AUTOMATION SOFTWARE CRM, ERP and PLM solutions deliver positive results for local manufacturers
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CAN-DO Robotic systems integration plays key role in restoring Parliament history JUNE15 A&C Front Cover Banner (MA)_Manufacturing Automation Cover Banner 5/12/15 11:42 AM Page 1
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COLUMNS 9 Industry Watch
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Canadian can-do
Robotic systems integration presses forward with Parliament Hill restoration By Treena Hein
study roundup 16 Case CRM, ERP and PLM solutions deliver results for Canadian manufacturers Compiled by Alyssa Dalton
the gap 20 Bridging How an OT and IT partnership can leverage the Internet of Things By Jeff Lund
www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 3 2015-02-23 11:26 AM
F R O M
T H E
E D I T O R www.automationmag.com • Vol. 30, No.5
Faltering economy ripples global waters
I
t’s been anything but a slow-news summer for North America. Since I last penned my editor’s note in June, there has been a number of constant news stories plaguing our TV screens — the ongoing journey for our next prime minister, the triumph of Canada at the Pan Am/Parapan Am games (a whopping 385 combined medals for us!), and who can forget all of Donald Trump’s controversial statements since announcing his candidacy for U.S. president? But another story has been on my radar the past few weeks. For months China has showed signs of an economic decline with key sectors, like manufacturing, weakening. In fact, the Caixin purchasing managers’ index fell to a 77-month low of 47.1 in August. A reading less than 50.0 on the index indicates contraction. The survey also found that output, new export orders and employment all declined at faster rates than in July. “Exports were supposed to grow by six per cent this year, but instead they are shrinking, and factories are shedding millions of jobs,” recently noted The Associated Press. This of course can be problematic worldwide, especially for countries that export industrial commodities to China. Then things seemed to take a turn for the worst, fast. On August 24, the Chinese stock market tumbled 8.5 per cent — its biggest one-day dive in eight years — triggering a drop in markets in Japan, the U.S. and here at home. It was dubbed Black Monday, after the infamous market crashes of 1987 and 1929. For Canada, this drop in commodities means petro-powered provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador will be hard hit, noted Robert Kavcic, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, while manufacturing heartland Ontario could receive a boost from the lower Canadian dollar. It’s premature to tell if China is heading for a hard landing; as such, we are left with more questions than answers. Is a poor Chinese economy good for Canada? How can we use this state to our advantage? How volatile will our dollar become? And last but not least, could the next major financial slowdown be eminent? •
Canada’s leading publication providing industrial automation news and technology information aimed at the discrete and process industries. EDITOR Alyssa Dalton adalton@annexweb.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Anurag Garg, Treena Hein, Paul Hogendoorn, Jeff Lund, Tony Varga, Sue Via
DIRECTOR OF SOUL/COO Sue Fredericks
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Piero Cherubini, Dean, Faculty of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology Al Diggins, President and General Manager, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, and Chairman and CEO, Canadian Manufacturing Network David Green, Technology and Business-to-Business Consultant Sherman Lang, Industrial Technology Advisor, Industrial Research Assistance Program, National Research Council of Canada Don McCrudden, Vice-President, Business Development, Festo David McPhail, President and CEO, Memex Automation Nigel Southway, Business Productivity Consultant and Author on Lean Thinking Bill Valedis, Vice-President, Precision Training, Products and Services Inc. Manufacturing AUTOMATION is published seven times a year by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. 222 Edward Street, Aurora, Ontario L4G 1W6 Tel: (905) 727–0077 • Fax: (905) 727–0017 • PM # 40065710 The contents of Manufacturing Automation are copyright ©2015 by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent. Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Send address changes and return undeliverable Address Blocks to: Manufacturing AUTOMATION, P.O. Box 530, Simcoe ON N3Y 4N5. Return postage guaranteed. Subscription rates: Canada — $40 per year. United States and Foreign — $60(US) per year. Student subscription rate $20 per year. ISSN-1480-2996
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A U T O M A T I O N
U P F R O N T
China’s industrial robots to double by 2017: IFR
In brief • Sof Surfaces Inc., a company that manufactures rubberized safety tiles for use in children’s playgrounds, has been fined $70,000 after a worker lost a foot to moving machinery. • GM Canada has announced it will invest $12 million to increase Chevrolet Equinox production on the consolidated production line at Oshawa, Ont., Assembly and for related changes in the body shop at CAMI Assembly.
