Gerd Kielburger ♥ PROCESS Worldwide

Gerd Kielburger

Director International Business & Strategy
Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG

More than 30 years of experience as a technical journalist. Thereof 24 years as Editor-in-Chief in the global Chemical Engineering topic with brands as PROCESS, PROCESS Worldwide, PharmaTEC, and responsible Group Publisher of PROCESS Group, Schüttgut, LABORPRAXIS, and LAB Worldwide. Since 2020 Director for International Business and Strategy of the entire Vogel Communications Group, incl. ETMM and China brands.

Articles of the author

Dr. Jürgen Brandes, CEO of Siemens Division Process Industries and Drives, in answer to the question whether or not lights-out plants will ever become reality: "We do not see factories without a human presence on-site as a customer benefit per se. The customer benefits are plant efficiency, plant availability and plant flexibility." (Siemens)
Change in Process Automation

What Role will Process Control Engineering Play in the Future?

Monolithic structures in process automation will soon be outdated. This will lead to even more competition, Jürgen Brandes, CEO of Siemens Division Process Industries and Drives, says in a double interview with his colleague and CTO Jörn Oprzynski. What role will be left for Distributed Control Systems (DCS) in the future? What can assistance systems already do today, and is autonomous plant operation really going to happen? Our exclusive interview offers up answers to all of these and a lot more questions.

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Peep into the Plenary Hall of the 79th NAMUR Annual General Meeting. (Ernhofer/PROCESS)
Day 2 of the NAMUR Annual General Meeting 2016

The Future of Automation: From Field Device Through Modularization to Data Mining...

Tomorrow's automation technology starts today. From field device daily routine through the chances of modularization up to data mining. Suspense and excitement continued on the second day of the Namur Annual General Meeting. Here, it was clearly palpable: The modernization tempo that users and operators in the process automation have jointly unleashed has increased significantly.

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Siemens Division CEO Jürgen Brandes: "Industries that are facing a change need speed and innovation. Here our holistic concept can be applied. It's not just about engineering. It's not just about uniform data storage. It's about deriving optimization from this data to raise the company to the next level of productivity." (PROCESS)
New Challenges for Process Industries

Siemens strives for synthesis between hardware and software companies

The race for the competitive advantages through Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and digitalization has begun. Siemens Division Head Dr. Jürgen Brandes gives insights on how Siemens will optimally support the challenges in the process industries with more speed, innovation, shortening of the Time to Market, flexibility and efficiency. This can happen only through more industry expertise, open interfaces and Coopetition. No doubt: The Siemens world is becoming more open.

Read on
Peep into the Plenary Hall of the 79th NAMUR Annual General Meeting. (Ernhofer/PROCESS)
Day 2 of the NAMUR Annual General Meeting 2016

The Future of Automation: From Field Device Through Modularization to Data Mining...

Tomorrow's automation technology starts today. From field device daily routine through the chances of modularization up to data mining. Suspense and excitement continued on the second day of the Namur Annual General Meeting. Here, it was clearly palpable: The modernization tempo that users and operators in the process automation have jointly unleashed has increased significantly.

Read on
During the breaks between lectures and discussions there was again a lot of time to deepen topics and expand the own network. (Mühlenkamp / PROCESS)
Namur 2018

Encapsulating Complexity — Namur Main Session Sets Course

With MTP (Module Type Package) and NOA (Namur Open Architecture), Namur has launched important game changers in process automation. While the complexity of the topics in the context of the digitization challenges continues to increase, the users need simple solutions. Are sensors the key or the driver for successful digitization? This was discussed under the motto “Field Instruments Supporting Digital Transformation” at the annual users meeting of process automation technology.

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Dr. Jürgen Brandes, CEO of Siemens Division Process Industries and Drives, in answer to the question whether or not lights-out plants will ever become reality: "We do not see factories without a human presence on-site as a customer benefit per se. The customer benefits are plant efficiency, plant availability and plant flexibility." (Siemens)
Change in Process Automation

What Role will Process Control Engineering Play in the Future?

