SB Davis and XY Mbuthuma
Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC, c/o University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; sdavis@smri.org
The Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC (SMRI) has embarked on a suite of projects aimed at providing operating staff with relevant and useful information generated from already available data supplemented by data generated from newly developed instruments using the principles of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. The data is processed using decision-support tools to guide control actions by incorporating knowledge gained from experienced sugar technologists to identify potentially sub-optimal conditions and suggest corrective actions. However, while working with process operators for development work at the factories, it became clear that the complexities of managing data and information flows pose significant challenges in providing usable tools at the appropriate level. The different approaches used in these projects are summarised and some of the results and challenges encountered are described. While the tools are already of great benefit for consultants seeking to optimise factory performance, the SMRI is engaging with factory management and head office personnel to determine how best to integrate the tools into routine factory operations for the full benefit to be realised.