Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Wonderware Workflow Enables Operations Execution Excellence for Fujirebio Diagnostics--A Success Story

http://youtu.be/77totZj5bJ8

Hot off the presses--a video showing how Wonderware Workflow was used successfully in a validated environment to assist in the execution of operations management for cancer marker manufacturer Fujirebio Diagnostics, out of Malvern, PA.

We've talked before how workflow can enable collaboration, task management, process enforcement, and cross-enterprise application integration.  The use of Wonderware Workflow helps Fujirebio maintain compliance, visibility, and costs within a fast-paced, regulated environment.

To see Ken Kovacs in person, why not join us for the Invensys Software Conference & Technical Support Symposium on October 14-17 in Dallas, TX?  Ken will be speaking on "Implementing an Operations Information Infrastructure" on Wednesday, and will be available for questions afterward.   There's still plenty of time for you to register!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Cloud for Industry Eye Opener Seminar: An Excellent Time Was Had By All

Microsoft has 9 data centers worldwide for Azure hosting

We just kicked off the first of 3 FREE Eye Opener Seminars on the Cloud for Industry: Proof Points.  A packed room heard Jason Short/Microsoft, Paul Shelton & Saadi Kermani/Invensys and Mike West/Saugatuck Technologies speak on the readiness of the cloud, the applicability to industrial automation, proof points of use, and products available today.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Repost: How Food and Beverage Industry Professionals Consume Media

From the Publisher: How Food and Beverage Industry Professionals Consume Media

What a fantastic article--to understand the how and why F&B professionals turn to media to reinforce/supplement/drive their knowledge management.  A must read for anyone trying to educate, serve, or sell to the F&B industry.

Monday, September 16, 2013

I'm still looking for a Product Marketing Manager for Asset Management & Mobility....

Product Marketing Manager: Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

Repost: Success Story for Smart Cities: AENA, Barcelona El Prat Airport

AENA, Barcelona El Prat Airport

Repost: Cyber Security: ICS-CERT Vulnerability Summary for Week of September 9

Cyber Security: ICS-CERT Vulnerability Summary for Week of September 9
by Doug Clifton

The Next Decade will see a Dramatic Increase in Asset Intelligence and Asset "Self Capability"

The Next Decade will see a Dramatic Increase in Asset Intelligence and Asset "Self Capability"

IDC lowers global IT spending forecast to 4.6% this year

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130813/ADVERTISING13/308139997/idc-lowers-global-it-spending-forecast-to-4-6-this-year&utm_source=bboe&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=bboe#



A sobering, yet hopeful view of IT market spending.  Net net, although the industry as a whole is flat, there are some glimmers in the cloud, and mobile.  That will drive SaaS (Software as a Service) from a delivery perspective, and also encourage new development of traditional software, such as HMI, EMI, MES, to take advantage of this new model.

Invensys understands this, and has fully embraced both mobility and cloud, bringing the best to our customers from a form factor and costing perspective. You'll see more offerings in cloud (spanning reporting, visibility, information management, workforce enablement) and mobility (reporting, analysis and visibility). Why?  Because, at the end of the day, you need to have software that matches the way you work--and it's exceedingly shown to not be at a desk.  You are at the plant, you are on a line, you are boarding a plane, but the work doesn't stop.  So, your automation software has to bring you that real-time information, regardless of your location and regardless of the device that you choose to use.  We call it "on demand" and it has become a must have means of delivering and using industrial software. We get it, and you'll see a continuing stream of products reinforcing that vision...

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Repost: 9 Websites That Will Make You Smarter (and one that will make you laugh)

https://www.openforum.com/articles/9-websites-that-will-make-you-smarter/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p


I normally try to find something new or different each day to read.  Well, this article provided a bounty of interesting websites that will make you more knowledgeable.  From science-based "make you feel good" postings, through suggestions like viewing the TED youtube site (you should, they have amazing speakers), they all enrich and inform you.

I'd like to add one more: http://alltop.com/.  This site is a consolidator of the informative, interesting, funny and insightful articles that gets posted. 

And, of course, you can read the Invensys Operations Management blogs!

