November 14, 2024 • 22 mins
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital revolution, driven by adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). While this transformation promises increased efficiency and productivity, it also raises concerns about energy consumption.
In this podcast episode, we delve into the critical role of energy efficiency in the factory. We explore how integrating green principles into automation solutions can not only reduce environmental impact but also lower operational costs and enhance competitiveness.
Join us as we explore these ideas with:
Anna Kiseleva, Product Manager, NexAIoT
Christina Cardoza, Editorial Director, insight.tech
Anna answers our questions about:
- The meaning of a green manufacturer
- Tools and technologies necessary for change
- Taking the Industry 4.0 sustainability path
- NexAIoT’s role in green manufacturing
- Partnerships powering sustainability efforts
- How green manufacturing will keep evolving
Related Content
To learn more about green manufacturing, read Smart Factory Tech Proves Data Is Power. For the latest innovations from NexAIoT, follow them on LinkedIn.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(upbeat music)
- Hello, and welcometo "insight.tech Talk"
where we explore the latest IoT, edge AI,
and network technologytrends and innovations.
As always, I'm yourhost, Christina Cardoza,
(00:22):
Editorial Director of insight.tech,
and today, I'm joined by Anna from NexAIoT
to talk about green manufacturing.
But before we get started,
Anna, welcome to the show.
What can you tell us aboutyourself and NexAIoT?
- Oh, hello everyone.
My name is Anna,
and I'm one of the productmanagers at NexAIoT.
My role is focusing onindustrial automation,
(00:44):
especially factoryautomation fanless systems.
And with over 10 years ofexperience in the IPC industry,
I've had the privilege of working
on many automation projects.
NexAIoT is committed
to delivering Industry 4.0 total solutions
to our clients globally.
And we are the leading companythat introduced innovations
(01:07):
in the industrial automation field.
Recently, we have been doinggreen manufacturing practices
in response to the newglobal ESG regulations.
Our strategy is tofocus on sustainability,
and this allows us tointegrate edge AI capabilities
which streamline processes
and reduce carbon footprints leading
(01:29):
to a more eco-friendly production models.
By leveraging the latestadvancements in AI technology,
particularly, with Intel Core innovations,
the company's enhancingoperation efficiency
and ensuring compliancewith evolving regulations.
These strategic directionspositions NexAIoT
as a significant contributor
to the shift towardsenvironmentally-friendly practices.
(01:53):
- Yeah, that's great to hear.
You know, especially inthis world of Industry 4.0,
all those tools and technologies
that you've been talkingabout automation, edge AI,
is something that is reallybeen important to manufacturers,
but as a result of that,
things have been becomingmore sustainable.
(02:13):
And it's interesting all the regulations
that you were talkingabout, we often don't think
of having manufacturing
or businesses have sustainable practices.
So that's sort of why I wanted
to start the conversation here today.
What does it mean when youtalk about green manufacturing?
What does it mean to bea green manufacturer?
And in addition to the regulations,
(02:34):
why is it important intoday's Industry 4.0 world?
- By adopting greener practices,
industries can mitigatetheir ecological footprint,
preserving ecosystems and biodiversity.
So let's talk about what does it mean
to be environmental friendly as a company?
First and foremost,
reducing power consumptionis the environmental
(02:55):
and fundamental aspect ofenvironmental conservation,
because excessive energy use contributes
to the depletion of natural resources,
and increased carbon emissions,
leading to climate changeand ecological degradation.
So the first step
in being an environmental-friendlymanufacturer is
to reduce your power consumption.
Second is the automated combustion control
(03:16):
that also helps to reduce emissions.
The third part of it is to minimize waste
and promote recycling, which means sorting
and recycling waste materials
in your factory using automation.
Fourth, sustainablesupply chain management
to track and manage commodities sourcing.
Fifth is the greenlogistics and transportation
(03:38):
which can be achieved by adoptinghybrid and green vehicles,
and autonomous or smart logistics systems.
And lastly, the last part
of the whole sustainabilityis worker safety,
to reduce the risk of accidentsand improves efficiency.
So basically, this five parts
that I mentioned before will lead
(03:58):
to a more sustainable practices.
- Yeah, I love that checklist.
It really is end-to-end inthe manufacturing operations,
and shows not only how important this is,
but all the different areasin a manufacturing plant
where you can start making these changes.
Obviously, you weretalking about automation,
in the beginning of your introduction,
(04:19):
you talked about edge AI.
So I'm just curious how canfactories meet that checklist?
