How controlling critical processes generates sustainability gains

Transcript

Stan Miller:  Hello everyone and welcome to ROK Studios.  I’m Stan Miller, I’m the PR and Analyst Relations Manager for Rockwell Automation, in the EMEA Region.  And I’m here with Vicente Centelles Forner.  He is from Greene Enterprise, and it’s great to have you in the studio. Welcome.

Vicente Centelles Forner: Thank you, Stan.

Stan Miller:  So, before we get into the questions – you know, we’re here to talk about sustainability, we’re here to talk about technology and how technology can make the world more sustainable, can you just tell us a little bit about Greene Enterprise as a company?

Vicente Centelles Forner:  Yes.  Greene Enterprise works in the zero landfill politics and circular economy.  So, converting waste into high-value products like oils, waxes, and we are working on hydrogen and so generating without CO2, without greenfield gases in a product.

Stan Miller:  So, those types of valuable products that you mentioned, taking those from the landfill and turning them into something valuable, it almost sounds too good to be true, it’s exactly the type of technology that makes the world a better place.  So, I’m really interested to get your view on sustainability because sustainability can be a challenge for many customers, right, many companies?  So, from your perspective, how can modern digital solutions help cut waste in an operation?  What do you think about that?

Vicente Centelles Forner:  Well, sustainability has two parts, reduce great waste, reduce energy, assure the health of the people, assure the environment, but also it must be  profitable, a company’s not sustainable if it has no profits.  I think the digitalization can work in both ideas.  They are not incompatible.  They are – one can help the other one. So, the digital  - the data analytics, the communications with the customers, all these things and process been – optimization, all these things can help in both ideas and all of them are important ideas in digitalization.

Stan Miller:  I think that’s a really great perspective and context.  Can I ask – and I’m really interested to learn more about technology.  Can we talk about the fact that there’s an increased number of sensors, actuators, other digital solutions becoming more common as – from your perspective, what role does data information management play in modern manufacturing?  What, where does the data come into the scenario?

Vicente Centelles Forner:  We can’t imagine working without data, impossible today.  So, all the data generated for the sensors and PLC and control systems, it has calculatable value.  Our challenge is to extract that value from the great amount of data we are generating today in most, more manufacturing plants, and I think also in other plants also because nobody’s working without data.  So, we can work in two ideas, real time and offline.  In real time, sensors, PLCs, help to operate the plant optimally and we work also in a long-term view – vision.  That is to have a plant that works without operator or perhaps helping the operator – you know, an intelligent plant, and that’s part of my plant, is our reason for this.  On the other hand, we have offline or with data.  So, we have the historization, generated by the SCADA, an ideal process, to fill a database, where it can be easy to work with tools like artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural networks, etc.

Stan Miller:  So, I think those are all really, good points, really interesting and kind of taking a look, future forward and particularly when we talk about data and smart manufacturing, all of these critical processes in manufacturing, they can be the targets of cyberattacks, right?

Vicente Centelles Forner:  Yes.

Stan Miller:  So, from your perspective, how can manufacturers protect themselves from cyber threats, from security issues?  What are your thoughts on that?

Vicente Centelles Forner:  I think it’s important to separate IT from OT, information technology from operation technology.  We can see in the news everyday, attacks on information technology, but operation technology attacks are more frequent and more dangerous.  So, we can’t forget it, it’s the main work to protect the operation technology, it’s indeed more important than information technology.  Of course, protecting information technology is very, important, but operation technology is most important and most at risk.  We are working with Rockwell - Rockwell has very good experience in cybersecurity and of course, in operation technology as you know.  And the first part is to separate information technology and operation technology – in other words, create a demilitarized zone or area.

Stan Miller:  Yes, exactly.

Vicente Centelles Forner:  In our plants, with critical processes like pyrolysis and gasification the risk for health, the environment - we work with gases at 1,000 degrees - so, the danger for the health environment and of course, productivity of the plants, in case of a cyberattack, are high.  We are working in solid architecture to avoid this risk.

Stan Miller:  Makes absolute sense.  I mean, and when you talk about the convergence of IT and OT and being able to protect the systems – as you said, a very wholistic approach to make sure the systems are secure sounds absolutely critical to a successful operation.

Vicente Centelles Forner:  Yes.  

Stan Miller:  Well, Vicente, I don’t have any more questions for you.  It’s been a great conversation.  We loved having you in the studio, so thank you very much.

Vicente Centelles Forner:  Thank you, Stan.  Thank you very much.

Stan Miller:  And thank you for watching.  If you’d like to learn more about Rockwell Automation and Greene Enterprise, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.