FUTURE FORWARD WITH 5G
5G’s projected pivotal role in advanced manufacturing p.14
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16
Publicity around 5G focusses on faster networks for consumers. Lesser known is its projected pivotal role in advanced manufacturing.
By Jacob Stoller
Case study: Pratt & Whitney’s approach towards the process of digital transformation
By Treena Hein
Experts discussed technology adoption and digital transformation at the Future of Automation virtual event. By
Sukanya Ray Ghosh
The hybrid 2021 CMTS event offered quality networking and education opportunities. By Sukanya
Ray Ghosh
AUTOMATION UPFRONT
EXPANSION
Linamar forms eLIN Product Solutions Group to explore electrification opportunities
Linamar Corporation has announced the formation of its eLIN Product Solutions Group. The group’s goal is to leverage electrification opportunities for its mobility and industrial products and future new markets.
The company will deliver eLIN products to the market using its global footprint and McLaren Engineering’s development and testing capabilities.
“Creating eLIN allows us to leverage our existing resources while focusing a team on innovating exciting new electrified solutions for all of our customers in all of our businesses,” said Jim Jarrell, Linamar’s president and COO.
The four key focus areas for the eLIN group are power generation, power storage, propulsion systems and structural and chassis offerings for electrified vehicles in all of the company’s businesses. The group will develop electrified product solutions and electrification strategies.
Linamar’s McLaren Engineering group has made several advancements in electrifying products. The company, therefore, believes that a dedicated group will build on these advancements to deliver competitive electrified solutions to its current and future markets.
“This electrification-focused eLIN group is another great step for us in delivering competitive innovative electrified products to markets that are increasingly demanding electrified solutions. Electrification is a key source of growth for Linamar, and we believe eLIN will be a key driver of Linamar’s success in delivering advanced solutions,” said Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar’s CEO.
DEAL MAKERS
Siemens and Zscaler join forces to deliver zero trust security solutions for OT/IT
Siemens and Zscaler have announced a partnership that will allow customers to access operational technology (OT) systems and applications in the
production network in a secure manner. Secure access will be
available in the office, as well as when working remotely. Users
Siemens and Zscaler expanded the “Defense-in-Depth” OT concept.
AUTOMATION UPFRONT
will be able to remotely manage and control quality assurance or diagnoses issues.
Siemens and Zscaler have expanded the “Defense-in-Depth” OT concept that is secured by a Zero Trust Architecture. Zero Trust only authorizes application-specific access based on verified user identity and context. This system allows the implementation of a granular access concept in combination with existing OT security mechanisms.
To use this feature, install the app connector for the cloudbased remote access service Zscaler Private Access on a Docker container in the Siemens Scalance LPE local processing platform. This provides access for industrial environments.
Outbound connections, combined with centralized management in the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange cloud platform, provide restrictive configuration of existing firewall rules. It also decreases administration and monitoring costs. It is possible to retrofit existing legacy systems with the Zero Trust Exchange solution. Both Siemens and Zscaler are offering the new solution.
UWaterloo, federal government and Magna International partner to enhance autonomous vehicles’ safety
University of Waterloo’s engineering students, the federal government and Magna International have teamed up on a project that will help enhance safety and security of autonomous vehicles.
Sebastian Fischmeister, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university, is heading the $1.6 million project. Theories, methods and tools will be developed to produce complex automotive software for connected and automated vehicles. Fischmeister heads the initiative as the NSERC/Magna Industrial Research chair in automotive
software for connected and automated vehicles. He is also a computer science professor and executive director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR). Safety-critical systems and connected and autonomous vehicles are the main research interest areas for Fischmeister.
Magna and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) are each contributing $600,000 over five years. The university will provide $400,000. Magna is also providing a test vehicle for the project.
With the financial support offered by Magna and NSERC, the university hired Yash Vardhan Pant, a new professor of electrical and computer engineering, for this project.
“The automotive industry faces challenges as modern vehicle features heavily rely on software with new approaches such as machine learning that promise significant improvements,” said Fischmeister, director of the Real-Time Embedded Software Group at Waterloo.
Fischmeister and Pant’s research results are expected to help Magna engineers develop
new safety and security features in automobiles. The developed software is to be re-used in developing more complex products.
Magna has been a supporter of engineering and other faculties at Waterloo. In 2018, it contributed $200,000 to the new Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute
Canvass AI and Brock Solutions enter into partnership to drive AI innovation
Canvass Analytics and Brock Solutions are partnering to drive ROI from AI implementations across the industry. Brock Solutions is an engineering company that focuses on the real-time operations space, supporting broad-based manufacturing organizations globally.
“Our partnership with Brock Solutions marks another milestone in our growth strategy that focuses on empowering the industrial sector with AI to drive a sustainable future. Working with industry leaders, like Brock Solutions, will further enable us to expand our global footprint with the world’s leading manufacturers,” shared Humera Malik, CEO of Canvass AI.
This partnership will bring AI innovation with industry domain expertise, automation, integration engineering and the knowledge on harnessing data to access information. The companies’ joint offering aims at accelerating the digitalization journey in the industry.
“AI is a critical enabler to future-proofing the industrial sector. By partnering with Canvass, Brock will help industries to close the gap between industrial operations and the potential of AI,” said Greg Cantlon, consulting leader and client executive at Brock Solutions.
The purpose-built Canvass AI platform enables companies to handle operational challenges, such as reducing carbon emissions, lowering costs and optimizing energy consumption.
Graybar Canada acquires Electro-mag, strengthening its position in Quebec
Graybar Canada has acquired Electro-mag, including the JAD brand. Electro-mag offers pneumatic, safety, sensing and automation product services and solutions.
UWaterloo professor Sebastian Fischmeister is heading the project.
“We are really excited to welcome the Electro-mag team to Graybar Canada. Expanding our reach into Quebec has been a strategic priority for us in recent years. Electro-mag’s people-oriented culture and values align well with Graybar Canada.” said Jason Taylor, executive vice-president and general manager of Graybar Canada.