• Nova Scotia’s premier is touting youth trades training programs as an important part of providing eventual job opportunities in the province’s struggling economy. Stephen McNeil stressed the programs will only be a success if private companies join in to provide training opportunities.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
By 2017, more industrial robots will be operating in China’s production plants than in the European Union or North America, according to the International Federation of Robotics’ (IFR’s) 2014 World Robot Statistics study. The IFR’s statistical department commissioned a global study earlier this year on industrial robots that indicates the Chinese robot market will double in the next three years. The study estimates that China’s operating unit numbers will double from today’s 200,000 to more than 400,000 — to compare in North America, numbers will rise to about 300,000, with 340,000 predicted for Europe’s five largest economies. The IFR notes that China is already the world’s largest market in the sale of industrial robots. “Given China’s still very low robotic density, the future market dimensions are palpably clear,” it states. To date, China only has 30 industrial robots per 10,000 employees in manufacturing industries, finds the study, while Germany’s robotic density is 10 times larger – in Japan, it is actually 11 times more. Meanwhile in North America, robotic density is five times higher than in China, where the majority of industrial robots are used for handling operations (40 per cent) and for welding (36 per cent), finds the study, adding that the automotive industry is the largest robotic sector at about 40 per cent. “The automation of China’s production plants has just started,” said Per Vegard Nerseth, managing director of ABB Robotics. “As the first foreign robot manufacturer to arrive here, we have observed the market and developments for years now. We have witnessed swift, almost explosive growth over the last two or three years, surpassing even our expectations.” “The Chinese government is simultaneously pushing forward with robotic research,” adds the study. “Four out of five industrial robots in China are made by foreign manufacturers — the majority from Japan, North America and Europe. Yet more manufacturers are planning to build their own production lines in China.” Beckhoff_MA_Sept.indd 1
www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 5 2015-08-21 8:49 AM
A U T O M A T I O N
U P F R O N T
Factory of the Future opens Winnipeg facility
An investment of up to $60 million to build a new facility in Winnipeg, Man., has been announced as part of the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC’s) Factory of the Future program. The new program leverages the NRC’s infrastructure and specialized equipment to “assist Canadian manufacturers develop, adopt, and deploy new technologies and processes to produce highquality, specialized manufactured goods at lower costs and in shorter time frames,” noted NRC. According to NRC representatives, the new Winnipeg facility will stimulate public-private partnerships and provide Canadian companies with easy access to provide Canadian companies access to various research tools, including process design; simulation and integration; maintenance, repair and overhaul research; and manufacturing lifecycle assessment. It will also house a manufacturing pilot train laboratory and will support the development of advanced manufacturing systems engineering, composites and biocomposites. “By providing our companies with the tools they need to be competitive, we are helping to ensure that our best and brightest innovators get ideas off the ground, and that Canadian manufacturers will compete and win in global markets, creating jobs and prosperity at home,” said Ed Holder, minister of state (science and technology). The funding is part of the $5.8-billion commitment toward public infrastructure announced by the Federal government in November 2014. “This investment will increase NRC’s capacity to provide industry with access to leading-edge expertise, facilities and equipment, and support Canada’s economic growth and prosperity,” said Dr. Ian Potter, vice-president of engineering, NRC. “With this investment, we will help businesses overcome their technology and innovation challenges and increase their competitiveness and growth in the marketplace.”
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Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) has received two J.D. Power and Associates Plant Quality awards, gold and silver, in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. “We are very proud of our quality results this year,” said TMMC president, Brian Krinock. “This recognition shows TMMC’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, as well as the dedication our Team Members have to building every car with great care and precision.” The J.D. Power Initial Quality Study includes 2015 model vehicles purchased between November 1, 2014 and February 28, 2015. Customers own the vehicles for 90 days following their purchase and then completed the J.D. Power survey. Plant awards are based on the least number of defects or malfunctions per vehicle, and the scores for all three of TMMC’s plants surpassed the industry averages. This is the second time TMMC has received two awards in the same year. The awards take TMMC’s total to 14, which is more than any other automotive manufacturer in the Americas. TMMC manufactures the Toyota Corolla, RAV4, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h vehicles and is the first plant outside of Japan to build a Lexus vehicle. The company employs more than 8,000 Team Members at three manufacturing plants in Ontario.
MOVerS & SHAKerS the Manufacturing Institute has awarded amy lakin, executive vice-president supply chain for baldor Electric company, with the Women in Manufacturing stEP (science, technology, Amy Lakin Engineering and Production) ahead award. the StEP Ahead Award honours women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factoryfloor to the C-suite. during her career, she has held a number of positions with growing responsibility including industrial engineering manager, operations general manager and supply chain manager. omron’s Automation and Safety business in the Americas is welcoming robert (robb) M. black to the position of president and COO. he brings with him an “extensive background” robb Black in industrial automation and experience from leadership positions at honeywell, turck and rockwell Automation. “robb comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience from well-respected global automation companies,” said Nigel Blakeway, CEO of Omron Automation and Safety for the Americas.