What are the tools and technologies
that they should have in their tool set
to be able to start makingsome changes in these efforts?
- Okay, so before talkingabout tools and techniques,
it's important to mention
that many traditional manufacturers,
(04:40):
are facing the challenges,
that slow down the transitionstowards sustainability.
This problem includes the lackof networking capabilities
of old production equipment.
In complete production management systems,
low equipment utilization rates,
long product delivery times,
and insufficient information transparency.
NexAIoT provides completeIndustry 4.0 one-stop services
(05:02):
including industrial IoTand automation products,
customer system integration projects,
and consulting services
for building whole factorysmart manufacturing.
From all the above,
we start by hand print what we can design
and reduce carbon emissions,
and directly impact carbonfootprint accordingly.
Then we also have our NexDATA,
(05:24):
and NexWall as a platforms
for digitalization and visualization.
Once you collect data from the equipment,
you need the software to visualize it.
So here we also help our customers.
And finally, our automation team can help
to deploy the traceability solution
to the customer's digital transformation.
Not only increasing the company'sprofits by more than 50%,
(05:44):
but also laying the foundation
for future green manufacturingand smart factories.
So basically, here we're talking
about tools and equipment thatwill help us to collect data
from the bottom of the factory,from the production line,
upload it to the cloud, andvisualize the data for managers
(06:06):
to make the more strategic decisions,
and do the track of the data,
and also keep the data in the cloud,
so for future AI modeltraining and predictions.
So this is the wholeindustrial automation solution
that we can provide right now
(06:26):
in order to reduce thecarbon emission at least,
and also waste management.
- I want to dig deeper a little bit into
that industrial automation
and edge computing aspect of NexAIoT.
Because when we've beentalking about automation,
it's really been to improvebusiness operations,
(06:48):
speed up the factory,
make manual processes lesserror-prone, automated,
provide real-timeinsights, high performance,
but then in addition toall of these great benefits
that you're getting by implementing these,
it's also helping manufacturersbecome more sustainable.
So can you talk a littlebit about how these efforts
(07:09):
that they already have going on
or these transformationsthey're already making,
is just an easy path totheir sustainability efforts?
- Of course.
So to achieve green manufacturing,
all the equipment should be connected,
and the coverage of thecomputer networking,
might be close to 100%.
For example, an edge getawayfor analog inputs and outputs
(07:31):
and digital inputs andoutputs by our products,
which is called nDAS and nPAC can be used
as data collector as wellas edge monitoring devices.
So basically, they help tocollect all the information
from sensors and send it to the cloud.
And also, we have nice NISE series
which work on the variety
(07:51):
of Intel's platforms likeAtom, Celeron, Core i,
as a machine controllerautomation gateway.
Basically to redirect this data,
and also upload it to the cloud.
Edge controllers and AI-enabled,
and with more efficientconnectivity performance.
So more data and decisionmaking can be made
at the edge side for better communication
from machine to machine.
(08:13):
So once we establish machineto machine communication,
we can move to the next level,
while monitoring the operation status
of the entire factory equipment.
It'll also start researching ways
to reduce carbon emissions
and prepare for carbon tax policies.
In addition to cope with labor shortages
and improve production line efficiency,
warehouse management systemsand autonomous vehicles,
(08:36):
these technologies will beintroduced when building
or expanding new factories.
To implement AIoT as the edge computing,
traditional industrial automationis no longer OT devices
but data collectors andAI-enabled controllers
and more intelligent IoT devices.
So here's the core,
our industrial computersbasically will help
(08:58):
to collect data from the field,upload data to the cloud,
and visualize data for managers,
and further will help with AImodels to do some predictions.
- Great, and it sounds likethose industrial computers,
they're also helping yourcustomers be more energy efficient
(09:18):
and optimize their resources a bit better.
- Yeah, right now, the green manufacturing
and industrial sustainability focus a lot
on carbon emission reduction.
So basically, we need tomonitor the power consumption
in the first place, because this is
where the most waste come from.
If you consume too much power,
(09:40):
which is no needed for your factory,
this will lead to increased expenses,
and of course, not a verysustainable practices.
So we need to monitor every device,
we need to connectthem, monitor, and track
where we can do improvements.
- Now, you mentioned youoffer a one-stop solution
(10:00):
to be able to do all of this,
and you mentioned a coupleof of different solutions
in your responses earlier.
So I want to learn a little bit more
about how NexAIoT is helping customers.
If you have any use cases or examples
that you could provide with us
or any additional information
about the solutions you want to share.
