Why You Should Consider Mobility

Mobility—it means a lot of things these days. Getting information immediately on a smart device. Having your system travel with you, unbounded by physical walls of the plant. Or, “untethering” your application from its PC-bound form.

SmartGlance connects your mobile phone with any corporate or production system data source. Virtually any electronic data that is delivered to your desktop can be transformed into a graphical report for real time viewing on your mobile smart phone or device. SmartGlance allows you to visualize data from a historian, MES, HMI, or other real-time automation application.

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A Break in my Blog Posts

Happy Holidays and a Wonderful, Prosperous New Year to Everyone!
I'll be taking a hiatus from blog posts for the next few weeks.
See you in 2014....

Regards,
Maryanne

Wonderware Intelligence: The Top 5 New Tableau Features

by Jim Frider, Product Marketing Manager, Invensys

If you analyze data to improve the performance of your facility then you need to learn more about the exciting new data visualization features available with Wonderware Intelligence. 

At its core, Wonderware Intelligence helps industrial companies better understand the subtleties of their processes and equipment so they can make better decisions.  It helps manufacturing; processing and infrastructure companies organize their many data stores into a coherent information model which then can be rendered into brilliant data displays and charts.  Wonderware has partnered with Tableau Software, a leader in business intelligence software, to offer the most compelling data analytics available to the industrial marketplace.    

Tableau Software has released version 8.1 of their leading data visualization software.  This new release contains dozens of enhanced features to improve your data analytics.  Invensys engineers have reviewed this new release, and here is our list of the top 5 new Tableau 8.1 features.

The Intelligent Enterprise - Components Part 3

The third part on the series on the Need for an Intelligent Enterprise

By Cronin Almeida, Invensys

What makes an enterprise intelligent is that now a days, anything can be instrumented.  Any parameter that plays even a slight role can be measured, documented and made visible. This has enabled real time information to be available across the enterprise. Intelligence and Workflow software along with traditional HMI/Historian software  are the solutions available to help enterprises process and act on this information in real time. The combination of these two products along with an HMI/Historian  enables the stitching of the entire manufacturing ecosystem. Disparate systems like production planning, production execution, quality control can be made to react to specification changes, supply chain availability, environmental regulations and other industry parameters. 

Business Intelligence in the Palm of Your Hand: SmartGlance

The two offerings from the Apple stable – iPhone and iPad, along with Android technology from Google and the Windows 8 phone, have completely changed the face of business in recent years. The wide adoption of the tools of mobile business intelligence is testimony to this fact. The products in mobile technology are witnessing drastic changes and are becoming adaptable to the new technology along with becoming mature. Mobile BI has revolutionized business; however, enhanced devices and better tablets and technology are the real reasons for propelling the market.

Avantis.PRO Users - Register now for early 2014 class!

The Avantis® advanced Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Suite enables your enterprise to do more than simply maintain assets. It is designed to meet the sophisticated maintenance and materials management requirements of today’s asset-centric organizations. It is fully and seamlessly integrated with distributed control systems on the plant floor; and it incorporates and responds to predictive condition monitoring processes.

 

The Avantis EAM suite provides the insight you need to make informed business decisions and manage all of your assets with confidence.

We are now offering early registration for the Avantis.PRO suite. The Avantis.PRO training is scheduled for January 13^th – January 16^th, 2014.  Access training here: http://iomtraining.invensys.com/avantis/calendars/index.cfm?fuseAction=loadCatalog&calendarID=91

This course is meant to train new users of Avantis.PRO requiring a generic knowledge of the core maintenance functionality, as well as existing users of Avantis.PRO maintenance who require a better understanding of the functionality, and core team members responsible for configuring Avantis.PRO.

Repost, with comments: GE Healthcare CTO Says IT Needs to Embrace Mobile, Cloud to Remain Relevant

GE Healthcare CTO Says IT Needs to Embrace Mobile, Cloud to Remain Relevant

Not to be self-serving, but this is exactly the reason that @Invensys and @Microsoft partnered to bring the Eye Opener Seminars to industry--because we see the convergence of #cloud, #bigdata, #mobility as means to share, collaborate and inform.  As organizations become more decentralized, there is a need to enforce some standardization and uniformity to their business practices.  Even if you have a single site, the drive for standardization and best practice proliferation is not lost--it provides you with infrastructure for understanding, and improving, performance.