Founded in 1976, Electro-mag is headquartered in Sherbrooke, Que., with locations in Drummondville, Montreal, Quebec and London, Ont. As a Graybar Canada subsidiary, Electro-Mag will continue to function under its own name and with the same leadership team, employees and suppliers.
ELECTIONS
CME congratulates new government, restates top priorities for the industry
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) congratulated Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada for their win and stated that it was looking forward to working together to build a stronger manufacturing industry in Canada.
“CME urges the new government, armed with a fresh mandate, to prioritize the manufacturing sector, and cement its place as a pillar of the Canadian economy. Impressed by the outsized role manufacturing played during the pandemic, each party in this election made promises to manufacturers to help their businesses grow and thrive. Now it is time to turn that talk into action. Our sector stands ready to work with the Prime Minister, cabinet, and all elected officials in this new parliament to achieve that end,” said Dennis Darby, president and CEO of CME.
On its ‘Manufacturing Now’ platform, CME had shared the goals that it believes Canada needs to set and achieve in the near future. The association stated that the country should attract
at least two percent of the annual manufacturing investment made in the OECD, or $50 billion per year over the next decade.
CME is now urging the new government to commit to a two percent challenge and work with the industry to implement an effective growth strategy for Canada.
CME has restated the following four priorities: get the workers we need; stimulate investment in innovation and advanced technologies; increase Canadian exports; and adopt an industrial net-zero strategy.
“Manufacturers’ actions [during COVID-19] reminded us that the sector not only creates the goods we need, but also that domestic manufacturing is essential to deal with any major national crisis. This is the perfect time to make the manufacturing sector a central pillar of our economy,” added Darby.
ROBOTICS
Humans and robots go to school together: IFR
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) stated in a recent release that it has researched how robotics training shapes current and future workforce education and enhances skills development for employees.
“Automating dull, dirty and dangerous tasks is changing job profiles of factory workers for the better,” says Milton Guerry, president of IFR. “Academies run by robot manufacturers play a key role in making this transition possible. Employers send thousands of workers to robotics training every year.”
Robot manufacturers are driving education. Companies like ABB, Fanuc and Kuka register between 10,000 and 30,000 participants in their robot classes across more than 30 countries every year. Training programs range from basic programming for first-time users to complex workshops for experienced professionals.
Guerry explains that governments now need to update their education policies. “The qualification to program and use a robot is an essential skill required of workers before they even enter a job on the shop floor. To enable the transition, robot manufacturers are the best possible partners, providing the right skills necessary to work with intelligent automation systems. IFR invites public authorities to team up with the experts and to use their know-how to deliver education for the workplace of the future.”
WORKFORCE
Electromate named on 2021 list of Best
Workplaces in Ontario
Electromate has announced that it is on the 2021 list of Best Workplaces in Ontario. The company received this honour after Great Place to Work conducted a thorough and independent analysis. Great Place to Work sought direct feedback from employees of hundreds of organizations
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Celestica has appointed Luis Muller to its board of directors, effective August 31, 2021. Muller brings with him 25 years of business and technical leadership experience in the semiconductor industry, to his new role. He was appointed CEO and board member of Cohu in 2014. Before joining Cohu, Muller co-founded Kinetrix and joined Teradyne when it acquired Kinetrix. “We are happy to have Mr. Muller join Celestica’s board,” said Mike Wilson, chair of Celestica’s board of directors. “We will benefit from his deep experience in the semiconductor industry, as well as his extensive background in strategic planning, international operations and corporate development.” Muller has a
through a survey, to create its list of awardees. According to a statement released by Electromate, this data has a 90 percent confidence and a plus or minus five percent margin of error.
To be eligible to be considered for the Best Workplaces list, organizations need to be Great Place to Work-certified in the past year and be headquartered in Ontario. Great Place to Work selected winners on the basis of the overall Trust Index score from all the employers that qualified.
“Electromate is thrilled to receive this prestigious award,” says Warren Osak, founder and president of Electromate. “Creating a ‘Great Place to Work’ has been pivotal in driving our employee satisfaction and engagement, which has directly resulted in driving customer satisfaction and revenue. The award is a testament to the commitment of our awesome team members in building a ‘Best Workplace’. Receiving external recognition for our efforts in creating a ‘Best Workplace’ demonstrates we’re executing on our core values.”
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Universidade Federal Santa Catarina. He also has the requisite financial experience for audit committee purposes.
Hammond Power Solutions (HPS) has announced the appointment of Dan Davis to the position of power quality sales manager. The appointment is effective from Sept. 27. Davis brings with him over 20 years of sales management experience from his previous roles. Prior to his current appointment, he served as regional sales manager and account manager. | MA
royalty report if the royalty is based on sales. Royalty payments can be structured in a variety of ways. Examples include:
i. An upfront flat fee royalty at the start of the license agreement, with additional royalty payments due at the time of any license renewal. In the industrial design and patent context, it is not unusual to see royalty rates that decrease over the lifetime of the industrial design and/or patent registration. This is because there may be competing industrial designs or inventions on the market at the time of renewal.
ii. An upfront flat fee royalty at the start of the license agreement, with additional royalty payments due quarterly based on the licensee’s sales. Such additional fees are usually calculated using a royalty rate that is a percentage
in trademark license agreements for licensed goods, where the licensor or its designate monitors the quality or characteristics of the goods bearing the trademark. Such monitoring is required so that the licensor maintains its trademark rights. Without such monitoring, the licensor can lose its trademark rights.
e. “To each their own” with respect to IP ownership: In contract manufacturing arrangements where the customer’s and the manufacturer’s respective IP are used by the manufacturer to produce goods for the customer, the license will often state that each party owns its own IP. Often, such licenses will also state that the license is granted by one party to the other is solely for the production of the manufactured goods contemplated in the agreement. Such license provisions can be part of the contract manufacturing agreement, or a separate license agreement.