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Toyota boasts most awarded assembly plant in the Americas
After serving Mitutoyo canada for 27 years, Jay summers, executive vice president, announced his retirement starting June 30, 2015. his role was transitioned to Peter Detmers who has been with
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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Mitutoyo Canada since 1991 and became vice president in 2012. “Peter has been a key contributor to our past accomplishments,” says the company, adding that detmers brings with him the expertise Peter detmers and knowledge for a “seamless transition that will support the company’s development going forward.” lafert north america — a Mississauga, Ont.-based supplier of metric motors, gearboxes and pumps — has appointed ken clune to the position of national director of sales. Clune brings more than 19 Ken Clune years in the electrical industries. the company describes him as a “strong visionary who successfully builds teams to drive results” with a “diverse” background and knowledge in the area of sales and marketing for products, services and solutions, through a variety of sales channels. John raynor, president of Manufacturers automation (MaPP), has announced andy tod is returning to the firm as sales manager. tod has been involved with various electrical distributors over Andy tod the past decade and has “acquired a wide knowledge of the workings of the automation industry,” said raynor. tod will be largely responsible for the expansion and growth of the sales force and product/services offerings.
A U T O M A T I O N
U P F R O N T
Canada’s Tilley Endurables to leave the country... maybe
Tilley Endurables, the manufacturer and retailer behind the iconic Tilley hat, has been sold to a subsidiary of U.K.-based private equity firm known for its investments in distressed companies. Financial and other details of the sale to Re:Capital, the Canadian arm of Hilco Capital, were not disclosed. Tilley Endurables, also known for its wide variety of travel wear and accessories, was founded by entrepreneur Alex Tilley in 1980. With products stocked in more than 2,500 stores worldwide, the company has long insisted that virtually all Tilley-branded products be made in Canada. An exception was socks, which are manufactured in the United States. It is unclear if the new owners would be moving production out of Canada. When Tilley, 77, announced earlier this year that he was putting the company up for sale, he said he hoped the buyers would maintain manufacturing operations in Canada, but conceded he would have no control over that. “I cannot say ‘stay in Canada,’” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press at the time. “But it would be foolish, in my opinion, to take the hat manufacturing outside of Canada.” Unlike other players in the garment industry, Tilley resisted pressure to ship production overseas, with most production in the Toronto, Ont., area, along with contractors based in Nova Scotia, Quebec and British Columbia. Paul McGowan, CEO of Re:Capital, praised Tilley in a statement Wednesday for having built
“a great business and a very strong brand around phenomenal products over the last 30 years.” In acquiring Tilley Endurables, Re:Capital takes on a company whose famously durable hats enjoy a fiercely loyal following, worn by everyone from ordinary people to the Canadian military and various celebrities, including British royalty. Throughout the years, the Tilley hat has graced the heads of Prince Phillip, famed explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and Canadian soldiers during the Gulf War, who sometimes dyed the light coloured hat with coffee so it appeared to be more camouflaged. Re:Capital’s past Canadian acquisitions have included HMV Canada in 2011 and Kraus Group, a flooring manufacturer and distributor, in 2012. — With files from Brian McKenna, The Canadian Press
MoU to help unemployed youth find jobs sooner
The Federal and B.C. governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which they say will pave the way towards retooling the federal-provincial job training deal to better align training with jobs sooner.
“The new job training deal with B.C. will result in greater employer participation to ensure that Canadians are equipped with the skills employers need now and in the future,” said Pierre Poilievre, minister of employment and social development. “B.C. is reaching a tipping point with fewer young people entering the workforce than older workers leaving it. That is why we are taking steps now to meet the needs of our rapidly changing labour market,” continued Shirley Bond, minister of jobs, tourism and skills training and minister responsible for labour (British Columbia). “The re-negotiated Labour Market Development Agreement as well as funding provided under the Canada-B.C. Job Grant will better align training to job opportunities and ensure that British Columbians have the skills they need to find their fit in our diverse, strong and growing economy.” The MoU signing took place at VMAC Global Technology, a manufacturer of vehiclemounted mobile air compressor solutions used for service trucks, public works, utilities, highway/heavy construction, oil and mining and a recent recipient of funding under the Canada Job Grant (CJG). To date, more than 1,400 employers have echnical been approved for funding to train employees earning in British Columbia. Visit omega.ca/ Meanwhile, the CJG is providing 23 VMAC technical-learning Global employees with training in sales, manufacturing, leadership development and supply chain technology. echnical earning
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U P F R O N T
Pharmascience invests $55M+ to upgrade R&D, mfg facilities in Montreal
L to R: Minister Jacques Daoust, Dr. David Goodman, CEO of Pharmascience, and minister Pierre Arcand.