So the technologies--cloud, mobility, big data, aren't in themselves the enablers.  You need to actually DO something to gain the efficiencies and benefits, such as lower cost of ownership, better visibility to operations, and more rapid responses to changes that occur during the course of business. 

I  just listened to @SimonJacobsen of Gartner today, who presented on the state of #MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems). He talked about the convergence of manufacturing IT and pure-play IT.  And that in itself is another driver for embracing these new technologies, as the boundaries and domains of IT are changing, and IT must keep up with the changes.  It's positive, and we at Invensys applaud, and support, the transitions.

Make vs Buy: 4 Reasons For Why You Shouldn't Build Your Own Software

Ever since I joined the wonderful world of industrial software, during the course of a sales pursuit, we come across the "make versus buy" argument for purchasing, versus having internal IT and engineering resources dedicated to building out a highly customized application.

Repost: Counting on Apps for Process Control - ASME

Counting on Apps for Process Control - ASME

a reposting of this article from April 2013, prior to Invensys' acquisition of SmartGlance from Sarla. Now fully integrated into the Wonderware product portfolio, SmartGlance continues to bring productivity to users through a mobile reporting app.

MESA-International-Brings-the-Information-Technology-Experts-to-Milwaukee

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Press-Release--MESA-International-Brings-the-Information-Technology-Experts-to-Milwaukee.html?soid=1101863098727&aid=2t_XjeO1gZ0

As a Keystone Sponsor, Invensys has long supported MESA's educational efforts to promote the benefits of using manufacturing execution solutions.  Their annual conference brings together practioners, vendors, and industry consultants for a three day best practice sharing and networking event.  Please support this effort and join us next year in Milwaukee, WI for IndustryWeek's Best Plants conference.

Repost, with comments: Food Processing Picks Favorite New Food and Beverage Products from 2013

Food Processing Picks Favorite New Food and Beverage Products from 2013

It is always interesting to see what the new food crazes are, for they are an indication of changing consumer tastes, which drives processors to invest in equipment and new technology to meet demands.  As Wonderware has over a good proportion of its sales to the Food and Beverage industry, it makes sense to keep updated with latest trends and behaviors. Most of these newer trends take a spin on old products--there's nothing really "new" about most of them--but it speaks to the desire for more savory products, with a hint of health considerations, such as reduced carbs or fat.  And for that, manufacturers need to reformulate, and while processing, maintain process and quality controls--all of which Invensys can contribute to with our Manufacturing Execution Systems, Batch and HMI products. 

Repost, with Comments: Number of Trade Regulations to Take Effect in 2014

<p><a href="http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/food-safety-trade-regulations/"><b>Unprecedented Number of Trade Regulations To Take Effect in 2014 </b></a><br>Matt Goodman, Livingston International<br>Prepare your company for an onslaught of new trade regulations, many of which center around food import quality and safety.</p>

Food Safety Modernization Act, Trade Acts, Compliance--how can a food manufacturer keep up with all of the regulations?  The rate of change that is hitting the food and beverage industry--from consolidations, acquisitions, to changing customer tastes, to government oversight--collectively challenge both the large and small processors.  It is one thing to purchase technology, but having the foresight and knowledge to adequately implement, and plan for the future, that's where a company needs assistance.

Repost: Microsoft's New CEO, survey from MSPMentor, with comments

http://mspmentor.net/careers/microsofts-new-ceo-your-top-pick-plus-our-favorite-longshots?cl=article_4?utm_source=121013&utm_medium=MSP&utm_campaign=NL

This survey from the readers of MSPMentor predicts the next CEO of Microsoft, now that Steve Ballmer has decided to step down.  What's really interesting is that the lead contender is their Cloud Lead. Microsoft has been active in educating the market, building out partnerships, and providing extensive infrastructure to become a leading cloud technology company. 

Certainly, if you read my blog yesterday, you saw that Invensys and Microsoft just completed their Eye Opener Series for the Cloud--Proof Points--to show that there's more to our partnership than just positioning, there are customers, products and services that are attached to this program.  It's an initiative that's pervasive for both companies, bringing productivity, cost savings and flexibility to users.  Although the seminar series is now over, we are planning more events within the next few months to continue our drive and education to help you understand, and utilize, cloud hosting and technology.

