It is generally accepted that the first industrial revolution occurred after the introduction of mechanization in production. The symbol of the second was the assembly line at Ford factories. The third was held under the slogan of shifting the center of added value formation from production to the sphere of sales and design. From now on, more resources were required to invent and sell a new product than to produce it.

Today we can confidently talk about technologies that will change the world in 5-10 years. It is especially interesting that the technologies that experts consider so promising affect both small companies and huge international corporations.

What is Industry 4.0?

This is a process characterized by the complete penetration of the Internet and IT technologies into all spheres of human life and industry - from everyday life to production. “Industry 4.0” implies the use of the “Internet of Things” and Big Data in production, when any links are interconnected using the World Wide Web, and also independently find ways to reduce costs.

The director of a modern company, using only one smartphone, can receive complete information about the work of production: what is changing, what ways to optimize processes are employees looking for? The enterprises themselves will create products customized to the needs of the individual customer - be it a car made to the requirements of a demanding client, or a dress that takes into account the characteristics of the figure. At the same time, it is very important that production processes do not become more expensive: by connecting all elements through the network, it becomes possible to find optimal, inexpensive ways to fulfill orders.

And finally, Industry 4.0 involves the rational use of natural and technical resources, the most efficient energy saving, the recycling of all waste and the production of new goods, raw materials or energy from them. In other words, we are talking about introducing a fundamentally new paradigm: “Renovation instead of new purchase, rent instead of ownership.”

Eurasian Resources Group

Why now?

The emergence of the fourth wave of the industrial revolution was made possible thanks to the rapid development of technology and the penetration of the Internet into the life of every person. In addition, in recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the environment: smart technologies are precisely designed to correctly calculate the optimal solutions to cause less harm to the environment.

Another reason is the desire of a person to arrange the place of his daily activities in accordance with the most comfortable and smart solutions that one can come up with. Thus, Industry 4.0 allows an ordinary employee to be less distracted by routine work, develop more creative areas of activity and, ultimately, simply have more free time. At the same time, the quality of production not only does not fall, but, on the contrary, increases.

How is this beneficial?

According to the auditing company PwC, companies that have successfully implemented the Industry 4.0 concept no longer have to choose between increasing gross revenue and increasing profits. They can improve both indicators at the same time. “Over the next five years, companies participating in the study expect annual revenue growth to average 2.9% and cost reduction to average 3.6% per year,” says the PwC survey.

Pioneers who implement large projects and actively use digitalization are aimed at even better results.

In general, according to the expectations of PwC study participants, over the next five years, the costs of companies that adhere to Industry 4.0 will decrease by $421 billion, and annual revenue will grow by $493 billion annually.

Leaders of Industry 4.0: who are they?

For the first time at the state level, the Industry 4.0 program was adopted in Germany back in 2011. The discussion was about a strategic program for the economic development of the country. However, China is now the leader in robotization of production. Back in 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech at the Chinese Academy of Sciences about the coming robot revolution, which will first transform China and then the whole world.

“The Chinese government aims to accelerate the implementation of Big Data, cloud computing, and Internet of Things technologies in Chinese companies and focus on creating “smart factories” (intelligent manufacturing),” said leader of the Celestial Empire.

By the way, in recent years, Chinese companies have increased investments in high-tech developments around the world and, as a result, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), since 2013, the Chinese market for industrial robots has become the largest in the world. Moreover, by 2020 in China there will be an average of 150 robots per 10,000 industrial jobs, which is three times more than in 2015.

Developed countries such as the USA and Germany will now find it very difficult to overtake the Eastern Dragon. But that doesn't mean they don't have to try. Thus, in the USA in 2014, a non-profit consortium of the Industrial Internet was created. The Japanese are also not lagging behind and are discussing their own concepts of Connected Factories (connection to a network of factories) for the development of their industry.

What about Russia?

In Russia, the introduction of new technologies began at about the same time as other countries. However, given the scale of the state and the bureaucratic system, the promotion of the digitization of production as a national idea is progressing rather slowly.

In 2017, Russia adopted a special road map “Technet” (advanced production technologies). On behalf of President Vladimir Putin, the Digital Economy 2024 program is being prepared. Despite the fact that the roadmap is a document and not a call to immediate action, many Russian enterprises are already trying hard to implement the principles of Industry 4.0. Among them are Russian Technologies, Gazprom, Rosatom, Rosneft, even the financial sector represented by Sberbank, for example, is trying to expand the scope of application of IT technologies in its practice. However, for now, all of the companies listed are acting with obvious enthusiasm, understanding the benefits of investment in the future.

Meanwhile, according to Russian Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov, we now need to work proactively. “So that it is not technology that waits for us, but that we wait for technology. We must ensure priority for technologies that are based on a digital long-term approach, and create an environment in which we will encourage innovative processes and investments in innovation,” Nikiforov emphasized.

