Remote to the rescue

摘要

The global Covid-19 crisis looks set to drive a major expansion in the use of remote machine-monitoring systems in the tire and general rubber goods industries-an ERJ survey of leading players indicates.The pandemic has shown the importance of digitised and highly automated production,according to Peter Haan,global head of vertical market management tire at Siemens AC.Current issues,such as travel restrictions and need for cost efficiencies could have a big impact on the usage of secure and reliable remote machine-monitoring,according to Haan."This is the only way that companies can react to current and future challenges with the required degree of flexibility,"Siemens'top tire-industry expert commented.And,while there has already been significant progress in this area,Haan believes that the industry has not yet incorporated the full potential of remote machine-monitoring tools.At present,he noted,these technologies are mainly being applied for large and expensive machines with drives,such as mixers,to increase plant availability,avoid downtime and cut production losses.But there is now a growing role for specialists to address the increasing complexity of machine-construction and production processes,particularly among companies with a global manufacturing footprint.