(10:21):
- Well basically, we candivide industrial computers
into three main categories.
One is smart meters and controllers,
to collect data from equipment locally.
Second is gateways, to collectdata from various controllers
and upload the collecteddata to the cloud.
And third is servers, tostore a huge amount of data.
NexAIoT provides all ofthe industrial equipment
(10:42):
that you may need for your solution.
And recently, we have been working
on many factory automationprojects in Taiwan.
As you may know, thegovernment has regulations,
regarding power consumptionand sustainability indicators.
One of the main KPIs
for the factory is the totalyearly power consumption.
Typically, factory applies
for a certain electricity capacity,
(11:03):
and pays for this accordingly.
At the end of the year, factory will have
to report the real powerconsumption numbers
to the government.
Ideally, the amount ofelectricity applied must be equal
to what that has beenused through the year.
If the value exceeds,
then the factory will have to pay fine.
If the value is lower than expected,
(11:24):
then the factory ends up paying extra
for the amount of electricitythat they do not need.
But the question from our clients is,
how can the factory managers know the KPI
for this factory facilityin the beginning?
When they're building your new factory,
they have to apply forthis, but how can they know?
(11:45):
How can the factory knows its baseline?
Typically, what we see isthat manufacturers will apply
for a higher power consumption limit,
and end up paying extrafor what they need.
But after installing ourautomation solutions,
smart meters in the factory,
a factory can estimate the baseline.
So they will apply for thisrequired amount of power limit
(12:07):
that they need.
And also we have another example.
One of our customers, analuminum manufacturer,
receives penalties fromthe government every year.
So they receive the fine every year.
But the problem is thatthe factory managers,
couldn't understand why.
What equipment is themost power-consuming?
How to know if the indicators are correct?
(12:30):
We see the differentelectric panels are connected
to the power meters,
so there is no way totrace the power consumption
of the whole system.
And after working with NexAIoT,
we installed our nDAS smart meters,
and the whole automation solution,
so we can see where the mainpower consumption is located,
(12:51):
and then do the systemadjustments to achieve the goal.
So after installing the solution,
they know which equipmentconsume the most energy,
so they can do the adjustment,
maybe turn off the equipmentwhen it's not in use.
After we achieve this goalto calculate the baseline,
the next goal is toachieve the government KPI,
(13:13):
is to lower the consumption by 1% yearly.
I'm not sure about practicesin other countries,
but in Taiwan, there isthe KPI for the factories.
So once you apply for a certain limit,
then every year, you will have
to reduce your power consumption by 1%.
But how to achieve this goal?
The factory manager will facethe problem of not knowing
what to turn off.
(13:35):
"Should I stop the production line
or turn off the AC system?"
If they don't have the automation solution
of the whole factory,
that will be very difficultfor them to achieve this KPI.
So for the customers,it's more cost-effective
to pay for what they're using,
and to know theirbaseline and their limit,
(13:55):
here we come to help them.
So we'll work with the factoryeither with a new factory
or with an old factorythat requires modernization
to modernize the equipment,
install all their requiredautomation solutions
and help them to tracetheir power consumption.
So basically, here, I wastalking about these two examples,
(14:18):
to give you a more clear pictureof the real-life examples
of how to work on green manufacturing,
because these practiceswill eventually lead you
to the green manufacturing.
Even if your greenmanufacturing was not your goal
in the beginning, but you just wanted
to achieve the government standard.
But slowly by adopting this practices,
(14:38):
by lowering down your powerconsumption by 1% each year,
companies will start
to adopt more and more greenmanufacturing practices,
for example, lower waste orlower water usage, and so on.
- Yeah, and that's not onlygreat for the manufacturer
but it's great for everyone.
It's amazing to hear howyou're helping these factories
(15:00):
because I think about conversations
we've had about smartsustainable buildings,
it's easy in an officebuilding to turn off lights,
to turn off some equipment whenthere's not a lot of people
in the office.
But in a manufacturing plant,
where you can't necessarily have downtime
and things are always running,
it makes things a littlebit more complicated.
And I'm just thinking aboutthat checklist you mentioned
in the beginning, all ofthe different opportunities
(15:23):
and things manufacturers can do
to become green manufacturers.
It sounds like they reallyneed a partner like NexAIoT
to make sense of it all,
and to really put them on the right path.
I am curious though,
because you mentioned earlier,some of the Intel technology
that you guys are using in these efforts
and these solutions.