The head of Sberbank of Russia, German Gref, once said that it is no longer possible to waste time on old approaches to organizing production. “The first consequence of the fourth revolution is a colossal gap in income between the winning and losing countries,” Gref warned, apparently based on the fact that new technologies are changing not only production, business, society, but also the state itself.

By the way, neighboring Kazakhstan transferred the system of digitization of production directly to the level of state strategy. The country's President Nursultan Nazarbayev called Industry 4.0 a priority project, thanks to which “it is possible to reduce the impact of such negative factors as a shortage of highly qualified labor, long distances with a simultaneous lack of access to sea trade routes and a small domestic market.” As a result, the state programs currently operating in the country are closely related to the implementation of a unified strategy and principles of Industry 4.0.

Private Kazakh companies followed this path even earlier. An excellent example of the implementation of Industry 4.0 at enterprises is the experience of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), one of the world's largest companies operating in the mining and metallurgical sector, with production assets in Kazakhstan, Africa and Brazil. ERG launched work at the beginning of 2016 in six areas of Industry 4.0 at once.

The first is “automation and robotization.” Over the next few years, Eurasian Resources Group plans to invest more than $20 million in equipment dispatch and material flow management systems. Already today, drones used in production activities are used to assess the state of mining operations and monitor compliance with industrial safety requirements in quarries. The company is implementing an investment program aimed at the renovation of existing and construction of new ferroalloy shops with a high level of automation. According to ERG management forecasts, the use of advanced technologies will increase labor productivity by 20-30%.

The next direction is “Integration of IT systems”. Currently, the Group's enterprises are implementing a project to integrate information based on special sensors, video cameras, and production management systems into a remote control and monitoring center for short-term planning of key production indicators. Over the past 5 years, ERG has already invested more than $250 million in this area. More than 13 thousand computers are connected into a single network, which made it possible to directly connect enterprise employees at all levels of interaction.

Virtual tour of ERG enterprises, presented at the I Forum of Innovators of the company on November 2, 2016, Astana

“Simulation and Simulation” is the third aspect of the digitization of production at ERG. This is the use of special 3D models for daily production management. These systems allow you to model deposits, plan mining, analyze alternatives and determine the optimal mining option in real time.

The fourth direction - “Big Data and Analytics” - allows you to make management decisions based on the results of analyzing a large amount of data from production systems at various levels, which already today improves the quality of products, the efficiency of processes and equipment maintenance.

RTR Metalkol - ERG copper-cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (drone view)

“The listed areas of Industry 4.0 are what we at ERG (and I’m sure many industry colleagues) are already doing. In addition to digital technologies, we also plan to develop additive manufacturing and alternative energy,” says Alexander Mashkevich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eurasian Resources Group.

The Group’s program also includes the use of alternative energy sources (fifth direction) and participation in the development of additive technologies (sixth direction). Currently, ERG is involved in organizing an aluminum cluster and developing the production of alloys, from which in the future it will be possible to make powders for 3D printers. Interestingly, the company estimates the expected volume of investments in projects aimed at introducing Industry 4.0 tools in production at $1 billion until 2025. In this case, the expected increase in productivity should be at least 20-30%.

Eurasian Resources Group

But the most important thing is that Eurasian Resources Group is trying to solve problems of production efficiency, not by cutting staff, but by repurposing them. It is known that efficiency can be achieved through cost reduction, and the use of technology, in particular robots, sharpens the personnel issue. According to Alexander Mashkevich, the Group decided to be guided by the following principle: instead of laying off staff, retrain them, improve their skills and, as a result, increase production volumes. “Retraining of released workers and managers will not only support social stability, but will also give a significant jump in production volumes due to increased labor productivity,” the head of ERG is confident.

Eurasian Resources Group is confident that the practice of retaining staff leads to increased productivity, since employees understand that new conditions are being created for them, their loyalty and, as a result, efficiency increases. “We were convinced of this by retraining more than 8 thousand people as part of the program to implement the ERP system at all our enterprises,” emphasizes Alexander Mashkevich. — But we have gone further and are working on creating the Eurasian Resources Group Corporate University. Its main goal will be to improve the professional and personal competencies of each of the more than 60 thousand employees of our Group of Companies.”

Industry 4.0 - the new reality?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution calls on everyone to quickly adapt and jump on the rails of rapidly developing technologies. Today we are seeing a situation where success goes to those companies that work closely with Silicon Valley startups and introduce modern technologies in production (at the same time, the once economic miracle of Japan - the Toyota automaker with its Dao principles for production automation - is considered to be a thing of the past century). City residents are gradually getting used to smart homes and the ability to solve any problem with two clicks on their smartphone. It is quite obvious: they want to transfer the same principles to the work environment.

