Software as the key: ushering in a new era of industry in the future. We are always curious and hopeful about the future. How will technology change our lives? How will society progress? How will humans coexist harmoniously with nature? What will the future industry look like?

 

Driven by the digital wave, the combination of new industrialization and new quality productivity is reshaping the global economic landscape. Industrial software, as the core technological support driving digital transformation, will provide strong impetus for accelerating the development of new productive forces, promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, and achieving sustained economic growth.

 

Recently, Zhao Min, Executive Director of the Intelligent Research Institute and member of the National Industrial Information Security Expert Advisory Committee, and Liu Wen, Head of the Digital Capability Center for Schneider Electric’s Industrial Automation Business in China, visited the first issue of the “Hello, Future Industry” column to engage in a dialogue on the topic of “Software – the Golden Key to Intelligent Manufacturing”, exploring the future industry defined by software.

 

 

 

Future Intelligent Engine

 

“Industrial software is not just software, but also the aggregation and mapping of industrial knowledge essence and industrial attributes in the digital space.” As Zhao Min, Executive Director of the Institute of Intelligent Research and member of the National Industrial Information Security Expert Advisory Committee, said, industrial software is the culmination of industrialization and the “super digital industrial mother machine” that empowers industrial development.

 

As an indispensable key force in the process of digital transformation, the value of software has long exceeded the scope of traditional tools, and it is reshaping the entire future industrial ecosystem in an unstoppable way. Liu Wen mentioned that with the development of digitalization and IT technology, the types and functions of industrial software continue to expand, from initially meeting single task requirements to covering all aspects of the manufacturing process. Through software applications, enterprises not only greatly improve production efficiency, ensure consistency and reliability of product quality, but more importantly, tightly connect originally isolated devices and systems, achieve seamless data flow, enhance supply chain transparency and response speed, and bring unprecedented collaboration and operational efficiency to enterprises.

 

Nowadays, industrial software is no longer a single scattered product, but a combination of platform architecture and modular products, covering the entire process and meeting industry differences. In Liu Wen’s view, the digital transformation of industry should be “customer-centric”, and software should not be “single handedly”. Software needs to collaborate with hardware, combine with scenarios, and effectively enter customer application scenarios and actual pain points in order to truly implement value. Zhao Min also emphasized that enterprises should not view software from a traditional perspective. Only by integrating mechanical, electrical, software, and network can the value of advanced equipment be truly realized.

 

The development of software requires a standardized programming environment, and the connection of hardware requires a standardized unified interface. How can software and hardware products from different manufacturers communicate smoothly with each other? The answer given by Schneider Electric is: EcoStruxure ™ Open automation platform. This platform is based on the IEC 61499 standard and integrates hardware vendors under a unified standard. Software defined automation promotes plug and play production in the field of industrial automation by decoupling software and hardware.

 

Empowering the Industrial Ecology

 

“Industrial intelligence can be summarized into two levels. For ‘hardware’, it requires chips that can adapt to any software, and for ‘software’, it is the seamless connection and rapid response between industrial software and hardware. Zhao Min said,” Today, companies like Schneider Electric are striving to maximize the intelligent value of industrial automation, and in this, there is the influence of hardware, while software is more in-depth and critical. ”

 

Excellent software development capabilities and a profound history of software development play a core role in Schneider Electric’s digital transformation strategy. Liu Wen introduced that Schneider Electric not only has its own powerful software products, but also integrates leading global software brands such as AVEVA, ETAP, IGE+XAO, RIB, etc., covering different stages from design, construction, operation to maintenance, providing users with a full lifecycle software portfolio.

 

In recent years, Schneider Electric has also demonstrated its innovative strength in the software field by assisting customers in implementing digital transformation. For example, in the construction of Shanghai Huayi’s base located in Qinzhou, Guangxi, Schneider Electric built a “digital factory” for it. In this 1:1 digital factory 3D model, which is proportional to reality, Shanghai Huayi uses digital twin technology to map real-time entity data to virtual space. Shanghai Huayi has achieved the collection and management of high-quality data such as production capacity, quality, equipment, and energy, making every step of the production process observable and predictable.

 

Schneider Electric is well aware that digital transformation is not only an upgrade of technology, but also an innovation in knowledge management and application. Through advanced software platforms, customers can more effectively collect and analyze data, form valuable knowledge assets, and share and transmit knowledge through various channels. This not only improves the operational efficiency of customers, but also empowers the progress and development of the entire industry, jointly facing the challenges and opportunities of the times.

 

Release new AI momentum

 

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has endowed industrial software with unprecedented intelligence and power. The rapid advancement of big models and generative AI technology has opened the door to a new world for industrial software and manufacturing. Nowadays, large models can assist in the understanding of unstructured data and the accumulation of industrial knowledge, while generative AI can help engineers automatically generate code, reduce engineering workload and time costs, providing new ideas for industrial software to “overtake on the bend”.

 

Zhao Min predicts that future intelligent manufacturing will achieve precise control over every “atom”, which will be achieved through data provided by software. The application of AI technology enables software to more accurately control physical entities, truly achieving intelligent manufacturing.

 

Liu Wen pointed out that AI significantly enhances software performance and significantly reduces reliance on traditional human resources, especially on past experience. Relying on leading digital capabilities represented by software, Schneider Electric is also continuously applying AI technology to digital solutions. Schneider Electric has provided users with practical and feasible solutions through AI technology, whether it is in production scheduling prediction, automatic start-up of chemical plants, optimization of process flow, or energy-saving management of HVAC equipment. These solutions not only help users achieve intelligent management in physical scenarios, but also significantly improve operational and energy efficiency.

 

Schneider Electric’s own factories and cooperation cases with industry leading customers have shown that AI based solutions can effectively reduce energy consumption by about 5% -10% and improve work efficiency by 3% -5%. This data also fully demonstrates the enormous potential and value of AI technology in industrial digital transformation.

 

Stimulating New Qualitative Productivity

 

Driven by new productivity, software provides strong support for innovation driven enterprises through its powerful data processing capabilities and intelligent algorithms, integrating advanced automation technology, and helping enterprises establish a knowledge base, achieving the accumulation, sharing, and inheritance of professional knowledge. Meanwhile, the decision support system based on big data analysis also provides scientific decision-making basis for enterprises, helping them make correct strategic choices in complex and ever-changing market environments.

 

The value of software in industrial digital transformation is three-dimensional and comprehensive. It not only improves the operational efficiency and product quality of enterprises, but also enhances their innovation ability and market competitiveness, providing a solid foundation for their sustainable development. By integrating advanced technologies such as AI and digital twins, industrial software can not only enhance the competitive advantage of manufacturing enterprises, but also be the key to driving the development of the entire Chinese manufacturing industry forward. Schneider Electric’s practice and exploration undoubtedly provide valuable experience and inspiration for the future development direction of industrial software.