And I should have mentioned"insight.tech Talk"
(15:44):
and insight.tech as a whole,we're sponsored by Intel,
but I'm curious how the right partnerships
for NexAIoT can helpprovide these solutions
that are really helpingthese manufacturers.
- Basically, NexAIoT solutions,
are based on Intel technologies
that has been used in factory automation
(16:05):
to bring unparalleledprecision, efficiency,
and flexibility tomanufacturing processes.
Of course we have other providers,
but Intel is our main partner.
The new generation of Intel CPU,
has a lot of enhanced features.
For example, real-time control,
TSN and TCC, whetherit's low power Intel Atom
or Celeron processors with TSN,
(16:25):
or high performance Intel Core processors,
delivering features including
Intel Time Coordinating Computing,
to reduce latency andprovide real-time control.
So this is very crucialin our applications.
We need real-time data tobe uploaded to the cloud,
and to do the calculationsand predictions.
It should be real-time, andIntel is helping on this.
(16:47):
The Intel processors alsosupport multi display outputs,
which allow them to workon different workloads,
at the same time, for better efficiency.
So the manager can see thescreen from different equipment
and monitor it.
And also the new generationof Intel computers,
like the Intel NPU,
as an accelerator integrated into Core,
(17:09):
Intel Core Ultra processors,
characterized by unique architecture,
comprising compute acceleration
and data transfer capability.
So Intel do the improvements,
so we can provide bettersolutions for our customers,
and we are very grateful tohave Intel as our partner
so we can achieve the automation projects
(17:31):
and bring our customers thebest solutions as we can.
- Yeah, and I thinkit's extremely important
as technology keeps changingand this space keeps moving
that working with Intel and NexAIoT,
both of you make it easy to scale
as flexible to add new capabilities,
(17:52):
to take advantage of new innovations
that are always coming out.
Seems like every day, every other week,
there's something newto take advantage of.
So on that note, I'm curious,
do you anticipate any additionaladvancements in this space
or how do you foreseethis technology evolving
and continuing to contribute
(18:13):
to that green manufacturinggoal you were talking about?
- Future advancements will focus
on reducing energy consumptionoptimizing resource usage,
and integrating moresustainable practices.
NexAIoT is looking at ways to use AI
to optimize factory operations,to achieve ESG goals,
and is also investigating the use of AI
(18:35):
to identify and mitigateproduction process bottlenecks.
In the coming future,
we're looking forward to seenot only GPU compatibility,
but also AI model optimization,
to provide the right solution for AI
to help carbon emission optimizations.
In the coming future,
we have prepared the AI systemthat is all Llama-based GPT
(18:57):
for manufacturers, CO2 management.
Our solution collectsdata directly and securely
from local NexDATA and can be updated
and uploaded to the customers locally.
Other advancements willinclude AI automation,
real-time training AI modelsto help water treatment plants,
and water recycling tocontrol air compressors.
(19:19):
So basically, what we areseeing is the AI usage
in industrial automation,
and we hope to see theirmodel improvements.
So the more data uploaded,the better AI models become.
And also another trend isAI model customization,
because you cannot use one AImodel for all the factories.
(19:40):
All the factories are different
and they require different procedure
and different data tracking.
So there will be a trendfor customized AI models
for the particular factory.
Whether their goal is toreduce power consumption
or to whether recycle or toreduce waste in the factory,
(20:01):
there will be more andmore customized AI models.
- Yeah, I can't wait to seehow else this base continues
to take off as thesetechnologies come out,
and it makes it easier for manufacturers
to take the path of green manufacturing.
You mentioned, you know,
some manufacturers just go on this path
(20:22):
because of the regulations out there,
but then they get allof the added benefits,
the cost, waste energy savings.
So I expect to see thisbecoming a bigger priority,
and I am excited to see
how else NexAIoT is goingto help manufacturers,
reach those goals.
Before we end ourconversation today, Anna,
is there any final thoughts
(20:43):
or key takeaways you wantto leave our listeners with?
- Sure, the incorporationof edge computing
and cloud technologies intomanufacturing processes aligns
with green manufacturing objectives,
by promoting resourceefficiency, reducing waste,
optimizing energy consumption,
and enhancing overall sustainability
in production operations.
There will undoubtedly bemany challenges along the way
(21:06):
as well as new possibilities.
This is to be expected and embraced.
Green manufacturing isnot just another solution,
it's a long-term journey
to continue improvingmanufacturing practices
for greater efficiency,sustainability, and profitability.
- Thank you, Anna.
