AAS: Digital twins are sustainable What does the administration shell do for resource efficiency in production?
Working with digital twins as part of Manufacturing X has the potential to make production more efficient and sustainable
Brief summary
Climate and resource protection span the entire value chain of companies – from raw material procurement and production to logistics and disposal. Each individual step generates data that ultimately influences the calculation of carbon footprints. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) provides the framework for consistent and efficient work here.
The Asset Administration Shell picks up the pace
Sustainability along the entire value chain: Why do we need a standardized data space? When considering Scope 3 ESG targets, it becomes clear that manufacturing companies cannot report just their own CO₂ figures.
No matter how efficient internal processes and production processes may be, the environmental data of purchased raw materials and semi-finished products is also included in the calculation. Standardized data spaces and interfaces are necessary to ensure that data acquisition is as simple as possible and can be automated where appropriate. The Asset Administration Shell has the potential to determine KPIs and product master data much faster.
Stefan Schnake describes the AAS “as a real game changer for asset integration into higher-level systems”
Faster integration into higher-level systems
The ASS does not only work externally. It can also be used for internal processes within the value chain for sustainable efficiency improvements. Standardized software structure for digital twins in a complete package with standardized software interfaces: A look at Phoenix Contact’s electronics production facility in Bad Pyrmont, Lower Saxony, illustrates the advantages of the AAS. The aim here is to manage internal assets holistically over their lifecycle. “We see the AAS as a real game changer for asset integration into higher-level systems,” says Stefan Schnake.
As Manager Manufacturing Data Support at Phoenix Contact, he is primarily concerned with the time required to create data points. To give you an idea, the Bad Pyrmont site, with its 70,000 m² of floor space, has around 66,500 such data points in the building alone. In addition, there are a further 10,000 data points from the 350 production lines. In Bad Pyrmont, buildings and production have long been considered together with a view to greater sustainability. This statement carries even more weight given that Phoenix Contact is clearly committed to sector coupling by paving the way for an All Electric Society.
When assets exchange their data with each other in a standardized way, it becomes much easier to identify correlations in production
More information for greater efficiency
In the context of sector coupling, for example, buildings no longer just provide a roof over your head. With the installation of photovoltaic systems on commercial properties, buildings are now also supplying renewable energy. This has led to an increase in digitalized systems – with the aim of networking. This requires information about actual conditions and transparency regarding dependencies in order to optimize the overall energy efficiency of a production site. To illustrate this, Stefan Schnake cites unplanned shift cancellations, which Facility Management does not necessarily have to be aware of, even though such information would be important for efficient building operation.
Sensors can detect this change in planned operation if, for example, no movement is detectable in hall areas due to the absence of personnel or if parts of the system are simply stationary. If, in such a case, building automation automatically receives knowledge about the technology, it can condition the area differently. “In this specific example, we are saving around 500 kWh, which is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of a two-person household for one quarter of the year, or 200 kg of CO₂,” says Stefan Schnake, looking back on a real scenario in October 2023.
When striving to achieve greater digitalization, it can be helpful to depict spatial correlations in a tangible way, for example, using Lego bricks
Faster integration of data points
But how many sensors are necessary for meaningful digitalization? How much does the digital upgrade of existing buildings and production facilities cost? Without technical assistance, Stefan Schnake estimates half an hour of work per data point. For the buildings at the Bad Pyrmont site, it would take a period of 18 years if a human handled the task. The example calculation is based on a working week of just under 40 hours.
If integration could be reduced to one minute, the time period would be half a year. This one minute is realistic if the devices in an automation or building management system have an open, standardized environment for data exchange. By now, it should be clear why the AAS is so important for orchestrating all the devices at a site. According to Stefan Schnake, asset management and the integration of data points into building automation are among the major challenges for fully digitalized factories.
AAS also for the environmental footprint
Similar mechanisms also apply when calculating environmental footprints. Reliable figures can only be determined if all influencing factors are taken into account. If the AAS is used for this, the information contained in a data container can be used directly. Phoenix Contact uses this structure of environmental data to determine its Product Environmental Footprint, or PEF for short. The environmental footprint helps to analyze the emissions of the individual phases of the overall process. This approach helps to address and focus on the necessary measures and projects for greater sustainability throughout the entire value chain. This results in a reduction in the environmental footprint with positive effects on the environmental indicators it includes.
Summary
This brief insight into production shows how efficiency measures can be implemented more quickly and effectively with the help of standardized data spaces. Working with the administration shell leads to better understanding and optimization of the overall context within an All Electric Society. To achieve this, it is necessary to record and integrate data points and KPIs more efficiently, i.e., more quickly.
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