Monolithic structures in process automation will soon be outdated. This will lead to even more competition, Jürgen Brandes, CEO of Siemens Division Process Industries and Drives, says in a double interview with his colleague and CTO Jörn Oprzynski. What role will be left for Distributed Control Systems (DCS) in the future? What can assistance systems already do today, and is autonomous plant operation really going to happen? Our exclusive interview offers up answers to all of these and a lot more questions.

Read on
A new head for a new division at Siemens: Peter Herwecks leads the company's Process Industries and Drives division since October 2014. (Picture: Siemens)
Interview

Siemens Plans to Put Focus on Platforms

On 1 October, Siemens started for the first time with their own division for the process industry–Germany's biggest industrial group has restructured. "Yet again?", critics asked. But this time the group came up with concrete action in keeping with their Vision 2020 and formed their own "Process Industries and Drives" division. Division head Peter Herweck speaks in the PROCESS interview about his strategies, aims and opportunities in the new structure.

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Siemens has introduced the PumpMon pump monitoring solution which can also identify opportunities to save energy.  (Picture: Siemens)
Distress Call from the Pump

Pump Monitoring/Early Fault Detection and New Service Strategies

How does a user know that degradation is taking place in a pump and that it will eventually lead to a major fault? Manufacturers are working hard to develop intelligent diagnostic systems. The goal is to develop simple solutions which are cost-effective even on small pumps. Suppliers are developing early fault detection strategies which are designed to enhance pump availability. PROCESS takes a look at the latest developments.

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Siemens Division CEO Jürgen Brandes: "Industries that are facing a change need speed and innovation. Here our holistic concept can be applied. It's not just about engineering. It's not just about uniform data storage. It's about deriving optimization from this data to raise the company to the next level of productivity." (PROCESS)
New Challenges for Process Industries

Siemens strives for synthesis between hardware and software companies

The race for the competitive advantages through Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and digitalization has begun. Siemens Division Head Dr. Jürgen Brandes gives insights on how Siemens will optimally support the challenges in the process industries with more speed, innovation, shortening of the Time to Market, flexibility and efficiency. This can happen only through more industry expertise, open interfaces and Coopetition. No doubt: The Siemens world is becoming more open.

Read on
The environmental laws in India are extremely strict.  (Picture: Gharda Chemicals Ltd.)
Chemical Industry

Dr Gharda Talks About Gharda Chemicals’ Contribution to the Indian Chemical Industry

“Napoleon Bonaparte used to sleep on his horse. Generals must be visible at all time,” says Dr KH Gharda - Chairman and Managing Director of Gharda Chemicals Ltd (GCL), in a tête-à-tête with PROCESS India. This 81-year-old stalwart — who believes in silently fulfilling his role of a front liner, maintains a low profile and lets his work speak for him — has made far-reaching contributions to the Indian chemical industry.

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Emerson reported a record attendance of 1600 participants from 52 countries at this year's (EMEA) Global User Exchange in The Hague.  (PROCESS)
Emerson Global User Exchange 2018

Partnerships are gaining importance: How Emerson wants to score with more advice

Emerson wants to score points with more consultation — The global economy is booming, and after the years of crisis the oil and gas industries also seem to be back in play. This is the time when digital transformation is bringing companies in the process industry to new challenges that should lead to further reductions in costs and complexity — the perfect framework for this year’s Emerson User Exchange Meeting in The Hague, which attracted 1,600 participants this time.

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Aseptic production in the pharmaceutical industry: the digital factory provides seamless data management and facilitates planning and operation. (Pictures: M+W Zander) (Archiv: Vogel Business Media)
Minimizing Planning Errors

The “Digital Factory” and the Promise of Seamless Data Management

The digital factory, which in this context refers to the convergence of process and facilities infrastructure planning in an integrated 3D model, is not exactly a new issue for the big players in the process industry. However, many small and medium-size companies do not yet have seamless data management. A comprehensive 3D model can be extremely useful during the design of pharmaceutical production lines.