I love how you said it.
It's a journey, there's no end game here.
(21:27):
Green manufacturing, there'salways going to be opportunities
and improvements.
So want to thank you againfor joining us on the podcast,
and thank you, NexAIoT.
I invite our listeners tovisit the NexAIoT website,
see how they can start helping you,
and get you on the pathto green manufacturing.
So thanks to our listeners
for listening and joining us today.
(21:48):
Until next time, it's beenthe "insight.tech Talk."
(bright upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
- Hello, and welcometo "insight.tech Talk"
where we explore the latest IoT, edge AI,
and network technologytrends and innovations.
As always, I'm yourhost, Christina Cardoza,
(00:22):
Editorial Director of insight.tech,
and today, I'm joined by Anna from NexAIoT
to talk about green manufacturing.
But before we get started,
Anna, welcome to the show.
What can you tell us aboutyourself and NexAIoT?
- Oh, hello everyone.
My name is Anna,
and I'm one of the productmanagers at NexAIoT.
My role is focusing onindustrial automation,
(00:44):
especially factoryautomation fanless systems.
And with over 10 years ofexperience in the IPC industry,
I've had the privilege of working
on many automation projects.
NexAIoT is committed
to delivering Industry 4.0 total solutions
to our clients globally.
And we are the leading companythat introduced innovations
(01:07):
in the industrial automation field.
Recently, we have been doinggreen manufacturing practices
in response to the newglobal ESG regulations.
Our strategy is tofocus on sustainability,
and this allows us tointegrate edge AI capabilities
which streamline processes
and reduce carbon footprints leading
(01:29):
to a more eco-friendly production models.
By leveraging the latestadvancements in AI technology,
particularly, with Intel Core innovations,
the company's enhancingoperation efficiency
and ensuring compliancewith evolving regulations.
These strategic directionspositions NexAIoT
as a significant contributor
to the shift towardsenvironmentally-friendly practices.
(01:53):
- Yeah, that's great to hear.
You know, especially inthis world of Industry 4.0,
all those tools and technologies
that you've been talkingabout automation, edge AI,
is something that is reallybeen important to manufacturers,
but as a result of that,
things have been becomingmore sustainable.
(02:13):
And it's interesting all the regulations
that you were talkingabout, we often don't think
of having manufacturing
or businesses have sustainable practices.
So that's sort of why I wanted
to start the conversation here today.
What does it mean when youtalk about green manufacturing?
What does it mean to bea green manufacturer?
And in addition to the regulations,
(02:34):
why is it important intoday's Industry 4.0 world?
- By adopting greener practices,
industries can mitigatetheir ecological footprint,
preserving ecosystems and biodiversity.
So let's talk about what does it mean
to be environmental friendly as a company?
First and foremost,
reducing power consumptionis the environmental
(02:55):
and fundamental aspect ofenvironmental conservation,
because excessive energy use contributes
to the depletion of natural resources,
and increased carbon emissions,
leading to climate changeand ecological degradation.
So the first step
in being an environmental-friendlymanufacturer is
to reduce your power consumption.
Second is the automated combustion control
(03:16):
that also helps to reduce emissions.
The third part of it is to minimize waste
and promote recycling, which means sorting
and recycling waste materials
in your factory using automation.
Fourth, sustainablesupply chain management
to track and manage commodities sourcing.
Fifth is the greenlogistics and transportation
(03:38):
which can be achieved by adoptinghybrid and green vehicles,
and autonomous or smart logistics systems.
And lastly, the last part
of the whole sustainabilityis worker safety,
to reduce the risk of accidentsand improves efficiency.
So basically, this five parts
that I mentioned before will lead
(03:58):
to a more sustainable practices.
- Yeah, I love that checklist.
It really is end-to-end inthe manufacturing operations,
and shows not only how important this is,
but all the different areasin a manufacturing plant
where you can start making these changes.
Obviously, you weretalking about automation,
in the beginning of your introduction,
(04:19):
you talked about edge AI.
So I'm just curious how canfactories meet that checklist?
What are the tools and technologies
that they should have in their tool set
to be able to start makingsome changes in these efforts?
- Okay, so before talkingabout tools and techniques,
it's important to mention
that many traditional manufacturers,
(04:40):
are facing the challenges,
that slow down the transitionstowards sustainability.
This problem includes the lackof networking capabilities
of old production equipment.
In complete production management systems,
low equipment utilization rates,
long product delivery times,
and insufficient information transparency.
