“The benefits of automation are multi-faceted in this industry. Our fully automatic systems allow for the entire process to be carried out with minimal human contact”, Christian Ferman, Senior Electrical Engineer and Project Manager, Granco Clark.

Christian Ferman is a Senior Electrical Engineer and Project Manager with 11 years’ experience in the design of control systems, embedded systems and safety systems for Granco Clark. A graduate from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Christian is also a certified Safety Engineer with a CMSE accreditation.

AlCircle: How Industry 4.0 has changed the dynamics of the aluminium extrusion industry?

Christian Ferman: Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the industry for personnel at every level of the process. 

Maintenance staff can now take advantage of predictive analytics that uses sensor and process data. This allows Granco Clark equipment to notify them of potential process or equipment failures before they happen.

Production engineers have access to more process and equipment data than ever before. Granco Clark systems archive and analyse this data, then present it to engineers in a graphical or table-based summary. This allows extruders to optimize their process to a level not previously possible without extensive manual data collection and analysis.

Management staff can now check on the status of any given facility, production line, or even individual equipment from a smartphone, tablet, or PC. Granco Clark systems now feature apps that a customer can use to access this data globally if they choose.

AlCircle: How is the acceptance of Smart Manufacturing in the global aluminium sector?

Christian Ferman: Smart Manufacturing is becoming a “must-have”. The drive to collect and analyse process and equipment data continues to increase as extruders strive to provide the highest quality products in their market.

AlCircle: What is the role Granco Clark playing to navigate the aluminium sector towards the adaption of Industry 4.0?

Christian Ferman: Granco Clark is working alongside our customers and partners in the aluminium industry to tailor industry 4.0 solutions to both the industry itself, and the needs of individual customers. The benefits of which speak for themselves.

AlCircle: Can you elaborate on the vital investments Granco Clark is planning concerning Industry 4.0?

Christian Ferman: We are investing heavily in providing an Industry 4.0 solution to the aluminium industry. Using data from sensor communication protocols such as IO-Link, we are collecting valuable diagnostic data of all sensing devices in real-time. Process data is constantly being monitored, with alert systems to notify personnel of any deviation using a variety of platforms. These include push notifications via text messages and in-app messaging with visual notifications. We are continuously improving the development of our Supervisory Control System (SCS) to archive and analyse this data. 

With the development of our mobile applications, the resultant analysis is easily accessible using any device. This allows production, quality, and management personnel greater insight into the process, confidence in quality, with tracing and accountability for every step of that process anywhere in the world.

Granco Clark is taking Industry 4.0 into account at every step in our process. We continue to look for more ways to gather and provide data to the customer with every new design.

AlCircle: Automation and Robotics is the new game-changer for improving efficiency, productivity in the aluminium industry. What is your assessment of this factor?

Christian Ferman: The benefits of automation are multi-faceted in this industry. Automation provides not only increased productivity and higher quality product but also creates a safer work environment by limiting human exposure to the many hazardous conditions within the process. Granco Clark’s fully automatic systems allow for the entire process to be carried out with minimal human contact. In cases where manual intervention is required, our safety systems provide the safest environment possible when a human must interact with the equipment.

The level of automation in Granco Clark systems provide the industry with the opportunity for increased output, at a higher quality, in a safer environment, while doing all of this with lower production costs. 

AlCircle: What according to you are the key benefits the global aluminium value chain is gaining from Industry 4.0?

Christian Ferman: The key benefits:

• Increased traceability for every step in the chain.
• More transparency in the process, resulting in:
• Greater efficiency
• Increased quality
• Less downtime
• Safer environments
• Access to critical process data quickly, allows for faster innovation of products, expanding the opportunities of the aluminium market.
• The ability to track any discrepancies in the process the may impact product quality, and to quickly perform root-cause analysis to correct said discrepancies. 

AlCircle: Has the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the Industry 4.0 movement? Please detail us.

Christian Ferman: COVID-19 has forced fundamental changes in human interaction across every industry, although Granco Clark recognized the value of Industry 4.0 and began development pre-pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to be a global issue, it has never been more important for the industry to maintain vital production at pre-pandemic levels, with far less direct human interaction. This has definitely pushed Granco Clark and our partners in aluminium to focus our efforts on a quality smart manufacturing system that provides the benefits of the Industry 4.0 movement.