How advanced is the digitalization of production facilities today?

The results of a new global study that we recently published provide an answer to this question. International companies and technology leaders were surveyed on the transformation of industry. 96% of participants consider digitalization to be essential for sustainability, but only 35% have already implemented industrial internet solutions on a large scale. Digitalization and connectivity play a major role in increasing efficiency. This is because digital solutions enable the secure collection of data, which in turn allows the entire system to be optimized. Take the smart sensor, for example, which can make a statement about the health of an engine. According to an EU study, savings in the order of magnitude of Sweden's energy consumption of around 150 TW can be achieved if systems are optimized with the help of data provided by smart sensors.

Production should become more sustainable. What role do energy-efficient drives play in this context?

Energy-efficient drives play a key role on the way to more sustainable production. Looking at a pump system, for example, the use of frequency inverters and energy-efficient IE4 or IE5 motors can save up to 50 percent of its energy consumption. The EU's current Ecodesign Directive is an effective means of selecting consumption-optimized solutions for the drive train thanks to the obligation to disclose efficiencies at various operating points. It now covers a significant proportion of all products on the market and therefore also energy consumption, and can therefore help to make the energy consumption of drive systems more efficient.

Is retrofitting a suitable approach to modernizing drive technology in industry, and where might it reach its limits?

This can be one approach. In individual cases, however, it is always an economic decision as to whether the existing drives should be replaced or modernized in order to bring them up to the latest state of the art. The ABB Ability Smart Sensor mentioned above is an interesting retrofit solution for motors. It can be used to retrofit almost all low-voltage electric motors and turns simple motors into intelligent components that report their maintenance requirements. This means that even older motors can benefit from the advantages of the industrial internet. Of course, retrofitting also has its limits, for example when spare parts become scarce or are no longer available. The software can also often be a limiting factor. Among other things, legal aspects can prevent a retrofit if new functions are to be integrated into existing software.