Repost, with Comments: Sustainability | Food Plants of the Future: Not Bigger, Just Smarter

Sustainability | Food Plants of the Future: Not Bigger, Just Smarter

Wonderware Corporate Energy Management with Wonderware Intelligence allows KPI monitoring of energy consumption

As Food Processing so aptly states in the beginning of their article, food companies are being forced to work harder, and leaner.  Workforces are thinning, margins are tight, and we in automation are working together with these companies to provide them with the tools that give insight into energy consumption, monitor Key Performance Indicators, and allow proactive response to outlying performance behavior in the processing function.

Products like Wonderware Corporate Energy Management use a model-based approach to gather real-time readings from steam, water, and power meters.  They can become the backbone of any sustainability initiative for reducing resource consumption. 

For compliance issues, such as those mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act, Wonderware offers Workflow and MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) to create a system of record that can be monitored, enforced, and if breaches occur, remediated. Coupling MES and Workflow allows manufacturers to build an infrastructure of compliance--with task management, corrective actions, and standard responses to events built into the system.

All of these solutions, in total, provide the food processors with an infrastructure for control, visibility, and cost management of their operations, enabling a leaner, more proactive approach to manufacturing.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Workflow Software Connects People and Machines

Workflow Software Connects People and Machines



ArchestrA Workflow was represented at the Foxboro/Triconex Annual User Group!  Read how Steve Golemme provides background and context on the use and applications that workflow can enable.

IntelaTrac classes now in Lake Forest




 
IntelaTrac is software enabling automated task management and decision support.  We are now offering IntelaTrac training at our Lake Forest, CA location.  Click here for more information, or to register:IntelaTrac classes now in Lake Forest

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

“Managed Services” in the Cloud provides an acceleration Opportunity for Small Industrial/ Manufacturing Business

“Managed Services” in the Cloud provides an acceleration Opportunity for Small Industrial/ Manufacturing Business

by Tim Sowell, Invensys

Repost, with comments: Why Cloud Manufacturing Software Adoption Rates Are Rising [DATA]

http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/186719/why-cloud-manufacturing-software-adoption-rates-are-rising-data?source=Blog_Email_[Why%20Cloud%20Manufactur]


Reinforcing LNS's suppositions, we at Invensys have also seen a rising interest in cloud-based solutions for manufacturing, and industry as a whole.  As I discussed in my post last week, the cost effectiveness, scalability, and software on demand aspects of cloud make it an attractive proposition for manufacturers.  The ability to have secure computing with nearly 100% uptime quells most fears of breaches for users.  And, the plethora of providers offering industrial-focused solutions gives end users choices, bringing in competition and with it, innovation and breadth.

To see some of the choices you have for cloud-based industrial applications, visit our webpage, Invensys Cloud for Manufacturing.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Joe Finn's Top Ten Reasons to attend the Invensys Software Conference

Join us October 15-17, 2013 in Dallas Texas!

We always count on Joe Finn from Wonderware Midwest to create a great list of top ten reasons for attending our annual software conference.  This year is no different!  To see your favorite brands--Avantis, SimSci, and Wonderware, learn about roadmaps, new products, and customer success stories, this is a "must do" event....

Register here: http://ourevents.invensys.com/SoftwareCustomerConf/pages/home.aspx

Repost: Industry Week/The Data that Demonstrates Manufacturing's Importance to the US Economy [SLIDESHOW]

http://www.industryweek.com/competitiveness/data-demonstrates-manufacturings-importance-us-economy-slideshow#slide-3-field_images-90042



I'm proud to say I've been associated with manufacturing for over 25 years--it's a fascinating industry that has relevance with our "every day" life.  This slide show from MAPI shows the ripple effect the manufacturing industry has on jobs, quality of life, income, and industries.  It's a good thing.

Repost, with comments: Global Packaging Machinery Market to Reach $41.8 Billion by 2017

http://mhlnews.com/technology-amp-automation/global-packaging-machinery-market-reach-418-billion-2017?NL=QMN-01&Issue=QMN-01_20130906_QMN-01_561&YM_RID=maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com&YM_MID=1421034&sfvc4enews=42


Packaging operations growth requires these manufacturers to turn to solutions that facilitate better process visibility, performance, and throughput.The packaging operation is where manufacturers typically have the most losses, bottlenecks and inventory challenges (for example, unexplained losses due to packaging malfunctions, material deficiencies, or labeling misadjustments).