Morris Goodman, chairman of the board and co-founder of Pharmascience Inc., and Dr. David Goodman, CEO, announced the company will invest a total of $55.7 million by the end of 2016 to modernize its R&D facilities and increase its production capacity in Montreal, Que. The announcement was made in the presence of Jacques Daoust, minister of the economy, innovation and exports, and Pierre Arcand, minister of energy and natural resources and MNA for Mont-Royal. The investment is made possible by financial contributions of $4 million from Investissement Québec and $800,000 from Emploi Québec, which will enable Pharmascience to pursue a “diversification strategy based on the development of new products and an increased international profile,” it said. Both Morris and David expressed their appreciation of the Government of Quebec’s support, which will greatly assist Pharmascience in
its efforts. Of the $55.7 million, $8.2 million will go towards the modernization of the company’s R&D facilities to facilitate the development of new products for international markets. The additional $47.5 million will support new production, packaging and quality management technologies to better meet the growing global demand for the medications the company manufactures, while also enhancing its competitiveness, it noted. “We are proud of the progress we have made since 1983. Pharmascience is now the largest employer in the pharmaceutical sector in Quebec, and the third-largest in Canada,” said Morris. “The investments we are announcing will help create 65 new jobs, and help secure the existing jobs based in Greater Montreal.” Since the company was founded, over $500 million has been invested in R&D, said David. “[This] announcement reflects our ongoing commitment to pursuing growth with the objective of becoming a world leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing, while also being recognized as a multifunctional centre of R&D excellence. Our goal is to increase our presence both internationally and in the innovative drug market,” he continued. Established in 1983, privately-owned Pharmascience is a retail generic manufacturer with a workforce of 1,623 employees — 1,546 of which are based in Quebec.
Endress+Hauser marks 25 years in Canada
For a quarter century, Endress+Hauser Canada Ltd. says it has been “creating a legacy of product quality, service and customer success,” as it recently marked its 25th anniversary in the Canadian market. As the Canadian arm of the family-owned industrial firm and a provider of measurement and automation equipment, Endress+Hauser Canada was incorporated May 1, 1990. The new company opened for business two months later, with offices in Burlington, Ont., and Montreal, Que. “We had 13 employees on that first day,” remembers Richard Lewandowski, general manager of Endress+Hauser Canada. “Our initial focus was on the Ontario and Quebec markets, specifically
on the water and wastewater, food and beverage, and mining customers.” Today, the Canadian operation employs more than 150 people, with additional offices in Calgary and Edmonton, Alta. As well, representative companies handle sales in Atlantic Canada, Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The company also extended its services to include the oil and gas and power. “Initially, we provided our customers with measurement products, product repair and product field service,” explains Lewandowski. “Today, we start working with customers at the engineering stage, assisting with selection of process measurement solutions, provide project management, start-up and commissioning services during the build phase and maintenance and calibration services during the operations phase. The measurement product offering grew over the last 25 years to include flow, level, pressure, temperature and analytical. “We are able to provide customers with a complete solution for their measurement and automation needs, not just a measuring device,” he says. As its services and offerings expanded in Canada, Endress+Hauser Canada expanded in existing industries and developed into new ones with a customer-centred focus — working to understand a customer’s business, helping them achieve their goals and providing unmatched customer service, notes Lewandowski. “It’s an approach that has kept customers coming back since the first days in Canada. We are grateful to our customers for turning to Endress+Hauser Canada for assistance and for the opportunity to contribute to their success. In many ways, their success is our success as well.” “With industry-leading sales and technical service representatives established across the country, an ongoing commitment to product innovation and a deep-rooted desire to exceed customer expectations, Endress+Hauser Canada will set the industry standard in process automation for many, many years to come,” he adds. Founded in 1953 by Georg H. Endress and Ludwig Hauser in Germany, The Endress+Hauser Group has been solely owned by the Endress family since 1975. •
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It’s no longer about information – it’s about knowledge BY PAUL HOGENDOORN
P
eople fall into one of two categories when it comes to the topic of IT: they have embraced it and are always looking for more ways to get more information from it, or, they are aware of the potential it may have but feel woefully behind and out of date. There’s a third category though, smaller than the first two, but growing steadily. It’s the people that have invested heavily in information systems and have collected mountains of data, but are now wondering what it all means, and if it was worth the effort and cost. The problem is that it’s not “information” that is valuable, but “knowledge.” There’s a big difference between these two words we often mistakenly interchange. Here are some of the common definitions to illustrate the difference: Information: the collected facts and data about a specific subject; definite knowledge acquired or supplied about something or somebody. Knowledge: familiarity or understanding gained through experience or study; all the information, facts, truths, and principles learned throughout time; general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles. Earlier this year, I had a chance to tour a factory where we were doing a small project. I was meeting the president and plant manager to review data that we had collected from a couple of critical automated assembly machines. We had some interesting information to share. After our meeting, I asked to see the rest of the plant, and they were glad to do so. We stopped in front of one of six identical machines and they explained the operation in detail. The operator was clearly straining to hear our discussion, wondering what was so interesting to the