PPA 2019 was once again a successful event of the FHI-branch Industrial Automation. In Nijkerk more than three hundred visitors gathered for an extensive lecture program and a visit to the table-tops of the exhibitors.
The kick-off of the lecture program was for Daan Baljet of Van Oord. He discussed the versatile VOCAM platform with which ship automation can be implemented to a great extent. He also took the audience along in the story of how the collected data is handled on board. FHI spoke to Baljet earlier.
Aljosja Beije from Blocklab took the second keynote and delved into the world of blockchain. This technology can be useful in both logistics and the energy sector, Beije told FHI.
Wheelsets and MES systems
During the plenary sessions, the PPA visitor had the choice of numerous lectures. The presentation by Alexander Spaans (NS Treinmodernisering) and Ruud van Drielen (ICT Group) was well attended. They talked about how NS implemented an MES system to overhaul train wheelsets. During the presentation, it emerged that major steps were taken during the implementation when the scrum method was used instead of older processes.
Marc Lamboo and Fred Koffijberg from Apollo Vredestein and Ascom respectively discussed the usefulness of safety systems and the prevention of downtime in the 25 minutes that were available to them. The theme of cyber security also appeared several times in the PPA 2019 programme. For example, Michael Theuerzeit from Hudson Cybertec talked about how risks can be reduced to an acceptable level. He went into more detail about the usefulness of a cyber security management system, but also discussed the challenges involved in implementing such systems in a company.
Siegfried Müller from MB Connect line also spoke about threats, such as advanced malware in the Stuxnet era. He described various ways in which communication layers can be better secured. For example, Müller mentioned two-factor authentication, role-based access and VPNs as security layers. Applying a 'data diet', in which communication takes place in only one direction, can also be useful.
Energy transition and performance portals
Robert van de Sande of Croonwolter&dros delved into the current theme of energy transition. He described the role of Dutch industry in CO2 emissions and gave a number of examples where process automation can play a role in making industrial processes more efficient and energy-saving.
The closing keynote was given by Evert Nooijen of AkzoNobel and Hans Bos of Microsoft. Nooijen, who previously spoke to FHI, explained how AkzoNobel used Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to create a performance portal, setting a theme that is sure to return at future PPA events.
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