These solutions typically center around MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) since they fully provide the visibility, and control, for packaging operations.  Coupled with Workflow,  you can have closed-loop remediation and alarm management execution to ensure that you are always responding to similar conditions in the same manner, detailing specific processes, routes, and people that can be assigned to any condition.  Click here for a white paper detailing how you can couple Wonderware MES with Wonderware Workflow and gain those packaging efficiencies.








Sunday, September 8, 2013

Repost, with comments: Being found vs. being sought

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/09/being-found-vs-being-sought.html



If you have never read Seth Godin, you should.  He has "nuggets" of insight that for today's world make perfect sense.  This post on being found vs being sought is a great example of how we as marketers must deal with today's world, in which there is so much noise out there that you need to somehow differentiate and really sharpen & direct your value to your audience.  Seth cites social marketing as the key method of being sought, and I agree.  Building out your brand, whether it's a physical product or yourself, is imperative.  It's not enough anymore to simply place an ad in a magazine and hope they will come (I wish!).  It is a multi-faceted and dimensional effort today to get that mindshare and eventually wallet share of your audience.

Look at companies like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft.  They've gone above & beyond in creating demand for their products. We at Invensys hope that we are creating that value for you, so that you do seek us as a potential partner in your journey for industrial automation excellence.

Megatrends: The Cloud, Big Data, Mobility: Why Should You Care?




I've written a lot over the past year on the 2013 Megatrends that we see for industrial automation: The Cloud, Big Data, and Mobility.  When we first started talking about the cloud more than a year ago, the overall response we got from our customer base was "please no." There was no interest in the cloud--it was seen as disruptive technology that had no relevance to an industrial environment.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Gartner Recognizes Microsoft as a Cloud Infrastructure as a Service Visionary

this post is from Microsoft's Azure Blog.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/archive/2013/08/28/gartner-recognizes-microsoft-as-a-cloud-infrastructure-as-a-service-visionary.aspx



Although Gartner does not endorse any specific vendor, it's exciting and encouraging to see that Invensys partner Microsoft is recognized as a Service Visionary for their Azure offering.

If you are interested in hearing more about Microsoft's Azure offering, we have a series of upcoming free seminars--the first one is in Mountain View, CA on September 18, from 8am through 1:30pm. Registration is free and you can access from here: http://global.wonderware.com/EN/Pages/EyeOpenerSeminar-TheCloudforIndustry.aspx

So check this blog for more updates, congratulations to our partner Microsoft for their Visionary position, and we hope to see you in Mountain View on September 18th.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Repost: 7 Tricks To Help You Remember Anything

https://www.openforum.com/articles/7-tricks-to-help-you-remember-anything/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p




I don't know about you, but the busier I become, the "fuller" I become, and stuff slips.  This is an interesting article in that it gives you tricks on how to remember things better, using associations, rhymes, pictures, etc.

It's worth a try!

Why IT and Automation Go Hand in Hand

I recently responded to a post on LinkedIn in the Automation & Control subgroup. There, a young engineer was asking the question, "if I am in automation, why do I need to know IT." 

That is a great question and over the years that I have been in automation, I've experienced first a chasm between IT and automation (one company I visited 15 years ago had a CIO that had never gone on the plant floor!) to a gradual alignment and now, cross over between the two practices.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Repost: 10 Cloud Solutions For Common Business Challenges, with comments

https://www.openforum.com/articles/10-cloud-solutions-for-common-business-challenges/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p



The cloud is becoming a pervasive delivery mechanism for software.  It offers cost-effective, easy to use, on-demand capabilities for scalability and usability.  The industrial automation industry has been slowly introduced to the cloud (Invensys was a leader in bringing cloud-based apps to market, partnering with Microsoft for their Azure platform) and after two years we are seeing not only interest, but demand, in solutions hosted on the cloud.