Today is a unique moment when the Industry 4.0 market is in an emerging and developing state. This means that many companies can gain benefits by introducing new production principles. However, to become the company of the future, you need to act now, and work proactively.

Professor Walster, the term “Industry 4.0” is often mentioned in expert discussions and specialized publications. In the future, machines will be able to exchange data with each other, which will radically change traditional industrial production. Are we really heading towards the fourth industrial revolution, as many experts believe?

- Yes, cyber-physical production systems will fundamentally change the traditional logic of production, since each work object will determine for itself what work needs to be done for production. This completely new industrial system architecture can be implemented gradually through the digital upgrading of existing production facilities. And this means that this concept can be implemented not only at completely new enterprises, but also gradually deployed at existing enterprises in the process of evolutionary development. In today's Industry 3.0, we are already seeing signs of an imminent transition from rigid centralized production control to a decentralized arrangement.

A large number of sensors record their surroundings with incredible accuracy, and embedded processors make decisions independently, independent of the central production control system. But at the moment, we do not have comprehensive wireless networking of components, constant exchange of information, integration of various data from sensors to identify complex events and critical conditions and interpret them based on the current situation, as well as plan further actions based on the results obtained.

- Why does industrial production need such a high level of networking of intelligent machines?

In today's enterprises, huge amounts of data are produced by measuring points, the number of which is constantly growing. This process is easily handled by machines, and humans can no longer process this data at the same speed as machines. Accordingly, it will be advisable if machines are able to interact with each other in certain areas of production. Many processes can be made more efficient, flexible and cost-effective by creating an environment equipped with measurement equipment. Ultra-small and inexpensive radio sensors will record their surroundings and exchange data with each other via radio communication. Different types of sensors, such as pressure and temperature sensors, electro-optical sensors and infrared sensors, will work together to create an overall picture of what is happening and determine what is happening in their environment.

In the world of Industry 4.0, manufacturing equipment and products will become active system components that manage their production and logistics processes. They will include cyber-physical systems connecting the virtual space of the Internet with the real physical world. At the same time, they will differ from existing mechatronic systems by having the ability to interact with their environment, plan and adapt their own behavior according to environmental conditions, learn new models and lines of behavior, and, accordingly, be self-optimizing. They will ensure efficient production of even small batches with rapid changes to products and a large number of options. The use of embedded sensors/actuators, machine-to-machine communication, and the use of active semantic memory will lead to new optimization methods aimed at conserving resources in the production environment. This, in turn, will contribute to the future establishment of environmentally friendly and cost-effective production in Germany.

- Does this mean completely new opportunities for production?

- Yes, the emergence of machines' ability to understand a certain situation will lead to a completely new level of quality in industrial production. The interaction between a large number of individual components will allow solutions to be developed that were previously impossible to program in production plants. In physics and biology we call this phenomenon "manifestation." A clear example of this is an anthill, where each insect individually is not particularly intelligent, but when a large number of ants interact at the same time, they can develop amazing solutions to find food and protect themselves from predators. In essence, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. This phenomenon is also used in Industry 4.0. In the event of component damage or complete failure of a part, the remaining operating components work together to develop some kind of self-healing process that determines whether damage has occurred, estimates the extent of that damage, finds alternative solutions to the current production problem, and authorizes the appropriate repair or maintenance work that , of course, will be carried out by qualified personnel, as before.

This requires highly efficient exchange of information, similar to the process in an anthill. And how is this problem solved in Industry 4.0?

- An important factor for the success of Industry 4.0 is the intelligent interpretation of environmental information. Accordingly, software plays a key role here. It must not only record the data received from the sensors and transmit it in the form of a binary sequence, but also have an understanding of the content in a specific context.

For this purpose, the software in the factory of the future will also be equipped with a system of concepts that provides a clear description of the functions of system components, production tasks, states and events. In this way, Industry 4.0 will promote the development of high-quality semantic interactions that will be understood not only by plant employees, but also by plant equipment. To make this work, we need unified descriptive languages ​​and the Internet as a communications platform in the enterprise. Today's chaos created by countless bus systems will be replaced by a single standard worldwide protocol - the Internet Protocol, implemented in real time over a WLAN or Ethernet network.

- That is, Industry 4.0 will use the Internet to exchange data between system components?

