Industrial automation is not simply full automation of industry, nor is it the recently popular "lights-out factory." The essence of industrial automation is to cope with intensified market competition, demanding rapid product updates, high product quality, and adaptation to large- and medium-volume production while reducing labor intensity. Faster production speeds, higher controllability of product quality, and further reduction in production costs all contribute to the development of the manufacturing industry, which is the development pattern of industrial manufacturing in developed countries.
Recently, while people have been discussing population data and the rapid decline of the demographic dividend, news media have reported that many labor-intensive manufacturing companies in China have moved their factories to Vietnam because labor costs in China are three times higher than in Vietnam. The rising labor costs are not a new phenomenon following this year's population data release. In the Pearl River Delta region, many factories have been struggling to recruit workers, frequently making headlines in recent years. Managers have been forced to raise wages to maintain operations, but they all complain that this is not a sustainable solution.
Although industrial automation has been implemented in developed countries for decades, and many domestic enterprises followed suit in the early 2000s, the overall focus on industrial automation has only emerged in recent years. Currently, imported inflation is gradually appearing, and international raw material and commodity prices are rising. In response to increased costs and thinning profits, many manufacturing enterprises have had to close their factories and switch to other industries, bringing the manufacturing sector to a critical juncture.
Relevant data shows that the application of industrial robots in China has grown at a rate exceeding 30% for three consecutive years, and the ratio of industrial robots per 10,000 industrial workers has been increasing year by year. Comparing this trend with the current situation, some have proposed that industrial automation can solve the problem of manual labor, thus alleviating the ever-increasing labor costs. Manufacturing processes such as processing, mechanical transmission, testing, and packaging can all be replaced by industrial automation. Equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals, and precision machining are also pioneering fields for industrial automation.
Industrial panel PCs are mainly used in industrial automation for control and display, production line system integration, central control platforms for electrical automation equipment, and embedded hardware systems for instrumentation equipment. In the context of internet-connected automation equipment, industrial panel PCs are widely used and play a key role in promoting industrial automation and digital integration.
As an automation support device, industrial-grade panel PCs need to have several advantages to meet application and environmental requirements. Compared with ordinary commercial computers, low power consumption, long-term operation, dust and interference resistance, and expandability are essential elements in industrial control environments. The essential elements will also change depending on the type of automation and the application environment.
With current industrial technology, industrial automation is not complete automation. In certain industrial manufacturing scenarios, human initiative remains irreplaceable, such as controlling the central control platform, setting up programs, and manufacturing precision parts. These all require collaboration between equipment and engineers. While a shortage of ordinary assembly line workers can be partially replaced by automated equipment, tasks such as programming and coding by engineers are currently difficult to replace with automated systems.
In general, industrial panel PCs are a visible manifestation of industrial automation. Automation still requires control, and control can never do without industrial panel PCs.