three of us. I asked if it was OK if I asked her a few questions, and they said, “Sure.” Here’s a small part of the exchange: Me: “When your shift is over, and you feel like you’ve had a really good day — you really hit it out of the park that day — what does that day look like?” Operator: “A pretty good day is if we get 4,100 or 4,200 pieces done. Our average is about 4,000. If we really hit it out of the park, we’ll have done 4,300 or 4,400.” Me: “Does your boss know when you’ve had a really good day or hit it out of the park?” Operator (staring directly at the plant manager and president): “I sure hope so.” In this case, the information is that they average 4,000 pieces a day, but sometimes can get 4,200, and if everything goes really well, they can get 4,400. The knowledge we gained in that dialogue was that a) the operators have a lot of pride, b) their pride influences their daily performance, and c) it’s important for them to know that their bosses know when they had a good day. Knowledge is information and experience, and experience comes from people. The systems that are deployed in our factories today are still information systems, but what we really need them to be is knowledge systems. It needs to inform not just some of our people (i.e. managers, maintenance and CI people etc.), it needs to inform all the people (operators, assemblers, everyone). And more than that, it needs to engage people so that their experience matters and is valued, because when it comes right down to it, it’s what they do every day that actually creates the value that results in revenue. It’s not the managers or accountants or CI teams, it’s the folks on the floor. In manufacturing, IT still follows the old paradigm; we use it to help us manage our businesses, to help design our products, and perhaps as part of the products we build. Outside of the manufacturing environment however, the mandate of IT has expanded to “Create value. Connect people.” The most significant continuous improvement we can make in our factories today is to start thinking more about knowledge and less about information, and remembering that knowledge comes from our people. Let’s change our information technology into knowledge technology by using it to better to connect our people, and to add value. • Paul Hogendoorn (paulh@getfreepoint.com) is co-founder of FreePoint Technologies, “Measure. Analyze. Share.” (Don’t forget to share!) www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 9 Hiwin_MA_Jan.indd 1
2014-12-17 3:17 PM
L ean
I nsig h t s
It takes leadership for Lean success By Sue Via
H
ave you truly succeeded at Lean? When I first started to write this column on Lean manufacturing, I decided I wanted to talk about why so many companies struggle to implement Lean. After all, isn’t it just a matter of the management team directing people to do certain tasks? Although, we can see from the results, it is not that simple. In fact, one major component is usually overlooked that should not be taken for granted, and that is leadership. Looking back on how Lean was presented in the 80s and 90s, we talked about top management support and how middle management would definitely need to change. However, we really didn’t address how critical it was on top managers’ management abilities, and what did we mean when we said that middle managers would need to change? Instead, the top management team voiced their support and continued to manage how top management teams have been taught to manage since the 1930s. Middle management on the other hand was left by the wayside. Although they were told they needed to change, they were not given a clear message on how to change. As a result, the message from top management was, Do as I say, while middle managers went underground and continued to operate within their comfort zone. Did you notice that I referred to them as managers and not leaders? This, to me, is why companies fail. They value managerial skills, not leadership abilities. They let ROI’s determine what they do versus how they do it. This means they have not considered the people aspect. For instance, people obey managers, they follow leaders. What’s the difference? Managers are people in authority who have worked their way up the ladder, typically at the expense of others. Leaders, on the other hand, work with others so that they all win regardless of personal gain. To illustrate, I remember an incident many years ago that got me to reflect on how I impacted the associates on my team. We were having a weekly status meeting and I mentioned we needed to clean up an area. I stated that it was no big rush but it should be worked on when they got the opportunity. Ten minutes after the meeting, I had all my engineers at my desk telling me the technicians were out cleaning up the area but they had other work for them to do. I apologized and said that I thought I had made it clear it was not a priority and I did not expect them to put it ahead of other tasks. The engineers’ response was, “It doesn’t matter, you wanted it.” It was my first smack-me-in-the-face experience of how you could influence others to do something you wanted simply by mentioning it. Of course, I asked myself why they were so eager to fulfill my request and my next aha moment was that it was recognition of my support of them. I was a very vocal proponent and I treated them as equal to any of
Leadership is not just what you do but how you do it. It’s about a consideration of fellow employees who you treat with respect, consideration and value. the engineers. I was both a little pleased and humbled by the experience. Leadership is not just what you do but how you do it. It’s about a consideration of fellow employees who you treat with respect, consideration and value. It’s about setting an example and doing things for the right reasons, regardless of ROI, and being the first to volunteer. It’s about working to create a win-win environment where the credit is shared by the team and the individuals. It’s about being honest and open. It’s about stepping in and working with your teammates side-by-side in a crisis. So, what is a leader? Simon Sinek, a leadership expert, probably summed it up best when he said, “...We call them leaders because they will choose to sacrifice so that their people may be safe and protected and so their people may gain.” If you are struggling with your Lean implementation, it just may be because when you look at your team you see individuals who do what they are told — no more, no less. If so, then your challenge is to develop a team that follows you because they respect and value how you work with them. • As senior project manager of Techsolve, Sue Via uses her 32+ years of experience in manufacturing as a foundation for implementing and teaching Lean principles.
