The Role of Online Process Analyzers in Smarter Manufacturing

1. The Role of Online Process Analyzers in Smarter Manufacturing Manufacturing has embarked on a new era of speed, accuracy, and innovation-spirited competitiveness. Industries faced with a digitalisation and automation imperative need tools to provide them with insights in real time more than ever. One of the most consequential technologies to enable manufacturers to drive the change is the online process analyser. Online process analysers are working to change the paradigm in which manufacturers manage, monitor, control and optimise their manufacturing processes to better overall process performance, making their operations smarter, safer and more effective. From Traditional to Real-Time Analysis Historically, process analysis incorporated laboratory testing and manual sampling as the backbone of the analysis. These methods are reliable, but with both methods, added delays limited the operator’s ability to make timely decisions. By the time the test results arrive, the production line may have already ventured out of optimal conditions, resulting in inefficiency or loss of resources.Online process analysers were developed to provide immediate and continuous data from the production line, which include process analysers, weight scales, and pH instruments to support upstream handling. Instead of responding to issues in a reactive manner, manufacturers can now proactively identify issues and mitigate them as they happen. The result is a shift from an ex post facto manufacturing process to a modern process — ultimately saving costs, decreasing time, and enhancing product quality. Enhancing Product Quality and Consistency Quality is essential to every manufacturing process. When any aspect of the formulation or processing runs amok, you can lose a whole batch and risk huge financial losses and reputation damage. Online or real-time analysers reduce this risk by providing continuous monitoring of critical parameters like chemical formulations, moisture content, and gas concentration .Consider the pharmaceutical supplier. One hundred per cent accurate and consistent measurements are an absolute must. If the active ingredient varies by even a few thousandths of a gram, product safety and effectiveness may be affected. With online analysis monitoring the production, it will mean that not just the final product is monitored, but every step along the process, and it will reassure customers that they are getting consistency and conformity with tightly controlled regulations. Thus, online analysers have not only rewarded consumers with a level of trust but also given the pharmaceutical supplier some degree of competitive advantage. Driving Efficiency and Reducing Costs Efficiency is a key characteristic of smarter manufacturing. By automating online analysers directly in the production system, manufacturers are able to ascertain and modify production processes in real time. When an analyser detects a deviation, operators have the ability to rapidly change operational settings and minimise waste, energy use, and downtime. Take the scenario of a chemical plant. If the purity of a raw material does not remain constant, without online analysers, it would likely generate products that were out of specification or require costly, non-value-added reprocessing operations as the raw material changed in composition. Instant feedback provided by online analysers allows operators to adjust variables immediately, which is resource-efficient and

2. improves profitability. Over time, these efficiency increments lead to significant cost savings and enhanced financial performance. Supporting Sustainability and Compliance Modern manufacturing is not only about efficiency and profit; it’s also about sustainability and responsibility. Around the world, governments and regulatory bodies are implementing tougher environmental regulations, and companies will begin to monitor emissions and the way they use resources in a more stringent manner. Online analysers are crucial tools for this sort of endeavour. The function of online analysers is to accurately measure gases, liquids and particulates on a continuous basis, ensuring manufacturing processes don’t exceed regulatory levels. Gas analysers, for instance, can continuously monitor gases emitted, such as sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, or volatile organic compounds, so companies can address exceedances immediately and prevent more serious violations of their regulatory obligations. Many manufacturers have also begun to use analysers in order to reduce their environmental footprint and meet sustainability objectives and expectations set globally and by their customers. Ensuring Workplace Safety While improving effectiveness and compliance are important functions, online analysers can significantly impact workplace safety. Manufacturing industries, particularly the oil, gas, and chemical industries, involve processes and/or materials that are hazardous to the workplace. If there is any change that goes unrecognised, it can escalate into hazardous situations very quickly.The need to identify those changes is where online analysers contribute to safety as an early-warning system for the workplace. Online analysers can identify items like gas leaks, chemical concentrations not meeting standard deviations, or pressures varying outside of expected ranges. These alerts provide manufacturers with just enough time to react before conditions become hazardous to the worker and surrounding communities. By inserting safety into real-time monitoring options for manufacturers, online analysers can offer the opportunity for smarter manufacturing that protects those immediately impacted on the factory floor and those living near a manufacturing site. Enabling Industry 4.0 and Digital Transformation The advent of Industry 4.0 has firmly established data as the mainstay of a smarter manufacturing world. Online analysers provide accurate and real-time data back into a digital ecosystem, wherein advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning can transform the data into insights-for-action. Take predictive maintenance, for example. It uses analyser data to predict wear or failure of equipment. By being proactive and addressing the problem prior to failure, it helps reduce unplanned downtime and maximise the life of the equipment. Similarly, digital twins, which are digital replicas of physical systems, use analyser inputs to simulate entire processes or specific elements like performance and decision-making. This means that online analysers are no longer just for monitoring but are part of the ongoing digital transformation taking place in manufacturing around the world. Long-Term Strategic Value The benefits from online analysers you experience immediately are better accuracy and efficiency. The long-term benefit of online analysers, however, is their ability to build resilience and adaptability. As the market shifts, regulations tighten, and sustainability stakes rise, manufacturers require flexible solutions that allow them to stay competitive. That flexibility is what online

3. analysers provide. They are able to provide you with real-time insights into operations, and their ability to easily integrate and work with other advanced manufacturing technologies helps provide you with more agile and future-ready operations. The return on investment on these systems is not solely based on the money saved but also on credibility and compliance and the trust and confidence from the customer. Conclusion As manufacturing increases in smartness, data-drivenness and sustainability, the ability to provide accuracy, efficiency and reliability will always be a necessity. Data analysis tools exploiting better data are at the centre of this evolution. Online process analysers can provide continuous data opportunities while resulting in better product quality, safety improvements, cost savings, and sustainability. Others enable real-time intelligence, empowering a manufacturer not just to optimise processes but to create the smarter future of manufacturing.