According to a study by the Higher School of Economics, in 2019 the digital activity of Russian enterprises
Among the tools of the so-called Industry 4.0 industrial companies most often invest in process automation, the Internet of things, artificial intelligence and big data, cloud technologies and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, and especially in production robotization.
Cars instead of people
Transfer of production processes to robots -a large-scale area that unites many areas of activity that allow you to optimize routine operations, increase their speed and accuracy, thereby increasing production, while reducing operating costs and protecting the work of specialists. The culmination of the robotization process should be a completely deserted production - mines and wells, where all work is done by machines, and remote specialists control them.
Several such projects are already in Russiaat the development stage - in particular, the Skalisty Gluboky mine of the Norilsk Nickel company. But in order for an enterprise to function without people, the principles of autonomous activity must be incorporated into it at the stage of creation. Trying to redesign existing plants for this model is an expensive and impractical event, therefore most companies currently use only individual automation elements in production. For example, a number of oil companies - such as Gazpromneft, Rosneft and LUKOIL - are working on the creation of smart wells, the principle of which is largely based on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. In such wells, equipment is equipped with sensors that transmit data about all processes to a common system, which processes the information received and makes certain decisions on its basis.
A similar model underlies the advisor systemat the concentration plant of Norilsk Nickel Kola MMC: based on the analysis of a huge amount of data on the operation of equipment and parameters of raw materials, it issues recommendations for optimizing processes. At the first time after the implementation of the system, each such recommendation is studied by specialists, and if the employee confirms the proposed advice, then the program remembers this choice. Thus, the system constantly learns itself and over time begins to make independent decisions.
Joystick transport
Unmanned transport is a separate direction inindustry, which covers a wide variety of equipment: self-propelled drilling rigs, unmanned dump trucks, in-mine electric locomotive transport, flying unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). The use of such transport not only improves personnel safety, but also increases productivity. Thus, by moving the driver of a mine dump truck from the truck cab to the control room, the company saves on shift changes and, accordingly, transports more raw materials in the same time period.
When it comes to drones, their capabilities are invaluable fordiagnostics of power lines, pipelines and oil pipelines and industrial facilities in general, where access for humans and equipment is difficult. Unmanned systems are used for geological exploration, transportation of small loads, repair of damage to power lines and solving many other problems. For example, Gazpromneft, which controls 60% of its pipelines using drones, has already developed more than 70 scenarios for their use. According to the corporation's estimates, drones are 2.5-3 times cheaper than operating helicopters.
Another non-trivial area of application for dronesassociated with monitoring of mine workings. There are many inaccessible and dangerous areas in the mines that must be carefully studied before sending people there. For these purposes, Norilsk Nickel has developed a model of an unmanned aerial vehicle that can operate deep underground, in the absence of lighting, GPS and any communications.
Individual industrial sectors require their own,specific unmanned vehicles. So, in the agricultural industry, these are primarily combines equipped with video cameras, an autopilot and an artificial intelligence system that adjusts the entire process: from the pace of work to the angle at which the harvester blades are located - in particular, such equipment is being developed by the Russian company Cognitive Technologies. In mines, surveying robots can become indispensable - self-propelled devices that can conduct 3D surveys underground. The first example of an autonomous surveyor was developed within the “Digital Laboratory” - the R&D division of Norilsk Nickel: such a robot is controlled remotely using a mobile phone on which special software is installed, and the “picture” itself is transmitted to the dispatcher’s VR glasses real time. This invention makes it possible to study new cavities, including hard-to-reach ones, without putting specialists at risk, and, in addition, to detect working defects and promptly correct them.
Virtual enterprises
Of the 10 recently approved digital standardsIndustry Five is dedicated to digital twins - virtual prototypes of real objects or processes that simulate their operation by collecting data from sensors. Such twins help optimize equipment operation, identify faults and make adjustments, while mitigating the risks that are inevitable during experiments in real production.
Simulation of various scenarios withinvirtual prototype allows you to choose the most effective tactics and avoid unsuccessful ones. An illustrative case occurred at one of the European enterprises of Schneider Electric, where a predictive analytics system predicted a failure in the operation of a large compressor almost a month before it was supposed to happen - without this forecast, the corporation could have lost several million dollars. It is not surprising that this technology is now being actively adopted by many industries, and by 2023, according to expert forecasts, the size of the digital twin market should reach $16 billion.
In Russia, working on digital twin technologyCompanies from a wide variety of industrial sectors operate: in addition to the already mentioned Schneider Electric, Gazpromneft, SIBUR and Norilsk Nickel are actively investing in it. So, last year Norilsk Nickel developed the only simulation system in the country that allows you to create digital models for all of the company’s mines. It makes it possible to test all organizational and technical solutions and production plans in the simulator to check their effectiveness before implementation in production. The next stage, according to the company’s plans, will be the creation of a full-fledged digital twin that will completely simulate production, including the operational and economic context.
Robots and personnel
The introduction of digital technologies is not onlyincreases the efficiency of production, but also increases its safety, since the robotization of processes makes it possible to "remove" specialists from hazardous areas. On the other hand, any automation traditionally raises concerns associated with the growth of unemployment: according to the forecasts of futurologists, in the coming years, machines will destroy a number of professions, displacing "living" employees from their jobs.
However, for now, expect such prospectspremature: according to experts, even the creation of a completely unmanned mine will lead to a staff reduction of only 35%, but the volume of required competencies for the remaining employees will change by 80%. Automation is not primarily about reducing the workforce, but about retraining it: for example, unmanned transport turns a truck driver into an operator who controls the equipment remotely with a joystick in his hands. Yes, the expansion of digital technology reduces the need for people responsible for routine operations, but the need for those who are able to interact with autonomous equipment and configure its operating algorithms increases.
Accordingly, in the industrial environment, demand is growingfor professionals with digital competencies, which encourages companies to invest in corporate training. For example, in 2019, Gazpromneft's corporate university launched the We in the Future program, within which employees can improve their digital skills. And during the pandemic, Norilsk Nickel developed a large-scale Digital Norilsk Nickel project for its specialists, which allows them to take online courses on digital literacy and information security, study artificial intelligence technologies, and get acquainted with the principles of big data, blockchain and the Internet of things.
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