Eye Opener: the Cloud for Industry: "High Level" Thoughts and Takeaways

Seminars were held November 12 (Chicago)  and 14 (Boston)

The final Eye Opener Seminars/The Cloud for Industry: Proof Points were held November 12 in Microsoft headquarters in downtown Chicago, and then in Cambridge, MA on November 14.  Both featured a line up of experienced speakers from Microsoft, Invensys, and partner Saugatuck Technology who revealed the secrets to effective utilization of the cloud in an industrial setting.

Repost, with comments: 9 Buzzwords that make you sound dumb

https://www.openforum.com/articles/9-buzzwords-that-can-make-you-sound-dumb/

We all have our "go to phrases" that seem to have universal applicability and appeal.  My personal favorites are "leverage" and "so there you have it."  I don't necessarily think they make you look dumb.  They are lazy though--an easy way of conveying a message without having to think too much about it.  Your go-to words that you can just bring into a sentence, and seem to work.

Years ago, I worked for an engineering group that used to have a "word of the day" blackboard (yes, it was THAT long ago) and we'd post words that were weird, interesting, or thought-provoking. The point was, we deliberately tried to expand our horizons, and vocabulary, by exploring other ways of conveying a thought or concept.  Maybe going back to reading the dictionary, or at least a Thesaurus, might not be such a bad idea?

Mobile BI tools – Need of the hour. Consider SmartGlance!

Gauging the huge demand for tablet computers, smartphones and the subsequent mobile BI solutions, we need to sneak a peek into the various benefits, management issues, recommendations and challenges associated with mobile business analytics and solutions. You may be thinking about using the iPad, iPhone, Android or Windows 8 device; but how do you take that consumer-facing product and adapt it for the needs of industry?  How do you leverage their capability for the interacting and sharing of important business information?

The users of mobile BI are offered now a plethora of  new applications designed with mobility in mind. But how can you ensure that these apps are useful for transforming the actual role of data in the interactions with consumers, forecasting and planning of business, management of the performance of employees and taking the day-to-day decisions related to the operations of the business? The good news is that SmartGlance is capable of doing all this. This becomes mandatory if the devices need to survive in this ever increasing and demanding marketplace.

With the latest innovations in mobile BI applications, the users are allowed to obtain more than what they actually intend with the new applications and tools. The opportunities regarding IT performance, data visualization and security allow personalization from the devices. The business world is already overly excited about the use of mobile BI in positive ways. The real time access of vital data though is a tough challenge; the tools are providing just that. Heightened security, need of the hour technology and immense speed of delivery are aspects which are loved by businesses.

Businesses have taken a war front approach in the deployment of mobile BI applications in their work. The employees too are quite enthusiastic about the development due to improvement of their performance leading to growth. Overall it is a win-win situation for everyone; right from the top notch professionals to the field employees.

Get it on SmartGlance Apps

Repost, with comments: Virtual or Bare Metal Dedicated Cloud: Which Option is Right for You?

http://talkincloud.com/private-cloud/virtual-or-bare-metal-dedicated-cloud-which-option-right-you?cl=article_5?utm_source=120213&utm_medium=TLK&utm_campaign=NL&elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~

A good article from the Talking Cloud on the differences, and unique benefits, of virtual machine-based versus "bare metal" cloud architectures.  Invensys offers both options, based on Microsoft's Azure, for there are times when a customer wants basically outsourced IT to manage their applications, and other times, customers require the additional security that an on-site hosted solution brings.  It's a matter of preference, budget, and sometimes corporate standards, that may determine or influence which design is used.

SmartGlance for Chinese Language: True Global Support!

As we strive to meet our customer needs, we are proud to announce that SmartGlance for the iPhone now supports the Chinese (Simplified) language, and is available for sale on the Chinese App store.

With the release of Chinese localization, SmartGlance now supports 6 languages English, French, Spanish, German, Italian & Chinese.