SIRIUS ACT Pilot Devices New portfolio of 22mm push buttons and signaling devices Siemens Canada presents a new portfolio of elegantly designed push buttons, indicator lights and switches that are the embodiment of style, intelligence, and ruggedness.
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Siemens_MA_Sept.indd 1
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M A C h I N E
S A F E t y
How continuous monitoring improves safety BY ANURAG GARG
I
n an era where functional efficacy has never been more vital, facilities are required to deliver on increased demands. The need for eliminating unplanned downtime, catastrophic breakdowns, and unnecessary maintenance costs in production processes has never been higher. The same is true for ensuring safety of personnel and assets.
Maintenance and safety
Businesses are increasingly focusing their energy on ensuring their assets and minimizing business interruption in order to protect their bottom line. An obvious place to begin (before spending big dollars on insurance policies) is within the company’s maintenance program. Preventative maintenance had its place 20 years ago, but new advances in technology allow for more refined methods for tracking the health of machinery and getting ahead of potential failures, which undoubtedly impact the safety of people and machines alike. Predictive maintenance — as the name suggests — leverages data collection from machinery to enable users to predict when equipment failure might occur so that maintenance can be implemented before equipment breakdowns. Several reliability centered maintenance (RCM) programs attempt to do this with monthly/quarterly samplings of temperature, vibration, lubrication, loads and pressures amongst other parameters. Better methods now exist where data is gathered on a continuous basis as opposed to intermittent sampling. Analytics enable engineers to move from an OEM-specified maintenance regimen to one that is defined by actual usage and observed failure intervals. Prescriptive maintenance leverages advances in data analytics and modelling capabilities to take predictive maintenance to the next level — by unlocking data-driven-intelligence on not only when a machine will fail but how it will fail so engineers can be prepared with necessary replacement parts, tools and resources to repair and rebuild appropriately. This knowledge enables facilities to better learn and understand their equipment, maximize asset utilization, reduce unplanned downtime and catastrophic failures, which in turn helps increase safety of both personnel and machines. This article outlines five key safety performance metrics and how continuous machine monitoring could improve these metrics while decreasing overall cost.
1. osha metrics
For manufacturing companies, OSHA metrics recorded in a given time period are a common measure of safety. OSHA metrics include the organization’s Days Away Restricted Transfer (DART), Total Case Incident Rates (TCIR), Total Number of Missed Days, Total Number of Restricted Days, and Total OSHA Recordable Incidents. Greater visibility into the operation of machines (and subsequent early corrections) can help improve these metrics by reducing the total number of incidents. Continuous machine monitoring aims to empower engineers with a real-time intelligence on the status and health of their machinery. Through data analytics, it unlocks real-time insights into the slightest changes in operating conditions — changes that have the potential to result in safety incidents. This varies from traditional maintenance programs which are limited with their intermittent information and do not provide any realtime insights and often lead to late or missed alerts.
2. number of documented inspections, claims and corrective actions taken
Although a high number of inspections, claims and corrective actions may suggest a proactive program, it comes with a high price tag. On the contrary, a number too low may suggest a lack of effort. Continuous machine monitoring and the insights that it generates may help companies achieve that sweet spot — relying on readily available data for inspection reports and reducing the number of claims. Although companies may see an increase in corrective actions, the overall cost (of inspections, claims filing, and other administrative overheads) significantly decreases — money that can then be channelled to better training. 12
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3. amount of money spent on failures
Most manufacturing operations measure safety by only taking into account personnel safety. The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that employers pay almost $1 billion per week for direct workers’ compensation costs including direct costs (workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses, and costs for legal services) and indirect ones (training replacement employees, accident investigation, lost productivity, repairs of damaged equipment and property, and costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism). It is worth considering, however, that the true measure should also include incidents that resulted in significant asset damages, loss of product, or environmental contamination. By moving to a predictive and prescriptive approach of taking care of your equipment through continuous monitoring, manufacturing companies can reduce the amount of money spent on machine failures. Avoiding claims altogether reduces fines, healthcare costs, short- and long-term disability claims, and total cost of safety.
4. Lost time
Time is lost on a personal/individual basis as a result of safety incidents, and it results in lost productivity and operational time on machines as a result of safety shutdowns. Consider a continuous manufacturing operation (assume opportunity cost of unplanned downtime is $30,000/hour) can save at least $2-4 million on its bottom line by cutting unplanned downtime by 50 per cent. This downtime can be a result of machine failures, personnel downtime for various reasons, or shutdowns for safety incidents, etc.