NexAIoT provides completeIndustry 4.0 one-stop services
(05:02):
including industrial IoTand automation products,
customer system integration projects,
and consulting services
for building whole factorysmart manufacturing.
From all the above,
we start by hand print what we can design
and reduce carbon emissions,
and directly impact carbonfootprint accordingly.
Then we also have our NexDATA,
(05:24):
and NexWall as a platforms
for digitalization and visualization.
Once you collect data from the equipment,
you need the software to visualize it.
So here we also help our customers.
And finally, our automation team can help
to deploy the traceability solution
to the customer's digital transformation.
Not only increasing the company'sprofits by more than 50%,
(05:44):
but also laying the foundation
for future green manufacturingand smart factories.
So basically, here we're talking
about tools and equipment thatwill help us to collect data
from the bottom of the factory,from the production line,
upload it to the cloud, andvisualize the data for managers
(06:06):
to make the more strategic decisions,
and do the track of the data,
and also keep the data in the cloud,
so for future AI modeltraining and predictions.
So this is the wholeindustrial automation solution
that we can provide right now
(06:26):
in order to reduce thecarbon emission at least,
and also waste management.
- I want to dig deeper a little bit into
that industrial automation
and edge computing aspect of NexAIoT.
Because when we've beentalking about automation,
it's really been to improvebusiness operations,
(06:48):
speed up the factory,
make manual processes lesserror-prone, automated,
provide real-timeinsights, high performance,
but then in addition toall of these great benefits
that you're getting by implementing these,
it's also helping manufacturersbecome more sustainable.
So can you talk a littlebit about how these efforts
(07:09):
that they already have going on
or these transformationsthey're already making,
is just an easy path totheir sustainability efforts?
- Of course.
So to achieve green manufacturing,
all the equipment should be connected,
and the coverage of thecomputer networking,
might be close to 100%.
For example, an edge getawayfor analog inputs and outputs
(07:31):
and digital inputs andoutputs by our products,
which is called nDAS and nPAC can be used
as data collector as wellas edge monitoring devices.
So basically, they help tocollect all the information
from sensors and send it to the cloud.
And also, we have nice NISE series
which work on the variety
(07:51):
of Intel's platforms likeAtom, Celeron, Core i,
as a machine controllerautomation gateway.
Basically to redirect this data,
and also upload it to the cloud.
Edge controllers and AI-enabled,
and with more efficientconnectivity performance.
So more data and decisionmaking can be made
at the edge side for better communication
from machine to machine.
(08:13):
So once we establish machineto machine communication,
we can move to the next level,
while monitoring the operation status
of the entire factory equipment.
It'll also start researching ways
to reduce carbon emissions
and prepare for carbon tax policies.
In addition to cope with labor shortages
and improve production line efficiency,
warehouse management systemsand autonomous vehicles,
(08:36):
these technologies will beintroduced when building
or expanding new factories.
To implement AIoT as the edge computing,
traditional industrial automationis no longer OT devices
but data collectors andAI-enabled controllers
and more intelligent IoT devices.
So here's the core,
our industrial computersbasically will help
(08:58):
to collect data from the field,upload data to the cloud,
and visualize data for managers,
and further will help with AImodels to do some predictions.
- Great, and it sounds likethose industrial computers,
they're also helping yourcustomers be more energy efficient
(09:18):
and optimize their resources a bit better.
- Yeah, right now, the green manufacturing
and industrial sustainability focus a lot
on carbon emission reduction.
So basically, we need tomonitor the power consumption
in the first place, because this is
where the most waste come from.
If you consume too much power,
(09:40):
which is no needed for your factory,
this will lead to increased expenses,
and of course, not a verysustainable practices.
So we need to monitor every device,
we need to connectthem, monitor, and track
where we can do improvements.
- Now, you mentioned youoffer a one-stop solution
(10:00):
to be able to do all of this,
and you mentioned a coupleof of different solutions
in your responses earlier.
So I want to learn a little bit more
about how NexAIoT is helping customers.
If you have any use cases or examples
that you could provide with us
or any additional information
about the solutions you want to share.
(10:21):
- Well basically, we candivide industrial computers
into three main categories.
One is smart meters and controllers,
to collect data from equipment locally.
Second is gateways, to collectdata from various controllers
and upload the collecteddata to the cloud.
And third is servers, tostore a huge amount of data.
NexAIoT provides all ofthe industrial equipment
(10:42):
that you may need for your solution.
And recently, we have been working
on many factory automationprojects in Taiwan.