(“sublicense” in legal jargon) the licensed IP to third parties.
i. Governing law: Any properly drafted contract should state which jurisdiction’s law governs any legal disputes regarding the license, to avoid a prolonged fight over which jurisdiction’s laws are used to interpret and enforce the terms of the license. Such “choice of law” clauses usually specify that the governing law is the jurisdiction of commercially important or the only IP under the license (for example, Canada in respect of a Canadian patent license), or a jurisdiction in which one of the parties’ has a significant commercial presence.
of net sales, with the percentage based on what is standard (or “market”) for the specific industry sector (for example, automotive and chemical).
iii. A royalty calculated as a percentage of net sales. Again, the percentage is usually based on what is “market” for the specific industry.
d. Audit clauses: This can refer to both:
i. Royalty payment audit clauses, allowing the licensor to audit the books and records of the licensee to ensure that royalty payments calculated on a percentage of sales and paid to the licensor are accurate. Often, the licensor must pay a financial penalty if the reported royalty is incorrect by a certain amount.
ii. Quality control audit clauses
f. Express prohibitions on infringement and/or reverse engineering: IP licenses will often contain express prohibitions on licensee’s infringing and/or reverse engineering the licensed IP to make it clear that the license is not an invitation to infringe the licensor’s IP.
g. Representation, warranties and indemnities with respect to IP infringement: It is routine in IP license agreements for the licensor to provide a representation and warranty that the licensed IP is not infringing, and to indemnify the licensee if the licensee faces infringement allegations from third parties over the licensee’s use of the licensed IP.
h. Assignment and sublicenses: IP licenses should state whether either of the parties can transfer (“assign” in legal jargon) its rights and obligations under the license to a third party. It should also state whether the licensee is allowed to further license
j. Dispute resolution: Any properly drafted commercial agreement should state whether disputes under the agreement are subject to arbitration or litigation. Arbitration clauses should provide some parameters regarding how the arbitration will be conducted (for example, the number of arbitrators, where the arbitration will take place, and what arbitration proceeding rules will govern how the arbitration is conducted). If disputes under the license are to be litigated, the courts where the trial is to take place should be specified, again to avoid a bun fight between the parties over the trial’s location. Otherwise, similar to disputes between the parties over governing law, the parties can also spend significant sums on legal fees before a trial starts over where that trial should take place.
While there is little variation in the types of licenses in terms of exclusivity and what is good practice in terms of license drafting, what is a suitable license agreement to reflect the commercial reality between two parties can vary greatly. This is beneficial, as it allows for licensing arrangements to be tailored to meet the parties’ respective needs. | MA
The foregoing is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
services, while also improving government operations. They have the potential to sell their product or technology directly to the government based on a request for quoting (RFQ) process.
Funding through this program has been split between three phases: phase 1 – grants up to $150,000; phase 2 – grants up to $1 million; phase 3 – government procurement contracts with no fixed maximum. Applicants must be a for-profit, privately held Canadian businesses with fewer than 499 full-time employees.
NGen manufacturing supercluster funding
The NGen Manufacturing Program supports collaborative technology development and application projects that help Canadian manufacturing companies compete globally. NGen offsets up to 44.4 percent of eligible project expenses. Project costs should be between $1 million and $20 million, providing non-repayable funding of approximately $444,000 to $8,880,000. This program is
open to all industries and sectors. Applicants must have a minimum of three private sector project partners; lead partner and participants must be NGen members.
Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
T he Strategic Innovation Fund offers Canadian industrial and technology-based businesses financial support to fuel company expansion and research and development of products, processes and services.
The type of financial support awarded is at the discretion of the program. This can consist of a combination of repayable financial support and/or financial reimbursements up to 50 percent of project costs. Applicants can expect a minimum funding contribution of $10 million per project. Incorporated Canadian businesses with high growth potential and the ability to drive innovation are eligible to apply.
Top provincial funding programs
In addition to the Canadian federal manufacturing grants and loans listed here, manufacturers may also qualify for provincially funded programs or targeted incentives.
Ontario Automotive Modernization Program (O-AMP)
The Ontario Automotive Modernization Program helps automotive businesses improve productivity through technology adoption projects. At the time of writing, the program is not currently accepting applications, however the program’s website states that an update on the program will be provided in the Fall of 2021. O-AMP focuses on integrating innovative hardware and software that reduces costs, while expanding applicants’ manufacturing capabilities and productivity.
O -AMP provides up to 50 percent of eligible project costs to a maximum $100,000 in Ontario government grants (cost-sharing contributions). Applicants must be an Ontario automotive supplier with fewer than 500 employees. At least 50 percent of revenue must come from the automotive supply sector.
Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF)
The Atlantic Innovation Fund is a Canadian government funding program dedicated to supporting innovative technology research projects. The program enables private-sector businesses, academic organizations, and research institutions to collaborate on the development of new technologies. Projects should focus on commercially viable technology development or adaptation.
This program is open to businesses, research institutions, and academic institutions operating in Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island). Business-led projects may receive up to 75 percent of expenses; non-profit applicants may receive up to 80 percent of expenses. The maximum funding amount awarded to a project is $3 million.
Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF)
The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) offers funding to support projects that involve investing in new capital equipment, developing skills, enhancing productivity, and developing new infrastructure with the goal of creating new jobs within Ontario. The program will provide funding for up to 15 percent of eligible expenses to a maximum $1.5 million in funding for projects with budgets up to $10 million. Projects with budgets that exceed this amount may be eligible to receive a combination of funding of up to $5 million.
Applicants must be established for at least three years, have 10 or more full-time employees, and operate in southwestern Ontario. Projects must be completed within a two- tofour-year timeline and create at least 10 to 15 new full-time positions depending upon project size and company size.
Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP)
T he Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program provides low-interest repayable funding contributions to attract small and medium-sized businesses into the province. Funds provide a critical pathway to securing large-scale investments from businesses who are established or looking to begin operations in Manitoba.
Established or commercially viable businesses in Manitoba are eligible to apply. Businesses must provide a minimum of 20 percent of eligible project costs. Approved applicants may receive a repayable funding contribution ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. The repayment terms of the funding range from five- to- seven-year repayment periods at prime plus two percent.
How to navigate the government funding process
The programs listed throughout this article are just some of the many grants and loans available to Canadian manufacturers. Identification of government funding programs is just one stage of the funding process, however. With this information, your business must align applicable projects and strategic spends, then craft and submit a detailed application that reviews your opportunity. | MA
FUTURE FORWARD WITH 5G
Publicity around 5G focusses on faster networks for consumers. Lesser known is its projected pivotal role in advanced manufacturing.
