New technologies and models to speed up processes and digitalize the chemical and plastics industry

The ongoing development of industry has been inevitably tied in with technology for some years now, technology designed to improve results, bring in new business models and introduce new future-making trends. We are living through dizzying, dynamic, constantly transforming times in which flexible, modular and versatile production techniques come together with human experience and automation, as well as cybersystems and groundbreaking technologies to replace static, sequential production systems.

At ChemPlast Expo, Miguel Hormigo, Industry Manager of GMV’s Secure e-Solutions sector, gave a brief account of the impact of the first industrial revolution and its similarities with what we have come to call Industry 4.0. His speech in this industrial tradefair, which brings together the most trailblazing solutions in materials, technologies, processes and machinery for the chemical and plastics industry, focused on the convergence, personalization and technology that have been fundamental in carrying through this new digital transformation. Looking to the future, he dwelt on figures like the number of worldwide IoT connections, which soared from 14.87 billion in 2016 to 36.13 billion in 2021, also citing collaborative robots, which are expected to increase from 58,000 sales in 2018 to an estimated 150,000 by 2020.

As for GMV, Hormigo talked about technological automation, digitalization and cybersecurity projects now underway in industrial processes, where, it should not be forgotten, the human factor will always be crucial to success. He likewise quoted VirtualPAC, a groundbreaking PLC-deployed solution for virtualizing control processes so that they can be dynamically changed, deployed and operated remotely to improve processes or solve any defects, all without needing to shut down maintenance in the plant.

Hormigo’s cue was taken up by Ángel C. Lázaro, Industry Business Partner of GMV’s Secure e-Solutions sector, who gave the company’s view of digitalization processes within Industry 4.0, setting out some examples of implementing and commissioning production-improvement and -streamlining projects linked to Lean 4.0. This management model allows groundbreaking and disruptive uses of technology to favor more efficient industry with a built-in flexibility for adaptation to suit real market needs. A good example is the use of artificial intelligence together with Big Data and cloud infrastructure to use data from various sources and thus achieve a predictive, demand-adjusted and stock-trimming production process.

This year’s ChemPlast Expo announced the winners of the second ChemPlast Awards. This award scheme hails the best industry-innovation and Industry 4.0-implementing projects to boost industry’s competitiveness and output. During the ceremony Dow Chemical Ibérica received from Miguel Hormigo the “GMV Prize” for the best entrepreneurial initiative to tackle industry’s revolution challenge, praising the security robotics initiative in Dow Tarragona.