Technology

This initiative aligns with the UAE's 'Make it in the Emirates' strategy. (Image source: Schneider Electric)

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of a new manufacturing facility in the UAE, aimed at producing AI-ready data centre solutions to meet the region’s expanding data centre needs.

The facility will focus on manufacturing and assembling prefabricated modular data centres equipped with AI capabilities.

This initiative aligns with the UAE's 'Make it in the Emirates' strategy and supports the In-Country Value (ICV) programme, which aims to stimulate local economic growth and enhance the private sector’s contribution to the national GDP.

The opening of this facility underscores Schneider Electric’s commitment to driving local production, sustainability, and industrial growth through innovative manufacturing solutions.

The newly introduced data centres are crafted to fulfil customer expectations for improved predictability, reduced overall ownership costs, and quicker implementation. Alongside addressing the rising infrastructure requirements in the region, the facility will also play a pivotal role in creating jobs locally, with up to 70% of local involvement in areas such as supply chain management, logistics, project oversight, and maintenance.

This move underlines Schneider Electric’s dedication to advancing the UAE’s industrial growth and economic progress, while aligning with the nation’s goals for sustainability and locally-driven industrial expansion.

Amel Chadli, president of Gulf countries, Schneider Electric, said, “Our expansion in local manufacturing reflects Schneider Electric’s commitment to the UAE's vision for industrial growth and sustainability. By advancing our AI-powered data center solutions, we are addressing the country’s increasing demand for scalable, energy-efficient, digital infrastructure. This facility will allow us to deliver data center solutions that align with both national economic objectives and the evolving needs of industries.”

IFS Cloud 24R2 includes new IFS.ai-powered features.

IFS, the leading provider of enterprise cloud and Industrial AI, has launched IFS Cloud 24R2 at its IFS Unleashed event in Orlando, Florida, including new IFS.ai-powered features to drive industrial AI adoption at scale

With the launch of 24R2, more than 60 deep industrial AI capabilities are now available.

Feature highlights

New feature highlights include:

Home is a new, dynamic, AI-powered homepage for IFS Cloud providing live project status visibility, fuelling productivity and efficiency. Anomalies are automatically detected, and corrective actions suggested, saving time and increasing accuracy of project analysis. This unique and intuitive experience combines the new context aware IFS.ai Copilot uses cases with a growing ecosystem of interactive widgets that help users plan, manage, build and service assets faster, smarter and safer.

IFS.ai Copilot now goes deeper than ever, surfacing insights from across the organisation. The context aware Copilot with preconfigured industries capabilities gets even more powerful when integrated with customer data sources. Service leaders and dispatchers can now maximise field service delivery and future planning efficiency with AI-driven accelerated, accurate decision making, and obtain instant contextually relevant answers to questions.

Within the Asset Applications module, the new IFS.ai Copilot for FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects, Criticality Analysis) feature drives optimised asset availability while reducing maintenance costs and mitigating risks. It provides detailed analysis of how an asset might fail, the probability, and consequences of making or adjusting maintenance strategies. AI supports FMECA by unlocking insights from unstructured information such as manuals and maintenance reports to support and refine the analysis.

New Prompt Libraries in Copilot empower users to take the lead with AI by storing contextually relevant prompts, eliminating repetition and boosting productivity.

IFS.ai can take unstructured data from, for example, a new manufacturing customer PO and auto- create a new order so the production process can be accelerated. The impact of this new order onto the shop floor can then be modelled and analysed with the new Manufacturing Scheduling Optimisation (MSO) Simulation capability, enabling production managers to improve capacity planning and meet customer demand. Meanwhile, asset managers can use the Simulation capabilities to more accurately predict and plan essential asset maintenance based on different scenarios.

Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer at IFS, commented, “All new features and enhancements within IFS Cloud 24R2 are guided by IFS’s strategic themes. They are tailored to help customers unleash their full potential – both in terms of operational effectiveness and profitability – by leveraging IFS.ai to unlock and use the secret weapon from across supply chain and operations: their data.”

At the IFS Unleashed event, taking place in Orlando, Florida from 15-17 October, attendees heard about IFS’s plans to further enhance its AI capabilities for the benefit of its customers, with the stated aim of becoming the undisputed leader in industrial software.