5. plant operations (per cent to goal)
Operational efficiency is a company’s ability to produce at desired capacity while minimizing downtime. This includes consideration for product quality, recalls and process deviations, etc. The benefits of continuous machine monitoring and everything outlined in this article ensure the safety of a company’s bottom line, and the ability to meet KPIs and targets across production, employee safety, and efficiency. We have laid out several metrics used to measure operational safety and the impact continuous machine monitoring technologies can have on it. There is significant opportunity in reducing cost-centres, increasing productivity, and impacting the company’s overall bottom line. The return on investment is clear and can often be realized in under six months. The key is enabling solutions that reduce the complexity of adoption, work well with IT departments, and are an easy retrofit option for existing infrastructure. • Anurag Garg (agarg@dattus.com) is the CEO of Dattus. He is a published researcher in the field of reliability and micro/nano devices.
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S t O r y
CANADIAN
CAN-DO
KUKA’s KR 120 R2700 high accuracy robot mills a series of test pieces in foam.
Robotic systems integration presses forward with Parliament Building restoration
Photos courtesy Kuka Robotics Canada
C O V E r
BY TREENA HEIN
R
obots are being used for so many applications across the country these days — vacuuming floors, decorating cakes, making any number of things in factories. It is all very futuristic, more so by the day, but robots are also playing an important role in connecting Canadians with their past. First, the history. In 1857, when Ottawa, Ont., was chosen as the capital of the then-Province of Canada, a location for the buildings to house Parliament was called for. The powers-that-were selected the highest point in the centre of the city, a craggy hilltop overlooking the mighty Ottawa River. Soon the shiny copper roofs and Gothic Revival style of the three buildings made them a landmark that can still be seen for quite the distance. Centre Block houses the House of Commons and the Senate, with the West Block and East Block containing offices. However now at more than 149 years old, Canada’s Parliament buildings are degrading, and robots are playing an important role — particularly with ornamentation — in the full ongoing rehabilitation of all three blocks over the next decade. “It is a fairly new approach to stone carving,” notes Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesperson for Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). It is the first time robotic reconstruction has been used at the Canadian Parliament, he says, although it is used extensively in Europe and beyond.
starting point
The first stone piece that PWGSC decided to replace is in the East Block, weighing 2.3 tons and located over the entrance to the central courtyard. It features an owl among thistles, and was badly in need of replacement, with some areas of detail worn away by many decades of erosion and freeze-thaw cycles and other areas gone altogether. 14
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To get started, PWGSC’s Heritage Conservation Directorate collaborated with Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism to explore how new technologies might be applied. Carleton also brought in a subcontractor, New Age Robotics, with robots built by Kuka Robotics Canada, a subsidiary of Kuka Roboter GmbH in Germany. It was an “exciting new challenge” for New Age Robotics of Ayr, Ont., as its 30 employees had mostly been building jigs for auto parts suppliers since the firm’s birth in 1989. “But that market fluctuates every few years,” explains Cornel Cosma, president. “So we decided to look around, and it occurred to me that investigating architectural work and art work might be a growing market, one that would shelter us from the ups and downs.” In 2010, Cosma and his son visited Italy to see the architectural robotic sculpting being used there. They managed to create a system similar to that being used in Europe and using Montreal, Que.-based software RobotMaster, went to work — and the rest, as they say, is history.
how it works
The reconstruction process on Parliament sculptures begins with creating a digital copy of the existing statue or carving using photogrammetry, which would have been done in the old days through plaster casting. From that digital model, a copy of the sculpture is milled from high-density polyurethane foam using a 3-axis CNC router at Carleton. The next step is for a sculptor — in this case, the Dominion Sculptor of Canada (a sculptor hired specifically to look after the Parliament Buildings and similar federal sites) — to rebuild the damaged areas with modelling clay. Then, the carving is digitized again.
The final relief sculpture was milled from sandstone using the Kuka/New Age Robotics milling system.
Once suitable milling parameters are determined, the final relief sculpture is milled from stone using the Kuka/New Age Robotics milling system to within 1 mm of the final image. Then the ‘Dominion Sculptor’ finishes it. “The variations in surface textures that are created with traditional hand-carving tools create a contrast of shadow and light on the sculpture,” notes Bujold, “adding depth when viewed from a distance.” But if all that sounds easy breezy, it wasn’t — at first.