- Absolutely right. That is why in this context we talk about the “Internet of Things”. For some machines, web servers are reduced to the size of a piece of sugar, while they perform their functions and can exchange data with workpieces during technological processes. In Industry 4.0, a workpiece can be picked up from a mobile carrier and transferred to a manufacturing component that can most quickly carry out the next required process step at the lowest possible cost, similar to how service providers make their offerings in the real market. The technological chain created in this way for each workpiece is in some way reminiscent of a given movement throughout the enterprise. Such a system provides a high level of flexibility, reliability and sustainability of Industry 4.0. In the variable manufacturing environment of Industry 4.0, the raw part will tell the system what to do with it and make from it. The system component must, in turn, convey information to the product about the functions it performs. After this, the product decides whether it needs this function, and if so, in what form it will accept this function and store data about it in its semantic memory.

- Does this already exist in industry?

- Yes, this concept is already being implemented in some areas of logistics. For example, a product with a specified maximum temperature in the refrigeration compartment can control the ambient temperature during transportation using cyber-physical systems installed in the packaging. When a preset limit is exceeded, the package generates a signal and sends it, for example, to the system of a refrigerated truck. When a signal is received, the vehicle's system can react and lower the temperature. This technology is already used when transporting bags of blood plasma. In this case, the main advantage is the direct connection of the object with the climate control system without human intervention.

- How long will it be before the first Industry 4.0 industrial plants start operating, and can existing plants be transformed or upgraded as well?

- The big advantage of Industry 4.0 is that it can be implemented in stages. With cyber-physical systems, it is possible to transform an enterprise without stopping its production. This involves equipping with the necessary sensors, installing system components with miniature servers and replacing the bus system. That is, you can start with individual machines, and then transform the entire plant. What is said about the “fourth industrial revolution” is actually the evolution of machines. Although Industry 4.0 has not yet been implemented on an industrial scale, partners from research organizations and industrial sectors are working hard to make it a reality.

At the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Kaiserslautern, in southwestern Germany, we have been operating the world's first smart factory as a living laboratory for several years. This production is a reference architecture for Industry 4.0. The first enterprises that are fully compliant with the principles of Industry 4.0 will be operational within five years at the earliest. Things are moving faster with the transformation and modernization of existing businesses. Here we can assume that the first enterprises will begin to operate on the basis of certain cyber-physical production principles in 2-3 years.

- Will people still be needed in the industrial manufacturing of the future?

- More than ever. It is impossible to produce complex, customized products of the highest quality without the labor of skilled workers. In Industry 4.0, technological processes will be carried out at a speed set by workers, and in no other way, as it happens now in the case of centralized management. However, some of the tasks people perform will differ from modern tasks. A new generation of lightweight intelligent robots will work collaboratively with staff. In Industry 4.0, robots will actively interact with people because, thanks to their intelligent sensors, they will be endowed with “avoidance” behavior like humans and, accordingly, they will no longer pose a danger to people. By understanding their surroundings, robots will be able to assess even complex situations and, as production support systems, support employees in performing manual work. In this regard, Festo is a pioneer with its research into bionics. The company's bionic development team has taken a big step forward with the Bionic Handling Assistant and ExoHand systems.

In the end, the beneficiaries of Industry 4.0 will be solely people.

For reference

Professor Wolfgang Walster

Doctor of Computer Science, conducts research and lectures on artificial intelligence at the University of Saarland. Wolfgang Walster is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Technical and Scientific Affairs at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken, Bremen and Berlin. As a member of the Federal Government Research Alliance and Chairman of the Higher Advisory Body of the European Union on the Future Internet (FI-PPP), he advises European policymakers.

Widespread automation and robotization of production processes in global industry began back in the 1970s. This period is usually called the third industrial revolution - by analogy with the industrial revolution of the late 18th century, marked by the invention of steam energy and mechanical devices, and the second half of the 19th century, when electrical energy was discovered and the division of labor occurred. It would seem that science fiction has already become reality: 15-20 years ago, not a single enterprise manager could dream of the level of labor productivity that production automation provided. However, today we understand that a mechanism has been launched for perhaps even larger-scale changes that will once again turn our lives upside down.

The concept of Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, provides for end-to-end digitalization of all physical assets of an enterprise and their integration into a single ecosystem. It seems like a new paradigm means new opportunities for everyone. But history proves that a change in formation can be the beginning of the end for those enterprises that were not ready for it. It depends only on us whether the changes will give a new impetus to business growth or lead to the decline of entire sectors of the economy.

Digital is not a fashionable toy, but a way of survival

Industry 4.0, digital, artificial intelligence, machine learning - these concepts are talked about so often that there is a feeling that this is nothing more than another fashion. But for businesses, treating Industry 4.0 tools like fashion trends is a waste of resources. Of course, this way you can earn a couple of points by creating a reputation as an “innovative company.” But long-term benefits will only come from a deep understanding of the opportunities and risks that Industry 4.0 brings to business, as well as a systematic approach in which new tools are integrated into the company’s strategy at all levels. What we call digital transformation.