As you may know, thegovernment has regulations,
regarding power consumptionand sustainability indicators.
One of the main KPIs
for the factory is the totalyearly power consumption.
Typically, factory applies
for a certain electricity capacity,
(11:03):
and pays for this accordingly.
At the end of the year, factory will have
to report the real powerconsumption numbers
to the government.
Ideally, the amount ofelectricity applied must be equal
to what that has beenused through the year.
If the value exceeds,
then the factory will have to pay fine.
If the value is lower than expected,
(11:24):
then the factory ends up paying extra
for the amount of electricitythat they do not need.
But the question from our clients is,
how can the factory managers know the KPI
for this factory facilityin the beginning?
When they're building your new factory,
they have to apply forthis, but how can they know?
(11:45):
How can the factory knows its baseline?
Typically, what we see isthat manufacturers will apply
for a higher power consumption limit,
and end up paying extrafor what they need.
But after installing ourautomation solutions,
smart meters in the factory,
a factory can estimate the baseline.
So they will apply for thisrequired amount of power limit
(12:07):
that they need.
And also we have another example.
One of our customers, analuminum manufacturer,
receives penalties fromthe government every year.
So they receive the fine every year.
But the problem is thatthe factory managers,
couldn't understand why.
What equipment is themost power-consuming?
How to know if the indicators are correct?
(12:30):
We see the differentelectric panels are connected
to the power meters,
so there is no way totrace the power consumption
of the whole system.
And after working with NexAIoT,
we installed our nDAS smart meters,
and the whole automation solution,
so we can see where the mainpower consumption is located,
(12:51):
and then do the systemadjustments to achieve the goal.
So after installing the solution,
they know which equipmentconsume the most energy,
so they can do the adjustment,
maybe turn off the equipmentwhen it's not in use.
After we achieve this goalto calculate the baseline,
the next goal is toachieve the government KPI,
(13:13):
is to lower the consumption by 1% yearly.
I'm not sure about practicesin other countries,
but in Taiwan, there isthe KPI for the factories.
So once you apply for a certain limit,
then every year, you will have
to reduce your power consumption by 1%.
But how to achieve this goal?
The factory manager will facethe problem of not knowing
what to turn off.
(13:35):
"Should I stop the production line
or turn off the AC system?"
If they don't have the automation solution
of the whole factory,
that will be very difficultfor them to achieve this KPI.
So for the customers,it's more cost-effective
to pay for what they're using,
and to know theirbaseline and their limit,
(13:55):
here we come to help them.
So we'll work with the factoryeither with a new factory
or with an old factorythat requires modernization
to modernize the equipment,
install all their requiredautomation solutions
and help them to tracetheir power consumption.
So basically, here, I wastalking about these two examples,
(14:18):
to give you a more clear pictureof the real-life examples
of how to work on green manufacturing,
because these practiceswill eventually lead you
to the green manufacturing.
Even if your greenmanufacturing was not your goal
in the beginning, but you just wanted
to achieve the government standard.
But slowly by adopting this practices,
(14:38):
by lowering down your powerconsumption by 1% each year,
companies will start
to adopt more and more greenmanufacturing practices,
for example, lower waste orlower water usage, and so on.
- Yeah, and that's not onlygreat for the manufacturer
but it's great for everyone.
It's amazing to hear howyou're helping these factories
(15:00):
because I think about conversations
we've had about smartsustainable buildings,
it's easy in an officebuilding to turn off lights,
to turn off some equipment whenthere's not a lot of people
in the office.
But in a manufacturing plant,
where you can't necessarily have downtime
and things are always running,
it makes things a littlebit more complicated.
And I'm just thinking aboutthat checklist you mentioned
in the beginning, all ofthe different opportunities
(15:23):
and things manufacturers can do
to become green manufacturers.
It sounds like they reallyneed a partner like NexAIoT
to make sense of it all,
and to really put them on the right path.
I am curious though,
because you mentioned earlier,some of the Intel technology
that you guys are using in these efforts
and these solutions.
And I should have mentioned"insight.tech Talk"
(15:44):
and insight.tech as a whole,we're sponsored by Intel,
but I'm curious how the right partnerships
for NexAIoT can helpprovide these solutions
that are really helpingthese manufacturers.
- Basically, NexAIoT solutions,
are based on Intel technologies
that has been used in factory automation
(16:05):
to bring unparalleledprecision, efficiency,
and flexibility tomanufacturing processes.
Of course we have other providers,
but Intel is our main partner.
