Q&A: Dr. Mohamed Hassan, head of Mesnac research centre
9 Apr 2015
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For the Automation feature in the March/April issue, ERJ asked Dr. Mohamed Hassan, executive director of Mesnac's American Research and Technical Centre’s about current technology trends in the tire industry:
ERJ: From your knowledge of the market, how would you describe the level of control & automation being used in the tire manufacturing industry today?
MH: Tire manufacturing is a very complicated process with too many variabilities. This is why tire manufacturers have been always looking for automation solutions for their manufacturing process in order to reduce the process variability and increase productivity as well. The tire industry has achieved a very mature level of control and automation that can be seen for example in MESNAC’s fully automated storage and retrieval systems. Also, lots of fully automated tire machinery are currently available on the market.
ERJ: What are the main factors driving the adoption of advanced control/ automation/instrumentation technologies in the tire-making sector?
MH: As mentioned above, variability minimization and productivity increase are among the main factors driving the adoption of advanced automation. Also, manufacturers’ requirements of higher quality tires that are driven by the end user demand are among these factors. The increase in the labor cost all over the world even in China is also a driving factor.
ERJ: What are the barriers to investment in new technologies in this area?
MH: The research in new technologies is very costly, also adding advanced technology to the machines, tends to increase the machine’s cost. The fact that the tire manufacturers are looking to cut down on capital cost to improve their cash flow, puts a barrier on the spending in new technology. This is why a company like MESNAC is focusing on providing the market with advanced technology together with cost effective solutions.
ERJ: How well resourced are tire makers in terms of having the skills required for specifying, installing and maintaining the latest (and often complex) control & automation systems?
MH: In the old days, most tire manufacturers had to design and manufacture their own equipment, as there was not much OEMs for tire machinery. The current trend of tier 1 tire manufacturers calls for partnerships with equipment OEMs who can invest on research and development of new machinery. This removes a lot of burden from the tire manufacturers’ shoulders as they can focus more on the development and production of quality tires. By having the strategic partnerships with the OEMs, tire manufacturers should have access to a lot of resources that enable them to use the skills required for specifying, installing and maintaining the latest control and automation systems leading them to the competitive advantage and a better technology management.
ERJ: Can you identify any control/automation/instrumentation technologies that is/are proving particularly effective in helping tire makers achieve their targets for safety, efficiency and productivity?
MH: As the only provider of the complete line of tire production machinery, MESNAC is currently focusing its research and development activities on the development of what we call “Smart Factory”. This factory is characterized by: Factory visibility, higher levels of automation, more effective energy management, more safety, productivity and quality output as well as predictive maintenance systems and Self-healing machinery. In order to achieve this level of performance, the machines will be having a cluster of sensing and automation devices such as vision systems, machine learning, condition monitoring and big data analytics to facilitate the operation of such factory.
ERJ: Finally, how would you describe the position of the tire industry in terms of its adoption (or readiness to adopt) advanced manufacturing concepts such as the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0?
MH: The Smart Factory concept is actually based on the practical application of the Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). MESNAC was the first company to put the Smart Factory in its strategic plan. Currently, the tire industry have utilized automated machines, but not yet “Smart Machines”. There is a difference between the current industry that focuses on providing high-end quality product with the least cost and the industry 4.0 environment where components and systems will be able to gain self-awareness and self-predictiveness. We are forecasting a 3-5 years development time for the Smart Factory to be a reality.
ERJ: Thank you.
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