"People will stop performing routine operations and start training robotic assistants"

The IEK HOLDING Group of domestic electrotechnical companies (IEK Group) integrates the assets of the French Legrand, which left the Russian market, into its structure. This is part of IEK's strategy to integrate both its own and acquired brands into one ecosystem. The solution will contribute, among other things, to further automation and digitalization of the group's processes. Izvestia discussed with IEK CEO Andrey Zabelin why this is necessary, what the Energy 5.0 concept and the fifth Industrial Revolution are, as well as how new technologies are changing the approach to modern production.

— What is the concept of "Energy 5.0" and how is it related to the digitalization of production?

— "Energy 5.0" is one of the directions of the fifth industrial revolution ("Industry 5.0"), which is already partially manifested in the field of automation of certain systems. These concepts are inextricably linked. And it's not just about concepts and terms: the organization and implementation of smart industries, digital counterparts of enterprises, artificial intelligence and robotics are aimed at improving the efficiency of various processes.

Such decisions have an impact not only on reducing costs, but also on changing patterns of work in enterprises. That is, various mechanics today make it possible to reduce the participation of people in production cycles, effectively redistribute and manage energy resources, and increase the environmental friendliness of production.

Such technologies will certainly affect the development of society and lead to a rethinking of the human role in production. People will stop performing routine operations and start training robotic assistants, which will make it possible to better use the accumulated and processed data for new technological discoveries. And this, in turn, will improve the quality of life.

— What domestic electrical engineering solutions are contributing to the digital transformation of production and infrastructure today? And what technologies do they use?

— We can say that the introduction of new electrical engineering solutions increases the level of digitalization. For example, the use of smart metering devices and lighting control systems is inextricably linked to the overall modernization of infrastructure.

IEK is actively investing in the production of intelligent equipment that seamlessly integrates into automated infrastructure systems. This allows you to use the accumulated data for their subsequent analysis and creation of recommendation systems.

A series of new ARMAT air circuit breakers can be attributed to similar types of equipment. They have been successfully tested by our partners and allow us to transfer information to common automation systems.

— Are you developing only individual devices?

— Not only that, but we also create comprehensive solutions. This year, we launched a pilot of a new software and hardware complex (PAK) to monitor the efficiency of the discrete equipment fleet at one of the production facilities for processing rock.

The complex includes ONI industrial PLC, IEK electrical equipment and our technological software platform IEK IIoT Platform. The development of the PAK is an energy efficiency improvement system developed by our team of specialists in the field of automatic control and machine learning.

This combination of hardware and software makes it possible to create an efficient ecosystem for optimizing energy consumption and increasing the productivity of industrial processes. This is a young direction, but in the current transitional processes of the fifth industrial revolution, we observe a steady vector of development of this market.

— Are there any successful examples of the implementation of these technologies?

— There are enough of them in the world and in Russia. Mercedes-Benz's robotic autonomous production is already effectively controlled by artificial intelligence, processing huge data streams on all production lines, inventories, raw materials and logistics processes.

In Russia, for example, one of the largest truck manufacturers uses AI to optimize production processes, forecast demand and manage supply chains, and implements machine vision systems for assembly quality control.

We are also introducing intelligent systems in our factories, which allows us to reduce production costs and increase the volume of products.

— How is industrial automation changing approaches to managing production processes?

— Industrial automation transforms the management of production processes. It increases the efficiency of technological operations and the manageability of production by constantly collecting and processing information.

This, in turn, allows you to analyze the resources used and make adjustments to the operating modes of the equipment. As a result, systems become more flexible, as it is possible to track weak links in production chains.

In addition, automated systems ensure high safety, reduce the number of incidents and accidents, and improve the environmental performance of facilities.

— How are customer requirements for integrated electrical engineering and industrial automation solutions changing?

— Today, requirements are formed not only by customers. Government regulation of the industrial automation sector also plays an important role.

Now it is necessary to create complex trusted software and hardware platforms that must be localized, but still contain a certain percentage of Russian electronic components in accordance with Russian Government Decree No. 719 of July 17, 2015.

Similar requirements apply to the software of these complexes: in addition to being included in the register of domestic software, it must comply with the requirements of the FSTEC in accordance with government Decree No. 1912 dated November 14, 2023.

In addition, the industrial automation market is actively developing. The phase of harmonization of the ideology of OPAS ("open process automation standard" or "open process automation standard") in accordance with Russian rules is already underway. The principles of openness and portability of industrial systems also impose certain requirements on manufacturers. We take this into account when developing solutions, as well as actively participate in working groups and help customers develop new standards.

— Which industries are most actively implementing new technologies?

— In my opinion, MMM (the industry of mining, processing and processing of minerals and minerals) and the fuel and energy complex. But the introduction of new technologies is taking place in all industries, as improving the quality and volume of products, reducing production costs and improving service are inextricably linked to this process.

— How does energy management change the infrastructure of enterprises under the new rules?

— It can already be seen that the main direction of digitalization within the framework of Energia 5.0 will be the creation of distributed corporate ecosystems. They will combine various field devices and connect machine fleets, and therefore all electricity consumers, both in individual workshops and in entire factories.

The systems will be in a state of constant exchange of large amounts of data processed using the cloud. Operators and company management will receive ready-made recommendations on optimizing the operation of each individual machine, as well as the fleet of machines within the workshop and enterprise, based on predictive models.

— How can the development of digital technologies affect the future of production, energy and infrastructure in the country?

— The introduction of industrial neural networks will minimize the impact of human errors: the impact will be carried out directly, bypassing physical controls, through dispatching and control systems such as our MasterSCADA 4D.

Currently, the country is experiencing rapid growth in the development of its own element base for building such systems, as well as new algorithms for creating new-generation industrial software.

— What problems arise and how are they solved?

— The entire market is experiencing a shortage of personnel, and it is very important to involve domestic vendors such as IEK Group in the process of training specialists with the necessary qualifications. For example, we have cooperation programs with educational institutions of various levels, as well as our own academy with an extensive array of teaching materials.

In addition, there is also the problem of standardization and unification, without which building ecosystems becomes a difficult task. End customers are tired of the "zoo" of solutions — the systems need to be brought to a single denominator.

Work in this area is very important, and we will actively participate in such groups, sharing our experience in development and implementation, on the basis of which we can already confidently talk about the need to adopt certain standards. Energia 5.0 is another step towards building a stable, strong and highly efficient economy.