 

 

 

Repost, with Comments: Mobile devices continue to fuel consumer demand for increased transparency

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Suppliers2/Mobiles-Millennials-and-IndieWomen-Supermarket-Guru-explores-what-s-big-in-2014?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright

"Mobile devices continue to fuel consumer demand for increased transparency; more convenience; and quick, easy opportunities to be social. Expect continued emphasis on technology and social media as trend-savvy, authenticity-minded Millennials start having families of their own, along with a call for healthy, convenient foods from the growing influencer segment known as IndieWomen, according to “Supermarket Guru” Phil Lempert’s top consumer trends for 2014."

I always pay attention to articles that examine the sentiments and drivers for consumer behavior.  First of all, it shows macro trends that will eventually ripple into the conservative world of industrial automation: #mobility, #cloud, #big data, #social all started with the consumer market, and made their way into industrial offerings.  Sometimes, these trends need a push--like Microsoft's Azure program, which supports commercial offerings to further their platform, or partnerships leading to products such as SmartGlance to address cloud, mobility AND big data--a trifecta as it were.

The need for better control of the food manufacturing process, through #MES

I read an article today on SmartBrief that said FDA recalls more than doubled in this quarter, primarily due to undeclared allergens. Here is the article link:

http://www.smartbrief.com/news/gma/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=C815E5BB-7A9C-4A0B-B3F4-8A02B272EFA5&copyid=8C2DB16D-CFB4-41CA-A7BB-13A33D45D6ED&campaign=googleplus&ref=googleplus8C2DB16D-CFB4-41CA-A7BB-13A33D45D6ED

PODCAST: Mobility for Industrial Workers Enabled by the Cloud

http://themanufacturingconnection.com/2013/10/mobility-for-industrial-workers-enbled-by-the-cloud/

Invensys' Saadi Kermani

How can mobility, coupled with the cloud, help mobile workers?  Question no more--simply listen to this brief podcast from the Manufacturing Connection, where Invensys' @SaadiKermani explains the benefits of using mobility with cloud hosting.  Gain productivity, access at any time to tools that boost operational efficiencies.

SATORP Jubail refinery project enters commissioning phase

During the #Invensys Software User Group and Technical Support Symposium, Dr. Ravi Gopinath, President, Invensys Software Business, discussed the expansive greenfield project Invensys has undertaken to provide SATORP with a full, comprehensive manufacturing infrastructure.

This link will take you to a video.
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/satorp-jubail-refinery-project-enters-commissioning-phase/c7110c49172e0c9847d4f7efc2aa43f8.html

Avantis Enterprise Asset Management training schedule now available: January 2014 - June 2014

Interested in extending your knowledge about Avantis Enterprise Asset Management software? Want to get the latest in updates and functionality?

 

Avantis training courses are now available for the January – June period 2014. In addition to the Calgary and Burlington locations, we have also added courses out of our Lake Forest, CA office. Additional courses are being planned for later in 2014 in other U.S locations.  

Two new courses being offered are Avantis Approvals (given for the first time in Burlington in March) and the Cabinet Customization course.

 

Please visit the registration site for a catalog of available courses and dates - http://iomtraining.invensys.com/avantis/calendars/index.cfm?fuseAction=loadCatalog&calendarID=91

 

Repost: Hack Your Memory: Never Forget A Task Again

https://www.openforum.com/articles/hack-your-memory-never-forget-a-task-again/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p

How often are you in the middle of a task, step away, and forget where you were? This is a good article for giving yourself clues, notes, and other means of keeping on track.

SmartGlance Mobile Reporting Leverages Windows Mobile

When used and implemented correctly, business intelligence Windows-based solutions can enable the decision makers in improving the effectiveness of the organisational concerns, saving capital and enhancing customer service. Business Intelligence helps companies understand and predict the trends of the market quite effectively.

SmartGlance brings a flexible and fresh approach to the decision making, using a mobile device platform to gather real-time operational data.  SmartGlance provides a vital platform for analyzing and extracting the crucial data within fractions, providing a cost effective solution for any enterprise.

NEW! Information Server 2012 R2 BETA Class

NEW! Information Server 2012 R2 BETA Class

Wonderware Information Server is a web-based information portal to display real-time event-based reports from your Wonderware Historian.  A class is being offered by Invensys Training to take advantage of the new features in Information Server 2012, R2.

