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.

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.

The Intelligent Enterprise

The Intelligent Enterprise

The second part on this series on the Need for an Intelligent Enterprise

by Cronin Almeida, Invensys

source: http://www.busmanagement.com/media/focus-area-images/busmanagement/Issue-2/small/intelligent_enterprise-med.jpg

 

In evolution, the lack of intelligence has lead to extinction.  The same applies to Industrial enterprises these days. Intelligence is necessary for organizations to compete, stay lean, employ best practices and stay relevant to changing market conditions. Digital and physical infrastructure in the manufacturing and process domains are converging.  Computational power is being used in places unheard of. Organizations all over are becoming digitally aware and networked.

Why the Food and Beverage Industry Depends On Automation to Help Them Reach Their Goals

by Michael Schwarz, MES/EMI Product Marketing Manager, Invensys

The Food and Beverage industries have been always on the forefront of technology,  with investments in automation of processes to secure profitability on high volume and low margin products.

Today, the race is on in squeezing the maximum capacity from production lines, to streamline any process, to reduce any loss in product, quality and all used resources and to streamline any process gain with superior connectivity to all automation systems. Food and Beverage industries have to satisfy the requirements of food safety regulations which requires to document product and processes and define and prepare corrective actions, What is mostly considered as additional cost is at the same time a foundation to optimize cost and reduce losses as well protect brand equity.

IDC: Tablet shipments up 142% in Q1: What Does That Mean for Automation?

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/WEB07/305039997/idc-tablet-shipments-up-142-in-q1&utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily

 

We ran this ad a few months ago to demonstrate the adoption of mobile devices as a viewing agent on the plant floor.  Over the past year, the use for viewing, monitoring, and responding to tasks using mobile devices has surged.  The concern for BYOD (bringing your own device) in the plant has been replaced with an organized approach to procuring applications, from the business systems to the control systems, that can leverage the mobile platform.  Everything from databases to operations management applications are now running on mobile devices.

It's no surprise that the tablet would show greater growth--its ease of viewing and ability to present more information/data on the surface makes it a natural progression from the smaller form factor of the smart phone.  And since the majority of these devices are simply presentation layers, versus process control, the concern for remote access and security is diminished. 

We anticipate a continuing drive toward mobile devices for clients.  Invensys already has mobile support for Wonderware Intelligence, SimSci Esscor's EYESIM Immersive Virtual Reality training software; SmartGlance mobile reporting, Avantis Enterprise Asset Management, Wonderware Workflow...the list goes on.  It's in direct response to our customers that are looking for easier, more cost-effective ways of using our software. 

We'd like to hear from you--are you using innovative ways to integrate mobile technology into your plants?  Email me at maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com.

What Keeps You Up At Night?

How many times have you asked this question--to your peers, to important customers, during strategy meetings.  It is an effective way of cutting through the noise to uncover the essence of key care-abouts. 

I've been thinking about that from an industrial automation perspective.  The industry itself is nearing 45+ years, beginning with the development of the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) back in the 70's.  Their key care-abouts at the time were to replace unstable and single purpose relays with a device that could multi-task different plant control functions, that could be programmed in a language that the plant electrician could understand, and could more effectively manage multitudes of control sensors.

Why Robots are a Good Thing for Automation

 

Robotic technology has been around since the late 70’s.  Starting in the automotive industry, spawned from aerospace, #robots were seen as a way to inject standardization in manufacturing assembly processes where it could be dangerous or costly to have people involved.  

I got involved with robots in the early 80’s.  I worked for an optical coating company, and we thought the lenses on top of the cameras would give us a new market niche to pursue.  I joined AIA (www.VisionOnline.org ) and started networking with those industry suppliers, both camera manufacturers and visions systems suppliers.   

Are you ready for the next wave in software?

It seems as if industrial software plunks along for a time, bringing new features and functions to existing software categories, without anything really earth-shaking occurring that makes you stop and go “huh.” I’ve talked a lot about the cloud, and yes, you are getting it from me again.

The reason that all of us are so enthralled with the cloud is not because it’s a cloud, but because of the flexibility, cost savings, and scalability that it can provide you as an end user.  If you think about the change in your behavior when you first started doing on-line banking: some of you were early in, some (like me) carried kicking and screaming into the new technology.  But now, I couldn’t imagine NOT having it.  Late charges on credit cards?  Thing of the past.  Immediate access to my checking, savings accounts? You bet.  But it took an event (well, a couple) to drive me to consider that option—late charges.  And so, you learn, you adapt, and it becomes part of your normal day.

ARC World Forum: A Great Time for Industry, Part 3

This is the last of the three part series on the #ARC Advisory Group’s World Industry Forum. Invensys was very active, with customer presentations both in the technical tracks (Moving Historian and Production Management to the Cloud with General Mills’ use of SmartGlance, and Getting Smarter with Operator Training Simulators with Ron Cisco/Salt River Project’s use of DYNSIM) as well as in the Social Media track. 

The last panel we participated in was called Social Technologies for Industry, and featured Jon DiPietro, Internet Marketing Consultant; Gary Mintchell of AutomationDaily (previously co-founder, Automation World), Roy Krok VP Marketing, ARC and yours truly representing Invensys.

Big Data in Manufacturing

By Michael Schwarz, Invensys, Manager, Advanced Applications Product Marketing

The term “Big Data” describes the dramatically growing amounts of data being generated, transferred and stored. It is overlaid with the increasing use of information technology, global networking, and digital devices to manage, view, store, and control it.

Big Data is not just for consumers.  The same phenomenon is happening in business management, commerce, entertainment and social communications, as well as in manufacturing operations.  Big Data demands storage capacity and computing performance, driving new opportunities for enhanced intelligence and tools to offer users informed decision making.

5 Ways to Leave Your MES Vendor

With apologies to Paul Simon for a “borrowing” of his song title, we continually come across customers that may have standardized on a #MES (Manufacturing Execution), #EMI (Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence), #Batch (Batch Recipe Management) or other enterprise automation (#Level 3) application. And then, for various reasons, they start to rethink their current strategy or implementation.  It could be precipitated by a management change; a hot new product line, a line or plant expansion, or a market shift.

So how do you know it’s time to look for another vendor?  Here are some tips that can help you to determine if you and your current provider are heading, or should be heading, for a separation.

FREE Seminar: The Cloud for Manufacturing

Understand the business benefits and applicability of Azure Cloud Technology in industrial automation.

Join the top experts from Microsoft, Invensys, ARC Advisory Group and Sarla Analytics in a COMPLIMENTARY, interactive half-day seminar.

Register Today!

Dates & Locations

• Houston, TX - May 14, 2012
• Minneapolis, MN - May 17, 2012
• Boston, MA - June 5, 2012
• Redmond, WA - June 7, 2012

Topics

• Business Benefits & Rationale for Cloud Computing
• Azure Cloud Services for Manufacturers
• ARC Advisory Group: Is Industry Ready for the Cloud? ARC Advisory Group: Is Industry Ready for the Cloud?
• Invensys: Collaboration & Reporting in the Cloud
• Sarla Analytics: Analytics in the Cloud