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The importance of mechanical com-
pression of vapors is increasing, due in part to the declining susceptibility of the compressors to faults thanks to improvements in materials and sophisticated monitoring and safety installations.  Pictures: Gea Wiegand (Archiv: Vogel Business Media)
Steaming Up

Mechanical Compression of Vapors Increases Efficiency

Energy costs have now become a long-term issue in the chemicals sector and are becoming an important efficiency factor. Process versions which only a few years ago laid abandoned and disregarded in the drawer due to their high investment costs are benefiting from this sea change. This also includes mechanical compression of vapors in evaporators which remained in the long grass for a long time and is now enjoying a renaissance.

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Dr. Jochen Köckler, Memebr of the Board of Deutsche Messe at the Hannover Messe Preview 2016 (Picture: Deutsche Messe)
Event Preview: Hannover Fair 2016

Obama to Visit the No. 1 Hot Spot for the Connected Industry

The leading trade fair worldwide in Hannover is again focussed on digitisation and networked industries this year. For a week about 5,000 exhibitors shall display the latest technologies for production plants and energy systems of today and the future. This year's partner country USA is represented by about 250 companies including the automation company Honeywell. But its not just the latest technologies that are on the agenda, American president Barack Obama is also using the fair to promote Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

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 (Honeywell)
Industrial Internet of Things

From Device Level to Cloud Computing: This is How the IIoT Strategy Takes Shape

From the device level to the Cloud, customers are finding efficiencies — When Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced in April this year that the company had established a new business unit, its formation was to help manufacturers harness the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This will allow them to more efficiently gather and analyze a broader range of data across multiple operations and plants to use data to transform entire enterprises.

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 (Picture: Lewa)
Interview Process Skids

“Continually Reinvent Yourself” – How Process Skids Open new Markets for Pumps

Hidden champion and pump manufacturer Lewa is operating in almost all parts of the world—Nikkiso of Japan acquired the German company in 2009. Lewa has in-depth expertise in metering systems. Its innovative strengths and willingness to continually evolve lay the foundation for sustained business excellence. The company operates under the direction of a three-man German/Japanese senior management team. Chief Marketing Officer Stefan Glasmeyer provided an insight into the underlying strategy.

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Die neue Version 6 des ABB-Leitsystems 800xA bietet neben dem Alarmmanagement, erweiterten leittechnischen  Funktionen, Videosystemen, Sicherheitsfunktionen, elektrischer Integration, Leistungsmanagement zahlreichen weiteren Charakteristika. (ABB)
Industrial Automation Concept

Industrial IT Reloaded – A New Peak for Automation?

Industrial IT Reloaded —With Version 6 of their System 800xA process control system, ABB are seeking to conquer a new peak in process automation. What these process automation specialists are offering must be called, strictly speaking, Industrial IT Reloaded, says Tobias Becker, director of the global ABB business unit “Control Technologies”. Fundamentally, the 800xA is not a pure control system, but an integration platform for various systems — a platform that simultaneously serves as an information hub. PROCESS wanted to go deeper.

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Honeywell’s future wireless network is expected to support a range of industrial protocols and up to 30,000 devices. (Pictures: Honeywell) (Archiv: Vogel Business Media)
Adapting to Change

Review of the Honeywell EMEA Users Group Conference

Adapting to change was the theme of the event which Honeywell Process Solutions staged last November in Seville, Spain. Customers from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) gathered at the user meeting in the Andalusian city to share thoughts, ideas and best practice which can help improve the operation of Honeywell products and systems.

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The 1st Process Energy Summit 2013 will be held from November 19-20 at Vogel Convention Center in Wuerzburg, in the heart of Germany. The location used to be the former printing facility of the PROCESS Publisher. Vogel Business Media has a tradition of more than 120 years. (Photo: VBM)
Focusing on Energy

PROCESS launches new Process Energy Summit 2013

The green transition and increasingly intense competition between regions as they try to attract and retain business investment are putting significantly more pressure on Europe and Germany to find additional ways of reducing energy and resource consumption. At a time when industry is trying to make more intelligent and efficient use of energy, the Process Energy Summit 2013 will provide a platform for sharing information on developments, prospects and solutions which may point the way forward.

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