Digital transformation, in our understanding, is a way of adapting to rapidly changing conditions and, ultimately, a way of surviving in competition. The steel markets in which Severstal operates are very competitive. The situation is also aggravated by the unresolved problem of excess capacity. This creates constant “tension” in the industry: every day steel producers fight for each client, for a fraction of a percent in the cost. But the situation also has positive sides. There is a famous saying: “Where there is no competition, you sleep better, but live worse.” So, we prefer a better life to a peaceful sleep. Competition is one of the necessary conditions for the development of a market economy; it forces companies to leave their comfort zone and constantly look for new points of growth. The opportunities of Industry 4.0 can become a growth point for metallurgists when classical efficiency tools begin to exhaust themselves.

Russian steel producers have invested heavily in their assets over the past decade. Contrary to stereotypes about outdated Soviet-era equipment, domestic enterprises today are the most efficient and high-margin in the world. Thus, Severstal consistently shows the best EBITDA profitability among global competitors (32.2% for the first 9 months of 2017 - “HBR - Russia”). But will we maintain our leadership if we stop there and international competitors move on? In the modern world, the ability to timely use the opportunities that the development of society opens up every day is an indispensable condition for business success.

McKinsey experts estimate the potential effect of using Industry 4.0 tools in metallurgy at more than $115 billion. Among the main sources of additional income are robotization, remote control and management of equipment, increasing employee productivity through digitalization, introducing integrated platforms, deep data analytics and predictive tools. Only thanks to the digitalization of equipment management, the industry can earn more than $40 billion. In metallurgy and mining in general, additional income is projected at 2.7% of the revenue of all companies in the industry or 9% of their profit. If we do not take advantage of these opportunities today, tomorrow our competitors will take over, and we will suffer the sad fate of those who are catching up, or, more simply put, those who are lagging behind.

Technology has also changed the relationship between the client and the seller. Online sales tools have appeared that make it possible to maximally satisfy the basic needs of customers: speed, convenience and simplicity. Players in the B2C segment, who are accustomed to working with a large number of clients, quickly realized this. But for B2B buyers, convenience and simplicity are also important. Severstal has launched an online store where you can buy metal products from a warehouse or to order in five clicks. Already in 2018, we plan to sell about 30% of our products via the Internet.

Significant progress is noticeable in the creation of so-called “new generation materials” - for example, graphene. It becomes possible to make products from a combination of different materials, say, using 3D printing. These trends also cannot be ignored, so as not to miss the chance to enter new markets. True, we are not too optimistic about the timing of the introduction of these technologies into mass production. We recently conducted an experiment: we printed a piece of reinforcement on a 3D printer. It cost us thousands of times more than fittings produced in the traditional way. That is, the technology exists, and with its help it is possible to implement individual projects - the question is how economically feasible they are. At the same time, we are trying 3D printing technologies - for example, to apply bronze and nickel layers to certain equipment parts. And these projects allow us, on the contrary, to reduce costs.

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE OF SEVERSTAL

Bet on professionals

But there is another side to the coin. History shows that predicting which technology or platform will take off is akin to guessing with tea leaves. In addition, even the most effective innovative solution, introduced when the market or corporation is not ready for it, will fail. However, a technology chosen and presented to the market at the right time can radically change not only the company, but also, to some extent, the global economic paradigm. As they say, the winner takes it all. Suffice it to recall examples of companies such as Uber, Facebook or Ethereum.

But these are all companies of the so-called “new” economy. The application of innovations in traditional, established industries, where discipline is at the forefront, and any inaccuracy in the operation of expensive equipment can lead to significant losses, has its own specifics. The implementation of a particular technology sometimes takes years - this is largely due to cultural barriers, in particular, the fear of taking risks and experimenting. And working with innovation does come with risks. Treating digitalization tools as a panacea and mindlessly using solutions that appear on the market is, to put it mildly, ineffective. It is therefore important to develop a comprehensive system within the company that encourages initiative and experimentation while at the same time managing risk. The only reasonable way to reduce the likelihood of rash decisions is professional expertise, both internal and external.

Having closely tackled the topic of digitalization in 2016, at the beginning of 2017 we at Severstal introduced the position of director for digital technology development and hired a professional who assembled one of the strongest digital teams in the Russian industry. We also work with the largest Russian and international providers. We are only at the beginning of the journey, but we are already seeing the first results.

Recently, the Tadviser Summit conference was held in Moscow, dedicated to the use of modern information technologies, on the topic “State. Business. IT". Vladislav Belyaev, IT director of the Cherkizovo group, spoke at one of the sections, who spoke about the implementation of a project to build a single-robot plant for the production of raw smoked sausages. Today he shares his project experience in more detail, and also describes a systematic solution to the assigned tasks within the framework of the Industry 4.0 concept.