Enhanced visibility. Industrialised reliability. (Image source: Brady)

Maximise real-time visibility on industrial processes with cutting edge RFID performance. The IRX200 from Brady combines powerful RFID reading with integrated edge computing and native OT & IT connectivity to support greater warehouse and production efficiency.

Instantly see the status and evolution for both work-in-progress in production, and stock levels in the warehouse, using the same hard- and software. Reduce production interruptions. Track inventories automatically with an RFID reader that can pick up 1000 items per second. Streamline processes and enhance output using accurate, real-time, automated and programmable data that enable fast, accurate decision making and effective continuous improvement.

Unique, all-in-one tracking

Read battery-free RFID tags right out of the box with the IRX200’s all-inclusive functionality. An integrated, high gain RFID antenna makes the IRX200 easy to install and maintain. The RFID reader does not require external antennas. Native OT & IT connectivity, including Profinet IO and OPC UA, enable smooth, reliable data throughput. Before sharing, data can be processed by a built-in edge computer that nullifies latency and reduces facility cloud bandwidth consumption. Equipped with powerful computing capabilities, the IRX200 can run RFID reader and AI apps to process data in real-time, and share them with stakeholders and other machines in the most optimal way.

^{The RFID reader does not require external antennas.}

Enhanced visibility. Industrialised reliability.

The IRX200 is designed for industrial environments. With EN 60068-2-27 shock, EN 60068-2-6 vibration, and IP67 ingress protection tested mechanics, the reader can be mounted on almost any racking, conveyor, forklift and indoor vehicle. An operating temperature range of -20°C to 55°C makes the IRX200 useful in many industrial environments and applications.

With the IRX200, a large number of industries can power productivity using insights and decisions supported by real-time, actionable data from their own industrial processes.

Learn more about IRX200 fixed reader on Brady websites.

A significant leap in workplace efficiency

Bring your workplace to the next level of efficiency and productivity with reliable RFID. Locate, identify, track and trace multiple assets at once from a 15m distance without ever having to lay eyes on them. Or cover your entire workplace with well placed fixed RFID readers to maximally accelarate asset tracking. Quickly guide employees to the assets they need in the most optimal order, fully automate inventories and check any outgoing cargo for completeness in seconds.

Get some inspiration from our free guidebook >>

Brady Europe, Middle East & Africa
www.brady.eu

This year saw 250 projects submitted by organisations from 36 countries. (Image source: Bentley Systems)

Bentley Systems, a leading provider of infrastructure engineering software, has announced the winners of its 2024 Going Digital Awards.

These annual awards recognise outstanding achievements by infrastructure professionals who are utilising Bentley software to enhance the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure projects.

This year saw 250 projects submitted by organisations from 36 countries. A panel of independent judges selected the winners from 36 finalists across 12 categories during Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure event, held on October 8-9 in Vancouver, Canada.

“This year, we received an impressive variety of submissions for the Going Digital Awards from users across the globe, showcasing groundbreaking projects that exemplify the future of infrastructure,” said Kristin Fallon, chief marketing officer at Bentley Systems. “Today, we celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our finalists and winners. These visionary teams demonstrate the power of going digital across the infrastructure lifecycle to improve project delivery and asset performance.”

The winners

Bridges and Tunnels
JMT – Digital Experience for I-95 Rappahannock River Crossing Construction Project

Construction
Proicere Ltd. – SPRS Retreatment (SRP) Sellafield

Enterprise Engineering
Mott MacDonald and HDR – Ontario Line

Facilities, Campuses, and Cities
China ENFI Engineering Co., Ltd. – Digital Construction Project of Comprehensive Waste Management Facilities in Xiong’an New Area

Process and Power Generation
PowerChina Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Limited – Shandong Energy Group Bozhong Offshore Wind Farm Site A Project

Rail and Transit
SPL Powerlines UK – Midland Main Line Electrification

Roads and Highways
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Digital Twin Implementation for NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project

Structural Engineering
Hyundai Engineering – New Physical Modeling Method for Plant Steel Structures Using STAAD API

Surveying and Monitoring
Water Supplies Department – Digital Twin of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir

Subsurface Modeling and Analysis
Spark and WSP – North East Link Central Package

Transmission and Distribution
Southwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group – Butuo ±800-kV Converter Station

Water and Wastewater
Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo – Sabesp – Integra 4.0