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Focusing on changeDigital transformation in plant engineering
The rapid development of digital technologies is revolutionizing not only our everyday lives, but also the industrial landscape. At the heart of this transformation is Dr. Tobias Rabsahl, an expert and visionary in the digital transformation of plant engineering at thyssenkrupp Uhde. He gives us an insight into his area of responsibility and his work.
A modern thyssenkrupp Uhde chemical plant provides the foundation for digital solutions that optimize processes and improve plant performance.
Our team takes responsibility for topics that do not fall within traditional plant engineering and that previously did not exist within our company. This challenge requires not only the creation of new structures and processes, but also intensive internal efforts to demonstrate the need for change and the potential it offers.
The expert is particularly interested in evaluating new ideas and business models for plant engineering at Uhde. “One example is so-called pay-per-use models, which can increase customer value and broaden the scope of digital products,” he explains. Under this type of contract, customers pay only for the units they actually use or produce. “This gives our customers greater flexibility and planning certainty, while allowing us at thyssenkrupp to take full responsibility for the service and secure the business for ourselves.” Digitalization plays an important role in this context. “A fully digitalized plant is what really makes concepts like these possible,” Tobias explains, “because it allows us to ensure remotely that the plant is operated in accordance with specific contractual parameters.” Although the concept has not yet been fully implemented, its growing importance in industry and at thyssenkrupp continues to drive the development of this type of contractual model.
Fascinating digital projects and milestones
Which project did he find particularly exciting over the past year? For Tobias, the answer is clear: the preparation of a project for the Egyptian chemical and fertilizer manufacturer NCIC, the El Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals - particularly because of its scale and complexity. “Understanding the customer’s requirements and developing the right elements during the proposal process was crucial for a project of this size in order to create tailored solutions,” Tobias explains.
The result: As part of the fertilizer project for NCIC, a digital infrastructure was established that provides the foundation for online dashboards and regular performance reports.
Digital dashboards and real-time data provide transparency across plant operations, enabling data-driven optimization, digital twins and AI-powered applications in plant engineering.
The foundation for using digital solutions and products of this kind is the digital infrastructure. For the fertilizer project, this infrastructure was developed specifically for the plant. “This includes, for example, the installation of so-called edge devices - put simply, mini computers that transmit sensor data to the thyssenkrupp Uhde Cloud for further processing,” Tobias explains. “The project is divided into several stages and phases, with the data ultimately used to provide the customer with solutions that ensure optimized plant operation.” This helps improve the economic efficiency of the plant operator while reducing harmful environmental emissions. Digital products therefore also serve as tools for advancing the green transformation.
The digital infrastructure of the fertilizer plant in Egypt
As part of the project, digital twins are being implemented in the form of black-box and white-box models. “These simulate specific sections of the process either on the basis of known physical and mathematical relationships - the white-box approach - or using an artificial neural network trained with historical data - the black-box approach. The latter can also be described as a form of artificial intelligence,” Tobias explains.
Any discrepancies between the actual measurements and the simulated values indicate anomalies that can ideally be resolved quickly, either automatically or through manual intervention.
Digital twins and a robust digital infrastructure form the foundation for monitoring, analyzing and optimizing industrial plants in real time.
The project also includes additional digital services, including an operator training simulator. Developed and configured specifically for the plant in Egypt, this software simulates plant operation and allows plant personnel to train for a variety of scenarios in a safe environment.
Shaping the future
According to the expert, digital technologies will become increasingly important in the future of plant engineering, as the industry’s comparatively delayed innovation cycle offers considerable potential for adaptation and transformation.
Digital solutions in chemical plant engineering will evolve from being regarded as useful add-ons to becoming an essential requirement for competing successfully in the market.
The main challenges lie in gaining acceptance for change and building confidence in the opportunities and potential it creates. “This requires a willingness to overcome traditional ways of thinking and clearly communicate the benefits of digital transformation,” says Tobias. When this succeeds, a shared understanding can pave the way for many more innovative plant engineering projects.
Plant engineering is changing
After completing a degree in industrial engineering and earning his doctorate, Dr. Tobias Rabsahl worked in various fields before taking on his current role as Digital Product Manager in Business Development & Strategy at thyssenkrupp Uhde. Together with his dedicated digital team, Tobias manages the development and sales strategies for innovative plant engineering solutions. What excites him most is the diversity of the work and the opportunity to actively shape topics within an ongoing technological revolution. “Plant engineering is at the beginning of one of the most profound transformations since Uhde was founded around 100 years ago.” This calls for creativity, optimism and perseverance. “Above all, it requires a willingness to keep learning and to engage with new topics and questions,” Tobias explains.
From idea to reality
“As the person responsible for initiating and managing development projects, I oversee the comprehensive coordination and monitoring of a wide range of activities,” Tobias explains. His work includes evaluating innovative ideas in plant engineering, collaborating with external experts and defining methodological foundations for the product management of digital solutions. “I also promote internal knowledge sharing and serve as the point of contact for products during the proposal process,” he adds.