The meat market in Russia is highly competitive, and this also applies to sausage production. The market is highly segmented; According to a rough estimate, the main players have market shares of somewhere around 5-7%. The Cherkizovo Group has been operating for a long time and is very successful, it grew out of the Cherkizovsky meat processing plant, and is one of the leaders in the raw smoked sausage market in Russia (more than 20%). The group tries to maintain the optimal price/quality ratio for the consumer.

A few years ago, we realized that if we wanted to stand out, retain and increase market share, we needed to implement some bold solution. The question arose: how to develop and compete further?

It was decided to develop a strategy with an emphasis on quality and implement a project for the production of sausages (mainly from our own raw materials). In 2017, at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, we signed an agreement with the Moscow region on the construction of a new high-tech plant for the production of raw smoked sausages.

The production of this type of product is very complex and labor-intensive; it is based on adherence to strict recipes. It is necessary to clearly monitor the quality of products at all stages, which is quite difficult due to the complexity of the manufacturing technology. It is required to strictly follow the recipes - here the human factor plays a big role in production (both deliberate and accidental errors): the wrong proportion of ingredients, the wrong humidity is set, etc. This leads to the fact that the quality of the product may vary. If some kind of violation occurs, in old production schemes it is not easy to find the “bottleneck” where the error or violation occurred (recipes, quality, etc.). Finding the reasons for quality violations when monitoring finished products at the outlet in old factories was a very creative, complex and difficult to formalize task - either the raw materials were not appropriate, or the recipe was violated, maybe some other factors had an impact. But the consumer needs guaranteed, understandable product quality.

It was decided to build a new mono-robot plant in Kashira with a capacity of 80 tons per day, which would produce only raw smoked sausage. The choice of the location of the plant was not accidental: in Kashira, the Cherkizovo group had a plot of land and production buildings, so it was possible to implement this project in a fairly short time. The location of the plant is good from a logistics point of view, because for now Moscow is our main sales market, although we work throughout Russia, Moscow and the region account for about 20% of our sales. In addition, we managed to agree with the Moscow region on mutual cooperation and support. We signed an agreement and received a number of benefits, including tax benefits.

Thus, the strategy was focused on product quality, and the main tasks that the new plant had to solve were:

direct chain of production of one type of product - raw smoked sausages;

reduction of the human factor in the production process and errors associated with this factor - minimal human presence in production;

reducing various safety risks in production;

complete integration of all business processes. Control points should be integrated both at the micro (production, redistribution) and macro levels of the enterprise (fulfillment of contracts, production volume targets, etc.).

The robot factory is the embodiment of the concept of “Industry 4.0”

The holistic concept of the project for the construction of a new plant was born quite organically, and only then did it become clear that this project was being implemented within the framework of the Industry 4.0 philosophy. The goal was set: to design a robotic plant that can literally be given the task of producing so many tons of products according to certain recipes in the chosen packaging, and then it will carry out all the calculations and work efficiently and on time, that is, the system itself will understand What do I need to do. This allows you to flexibly adapt to demand in terms of quantity and recipe.

There is a lot of talk about Industry 4.0 these days. There is no such plant in the field of meat processing in Europe and, perhaps, in America (maybe there is, but they didn’t show us). He is truly unique. Many people think that this is just a robotic factory. But this is only one of the facets. A production task for a robotic plant can be given in understandable terms (recipes, packaging, sausage grade, etc.), and not in terms of systems and equipment.

Each type of industrial production began with a change in paradigm and technology, which led to another industrial revolution, a change in the overall technological structure and a different nature of economic relations: the era of steam and mechanization of some work - the first industrial revolution, then the use of electricity and the transition to conveyor production - the second revolution, the third revolution is associated with the use of computers and robots, the fourth - with the use of so-called cyber-physical systems. The latter received the code name “Industry 4.0”.

What does this concept mean? After all, there were robots 30 years ago, during the third industrial revolution. In today's paradigm, in fact, there is a combination in one solution of robots, artificial intelligence, sensors, and software, which together form the so-called cyber-physical system. Robots, automatic lines and systems (ERP, MES, WMS) work in a single chain under common control. What happened in a production that has already become a classic, using an ERP system (even the most powerful one)? Yes, algorithms are “hardwired” that allow you to automate various areas of activity and connect them with each other. But the human factor still plays a strong role.

A simple example: the ERP algorithm calculated the balances in the warehouse, they were already included in the function of calculating purchase volumes, but while all this was being calculated, some employee or department was simply missing a part, some semi-finished products, etc. What does the employee do? He solves the problem - goes to the warehouse, asks for production of what he urgently needs. And that's it - the balances in the warehouse are different. What if there are many such situations? Errors are accumulating in ERP calculations due to changed actual data. That is, in any case, deviations arise, and they can go beyond the acceptable limits, since life makes its own adjustments, production is also a living organism. ERP works with virtual data, with the “sterile” world of numbers. And the philosophy of “Industry 4.0” brought together physical objects (products, equipment, raw materials, semi-finished products, etc.) and the ERP system.