Repost: Focus on "Roles being more effective" provides a potential path forward towards 2020!!

Focus on "Roles being more effective" provides a potential path forward towards 2020!!
By Tim Sowell, Invensys Fellow

Repost, with comments: Traceability to be a top consumer food trend in 2014

 http://www.smartbrief.com/11/13/13/traceability-be-top-consumer-food-trend-2014-1

The drive for better understanding of food sources continues, with point of origin labeling now a prequisite for many consumers.

This is an extension of the Food Safety Modernization Act now being mandated by the US government, requiring a swift and definitive response to a recall event.

For companies like Invensys serving the food and beverage industry, this is a welcome movement, for the industrial automation industry has strived to put better controls around a manufacturing process supply chain, starting with the raw ingredients/incoming quality inspection and extending through final delivery to the customer.  The more transparency the manufacturer has to their process, the better they can control and manage.  That's the focus of #ManufacturingExecutionSystems, providing the supply chain visibility, quality control, and transformation management of raw materials to finished goods. Long a staple tool for the food and beverage industry, #MES has expanded beyond the traditional plant floor to provide enterprise integration (for example, the amount of material consumed by operation), quality and production management (yields, throughput, LIMS integration) as well as equipment uptime (bottlenecks, yields, quality). It's a comprehensive solution to help manufacturers meet their customer needs for better quality, security and peace of mind.

Mobile Reporting goes Mainstream...

"My Plant Manager bought a new iPad and the Production Manager has an Android based phone. Now, they want to view the latest production and efficiency reports from their home and when they are travelling. How can we do that?" asked the Automation Engineer at a large manufacturing facility. “Viewing reports from the email attachment is not convenient due to the scrolling problems and the size of the report. Also, sending and opening emails every 15 minutes is not practical.”

SmartGlance from Invensys can help. SmartGlance offers mobile reporting that can deliver real time and historical reports on any mobile devices.

Their vision for the mobile enterprise is to show new ways that mobility can streamline operations, reduce costs, increase worker productivity and enable the power of real-time response. SmartGlance believes that mobility will let you transcend distance and connectivity issues, create a virtual, personalized space for collaboration and empower front-line workers to make better, faster, smarter decisions.

Mobile reporting technology is quickly becoming a normal way to run day to day life. There are three major benefits offered by Mobile Reporting Solutions like SmartGlance:

1. Visualization - Monitor Your Business in Real Time


2. Analytics - Pinpoint a Problem


3. Action tools - Solve a problem

Take the example of Skånemejerier. They used the SmartGlance solution for live updates of a newly installed filling line in order to follow OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) and production data in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all the time.

SmartGlance Mobile Business Solutions

SmartGlance is one of the leaders providing  mobile business decision support solutions for enterprises. Whether you are from a company who intends to enable the mobile workforce, or a company with products considering extensions of mobile devices; SmartGlance will take you to your destination instantly and at affordable costs.

Since its inception, SmartGlance has delivered integrated mobile business solutions on the iPad,iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry platforms. All these solutions are helping our customers achieve their set goals and vision.

For exploiting the opportunities put forward by mobile business intelligence, which are positively making impact on the performance of businesses, it is very clear that the companies who are successful have begun using these mobile business solutions to drive their decision making. Just as is the case with any strategy in this briskly changing work environment, agility of the mobile solutions gains prominence. The solutions offered by SmartGlance provide just that for improving the prospects of your business.

The mobile business solutions from SmartGlance aid in planning your business strategies. Our solutions will bring you closer to the real world and aid in leveraging the immense potential of business intelligence for the achievement of goals and aspirations in a timely manner.

Repost: Enabling Operational Excellence with Manufacturing Metrics

http://www.lnsresearch.com/research-library/research-articles/enabling-operational-excellence-with-manufacturing-metrics

Let your voice be heard--the MESA Metrics That Matter Survey will assemble feedback from a variety of manufacturers, to show you best practices, results, and trends cross-industry.  You'll also have access to LNS's research library, free, for a year.  So don't delay, take the survey today.  It closes November 15th so there's still time.

“Staying Evergreen” key to Cyber Security Strategy!!!

