will integrate with the mine’s current systems, driving down costs in replacing existing equipment and overcoming interoperability challenges. Ultimately, Schneider Electric and 4Sight aim to provide the mining group with an optimised supply chain to deliver on time, reliable and actionable information, save on costs, and enhance operations.
Africa’s net-zero ambition must become operational Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric’s Rohit Chashta argues that the biggest gap in Africa’s green transition is not ambition but execution, and outlines how advisory services, bankable project roadmaps, digital visibility and SF6-free switchgear can turn sustainability commitments into measurable progress.
Read more...Even in autonomous systems, human insight is important Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
As AI, IIoT and digital twins reshape industrial operations, Schneider Electric’s Kobus Vermeulen and Bafana Msibi argue that the operator’s role is shifting from controlling equipment to interpreting intelligence, validating AI recommendations and making decisions that improve
Read more...AI-based quality inspection scales across P&G operations Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens and Procter & Gamble are expanding an AI-based visual inspection system across P&G’s manufacturing operations worldwide, inspecting products in real time at full line speed, and reducing scrap rates by 10 to 20% depending on the product.
Read more...Designing the modern AI cooling stack Schneider Electric South Africa
Industrial Computer Hardware
As average rack densities in data centres climb from 16 to 27 kW in a single year, Schneider Electric’s Canninah Dladla outlines the six liquid cooling architectures available to operators, seven design factors, and three operational practices that determine energy and water efficiency.
Read more...Software-defined automation is overcoming hardware interoperability limits Schneider Electric South Africa
SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Kobus Vermeulen and Sydney Higgo explain how open communication standards and software-defined architectures are enabling industrial operators to integrate legacy equipment, new control systems, and cloud platforms without disrupting operations.
Read more...How sustainability unlocks real business impact Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
Sustainability has moved from a compliance obligation to a strategic driver of resilience and value for manufacturers. Rockwell Automation explains how its Triple A framework and connected-data approach help producers cut energy, water and waste while improving productivity.
Read more...Mining’s AI future will depend on people as well as technology
IT in Manufacturing
South Africa’s mining industry is embracing digitalisation and AI, but AvenirHoldings chief executive officer, Tshidi Mndzebele says the real test is whether the people behind the industry are equipped to move forward with it, and outlines five things mining needs to get right.
Read more...How BIC overcame operational silos to integrate technology and people Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
Manufacturing giant BIC deployed Plex MES from Rockwell Automation at its Bizerte plant in Tunisia, replacing fragmented, partly in-house software with a single cloud-based execution system that broke operational silos and improved shop-floor visibility.
Read more...Calcamite partners with Schneider Electric and 4Sight for smart water management Schneider Electric South Africa
Editor's Choice
Schneider Electric, AVEVA and 4Sight OT Automation are helping South African wastewater specialist, Calcamite, digitalise its modular treatment plants through a scalable edge-to-cloud automation platform, with the award-winning Gourikwa pilot now scaling to hundreds of remote sites.
Read more...AI in industry is an early warning system, not a guarantee Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric’s Paul Steyn argues that AI in industrial maintenance is only as good as the infrastructure and people behind it, and explains the three layers a facility needs before predictive maintenance can deliver on its promise.
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