“We are seeing an increased demand for predictive maintenance”

Philipp Strauch, Sales Director DACH - Isolation & Pressure Management Valves at Emerson, and Volker Buchta, Sales Director DACH Flow Controls at Emerson, talk in an exclusive interview with Industrial Valves about Boundless Automation and the future plans of the company.

Intelligent devices in the field are becoming increasingly important in modern automation systems. In your opinion, what role do smart fittings play today and what must they be able to do?

Volker Buchta: First of all, I have to say that I think the term “smart fittings” is very broad. When is a fitting smart? And when is it not? It is certainly the case that users want to operate their systems safely. To do this, they need valves plus positioners that are able to collect and analyze the necessary data and make it available to the operator so that the user can react to faults at an early stage. We at Emerson have been doing this for around 30 years with our digital positioners, which helps to ensure that users have to jump over as few hurdles as possible. Because demand is definitely not decreasing.

Production safety is certainly an important aspect. But does the combination of valves and automation also lead to greater efficiency?

Philipp Strauch: The efficiency of the systems and system availability can definitely be improved. If I can proactively detect faults and then carry out maintenance or repairs at an early stage before a potential failure, then that is a huge competitive advantage. This is the path we should take in the coming years. Germany in particular, which is currently struggling with a difficult market environment, must continue to develop in this direction. We have to think about it: What protocols do we need? What security do we want? How can which devices be read out? Recently, our engineering teams have therefore increasingly been making on-site visits to customers to answer precisely these questions. After all, automation has to meet a number of requirements.

Volker Buchta: But that doesn’t just affect the fittings. If the pipe in a system is whistling or steam is escaping somewhere, it is usually too late, and a leak has already occurred. To prevent this from happening, we have appropriate sensor products in our portfolio - and at the end of the day, intelligent devices too. These sensors help you to do the right thing and not wait until it’s too late. Today, everything is no longer just about shutting off, securing and regulating, but the valve can also provide additional support to send maintenance specialists on their way at an early stage.

However, these intelligent devices first have to be installed in the systems. So, when it comes to purchasing new fittings, do you talk to purchasing departments, who are more concerned with the price, or with the system operator, who has to keep an eye on the entire lifecycle?

Philipp Strauch: It always depends on the area of application. Let’s take the example of a system where safety valve technology with sound sensors is used. If the safety valve leaks here and there is a loss of media, the worst-case scenario is that a lot of damage can occur. So, we can easily calculate for the system operator how quickly a return on investment is achieved. It is precisely in these areas of application that we are seeing an increased demand for predictive maintenance.

Do you offer the fitting and sensor directly as a set?

Philipp Strauch: Exactly! It’s an alternative offer where we tell customers that they can also add a sensor. This gives them the opportunity to receive direct feedback from the fitting for years to come. They can even integrate it into their own WirelessHART system. We want our customers to know that we have the appropriate options and are prepared.

Volker Buchta: But it would be far too short-sighted to focus solely on the price. You really have to turn the wheel a little further or tell the story a little bigger. If, at the end of the day, it may cost a few euros more, but the return on investment is much greater, the decision should be clear. It’s not just about thinking about today, but also about keeping an eye on the future. That’s why users should consider “Boundless Automation” at an early stage.

Automation systems are becoming increasingly open to opensource software and decentralized software-centric control systems. Rigid monolithic control systems are a thing of the past. How does this trend affect the connected valves and actuators?

Philipp Strauch: Here, too, it depends on the industry. The numerous open-source codes and open source programs are important for making progress and developing good ideas. Nevertheless, at the end of the day you have to agree on certain protocols or, more generally speaking, guard rails. This applies not only to reading out data, but also to controlling the system. Irrespective of this, the safety of all persons involved must be guaranteed at all times, so that stringent rules are ultimately necessary.

Artificial intelligence is on everyone’s lips at the moment. Is it possible for an AI to control the devices in Emerson’s DeltaV process control system?

Philipp Strauch: As our Chief Technology Officer at Emerson always likes to say, “automation applications were AI before AI was cool“. In recent years, generative AI and large language models have been getting a lot of attention, but tools like advanced process control and model predictive control are numerical forms of AI that we have been using with the DeltaV DCS for decades. In the last few years alone, machine learning algorithms that we use for diagnosis of equipment and process control have dramatically grown in capacity and capability. Today, many of these tools can make recommendations to provide operators and technicians with real-time decision support, combining analytics and engineering expertise to deliver actionable insights for locking in best practices, reducing complexity, and enabling faster decision making. Down the road, we see a potential future where those decision support tools can be coupled with the large language models and generative AI that are surging in popularity today to make existing AI tools even more user friendly and intuitive. AI’s not new, it’s just changing.

Especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers, this is becoming increasingly important.

Volker Buchta: Exactly! And it means that you move away from regular maintenance and instead act when it becomes necessary, and the system responds. Studying pages of presentations or instructions will also no longer be necessary in the short or long term.

Does the DeltaV system learn from customer X during an integration in order to then improve it for customer Y?

Philipp Strauch: Yes, it does. Services in DeltaV are used to analyze the old system backup files and provide detailed information and documentation. The results include improved application visibility, quote accuracy and technical efficiency. The advantage is that if the documentation is missing or unreliable, the system already analyzes what exactly is running in the controllers. Analysis results complement the basis for the design of a new automation system. Intellectual property that still has value can be transferred to a new system. To enable this, data is provided and an automated import of the basic configuration into the DeltaV system. This compresses the project schedule and ensures an error-free transition.

How has the level of automation in the plants changed?

Philipp Strauch: When I started at Emerson in Mönchengladbach in 2013, we had around 30% automation. This has since changed so much that we are currently at around 70 percent. However, many projects do not involve the complete automation of a system. Customers often approach us and specify process parameters, for example, within a certain closing time. This is a trend that will continue.

What other innovations can we expect from Emerson this year?

Volker Buchta: Emerson’s Flow Controls in Germany is used in many areas of application with its control valve systems. We have a particularly strong presence in the large power plant sector, but the market is changing with the transformation in energy generation in Germany. This needs to be cushioned, which is why we are now turning our attention to the German chemical and process industry. We see great potential here. Our latest product, the “Sempell 181” is a valve including product management, engineering, supply chain, delivery and assembly from Germany, specifically for the chemical and process industry. The prototype has already been created and all further steps are now underway, including qualification in cooperation with the NAMUR working group. We definitely want to play a more relevant role in this area.