BY JACOB STOLLER
Amajor barrier to next-generation manufacturing automation has been the limited capacity of networks to support data-intensive technologies such as automated vision systems, AI-powered apps, mobile robots, and massive numbers of IoT devices. A new generation of 5G-powered network-as-a-service (NaaS) offerings from Canadian telcos will help manufacturers fill this gap. 5G or fifth generation cellular is far more than an upgrade to 4G. While its twenty-times-faster transmission speed will allow a consumer to download a full-length high resolution movie in a few seconds, experts believe that other features of 5G, and their utility in business environments, will prove to be far more important.
The most prominent of these is its low latency, that is, the ultra-fast turnaround time for a device to receive and send a 5G signal. This same capability that will allow driverless vehicles to interact instantaneously with 5G sensors along the road will enable advanced manufacturing systems to respond in real time to process deviations, quality glitches or safety hazards.
5G also supports high source density, making it suitable for applications that depend on signals from large numbers of IoT sensors. “5G supports incredible amounts of density compared to all the other technologies,” says Charles Cooper, former telecom consultant and
owner-operator of Muskoka Hydrovac, “so you can have a lot more sensors, which is where the future is going.”
Manufacturers will also be able to deploy 5G to replace aging supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology, Cooper explains, which is relatively slow and expensive, and has limited capability for communicating with data systems. “5G will give you the opportunity to put in more edge computing devices,” he says.
Another key aspect of 5G is that its architecture is based on two other leading-edge networking standards, namely Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), creating unprecedented compatibility with other networked technologies.
“ Now you have things deployed for both wired and wireless networks running on the same architecture and ultimately, the same software,” says Lawrence Surtees, vice-president of communications research at Toronto-based technology research firm IDC Canada. The result will be, according to Surtees, “the most profound development to occur in telecom in our lifetime.”
Accordingly, 5G will essentially become a lynchpin for the deployment of Industry 4.0-related technologies. “5G will enable our customers to move more data at faster speeds to meet the demands of new supply chain applications such as drones
for high-speed warehouse inventory and commercial deliveries,” says Paul Howarth, senior director of advanced services at Rogers Communications, in a company statement.
A bigger role for telcos
NaaS
Network-as-aservice is the availability of networking services for sale from third parties to companies that do not have or do not want to build their own networking infrastructure.
According to François Legare, senior application architect at 5G Services Lab, Bell Canada, one of the key advantages of 5G is that it can be fast enough to replace traditional network infrastructure in certain applications. Private 5G networks that deliver wireless connectivity to the plant floor that will help reduce the expense of fibre optic cabling, IP routers, wi-fi transmitters, and other devices.
“A telco operator like Bell can provide a strong signal on the floor so that manufacturers don’t have to invest in network infrastructure,” says Legare.
An even greater advantage comes from 5G’s ability to support high bandwidth mobile use cases such as mobile robotics, and augmented and virtual reality. The key is a practice referred to as multi-access edge computing (MEC) where the “brains” of an app reside on an edge computing server installed in close proximity to a 5G base station. This minimizes latency, and makes it practical to integrate mobile technologies with traditional IT infrastructure and the cloud.
“When you combine MEC and 5G, this is where the real magic happens,” says Legare, “because you can lower the cost of infrastructure while leveraging the power of the cloud at near real time.”
5G networks can also be segmented for more efficient use of the available spectrum through a technique called network slicing, where segments can be optimized for latency, speed or number of connections. Since a disruption in one segment doesn’t disturb the others, the technique can also be used to isolate segments for security and redundancy purposes – an important requirement in manufacturing environments where large numbers of connected devices are a potential security liability.
Much of 5G’s advanced functionality will be provided through partnerships. Bell, Rogers and Telus are partnering with Stockholm-based network infrastructure provider Ericsson, which provides the 5G-powered Radio Access Networks (RANs) that connect mobile devices to server infrastructure. Ericsson
Network slicing
A network virtualization technique through which 5G network can be segmented and each segment can be optimized for latency, speed or number of connections.
in turn is partnering with Google to bring cloud technology to the edge.
“Google’s vision is to empower telcos with a modern edge computing platform that delivers some of the best Google Cloud Platform capabilities to the businesses,” said Google Cloud CEO Tomas Kurian in an interview with Ericsson. “This partnership with Google will help telecom companies monetize their 5G network services.”
Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Amazon are all getting into the game, partnering with a variety of telcos and network infrastructure providers. An Ericsson study predicts that revenues from 5G related services for telco operators will reach 129 billion USD in 2024, up from 14 billion in 2020.
A phased-in approach
Unlike previous cellular versions, 5G resides on a number of frequency bands, and is being implemented in phases over an extended period. The technology will
“Manufacturers will be able to deploy 5G to replace aging supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology, which is relatively slow and expensive, and has limited capability for communicating with data systems,” says Charles Cooper, former telecom consultant and owneroperator of Muskoka Hydrovac.
not be completely operational in Canada until at least 2024 when the final auction for spectrum licenses is completed.
The phased release has created some confusion over the definition of 5G. Much of the currently available 5G network capacity is of the non-standalone (NSA) variety, meaning that the networks are operating in part on existing 4G infrastructure, and don’t have the full functionality and performance of 5G.
The predominance of NSA 5G in Canada means that many of the projected benefits to manufacturing will be delayed for several years – long after 5G services become the standard in consumer markets.
Standalone (SA) 5G, which will eventually replace NSA 5G, requires significant investments in telecom infrastructure, as cell towers have to be much closer together to support transmission at higher frequencies. IDC Canada estimates that spending on 5G infrastructure will exceed C$30 billion from 2018 to 2025, not including the record amounts paid to the Canadian Government for spectrum licenses.
“Strong vertical industry-specific enterprise use cases for 5G services are dependent upon still emerging technologies tied to SA 5G including mobile edge computing and network slicing,” says Surtees in IDC Market Perspective report 5G Wireless Networks Status in Canada, 2021.
