Orlando, Fla. — Dri-Air Industries Inc. of East Windsor, Conn., is proactive as the plastics industry deals with next-generation technological and digital advances.
"Industry 4.0 is an interesting endeavor [that is] a journey and not a destination," said Jason Sears, vice president of operations for the company.
For its part, Dri-Air introduced a platform called Dri-Air Dryer 4.0 to work autonomously making sensor-based changes while monitoring material throughput.
Dri-Air focuses on dryer systems for small-throughput, hopper-mount, dual-hopper and large-throughput applications along with hopper banks.
Sears said Industry 4.0 requires "a huge investment of time and resources" without a supplier knowing whether industry is willing to pay for the technology.
"Sensors are coming in line with technology, and OEMs are getting protocols in order," he said. The elements of the Euromap digital 4.0 standard open protocol-unified architecture are undergoing development.
For Dri-Air customers, "we focus on giving them what they need rather than telling them what they need," said Sears, who heads the engineering and design functions.
Dri-Air employs 27 and owns a 26,000-square-foot facility on five acres. The space includes a recent addition of 6,000 square feet, enabling Dri-Air to warehouse more large hoppers, fabricated parts and other components.
Sears projected sales during 2018 increasing 15 percent vs. last year's results. Dri-Air withholds sales number.