IT in Manufacturing


Predictive asset performance management with ABB Ability Genix

November 2024 IT in Manufacturing

In today’s industrial processes, assets are fundamental to keeping the production cycle going, avoiding unplanned shutdowns and ensuring strategic business outcomes. Managing and maintaining these assets dictates the efficiency of industrial operations and meeting customer needs. With digitalisation, asset performance management (APM) is moving away from traditional time-based maintenance approaches, which can lead to high costs, low output, unplanned work, safety risks, environmental damage, regulatory issues and energy inefficiencies.

The ABB Ability Genix APM suite is a comprehensive asset management platform powered by AI, IIoT and model-based predictive data analytics. This enables a paradigm shift towards a more proactive and predictive asset management approach.

Maximising performance, minimising failures

Data is at the heart of APM. Access to data on operational systems (OT), information technology (IT), and engineering technology (ET) is helping industries such as oil and gas, refining, and power generation to monitor their critical assets proactively.

By applying this data-driven approach, the Genix APM suite leverages advanced analytics and predictive algorithms. It provides insights into asset health, identifies potential issues or failures, and recommends proactive measures to avert unplanned downtime, thereby establishing a culture of reliability.


Charles Blackbeard, business development manager, ABB Ability Digital Solutions.

Furthermore, it reduces maintenance costs and wastage, optimises energy usage and helps enterprises meet their business and sustainability targets. It also engenders greater confidence among plant operators to act proactively based on actionable insights in order to avoid production incidents.

Lack of visibility across assets can give rise to risk exposure and potential costs. The Genix APM suite begins with an initial event – such as a process upset or asset degradation – that triggers the implementation of protective measures to prevent further failures. These measures start with rules-based monitoring, ranging from simple sensor alerts to more complex conditional statements based on multiple sensors.

Genix APM also includes various risk and predictive analysis models. These include Predictive System and Analytics, which integrates technologies into a unified APM solution for the process automation industry, while facilitating predictive maintenance by contextualising OT, ET and IT data.

Furthermore, Genix APM goes beyond routine-based predictive maintenance schedules and equipment condition monitoring while giving role-specific actionable insights, thereby helping tactical decision making. Efficient asset maintenance based on real-time data reduces maintenance costs by more than 15% and downtime in industrial contexts by more than 5%.

Ensuring safety and higher productivity

Genix APM plays a key role in ensuring safety and helping reduce energy usage by providing data on asset utilisation and enabling plant operators to prioritise and optimise productivity. It has been implemented across various industries worldwide.

Norwegian oil and gas producer OKEA has a MoU with ABB to deploy digital solutions that help drive smarter, safer and sustainable operations. As part of the MoU, signed in 2019, OKEA has been leveraging ABB’s digital offerings, including APM.

Strong domain expertise

ABB is a pioneer in automation, electrification and digital solutions, and is making a world of difference in enhancing asset performance and extending asset lifespan. In July 2024, ABB was recognised as a leading provider of APM solutions based upon the Genix suite, by Verdantix. This research firm, which evaluates software suppliers across 18 capability areas and nine strategic success factors, placed ABB in the Leaders quadrant for its advanced functionality and strategic advantages offered by its solutions.

As production processes become more complex, evolving towards a more proactive and predictive APM is welcome; and collaborating with a leading solution provider like ABB will help achieve operational excellence and optimise productivity.

For more information contact ABB South Africa, +27 10 202 5105, [email protected], www.abb.com/za


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Development of motor control units for automotive industry
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
SEDEMAC has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software, which is used in the development of its motor control units and engine control units. The motor control units are used in EVs, hybrids, ebikes and power tools, while the engine control units are used for off-road and on-road engines.

Read more...
Cybersecurity and cyber resilience – the integrated components of a robust cyber risk management strategy
IT in Manufacturing
Organisations continuously face numerous cyberthreats in today’s digital landscape, and while many prioritise cybersecurity to safeguard digital assets, their strategies for cyber resilience often become neglected.

Read more...
Sustainable last-mile delivery electric trucks
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Workhorse Group, an American technology company focused on pioneering the transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industrial software as it builds electric trucks for sustainable last-mile delivery.

Read more...
ABB updates distributed control system
ABB South Africa PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Leveraging 30 years of continuous innovation and reliability, ABB’s updated Freelance 2024 distributed control system (DCS) offers greater plant adaptability, faster and more reliable device communication, improved system security, and seamless data exchange.

Read more...
South Africa’s role in the AGI revolution
IT in Manufacturing
AI has found its way into general conversation after the emergence of large language models like ChatGPT. However, the discussion is increasingly turning to the search for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which could entirely change the game.

Read more...
Intelligent automation primed for $47 billion revenue by 2030
IT in Manufacturing
According to GlobalData, the intelligent automation market is set to grow from $18 billion in 2023 to $47 billion in 2030, driven by advancements in AI, particularly the rapid adoption of generative AI.

Read more...
Chocolate manufacturing with Siemens Xcelerator
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Freybadi, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in Indonesia and a trusted supplier of chocolate in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and African regions, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to optimise its manufacturing and production processes.

Read more...
A CFO’s guide to unlocking the potential of gen AI
IT in Manufacturing
CFOs of leading global organisations understand that their role extends beyond mere financial oversight; they are pivotal in steering organisation-wide transformation, particularly in the realm of technological advancement.

Read more...
Higher level cybersecurity certification for Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT NMC3 platform has obtained a new and higher level of cybersecurity certification, making it the first data centre infrastructure management network card to achieve SL2) designation from IEC.

Read more...
Industrial automation edge AI
Vepac Electronics IT in Manufacturing
Teguar, a leading provider of industrial computer solutions, has announced an innovative partnership with Hailo, an AI chip maker renowned for its high-performance edge AI accelerators. This marks a significant step forward in Teguar’s mission to provide powerful and reliable computing solutions for a wide range of industries.

Read more...