Many of these expected advances are at the pilot stage. Telus and Ericsson announced the results of a network slicing pilot in May, and in August, Bell announced a collaboration with startup Tiny Mile in which it will provide 5G connectivity for food delivery robots in downtown Toronto.
Overall, Canadian telcos are betting that just as businesses turned to software-as-a-service (SaaS) cloud vendors for enterprise computing in the 2000s, they will turn to NaaS providers to enable the connected enterprise.
“The manufacturing sector is a great example of the synergy between the new technologies of digital transformation, including 5G and IoT networks, robotics, and artificial intelligence,” says Surtees. “All of these technologies are already coming into play in this sector in Canada.” | MA
Jacob Stoller is a journalist and author who writes about Lean, information technology and finance.
ACCELERATING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
the
BY TREENA HEIN
Digital transformation is something every company in the world is undergoing, small or large, without exception. To assist companies with this process, software providers have come up with a variety of innovative approaches, recognizing that each company differs from others and has its own unique needs.
For extremely large companies like Quebec-based Pratt & Whitney (P&W), the process of digital transformation (DT) poses specific challenges that make certain approaches better than others. But before we look at the pain point the firm has been wrestling with for years –and the DT approach chosen for company-wide deployment in August 2021 – let’s get to know P&W a little better.
To give you an idea of its size, look no further than the company website which states that “every second, somewhere in the world, an aircraft takes off or lands under Pratt & Whitney power.” Globally, over 1,100 airlines and 13,400 distinct customers are currently using P&W engines – about 63,000 of them, in airplanes and helicopters in both commercial and military spheres.
To keep its customers in the
air, P&W also offers services relating to maintenance and repairs, parts shipping, engineering and more from over 30 designated service facilities. Mobile repair teams are always ready for dispatch, as is the largest pool of rental and exchange engines in the industry. P&W’s workforce totals 10,000 employees, with 6,000 in Canada.
T he company also invests extensively in research and development, and has released about 100 new engines over the past 25 years. It also manufactures auxiliary power units.
Digital transformation challenges
For large firms, DT is a process that involves a lot of thought and effort. Going digital certainly requires modifying and streamlining existing business processes, but generally also the creation of new processes – and all of this while serving
customers and keeping up with the pace of business change. But while it’s not easy, DT is a must because digital processes provide greater efficiencies, elimination of errors, better customer experiences and higher profits. It’s also a process that will never be complete.
As the DT process moves forward, company leadership must constantly analyze how well the process is working. At P&W, the main struggle has centered on the fact that their DT approach was not capable of providing the speed required. The pressures from cost, scale and rapid business environment change have all been converging constantly, as they do for any business, making the need for a new approach to DT at P&W very clear.
“By the time you deliver a few DT projects, more projects will be needed as the digital world is in constant evolution,” explains Jocelyn Brule, P&W digital
technology manager. “Budget and/or resources always seem too low to deliver all the requested projects as well as supporting the existing landscapes. Even with increased budgets and resources, creating the right level of cost-effective DT capacity remains a challenge.”
Brule adds that “in addition, solutions proposed by DT too often do not make business sense.
Between the user-developed Excel solutions and the typical DT project, the cost difference is so wide that very few projects get done. Adding more money and resources is not the only way. DT needs to think differently so it can deliver simple, robust and secure solutions 10 to 100 times faster and cheaper. Only the sum of many initiatives will really transform a company.”
He and his colleagues felt certain that low-code solutions represent “one element of the puzzle to accelerate transformation
Pratt & Whitney’s approach towards
process of digital transformation PHOTO: PRATT & WHITNEY
Over 1,100 airlines and 13,400 distinct customers worldwide currently use P&W engines.
velocity and create enough capacity to keep up the pace.”
In August, P&W announced they would be using Webcon’s low-code process automation platform across the company, based on its previous positive experience with the system.
Past success
P &W had been using low-code platforms to digitize business processes since 2013, and had employed ‘Webcon BPS’ in its Poland division to streamline a variety of operational processes and workflows related to manufacturing there.
In August, Brule explained publicly that Webcon BPS had been chosen by P&W for global roll-out “due to the efficiency, transparency and speed by which we’ve been able to use it to deliver business applications, and how easily the platform enables change management.” Specifically, the platform was chosen for its unique emphasis on helping employees manage change requests from end users and continually adapt applications to ever-evolving business needs.
Webcon, based in Europe, specializes in low-code platforms. For international companies in particular, Webcon BPS is a popular choice. It’s now used by over 650 firms, including Siemens Finance, Mitsubishi Electric and Diners Club.
The low down on low-code
L ow-code (and no-code) DT tools have been developed due to the growing need for affordable and flexible digital applications amidst a scarcity of programmers. Low-code platforms offer the same or better performance, ease-of-use and security that would be very expensive in a custom-coded application (which require lots of coding hours). Low-code platforms also allow for the quick and easy addition of new functionalities.
As Webcon explains, flexibility in digital tools is a must these days because projects are now
launched at lightning speed, with significant, direct involvement of end-users and because many factors can rear their heads during project development. These factors can include unexpected issues during scaling up from a prototype to the production-ready version, requirements found to be incomplete, business condition changes and much more.
Delivery of benefits
In terms of why the low-code approach was chosen by P&W, Brule first explains that many similar approaches, for example Documentum, SharePoint and other third-party add-ons, had already been tried and used with success.
“For simple business processes, we could deliver good solutions with those technologies,” he says, “but as soon as requirements became more complex, costs and lead times were exploding because of the custom code needed to deliver appropriate simple solutions. With the deep toolbox provided by the Webcon framework, we are able to achieve a lot more of those complex requirements without any coding. This allowed us to cut down on project delivery lead-times and costs by a huge factor.”
T he first challenge being addressed with Webcon is the replacement of hundreds of legacy paper forms. “With most employees working remotely [due to the pandemic], getting paper forms to be signed became even harder than before,” says Brule. “Many of those paper-based business
processes were highly complex and could never justify a digitalization project. With Webcon, we are now able to cost-effectively deliver these solutions.”
