Using Machine Learning to Keep the Beer Flowing
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The world’s largest beer maker is using low-cost sensors and machine learning to predict when motors at a Colorado brewery might malfunction, reports The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 24, 2019). The Anheuser-Busch plant was the first among the company’s 350 beer facilities to test whether wireless sensors that can detect ultrasonic sounds—beyond the grasp of the human ear—can be analyzed to predict when machines need maintenance. “You can start hearing days in advance that something will go wrong, and you’ll know within hours when it’ll fail. It’s really, for us, very practical,” said the VP.
The installation at the brewery cost just $20,000. Since the system was deployed, it has predicted pending equipment failures and prevented unscheduled production-line halts, and more than $200,000 in product loss. (The Colorado plant employs 580 people and ships 225 truckloads of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beer brands each day).
Sensors have been used for predictive maintenance in the past, but they were unable to transmit information in real time. Advances in processing data at the edge of the network, referred to as edge computing, enable companies to collect and analyze real-time sensor data from machines. Machine learning refers to the subset of AI that allows computers to act “intelligently” without being explicitly programmed. Algorithms can increase the accuracy of predictions based on large amounts of historical and real-time sensor data.
Organizations that own wind turbines or jet engines are expected to save about $1 trillion a year as a result of predictive maintenance techniques. Sound-based predictive maintenance is becoming more important for companies, as there has been a wave of retirements among workers who were tasked with listening to machines to identify potential breakdowns. The price of internet-of-things sensors is expected to fall to 26 cents on average by 2024, from 46 cents in 2018.
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Siemens opens smart campus in Zug
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Next year, building technology will become a core element of the new operating company, Smart Infrastructure, and its global HQ will be in Zug
Siemens AG has inaugurated its new smart campus in the Swiss city of Zug. It is one of the first new building projects to use building information modelling (BIM) in its design and construction and is described as a “reference project” that illustrates the opportunities of digitalisation in building technology.
The Siemens Zug campus is the international headquarters of the Siemens Building Technologies (BT) Division. In 2019, building technology will become a core element of the new operating company, Smart Infrastructure (SI) and its global headquarters will also be in Zug. The seven-storey building features a new office building with 1,000 work spaces and a newly constructed production building.
Sustainability and energy efficiency
The campus complex is equipped with building automation, security and fire safety technology from Siemens BT. Particular emphasis was placed on sustainability and energy efficiency of the buildings. The office building meets the highest requirements of the LEED standard, earning it a Platinum certification; the production building meets the criteria for LEED Gold certification.
An integrated building automation system with energy optimisation based on the Desigo CC integrated building management platform controls the energy consumption and all the disciplines in the buildings.
Energy-efficient heat pumps use water from Lake Zug as a heat source and for direct cooling. The campus buildings do not need fossil fuels to generate energy. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are equipped with heat and cold recovery systems. Even the compressed air systems in production have an energy recovery system for water heating.
The buildings have green roofs, and the office building uses approximately 1,500 m3 of rainwater. A photovoltaic system on the roof of the production building will go into operation in the spring of 2019.
“A smart building is flexible, it learns from previous interactions and it continually adapts to the needs of building users, thus actively contributing to their success”
Matthias Rebellius, CEO of Siemens Building Technologies, called the campus a reference project that illustrates the opportunities of digitalisation in building technology, energy efficiency and future-oriented working. “A smart building is flexible, it learns from previous interactions and it continually adapts to the needs of building users, thus actively contributing to their success.”
Smart building company
Zug has been home to Siemens Building Technologies since 1998, when Siemens took over the industrial activities of Elektrowatt AG. “With our investments in research and development, we are using the opportunities of digitalisation to steadily evolve into a smart building company,” explained Rebellius.
“We offer a full range of building technologies for fire detection, security and automation solutions to optimise sustainability, total cost of ownership and the user experience in buildings. Smart buildings are based on comprehensive analytics and use of digital building data.”
Construction of the office and production buildings began in May 2016 and was completed in July 2018. The digital twin – a 3D model of the building, enhanced with technical information relevant for later operations – is the foundation for efficient, cost-optimized and forward-looking building management.
The campus also includes an existing office and production building, scheduled for modernisation in 2021. Beginning in late 2022 it will house the approximately 450 employees of BT research and development. The city of Zug is taking over the former Siemens office building.
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