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September 13, 2020

Toward the Smart Mill with Pluto PCS

by Gernot Ruppert, Programme Manager Smart Mill and Silvan Trunz, Senior Sales Advisor Automation and Digital Solutions, Bühler, Switzerland

From the earliest automation through to full-scale digitalisation and connection to the cloud, milling is evolving fast. Bühler offers the technology and support to manage the transition. Pluto PCS is one basic but important step on that journey.

Today’s young people are the first true digital natives. They have never known life without smart phones and total connectivity and their choices and expectations reflect this. As they enter the job market, the consequences are being felt - nowhere more so than in industries like milling that have relied in the past on traditional craft and expertise. As a result, businesses that demand manual craft and skill are experiencing difficulties attracting younger people.
 


Even if the effects of these changing expectations among young people are not yet felt, mills should be prepared. This is vital because the milling industry is as important today as it ever was, may be even more so. With the world’s population growing, the industry needs to ensure it is equipped to meet the increasing demand for quality milled products – and that means embracing digital technologies.

Technology moves on, so does milling
In fact, the milling industry has always developed with the world around it. From wind and water powered mills, through mechanisation, to electrically powered mass production and basic automation – milling technology has evolved at an increasing pace.

For an industry rooted in tradition, craft and skill, today’s digital revolution is occasionally met with some reservation. “This is understandable, the pace of change has been incredible. Some people fear losing control,” says Gernot Ruppert, Program Manager Smart Mill. “However, the benefits of digitisation are clear and proven: improved safety and security, more efficient processes, cost savings, enhanced asset utilisation and increased productivity.”

In today’s high-tech mills, user-friendly controls and steering systems guide staff through processes ensuring the smooth operation of the plant. As the technology continues to evolve, Internet of Things (IoT) – the infrastructure that connects physical entities with virtual items – is transforming the business of milling yet further.

Read more, HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

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