“Staying Evergreen” key to Cyber Security Strategy!!!

by Tim Sowell, Invensys Fellow

Repost: Cyber Security: Internet malware turns 25

Cyber Security: Internet malware turns 25

great post by Doug Clifton/Invensys

Breaking News: FDA to Food Manufacturers: Remove The Trans Fats

http://www.foodprocessing.com/industrynews/2013/fda-to-food-manufacturers-remove-the-trans-fats/

Thanks to Food Processing for letting us know that the food industry now has 60 days to respond to this finding. For consumers, this is good protection against substances that may be harmful, but in any case, it may lead to more healthy eating, which is a boom for both the public and the processors.

Quote: "Invensys Wonderware has been on the leading edge of mobility for several years" Gary Mintchell

Thank you, @GaryMintchell, for the recognition and quote!  You can read Gary's post here on the Invensys Software Conference and our mobility offerings.

For over 5 years, Invensys has invested in mobile technology, both from a software and hardware perspective, to provide our customers with tools that help them to make better, more informed decisions, collaborate more effectively, and manage workforces more efficiently.

It's great to be recognized for our vision, as well as our execution.  And, there's much more to come!

Invensys Workforce Enablement Solutions

http://iom.invensys.com/campaigns/Pages/Workforce-Enablement-home.aspx

Wonderware IntelaTrac guiding remote task management

Workforce Enablement can encompass many aspects, from task management to decision support to greater visibility of operations. Without adding people, how can you effectively increase productivity, transparency and capabilities of your workforce?

One of the ways we've seen that is most effective, especially for companies in heavy industry, is using a combination of mobile solutions, based on remotely gathering data and providing feedback on real-time conditions, and collecting in a central repository for subsequent analysis and improvements.

Wonderware IntelaTrac has hundreds of customers in the oil and gas, chemical and even food industries, providing them with a tool to track and manage tasks and repetitive routines. It uses mobile handheld devices for data capture, collecting conditions, images and asset behavior that are important operating indicators for good manufacturing practices.

For more information on our Workforce Enablement solutions, click here.

Repost: 3 Technology Trends Shaping Manufacturing Performance Management--AND Take the METRICS THAT MATTER SURVEY!

http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/189885/3-Technology-Trends-Shaping-Manufacturing-Performance-Management

MESA is sponsoring the Metrics That Matter Survey

Invensys sees a similar pattern--mobility, big data, and the cloud being positive impacts on manufacturing productivity, visibility, uptime and affordability of new operations applications. Now is your chance to tell us--how are you using these technologies, what do you need from the vendors to make your enterprise more responsive, adaptable and competitive?  Take the survey now!

Real Time Reporting Solutions Using SmartGlance

Consider the potential of making business intelligence patterns at the centre of your operations. How much more effective could you be? Invensys' SmartGlance real time reporting solutions aid decision makers bu correctly analyzing company information, allowing them to  collaborate with office colleagues, spot the opportunities, identify the troubling issues and then deciding on ways to share issues using a real time reporting pattern.

Repost: 8 Signs You’re About To Hire The Wrong Person

https://www.openforum.com/articles/8-signs-youre-about-to-hire-the-wrong-person/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p

A really good article highlighting some of the important aspects of hiring.  Oftentimes, we are so focused on the basics of the hire--do they have the right experience and background, that we miss the nuances that make the hire really work within the group.  Personally, I've found that if you hire with any misconceptions, they don't work out.  Sometimes, you have to look at not only their accomplishments on paper, as well as their interactions and behaviors.

Lessons learned!

Wireless Apps, Cloud Services Transform Decision Making, Data Management for Packaging Lines

Manufacturers are constantly under pressure to increase efficiency, streamline operations, contain costs, and increase productivity, particularly when the competitive landscape is strong and consumer demand for creative new products is constant. They need to accomplish these goals—and expand too. It is a tall order.

Have you considered IntelaTrac for Workforce Management? New Updated Features!

http://iom.invensys.com/EN/Pages/IOM_NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=617

Wonderware IntelaTrac is a mobile asset management and workforce enablement solution. Using handheld devices, it informs, manages and enables collaboration of a remote workforce.

