IN 2015, CHINA ANNOUNCED ITS MANUFACTURING STRATEGY PLAN:
MADE IN CHINA 2025
Directly inspired by the German concept of Industry 4.0, the initiative
is a roadmap for China to transform itself into a manufacturing
powerhouse by focusing on productivity. Edge computing is one key
focus to improve efficiency and simplify data transfer. Here, obsolete
parts supplier EU Automation marketing director Jonathan Wilkins
explains how Made in China 2025 is guiding the manufacturing
industry towards edge computing.
“Industrial automation technology systems
will evolve from layered architecture and
information silos to IoT, cloud computing
and Big Data analytics architecture. Amidst
the evolution, edge computing will bolster
distributed industrial automatic self-control
architecture.”
The highly centralised system of cloud
computing isn’t suitable for analysis on
the huge scale required by China’s manufacturers.
Firstly, any cloud system would
need a huge capacity to cope with the
large amount of data fed into it each day.
The introduction of latency could also
cause problems in coordinated systems
where milliseconds matter. Finally, a single
point of failure could potentially paralyse
or collapse the entire system, resulting in
expensive downtime.
The shortcomings of cloud computing are
partly why China established the ECC in
2016. The ECC aims to facilitate collaboration
between IT and OT, and stimulate
the sustainable development of edge
computing. With China’s continued government
investment in edge computing, it
is advancing in the field much faster than
manufacturers in the west.
Made in China 2025 is well underway and
with the formation of the ECC, it’s clear
edge computing will take a critical role in
its development. Through the increase in
government funding, China is paving its
own path towards Made in China 2025,
rather than following in the footsteps of
similar initiatives such as Industry 4.0.
One major change in the manufacturing
industry over the past few decades is the
volume of data collected and communicated
by sensors. Based on readings
from sensors, industrial equipment can
be monitored, maintained and adjusted.
However, to achieve this, data must be
converted into meaningful information.
Manufacturers can use cloud computing -
the delivery of computing services over the
internet - to analyse data. This method has
become increasingly popular with western
manufacturers since its introduction, as it
allows manufacturers to collate data on
parameters such as temperature, process
speed or pressure, and analyse it remotely
in near real-time.
Despite its benefits, cloud computing can
cause inherent latencies due to the lengthy
and complex process required to receive
an input, analyse it and act upon it. This
delay can be dangerous in scenarios such
as smart traffic lights, power production
and manufacturing. Equally, the volume of
data produced by manufacturers is increasing
at an annual rate of 40%. It is possible
that if the growth of the Industrial Internet
of Things continues at its current rate,
cloud computing systems could become
overwhelmed, leaving manufacturers with
too much data and no way to analyse it.
One of the proposed solutions to this challenge
is edge computing. In edge computing,
the industrial infrastructure closest to
the data source is referred to as the edge,
which steps away from the central cloud
system. Edge computing offers a way to
THE LAST WORD
improve the communication of data from
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices
to the central system, by moving it closer
to the sensors. In edge computing, instead
of data being transmitted and processed
by one network-wide server - the cloud - it
is processed via multiple servers, spread
across the network, known as fogs. This
distribution reduces the burden on each
server, latency and the need for servers
to hold vast amounts of data.
Edge computing allows devices a high
level of autonomy and has inherently less
points of failure than alternatives such as
cloud computing, while allowing for fast,
powerful analysis. Because edge computing
offers these benefits while overcoming
the processing power dilemma, it could
provide a solution for the vast country
that is China.
China is the world’s fastest growing robotics
market. The nation boasts 49 robots
per 10,000 workers in industry, according
to the International Federation of Robotics.
To further the matter, China has committed
$150bn to strengthen its manufacturing
sector further. One of the main focuses
of the Made in China 2025 strategy is
bringing together information technology
(IT) and operational technology (OT). As Yu
Haibin, chairman of the Edge Computing
Consortium (ECC) elaborates: “This requires
much of IT and OT convergence.
Edge computing is key to supporting and
enabling this convergence. Meanwhile,
industrial development is also facing a
turning point.
Edge
computing
allows
devices a
high level of
autonomy and
has inherently
less points of
failure than
alternatives
such as cloud
computing,
while
allowing for
fast, powerful
analysis.
Because edge
computing
offers these
benefits while
overcoming
the processing
power
dilemma, it
could provide
a solution
for the vast
country that
is China.
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