The Berlin International Industry Conference featured a presentation of a project that brings together the two reference architectures—RAMI4.0 and IIRA—for the first time. At Bosch's Homburg plant in Germany, a range of connectivity solutions are combined to manage and optimize the production of hydraulic valves, thus avoiding electricity consumption during peak hours when prices are highest. "This prototype demonstrates, for the first time, how we can bring together the standards of the 'Industry 4.0' platform and those of 'IIC' to work effectively together in connected manufacturing," said Struth, whose responsibilities on the Bosch Board of Management include the Industrial Technology and Bosch Production System business areas.
Common standards boost competitiveness.
If all the energy-intensive machinery at the Bosch plant in Homburg were to operate simultaneously, it could lead to very high electricity consumption during peak hours. The resulting increase in electricity costs would raise the manufacturing cost of the hydraulic valves produced there. By using production management software, electricity consumption can be managed as efficiently as possible, optimizing energy demand and reducing peak loads by up to 10 percent. This lowers manufacturing costs and increases competitiveness while protecting the environment. This is all made possible by the interaction between the production lines, which are based on the Industry 4.0 platform, and the energy management system, which uses the IIC standard. The project involves not only the Bosch plant in Homburg, but also SAP from Germany, Dassault Systèmes from France, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) from India, among others.
The Industry 4.0 platform brings together numerous representatives from the industrial, political, and academic sectors to implement connected manufacturing in Germany. With its international perspective, the IIC takes an even broader approach, incorporating industrial production, mechanical and industrial engineering, and including the Internet of Things in its widest sense. The Industry 4.0 platform set itself the goal of creating the appropriate technical framework for connected manufacturing. The IIC focuses on cross-sector connectivity of the Internet of Things, for example, in relation to energy management and buildings. Both have developed their own reference architectures (RAMI4.0 for the Industry 4.0 platform and IIRA for the IIC). As a global company, Bosch is a member of both organizations.