Why the cloud?  Firstly, because it's scalable.  You can start with one user, or a plant, and then scale on a cost-per-use basis.  Secondly, it's portable.  You bring your application with you, so productivity and uptime are enhanced.  Thirdly, it's light.  A browser is all you need.  And lastly, it's adaptable--it adjusts to your needs, you pay for only what you use, so access and performance are ensured.

Invensys now offers multiple cloud-based apps. Some are client-based, such as the Wonderware Workflow Mobile Client, others are fully cloud-enabled, such as the smart-device enabled reporting capabilities of SmartGlance.  Both offer as-you-need-it capabilities to bring either work tasks (Workflow) or reporting (SmartGlance) to users in an easy-to-use format.  Historian in the cloud and other applications will follow, as will services capabilities for application monitoring.

The cloud is now "real" and offers value to both the office worker, as well as the industrial worker.  More applications will leverage the cloud's "elasticity" and scalability, and it's the users that are the beneficiaries of this technology, as well as it should be.

Repost: What Schneider Electric’s Acquisition of Invensys Means for the MOM Software Space

http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/186323/what-schneider-electrics-acquisition-of-invensys-means-for-the-mom-software-space?source=Blog_Email_[What%20Schneider%20Elect]




A good and I think fair assessment of the benefits of the Schneider acquisition of Invensys, by Mark Davidson.  Mark, for those of you that know him, was a longtime marketing executive at Invensys and a strong industry participant, and he rightly points out the potential strengths of the purchase. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Industry Week: US Manufacturing Expands for Third Straight Month

http://www.industryweek.com/global-economy/us-manufacturing-expands-third-straight-month?NL=IW-07&Issue=IW-07_20130904_IW-07_93&YM_RID=maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com&YM_MID=1420302&sfvc4enews=42


Good news on the economic front--manufacturing has expanded (gone beyond the magic 50) for the third month in a row.  Certainly, we in the industrial automation industry applaud this condition, for it means companies are building, processing and producing goods that consumers want...and it also foretells of expansions, improvements, and additional capacity and capabilities.

We've seen an uptick, globally, in manufacturers desiring standardization, production operations management improvements, and extensions to existing software functionality. And of course, the automation industry (especially Invensys) is there to support your efforts with products such as MES, Workflow, and EMI.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Repost: Bring Your Own Software (BYOS), Not BYOD, Is Real Challenge (with comments)

http://mspmentor.net/managed-services/bring-your-own-software-byos-not-byod-real-challenge?utm_source=090313&utm_medium=DAP&utm_campaign=NL&elq=%7E%7Eeloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid%7E%7E&elqCampaignId=%7E%7Eeloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id%7E%7E



An interesting article on new concerns for the CIO--it's not only Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), but BYOS (Bring Your Own Software) that enterprises must now address.  Think of the device as a Trojan horse--since once a user brings it inside, it carries not only authorized, but unauthorized access to the network.  On the other hand, it does allow a certain level of independence, and innovation, in bringing new technologies and applications into play that may not have had the visibility in the past.

Wonderware's SmartGlance offers smart device-enabled reporting (the BYOD aspect) with rich, intuitive, on-demand information management (the BYOS aspect).  It allows users to view real-time data on a tablet or smart phone, to make decisions based on current process status and conditions.  SmartGlance brings the best of BYOD and BYOS to users.

Repost: A Shift In Focus: The Value Of Serialization, with comments

http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/doc/a-shift-in-focus-the-value-of-serialization-0001?sectionCode=editor&templateCode=Departments&user=2120959&source=nl:38067

 
Serialization, or the ability to capture individually-identified product elements within a final version, is integral for any product that has compliance requirements.  Serialization has always been a foundational function of a Manufacturing Execution System.  The ability to track components prior to assembly, or blending, allows manufacturers or processors better visibility into the performance of these components, as well as a firmer handle on quality and any remediation efforts that occur if a product fault occurs.

Wonderware MES, coupled with ArchestrA Workflow, provides the backbone for providing deep and complete serialization tracking of components and lots.  It reinforces compliance efforts with closed-loop track/trace/genealogy.  We'll be talking more about ArchestrA Workflow in pharmaceutical at our Users Conference-- so join us and see why we say it's a Revolution.