COMMENT
The value of digitalisation in operational efficiency O ver the next couple of months, I need to travel from the far west of this planet, and then to the far east of this planet. and needs far less central processing for it to be useful in optimising, controlling and monitoring actual plant performance.
Naturally, I assume that the pilots are alive to the state of the planet and, in particular, that they are aware of what goes on in the ‘middle’ of the planet… This does get one thinking of auto pilots – and of brilliant old movie scenes. But enough of that. One of the topics in this month’s edition of Electricity + Control speaks to the evolution and digital transformation of industry. Of course, much of this has been ongoing over decades, and it reminds me again that it is helpful to distinguish between what some folk still insist on calling a revolution and what it seems most folk recognise as a transformative process. Industry 4.0, for instance, is not a revolution! It’s a process – slowly and steadily becoming more pervasive as we have witnessed over the past few decades. It can be thought of in much the same way as we used to think about energy eiciency. I recall when in this magazine we first highlighted the growing importance of energy eiciency, few in the industry then had the insight to appreciate the various pressures that were building – from the true cost of energy to why it was important to use less simply as a principle aligned to the survival of the species. One day you wake up and everything has changed! The plant’s processes no longer rely on analogue signals, and the processing power for the plant is distributed all over the place – it is no longer in one humming box with a heat haze surrounding it. Intelligence has become distributed to the point where even sensors have significant computing power, and the transmission of data has almost been replaced with the transmission of information. Information is processed data
I am aware that not all industry has been digitally transformed. But as you prepare for the journey, make sure you do not think of the process as any kind of a revolution! Revolutions are generally surprising, and generally people get hurt during them. I accept that some folk may well have been surprised by the transition from analogue to digital – and now to even more exciting intelligence-based systems – but the fear of getting hurt can be somewhat o-putting. As a heads up: many industries only realised the importance of focusing on energy eiciency when the cost of energy began to escalate. That is, frankly, too late. But it is true that increased costs of production are a very strong motivation to rethink the way you operate. Simply, the need for digital transformation in all operations is critical when you consider the costs of production – and the costs of having useful information on which you can base decisions to optimise your processes. Now is the time to consider what you might be missing by not looking at the next key steps to optimise your business and your plant. It is worth noting that progressive digital transformation can link every process in your business together – allowing for seamless sharing of information across the various activities. Later we will consider the impact of artificial intelligence…
Bearings International supplies premium pump solutions designed to enhance eiciency and performance in industrial operations.
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Editor: Leigh Darroll Business Development Manager: Angela Devenish Design & Layout: Katlego Montsho Circulation: Karen Smith Technical Editorial Consultant: Ian Jandrell
Publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis Managing Director: Karen Grant
Total audited circulation Quarter 4 (October-December) 2025: 7 176
Published monthly by: Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd Cnr Theunis and Sovereign Sts, Bedford Gardens, PO Box 140, Bedfordview 2008 Printed by: Tandym Print Telephone: +27 (0) 11 622 4770
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Electricity+Control is supported by
Ian Jandrell PrEng IntPE(SA), BSc(Eng) GDE PhD, FSAAE FSAIEE SMIEEE
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor, SAAEs, SAEE, CESA or the Copper Development Association Africa
MAY 2026 Electricity + Control
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