The new generation of Intel CPU,
has a lot of enhanced features.
For example, real-time control,
TSN and TCC, whetherit's low power Intel Atom
or Celeron processors with TSN,
(16:25):
or high performance Intel Core processors,
delivering features including
Intel Time Coordinating Computing,
to reduce latency andprovide real-time control.
So this is very crucialin our applications.
We need real-time data tobe uploaded to the cloud,
and to do the calculationsand predictions.
It should be real-time, andIntel is helping on this.
(16:47):
The Intel processors alsosupport multi display outputs,
which allow them to workon different workloads,
at the same time, for better efficiency.
So the manager can see thescreen from different equipment
and monitor it.
And also the new generationof Intel computers,
like the Intel NPU,
as an accelerator integrated into Core,
(17:09):
Intel Core Ultra processors,
characterized by unique architecture,
comprising compute acceleration
and data transfer capability.
So Intel do the improvements,
so we can provide bettersolutions for our customers,
and we are very grateful tohave Intel as our partner
so we can achieve the automation projects
(17:31):
and bring our customers thebest solutions as we can.
- Yeah, and I thinkit's extremely important
as technology keeps changingand this space keeps moving
that working with Intel and NexAIoT,
both of you make it easy to scale
as flexible to add new capabilities,
(17:52):
to take advantage of new innovations
that are always coming out.
Seems like every day, every other week,
there's something newto take advantage of.
So on that note, I'm curious,
do you anticipate any additionaladvancements in this space
or how do you foreseethis technology evolving
and continuing to contribute
(18:13):
to that green manufacturinggoal you were talking about?
- Future advancements will focus
on reducing energy consumptionoptimizing resource usage,
and integrating moresustainable practices.
NexAIoT is looking at ways to use AI
to optimize factory operations,to achieve ESG goals,
and is also investigating the use of AI
(18:35):
to identify and mitigateproduction process bottlenecks.
In the coming future,
we're looking forward to seenot only GPU compatibility,
but also AI model optimization,
to provide the right solution for AI
to help carbon emission optimizations.
In the coming future,
we have prepared the AI systemthat is all Llama-based GPT
(18:57):
for manufacturers, CO2 management.
Our solution collectsdata directly and securely
from local NexDATA and can be updated
and uploaded to the customers locally.
Other advancements willinclude AI automation,
real-time training AI modelsto help water treatment plants,
and water recycling tocontrol air compressors.
(19:19):
So basically, what we areseeing is the AI usage
in industrial automation,
and we hope to see theirmodel improvements.
So the more data uploaded,the better AI models become.
And also another trend isAI model customization,
because you cannot use one AImodel for all the factories.
(19:40):
All the factories are different
and they require different procedure
and different data tracking.
So there will be a trendfor customized AI models
for the particular factory.
Whether their goal is toreduce power consumption
or to whether recycle or toreduce waste in the factory,
(20:01):
there will be more andmore customized AI models.
- Yeah, I can't wait to seehow else this base continues
to take off as thesetechnologies come out,
and it makes it easier for manufacturers
to take the path of green manufacturing.
You mentioned, you know,
some manufacturers just go on this path
(20:22):
because of the regulations out there,
but then they get allof the added benefits,
the cost, waste energy savings.
So I expect to see thisbecoming a bigger priority,
and I am excited to see
how else NexAIoT is goingto help manufacturers,
reach those goals.
Before we end ourconversation today, Anna,
is there any final thoughts
(20:43):
or key takeaways you wantto leave our listeners with?
- Sure, the incorporationof edge computing
and cloud technologies intomanufacturing processes aligns
with green manufacturing objectives,
by promoting resourceefficiency, reducing waste,
optimizing energy consumption,
and enhancing overall sustainability
in production operations.
There will undoubtedly bemany challenges along the way
(21:06):
as well as new possibilities.
This is to be expected and embraced.
Green manufacturing isnot just another solution,
it's a long-term journey
to continue improvingmanufacturing practices
for greater efficiency,sustainability, and profitability.
- Thank you, Anna.
I love how you said it.
It's a journey, there's no end game here.
(21:27):
Green manufacturing, there'salways going to be opportunities
and improvements.
So want to thank you againfor joining us on the podcast,
and thank you, NexAIoT.
I invite our listeners tovisit the NexAIoT website,
see how they can start helping you,
and get you on the pathto green manufacturing.
So thanks to our listeners
for listening and joining us today.
(21:48):
Until next time, it's beenthe "insight.tech Talk."
(bright upbeat music)
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