B rule further observes that “the need to print-sign-scansend as attachment (and hope nothing gets lost) has been replaced by workflows in a database. Built into the framework comes automated task tracking, and reminder and process
dashboards that provide the necessary building blocks to then allow our users to optimize their business processes.”
Now, not only is P&W’s DT better equipped to deliver solutions, but internal customers quickly find opportunities to improve their own processes because of the newly-gained visibility the platform provides. Both parties gain in productivity, says Brule, with everyone benefiting from more insight into their process and more understanding of where lead times can be improved.
P &W is very happy with the results so far. Brule reports that due to their DT team expertise now ram ping up, “our internal customers are delighted and the throughput continues to grow.” | MA
Reliable Motion Feedback
Treena Hein is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ontario.
THE FUTURE IS NOW
Experts discussed technology adoption and digital transformation at the Future of Automation virtual event.
BY SUKANYA RAY GHOSH
On Sept. 29, Manufacturing AUTOMATION hosted the Future of Automation: 2021 Technology Forum. After over a year of virtual events, presentations, webinars and conferences, a sense of fatigue has been setting in recently. Despite this, the virtual event managed to draw in a good number of interested audience members who chose to stay back till the end. The three-hour event was packed with different types of interesting sessions. The schedule included a keynote, two panel discussions and three sessions on the latest tech trends.
Jonathan Wright, global managing partner of finance and supply chain transformation at IBM, presented the keynote on the topic of “Automation and the future of work.” Talking about the impact of COVID-19, Wright said, “We are 10 years ahead of where I thought we would be. The criticality of a manufacturing supply chain is absolutely key to everybody and clear to everybody.”
He said that this is the time for intelligent automation. This has a has a huge role to play in terms of ensuring that we get the partnership
between technology and humans right, so that we start making manufacturing a cool place to work. Wright also spoke about intelligent workflows, where AI and automation come together and there is an end-to-end focus.
Moderated by Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, president of Automate Canada and Canadian Association of Mold Makers, the first panel discussion of the day focussed on tomorrow’s connected factory. Panellists Christy Michalak, director of advanced manufacturing development programs at NGen Canada; Mihaela Vlasea, assistant professor at the department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo; Jonathan Gross, managing director at Pemeco Consulting; and Atefeh Zarabadi, CEO and co-founder of Artificial Intelligence Imaging Sensors talked about building relationships and partnerships to prove and scale new technologies.
While Gross brought in a consultant’s perspective to the discussion, Michalak talked about how NGen is working to close the gap between what’s happening on the floor and what’s happening in the government funding sphere and how manufacturers can get involved. Vlasea talked about her experience working with manufacturers. Zarabadi discussed the journey of working with NGen and the gaps
that exist when it comes to companies working with partners.
Titled “Seeing the future,” the second panel discussion focussed on how vision and artificial intelligence are advancing automated applications. Jim Beretta, president of Customer Attraction moderated the panel. Ina Foalea, director of investments at SCALE AI; Ilija Jovanovic, co-founder of Taiga Robotics; and Steve Wardell, director of imaging at ATS Automation joined in as panellists.
The three tech trends sessions were closely tied to the central theme of the event. Patrick Rowland, senior product manager of industry management and automation at Phoenix Contact, talked about on the topic of digital factory and challenges like security, legacy components and skill shortages. Jonathan Hou, president of Pleora Technologies discussed how inspection errors, costs and risk can be reduced with hybrid AI. In a fireside chat with MA, Asghar Rizvi, vice-president of factory automation and motion control at Siemens Canada, talked about the digital revolution brought about by the pandemic.
Audience engagement was high throughout, with questions coming in for the expert speakers of each session. At the end of the day, the attendees were able to leave with some interesting thoughts about the future of automation.
The recordings of all the sessions are now available online at automationmag. com>Events>Virtual Summits>Future of Automation.
Jonathan Wright of IBM delivered the keynote address.
A SUCCESSFUL RETURN
CMTS 2021 offered quality networking opportunities.
BY SUKANYA RAY GHOSH
The 2021 edition of the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show reflected the ongoing pandemic circumstances in every way. While the organizers took the bold step to bring it back in-person, they also offered people the option to attend it virtually. Manufacturing AUTOMATION was present to capture the action on the show floor.
Held at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., from Oct. 4 to 7, the show was effective, productive and successful in its own way. In-person attendees masked up, armed themselves with their vaccination receipts and photo IDs and arrived at the show, all ready to network. Exhibitors held meaningful conversations with potential customers on all four days.
Thought-provoking discussions
W hile the trade show floor offered networking opportunities, attendees were also able to engage with experts on serious industry topics and concerns. The show featured a packed schedule of keynotes and panel discussions on all four days.
Given the hybrid format, online attendees had the opportunity to join in and contribute to join in the conversation. Through the show’s virtual format, they watched the discussions and sent in their questions, which were answered live by the speakers.
The event kicked-off with a keynote on strategies to manage geopolitical risks. The speaker, Courtney Rickert McCaffrey, insights leader at EY Geostrategic Business Group, talked about some of the big risks we see in the world today. She highlighted a few that her company is monitoring that was
specifically of interest to the audience. She then discussed how to manage those risks to improve supply chain resilience in business operations overall. Her company surveyed over 1,000 C-suite executives from industries and countries worldwide on political risks and political risk management practices. McCaffrey shared the findings through that survey with the audience.
A major impact of COVID-19 has been on supply chains. While the world is on the path to recovery, disruptions continue to affect the manufacturing industry. The global chip shortage is an example that immediately comes to mind.
The CMTS 2021 organizers put together a panel of experts to discuss “Building a resilient supply chain: Enabling speed and agility to protect your customer and your bottom line.”
Led by moderator Kimberley Hagerty, digital operations officer at AWS, the panel featured Stewart Cramer, chief manufacturing officer at NGen; Alejandro Guerrero, vice-president of consulting at Infor; and Michelle Bockman, CEO of 3D control systems.
Jayson Myers, CEO of NGen, joined in virtually to offer a keynote on the topic: “Manufacturing transformation: Opportunity or threat?” Myers explained that the business of manufacturing is changing in many ways. He noted that in order to compete in the global marketplace, there needs to be increased adoption of automation.
