Page 9 - TCExpression TATA Consulting Engineers Limited

Cover Story 09

As in the consumer and retail business, in the industrial While digitisation may be the first step, the digitalisation
environment, the first step towards IIoT is the digitisation process is a transformation towards a digital business, that
process, followed by the digitalisation of the processes. requires a well-planned strategy. The transformation is
So, what is the difference? enabled by the convergence of Engineering technology,
Operations, Smart Asset Infrastructure, Information
According to Gartner, “Digitisation is the process of Architecture, Cloud computing architecture and IIoT.
changing from analog to digital form. Digitalisation is the To facilitate the convergence of all such technologies,
use of digital technologies to change a business model and expertise in process and industry will help realise the value
provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it in the digitalisation journey. This will lead to operational
is the process of moving to a digital business.” excellence from implementing IIoT.

When various assets are digitised, data is created for
the assets and is used as a reference point for the 4.0 full throttle – The
transformation process. For instance, facilities may have digitalisation journey to IIoT
plant assets that are 40 years old. The engineering drawings
of the facility or the technical data of large boilers, Moving towards cyber-physical systems and assisted
generators, etc., may not be available. With digitisation, decision-making calls for a re-imagining of things, the way
information pertaining to these assets can be created and they function and are optimised. The biggest challenge is
stored in digital form. This helps in creating and viewing the the cost and the disruption. At the centre of IIoT is the asset.
processes in a simulated environment, facilitating decision- The re-thinking towards digitalisation begins here. Plant
making on the digital transformation process, virtually. asset and its management is no longer about checking and
maintenance till ‘death do us apart’.

Where does the value digitalisation because digital technologies underscore

come from the need for a collaborative model. To be competitive
in a digitised environment, holistic upgrade to
✔ Connected assets, connected facilities, optimised data digitalisation is an imperative.
analytics, managed with globally consistent systems.
✔ A Capgemini research report indicates 4.7% of global CO
2
✔ Centralised business and operations’ data analytics for emissions from power generation can be saved annually
production excellence in geographically distributed with digital plants.
production facilities; asset optimisation on ‘fleet’ basis.
✔ A World Economic Forum white paper on the Electricity
✔ Smart sequencing of asset maintenance activity Industry & IIoT impact, covering generation, transmission
minimising production down-time; Precise prediction and consumption projected the benefits as:
and proactive action for asset failure management.
$387 billion in value through asset performance
✔ Availability of video and GPS data to collaborate with management – lower O & M cost, lower downtime,
suppliers and OEMs across the production chain; generation lower critical breakdowns
of new service models with asset suppliers to optimise
production/automation process will bring about efficiency $438 billion in value through comprehensive customer

in operations and overall value creation/cost reduction. services – digitisation of customer interactions, smart
energy management
✔ Cloud-based analytics can provide key information for sharp
decision-making, easily accessed on a mobile or tablet. $445 billion in value – through operational optimisation
and aggregation, real-time supply and demand platform,
✔ New service models are being created, across the network controls, energy aggregation platform, and
value chain, which calls for a transformation towards connected, inter-operable devices