How is the problem solved in the new concept? All equipment communicates directly with the ERP system, all the slightest movements are monitored and visible online. And ERP “sees” the real balances in the warehouse, deviations are actually reduced to a minimum, all raw materials and semi-finished products are transferred to subsequent production stages automatically, without human intervention. The number of errors associated with the human factor is minimal. That is, the robots communicate with each other and with the ERP, and if earlier, with the classic version of the ERP system, there was a huge number of sensors that collected readings, and people were the bridge between the system and the robots, then here the robots communicate not only with each other, they are built into the ERP system itself. Thus, the system immediately issues the production task to the robots: how much meat needs to be put into the mixer, how much has passed along the conveyor, how many loaves of sausage have ended up in the stuffing.

The key to successful project implementation is its well-thought-out organization

We began preparing the project at the beginning of 2015. And already in 2016, the Cherkizovo group started and in 2018 completed the construction of a new monoplant for the production of raw smoked sausages in Kashira (Moscow region).

Construction began literally from scratch and was completed within two years; the plant has a linear production chain, which simplifies robotization. The plant will be put into operation on July 18. Now the stage of pilot-industrial operation is underway.

Before starting the project work, we studied world experience - we visited meat processing plants in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. Foreign colleagues willingly shared their experiences; this exchange of knowledge was largely based on personal contacts. There is a certain “shop” solidarity, so the benchmarking was successful. The result of the study tours and the study of best practices in such industries was a large-scale analysis of proposals from equipment manufacturers and modern multifunctional robots. After gaining experience, a draft plan for the plant project was made; both our own specialists and outsourced specialists (Russian and foreign consultants, experts of various profiles, contractors) worked on it. It was a close joint participation, teamwork of a large number of our own and external specialists. As a result, equipment from ten manufacturers from different countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, etc.) was selected. It should be noted that a deep analysis of the industry in Russia and abroad showed: no one had such complex turnkey solutions, not a single equipment manufacturer. We would love to take as a basis a ready-made system solution for the production of a single product with a large production volume, but no one could offer anything similar.

Therefore, a multifunctional project team was created, whose task was to assemble the solution into a single plant from the mosaic solutions offered on the equipment market, that is, to offer a comprehensive integrated production solution. It was a creative work, with many iterations: the project was “redrawn”, returned for revision, and discussed many times.

The result of the colossal year-long work of the project team was the development of a key technical specification. The work was very effective, and deviations in finances, investments, deadlines, and technical characteristics fell within acceptable limits. The project, of course, is very large-scale and in terms of investments, they amounted to about 7 billion rubles. The success of the project is largely due to the fact that management, shareholders, and employees invested a lot of effort into it.

The solution itself can be attributed with full responsibility to know-how, since the layout of such “mixed” equipment from different manufacturers with completely different software posed innovative tasks. In the process of analyzing the equipment, it turned out that yes, it is of high quality and has good characteristics, that is, the level of hardware is very high, but there are problems with the software that comes with the equipment; this is in many ways “yesterday”. Moreover, in order to connect equipment from different manufacturers, it is necessary to reprogram it in any case. Technical specifications were formulated by the project team, and this task was issued to foreign manufacturers; in fact, our specialists trained them in this regard. There were a lot of meetings and trips to equipment manufacturers. They, of course, were a little indignant and did not want to change anything, but then they became convinced that we were right and were offering reasonable solutions for modifying their software. I think it was a huge positive experience for them to participate in such a project.

And for us it was good news that Western specialists can make excellent equipment, but they cannot connect it into such a single powerful solution from different elements with different interfaces. Our project team and specialists successfully coped with this. This is the real know-how of our project - its systematic nature.

New system solution - new production technology

The products are made from our raw materials, including chilled ones, from our farms (they are located throughout the country), so we can guarantee quality.

In fact, a person comes into contact with the product at the input of the technical process and at the output: when unloading machines with raw materials and loading pallets with ready-made and packaged sausage. Only at these stages are manual operations left. The machine is unloaded, and the raw materials enter the so-called “robot warehouse”. This is a huge hangar with shelving, dark, there are no people there, robot stackers disassemble pallets and take them to the right places. In an automated warehouse, each box containing each type of raw material is assigned a code. ERP checks balances in the warehouse and in production, loading of equipment and issues a command to submit boxes of raw materials to production. The raw materials are supplied to the automatic stuffing line (sausage stuffing). The result of this line is sausage stuffed into a casing.