Besides keynotes and panel discussions, the event also featured numerous “Tech Talk” sessions throughout. The talks touched on a variety of topics, including – understanding artificial intelligence, getting started with industrial robots, autonomous robot manufacturing, digital transformation, digital enterprise, automated material removal, new approaches in real-time analytics, among other things.
Quality over quantity
Although masks hid the smiles of attendees and exhibitors alike, the show floor continuously buzzed with the excitement of being able to reconnect after a tough few months. The show size and attendee turnout were by no means close to what CMTS has seen in its pre-COVID editions. However, the show saw people who were serious about attending and were there with a purpose. Exhibitors shared that they were able to get solid leads and were really glad to be there. At the end of the event, attendees and exhibitors were able to leave informed and satisfied. | MA
CMTS 2021 had a steady footfall on all four days.
Attendees discussed product specs with exhibitors.
COMMUNICATIONS & NETWORKING
Eliminate I/O downtime
WAGO’s newest generation fieldbus coupler adds to its line of fieldbus independent couplers and supports Device Level Ring (DLR). The new 750-366 utilizes the DLR’s protocol set up in conjunction with an etherNet/IP network. Adding this coupler to a DLR topology network ensures that I/O communications remain online in case of a single point of failure. Combined with any of Wago’s over 500 I/O modules, this coupler offers application flexibility. The dual DLR ethernet ports are used as an integrated switch, eliminating the need
MATERIAL HANDLING
A payload boost for AMRs
Capable of handling total payloads of up to 1,500 kilograms (3,307 pounds), the new Roeq top module TMSC1500 combined with the new S-Cart1500W shelf cart increases the payload capabilities of MiR’s MiR500, MiR600, MiR1000 and MiR1350 AMRs. Using the TMS-C1500 top module, an MiR1000 or MiR1350 AMR can be deployed on applications with payloads of up to 1,500 kilograms, enabling MiR AMRs to be deployed in applications with heavier payloads. Similarly, the TMS-C1500 allows a MiR500 or MiR600 AMR to be deployed on applications with payloads of up to 800 kilograms. Eliminating the need for a docking station, the
for additional devices such as ethernet switches. Its boot-up time enables systems to get online quicker. Onboard webbased management allows for parameterization of the device along with firmware updates. The 750-366 also supports a wide variety of additional protocols including HTTP(S), DHCP, DNS, SNMP, and FTP(S). wago.com
Open-source wireless GPS/GNSS hardware
Septentrio has announced the release of mosaic wireless or mowi. It combines the Septentrio mosaic-X5 or mosaic-H module receiver with a dual-mode Bluetooth and integrated wi-fi from the ESP32WRover programmable module by Espressif Systems. It is an addition to the already existing
mosaicHAT board, designed on the Raspberry Pi platform. The mowi project facilitates reliable GNSS positioning for robotic and autonomous devices, on a hardware level. The mowi board is a way for integrators to get started with Septentrio’s mosaic-X5 or mosaic-H heading module receivers. The mowi board can be used on its own or plugged into a mobile computer such as Raspberry Pi or Arduino. It is ideal for machine navigation, monitoring or control. The internet
connection via wi-fi or Bluetooth enables numerous industrial IoT applications.
On top of the wireless communication, the small 47.5-by-70 millimetre board can host IoT applications in its internal memory. It has onboard logging and exposes interfaces such as USB, serial communication, and generalpurpose pins. The schematic’s reference design, PCB layout and documentation are openly available for prototyping or further customization. septentrio.com
MOTORS & DRIVES
A Drive Exchange Service offering
TMS-C1500 can pick up and drop off the shelf cart in free space and with precision, ensuring that the AMR is never left idling as it can simply drop off the cart and immediately go and pick a new one up. The TMS-C1500 plus S-Cart1500W enables the AMR to handle many different sizes and types of payloads. The cart has tilt stability with wheels placed further apart, enabling safe deployments. roeq.dk
PROCESS CONTROL
New conductive liquid level controllers
AutomationDirect has added the new ProSense CLC series conductive liquid level controllers to its line of quality level sensors and controllers. The CLC series level controllers detect and control levels of conductive liquids in dualprobe pump-up (fill) and/or pump-down (drain) applications. These controllers compare the measured resistance value
ABB has introduced its Drive Exchange Service offering to reduce the impact of unplanned downtime. Utilizing real-time inventory and a dedicated Exchange program team, ABB can ship a replacement unit within 24 hours of a purchase order receipt. The service is an extension of the Expanded Drives Services offering which includes reconditioning service, preventive maintenance and standard or premium repair. All drives are repaired by ABB certified technicians using genuine ABB parts to ensure the drive operates
between the high and low probes and a common (either the tank wall or a third probe) with the setpoint controlled by the onboard potentiometer. A
as designed. All work performed is factory tested and backed by at least a one-year warranty. All ABB Drives Exchange units will have a one-year complete drive warranty from date of shipment from ABB. ABB Drives Service also offers on-site assistance and training through a network of field service technicians. new.abb.com
wide adjustable sensitivity range is included to meet a large variety of liquid types. These level controllers pulse the probes with a DC voltage to prevent potential electroplating issues and the output relay can control pumps, solenoids or valves to automatically lower, raise or maintain the liquid level in the tank. ProSense conductive liquid level controllers have a one-year warranty.