Version 4.3 of IntelaTrac was just released. Key features include:

• Dynamic assignment of assets
• Image mark-up

Dynamic Asset Assignment allows for the configuration of Task Groups and Tasks within Procedure Builder to allow for the “Field Assignment "of the asset, in lieu of creating a separate procedure for each asset beforehand. This is especially useful when doing rounds or maintenance inspections.

Image mark-up has the ability to annotate and mark-up the image at the job site. As found, as left or any other note can be captured and saved for further review and analysis. This makes real time situation updates possible for more accurate condition management.

TechNavio Report Identifies Invensys As the Market Leader in MES

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/135633/

According to the latest research findings by the independent London-based global research firm TechNavio, Invensys is the leading vendor in the Global MES Market for the 2012-2016 forecast period.

Speaking on this occasion, one of the senior analyst and co-author of this report said,“Invensys is dominating the Global MES market because of its cutting-edge technology for the development of its superior, state-of-the-art, user-friendly and reliable MES solutions. The company has a wide presence across various discrete and process industries such as oil and gas, chemical, automotive and petrochemical. In addition, the company provides consistent service and support to its end-users, which is helping it to retain the leading position in the Global MES market.”

Your Voice Matters! Take The Metrics that Matter Survey from MESA.

LNS RESEARCH AND MESA INTERNATIONAL INVITE MANUFACTURING PROFESSIONALS TO TAKE THE NEW ‘METRICS THAT MATTER’ MANUFACTURING RESEARCH SURVEY.  

 

 

 

Manufacturing executives and managers face many challenges today in improving and optimizing business performance. But with so many metrics available to measure production, it can be difficult to know which are really driving the most value, along with how to best put in place metrics programs and supporting technologies that can accelerate results.

In conjunction with MESA International, LNS Research has launched the biennial ‘Metrics that Matter’ research survey. The 2013-2014 survey and research report is focusing on the trends and correlations between specific operational metric improvements, the use of Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) software applications, role-based metrics reporting, and the effect of emerging technologies such as mobility, big data, and cloud computing on metrics programs.

Click here to take the survey by November 15, 2013 - and receive access to LNS Research’s Performance Management Research Library for one year.

SmartGlance- Mobile BI tools

An effective and efficient system of Business Intelligence is capable of delivering accurate company information, as and when needed in formats that can be understood easily. The mobile BIsolutions provided by SmartGlance render sufficient details for enabling the effective, informed and timely decision making process for enterprises.

What You Missed: Invensys Expo Showcased Operator Effectiveness, Mobility, Big Data and the Cloud

http://www.automationworld.com/expo-showcases-operator-effectiveness-mobility-big-data-and-cloud

Invensys' Rob Kambach speaks of Operator Effectiveness through new generation InTouch HMI

 

 

What did you miss at last week's Invensys Software Conference & Technical Support Symposium?  A lot!  Besides stellar presentations, a riveting general session, and outstanding keynote speaker, futurist Jack Uldrich, there was an interactive Expo area featuring the latest offerings from Invensys and its partner community.

 

Offerings around big data, the cloud, mobility and operator effectiveness underplayed the theme of #SoftwareRevolution. From new SmartGlance features to situational awareness capabilities from InTouch 2014, this year was all about looking at industrial software in a new way--as a partner bringing you more productivity, profitability, and empowerment.

SmartGlance Now Supports all Major Platforms!

With the release of a native SmartGlance App on the Apple, Android App Stores and Windows Marketplace, SmartGlance is now available on all platforms iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone 7 and 8. Now, All employees within an organization, irrespective of the smartphone they use, can use SmartGlance to monitor their business from their phones.

Infographic: Consumer Nutrition - Perception Versus Reality

Infographic: Consumer Nutrition - Perception Versus Reality

I really like infographics--they are a smart & compelling way to communicate.  This one shows the disconnect of nutritional needs 

How China is connecting a billion-plus citizens with the world’s longest high-speed rail line

http://www.microsoft.com/government/ww/public-services/blog/Pages/post.aspx?postID=380&aID=115

by Lane Swensen, Senior Product Marketing Specialist, Software, Invensys

Great article detailing the partnership of Microsoft and Invensys to meet the needs of the China Rail project.

Avantis Named Again as a Visionary in Gartner Magic Quadrant!