So far, five to seven recipes are being tested during the initial launch, then there will be significantly more of them. At the same time, a robotic plant allows you to be flexible in recipes. The system automatically adjusts to their changes and the specified size (caliber) of the sausage; you can also change the type and parameters of the packaging.

After this, the products are sent to the next processing stage. Robots hang sausages on special hangers and insert them into frames, and then transport them to thermal chambers. Depending on the type of sausage and recipe, the ripening process of raw smoked sausage can last up to a month.

The next stage of production is also carried out by robots with artificial intelligence. These robots, called “shuttles,” monitor the maturity of sausages in thermal chambers. In fact, this monitoring is simplified by the fact that the maturity of the sausage is determined by its shrinkage. Therefore, here you can avoid unnecessary sensors and complex control measures - robots weigh semi-finished products and determine the maturity of the sausages by the degree of shrinkage. An expert technologist, if necessary, selectively participates in quality control at this stage and corrects the work of the robots. If the sausage needs to “ripen”, the robot gives the task, and the sausage remains in the heat chamber for as long as needed.

When the products are ready, robots “remove” the sausages from the hangers, and the products enter the packaging line. Packaging robots are unique: they glue labels, pack products, without human control, according to predetermined parameters, and completely form the type of packaging depending on the nature of the product (for example, they make packaging boxes of the required size).

And here is the final stage, where people appear again. They pick up the formed pallets of products and load them onto the trucks.

The entire plant is staffed by about 120 people, and its production capacity can reach 100 tons per day. If the plant had been built the old fashioned way, without so many interconnected lines, robots, ERP and artificial intelligence, several times more personnel would have been required.

In fact, direct control of the plant is carried out with a minimum of interfaces between robots and a small number of sensors.

There is an illusion: many sensors mean good, but this is not true. The opinion that the abundance of parameters and the huge volume of their processing equals “Industry 4.0” is incorrect. Thus, not just an array of big data is collected, but only really necessary information, and it is processed, on this basis conclusions and forecasts are made. The optimal solution is precisely where the complexity of the system is reduced as much as possible: the number of possible failures is reduced and the reliability of equipment operation is increased.

Much attention was paid to environmental issues in the project. The plant is located next to a forest, in the Moscow region; there is a village in the distance. Nature should not be damaged; this was a very important condition of the project. In advance, before the construction of the plant, a detailed scheme for treating the plant’s waste was thought out, a design for treatment facilities was made, which was successfully implemented in compliance with all standards. These treatment facilities are very modern and expensive, and they took a very long time to design. Moreover, they took almost as long to build as production itself. The treatment facilities are located in a separate building; the entire necessary cleaning cycle is carried out, taking into account the specifics of production.

Personnel decide everything: a new paradigm, new requirements for personnel

Such a plant reduces the need for low-skilled personnel, but increases the need for high-level specialists: engineers, IT specialists, related specialists (with knowledge of engineering sciences, IT, programming). We are eliminating low-skilled employees who perform manual operations, but we have a shortage of highly qualified employees.

We have been preparing some of the specialists for the last year and a half: teaching, conducting trainings, since we had an existing production of raw smoked sausages. As for IT, we invited external specialists and trained our own - both through SAP and through automated systems and robots. For some time, foreign specialists will work for us and accompany the project until we bring our own up. They come, train our employees, and we send some of the personnel to similar production facilities, maybe not of the same level, because our project is unique.

It should be noted that in Russia, engineers, programmers, and IT specialists in various fields have very good qualifications, but there is a fundamental shortage of them. Cherkizovo Group is interested in engineering specialists who have a systems view, are able to make complex decisions and work in a team. Interdisciplinarity is especially relevant now. We pay and are ready to pay them very well, at the level of large foreign companies.

Our employees at all levels are required to undergo in-house training (online and offline) and develop. To do this, on the company portal you can track in your office the courses offered by the HR service. There is a whole catalog of trainings that is constantly updated. Thus, the staff constantly undergoes advanced training on current topics in management and production.

The project is completed, the plant is built, work begins

Summing up, we can once again highlight the undeniable advantages that the implementation of such a project for the construction of a fully robotic mono-plant, which is a clear implementation of the Industry 4.0 approach, provides:

total automation removes the human factor;

integrated process chain;

online production key indicators;

quality management throughout the entire technological chain;

reliability of information throughout the chain;

fewer gaps between plan and operations;

reliable information for making decisions on production and sales;

control points integrated into the production process prevent deviations from the planned parameters.

This is a project to be proud of. Now a run is underway, commissioning engineers are checking the equipment, and trial products are being produced. According to the General Director of Cherkizovo, Sergei Mikhailov, the plant is unique in its class, not only because it is one of the largest in Russia and Europe, but also because it uses the latest technologies, and the vast experience of the Cherkizovo group has been invested in it. both in the field of information technology and industry.