automationdirect.com
MACHINE SAFETY
Torque limiter ECK for indirect drives
To protect machine parts and products, mechanical torque limiters are used in almost all technical areas. With the smallest torque increases, they react within a few degrees and separate the input and output in a matter of seconds. They thus interrupt the torque transmission. The stroke of the switching plate can be sensed by means of a sensor and an emergency stop of the machine can then be initiated. The separation is forced and purely mechanical, which means that a power failure or the like has no effect on the function. Since the Enemac safety clutches are provided
ROBOTICS
A versatile paint robot
The six-axis MPX1400 robot has been added to Yaskawa Motoman’s MPX-series paint robot line. Effective for painting multiple small parts simultaneously, the MPX1400 robot is ideal for home appliances and automotive parts. A straight wrist with a fivekilogram payload capacity enables the mounting of a variety of spray guns and small bells. It has a small footprint slim-arm design. The MPX1400 robot features a 1,256 millimetres horizontal reach, 1,852 vertical reach and a ±0.14 millimetres repeatability. This model offers a reduced interference work envelope and can be installed
with a 360 degrees synchronous locking position, they engage again automatically after one turn. So, the torque limiter can be made operational again after a stop by slow start-up, without lengthy assembly work. The ECK series offers concentricity and is suitable for use in indirect drives with high bearing forces. It is equipped with an integrated ball bearing on which the output element gets securely mounted. The safety coupling has a conical clamping hub for shafts up to 65 millimetres for fastening on the shaft. From size 3000, the ECK type is supplied with shrink discs, which generate high clamping forces and thus guarantee a secure hold on the shaft up to 120 millimetres. The overload clutch can be used in a torque range between 1.8 newton-metres and 9000 newton-metres, resulting in 18 sizes, which can also be supplied corrosion-resistant on request. The torque limiter ECK can be installed at up to 4000 rpm in an ambient temperature between 243 kelvin and 473 kelvin. enemac.de
close to workpieces. It can be floor-, wall- or ceiling-mounted for layout flexibility. The DX200-FM controller includes application-specific software for paint applications and coordinates operation of the robot and painting devices. The controller supports standard networks, enabling connection to paint equipment controllers and production line controllers. The DX200-FM is available with Category 3 Performance Level d (PLd) Functional Safety Unit (FSU). which supports safetyrated speed control, safety-rated soft axis and space limiting and safety-rated monitor stop. motoman.com
Markforged has released Eiger Fleet, a cloud-based software solution. The software is designed to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing operations at scale. Eiger Fleet gives organizations a secure, cloud-connected and centralized source of control over their Markforged 3D printers, users and part production. As the newest addition to the Markforged Eiger software portfolio, Eiger Fleet is designed to help manufacturers adopt disruptive additive manufacturing technologies into their more traditional workflows. This software helps automate business processes through integrations with a company’s existing enterprise systems to expand access to the Digital Forge across their entire business. For organizations looking to scale their additive manufacturing capabilities, Eiger Fleet offers enterprise level features to manage users, devices and data with greater control
and efficiency to print parts on demand at the point of need. Eiger Fleet is designed to enable customers to control which part, build, devices, print operations and data are accessible to users according to job responsibilities and privileges by leveraging role-based access control (RBAC). It feauters SAML Single Sign-On (SSO), where automated account provisioning reduces IT costs and enforces strong access policies with identity protection. It aids customers to connect, simplify and automate workflows with Eiger API, connecting their additive manufacturing processes to their existing enterprise software systems. It helps them manage their entire digital inventory of parts, leveraging batch operations and organization-wide presets. It also allows users to track, analyze and share key performance indicators of time and cost savings from additive manufacturing. markforged.com
CHUN-YU (JACK)
Optimizing power consumption
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) generates a tremendous amount of data that also needs to be stored.
Consequently, more and more data centres are needed to fulfill this growing demand for data storage management, increasing energy consumption in the process.
At the same time, factories, supermarkets and other high-power consumption applications are also facing pressure to improve energy efficiency for their heavy-load equipment and devices.
Data centre operators and application owners need to figure out how to operate numerous servers and power-hungry equipment while optimizing power consumption.
Power distribution units (PDUs) are used to control and distribute power to various equipment. Nowadays, intelligent PDUs that feature metering and switching capabilities from remote sites have seen significant market growth due to increasing remote monitoring demands.
A recent industry report identifies the increasing demand for data centre monitoring solutions as the key driver of PDU market growth. Monitoring PDUs in your application not only helps you optimize your energy usage – by recording daily power consumption for payment calculation and energy management – but also allows you to collect data about the status of your PDUs for device maintenance.
To reap the benefits of monitoring PDUs, an energy management system (EMS) needs to collect meter data from PDUs so that operators can control, monitor and optimize the performance of the PDUs.
In addition, remote power panels (RPPs) may also be used as an extension of PDUs to increase the power distribution capacity by providing extra circuits. Thus, it’s also important to monitor the circuit breakers and current transformers to ensure that power distribution through different circuits is under control.
It takes reliable connectivity between the EMS and power devices to ensure smooth and optimized power distribution. Here are some tips you can consider to ensure reliable connectivity in between.
Retrofitting or building new?
Understand your development stage
Once you decide to monitor the PDUs and RPPs in your application environment, how you go about enabling connectivity depends on your implementation plan. Besides connecting power meters, circuit breakers and current transformers that might use different protocols and interfaces than your EMS, ask yourself the following questions to choose the right solution: Are you trying to retrofit existing PDUs or deploy a new one? Is there enough space for your wiring design? How many PDUs are you planning to connect to the network?
Your answers to these questions will tell you whether you are looking for a single-port or high port-density connectivity solution.
For example, if you have limited space for retrofitting your existing PDUs in a relatively small-scale application, a single-port connectivity solution may be the ideal option due its compact design.
Minimize installation and maintenance efforts
In the installation stage, wiring can be painful when you are connecting dozens of PDUs to the same network. Check if your connectivity solution has features such as Ethernet
cascading, which provides an efficient wiring solution across several PDUs and RPPs to the EMS located in the control centre.
When your PDUs and RPPs are up and running, your networking devices will still require backups and updates from time to time. If your connectivity solutions provide user-friendly software tools, it can take the headache out of device configuration and maintenance.
Enhance your operation reliability
When unexpected network failures occur, meter data loss can lead to miscalculation of your power consumption, resulting in incorrect billing and incomplete power data for analytics.
To enhance your power monitoring system reliability, you need to consider backup mechanisms from different angles. Start from the networking devices. Dual-power inputs and high EMI immunity are features that can protect your networking devices from electrical interference.
Next, develop a redundancy mechanism for your network transmissions. There are various network redundancy features in the market. When considering these options, see if their recovery times are acceptable for your power monitoring application. | MA
Chun-Yu (Jack) Lin is product manager at industrial connectivity company Moxa, which develops communication for power consumption monitoring applications.
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