Avantis was once again named a visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Delivery Utility Enterprise Asset Management, published September 18, 2013.

Avantis is one of those workhorse product lines that just does its thing.  It's not flashy, it's substantive and dependable.  It has amazingly loyal customers (thank you!) who have been with the company though acquisitions, reorganizations, and realignments for over 25 years.

The Avantis customer base is broad--spanning industry, government, education, and infrastructure.  From a single to large multi-site implementations, Avantis has been bringing cost effective Enterprise Asset Management practices to its users. 

We are honored to be identified by #GartnerGroup as a member of the visionary quadrant, and believe that our customers and growth are testimony to our commitment to the market.

Tableau Software Recognizes Members of Partner Community at Sixth Annual Tableau Customer Conference

http://www.tableausoftware.com/about/press-releases/2013/tableau-software-recognizes-members-partner-community-sixth-annual-tableau

Tableau's Dashboard for Wonderware Intelligence Visualization

Wonderware was proud to be chosen as Tableau's OEM Partner of the Year!  Wonderware uses Tableau's award-winning dashboard as an integral part of our Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence offering, using Tableau's strong visualization capabilities to create compelling dashboards that depict relationships and status of different plant entities, such as yields/shift, downtime by line, or comparisons of energy consumption by plant.

Fujirebio: from a 15 hour review to just minutes

Fujirebio: from a 15 hour review to just minutes

The Visionaries of the Future: Invensys Software User Group Conference O...

Adding a Wonderware Historian provides greater insight into your process

Business Intelligence through an iPad: SmartGlance

The interactive business intelligence iPad visualizations provided by SmartGlance can empower the businesses to quickly explore all the vital information on these devices. They can now uncover the problem areas, find answers and spot the outliners for aiding the business process.

SmartGlance brings Business Intelligence to the iPad

The business intelligence-enabled iPad solutions provided by SmartGlance render impressive visual discovery, are attractive in providing dashboards which are boardroom style, excellent visualizations and reporting patterns.

Invensys Releases Industrial Cloud Historian for Big Data

http://iom.invensys.com/EN/pages/IOM_NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=611

Now available: a bundled data historian and reporting package to reduce implementation time and costs, improve on-demand performance for your enterprise.

For  months now, Invensys has been promoting our cloud solutions. In a partnership with Microsoft, these solutions are based on Azure and offer users worry-free use of applications and computing power.  Our first commercial offering, SmartGlance, provided smart device-enabled reporting on phones or tablets.  We've now taken SmartGlance and coupled it with an on-line Wonderware Historian to provide a reporting and analysis solution that is truly scalable, adaptable for the enterprise.

Call for Speakers: MESA 2014 NA Conference

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Call-for-speakers-for-MESA-s-2014-NA-Conference-.html?soid=1101863098727&aid=JE82GahksAY

Have you ever been interested in being a speaker?  Well, here's your opportunity!  MESA is looking for speakers that have passion, drive, and something to say about manufacturing operations solutions for our industry! Whether you are a large Fortune 100 company, or a small/midsize manufacturer, sharing your experiences are vital to the promotion and education of our industry.  Won't you join us in Greenville, SC next may?

Business Process Management Simplified: BPM in manufacturing … what’s the enterprise level opportunity?

Business Process Management Simplified: BPM in manufacturing … what’s the enterprise level opportunity?

Skelta's Kalpa Shaw describes why BPM (Business Process Management) makes sense for manufacturing. Whether it's to establish a foundation for control, visibility or collaboration, it's a good start in building your Good Manufacturing Practices. For Wonderware, we've taken Skelta as our BPM "engine," adding connectors to System Platform, Avantis, Wonderware MES, and others, and call it ArchestrA Workflow.

Repost: Industrial Software: The Mobile Worker -- There Are 100 Apps for That!

Industrial Software: The Mobile Worker -- There Are 100 Apps for That!

Wonderware IntelaTrac enables workforce task management through mobility

 

Mobility is no longer for the consumer world! The industrial automation market has taken this form factor to really exploit the portability and collaboration factors of mobile devices and their apps.  This excellent article from Control takes an impartial yet thorough view of the new offerings from vendors like Wonderware that feature mobility as its core platform.