‘hard’ challenges
“It was a big project with tougher challenges than we realized,” notes Cosma. “The stone was extremely hard, and at the speed we started with, our system was slower than a manual sculptor. We didn’t know the stone would be so hard — they [PWGSC] chose a very hard Berea sandstone so that the carvings going forward will last a long time — and we were wearing out tooling in minutes. The tooling was being imported from Italy, taking two to three weeks to get here, so it took too long and the labour and equipment costs were very high. We lost money during the experimentation phase.” But New Age Robotics was determined to make things work. They built up their milling capability through constructing a sculpting system with seven axes — six on the robot with the robot on a turntable — so that the robot could successfully mill four-ton pieces. They switched to diamond carbide tips, and used an imported VEM spindle which is cooled from its centre. With all this in place, they eventually achieved robotic sculpting four times faster than manual sculpting. New Age Robotics knew its system was very good, but in order to really demonstrate to new potential customers what the system is capable
of, the company realized it needed to have a person on staff with artistic skills — its own Dominion Sculptor. “In order to create a robotic sculpting system, you have to know robots, know your software, for example, scanning software, ZBrush, SolidWorks, Milling Software and you have to know how to cut stone,” Cosma explains. “But you also need to have an artist on staff. So I trained an employee with 3D software called RobotMaster and hired an artist. When we scan and mill, it looks very, very dull, but the artist brings it to life and reveals the potential of what our system can accomplish.”
parliament hill and beyond
Chris Claringbold, president of Kuka Robotics Canada, considers it an honour “to see our robot helping with the restoration of such an important building.” Beyond Parliament Hill, Kuka robots are being used in Canada in construction, architecture and other industries. For example, they mill molds for vehicle cabins of vehicles, and mill aluminum and carbon composite aerospace parts. About 15 Parliament Hill sculptures are completed so far, but the work isn’t finished yet. There are about 4,500 interior and exterior sculptures, and many of them still need work. Cosma says, “We can finish a marble capitol in days now using Kuka’s 7-axis system. We learned, we tried different things, and we achieved success, just like we do with all our projects.” “It feels good to be a part of the Parliament Building restoration,” he adds. “It’s something that will last at least 500 years.” • Treena Hein (treenahein.wordpress.com) is an award-winning Ontario freelance science and tech writer. www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 15
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to view expanded case studies, visit www.automationMag.com, and click on the “software” portal.
CASE STUDY ROUNDUP Software solutions deliver positive results for Canadian manufacturers COMPILED BY ALYSSA DALTON
S
everal months ago, Manufacturing AUTOMATION extended an invitation to software vendors to share examples of their recent success stories. How did they fare? Read on to discover how six Canadian businesses leveraged automation software to meet their challenges in a fluctuating economy.
autodesK
ReDeTec recycles 3D printer filament for reuse with help from Autodesk
the Company: Founded in December 2013 by Alex Kay, David Joyce and Dennon Oosterman, ReDeTec is a designer and producer of sustainable design tools. The company strives to maintain sustainable 3D printing. “But this technology has so far remained unsustainable. Whether it be the cost of buying new feedstock, or the waste generated as you finalize your design to perfection, true creative freedom is being held back by the consumable nature of the industry,” say representatives of the Toronto, Ont.-based company. the Challenge: In order to help design its first product, the ProtoCycler, ReDeTec turned to the Autodesk Cleantech Partner Program and software including Autodesk Fusion 360, Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk PLM 360. The product is an all-in-one filament recycler unit for 3D printers, and comes complete with a built-in grinder, distributed spooling and intelligent computer 16
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control. It also creates filament at up to 10 feet a minute in any colour. the strategy: “In this day and age, it’s almost unimaginable to start a business without adopting every useful technology you can,” says Oosterman. “We have 3D printers and CNC mills for design and prototyping and a range of software granted to us by the Autodesk Cleantech Partner Program to help in everything from product development to resource management.” the results: According to Oosterman, PLM 360 was “fantastic” for tracking the progress as a team and the development of the product. “It’s one of those tools that keeps showing use in more and more applications, and we’re trying to expand it across the whole company so we have a unified data management system that tracks everything from financials to order fulfillment.” Meanwhile, the Inventor program has been at the core of ReDeTec’s design work from a functional and practical point of view “for a while now,” he adds. Once the company moved from design to development to product commercialization, it began to use more of Fusion 360. “The easy learning curve and collaborative nature allowed our industrial designer to work seamlessly with our hardware lead, which is something we hadn’t been able to manage on any other platform,” he notes. “This ultimately led us from a proof of concept to functional prototype in a matter of weeks instead of months.”
GENIUS SOLUTIONS
ERP helps custom manufacturer scale up worldwide the Company: Eddyfi designs and manufactures non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment using
eddy currents and electromagnetic techniques for nuclear, power generation, oil and gas industries. Founded in 2009, the company offers solutions for the inspection of critical components and assets, including probes used in tubes and on surfaces to identify defects in metal and welds, equipment that generates electromagnetic fields and acquires data, and software to visually analyze the acquired data. Eddyfi has its R&D, manufacturing facility, and headquarters in Quebec City, Que., and sales offices with calibration centres in Houston, Texas, and Lyon, France. The company serves customers in more than 50 countries around the world. the Challenge: The company manufactures highly complex and custom engineered-to-order and make-to-order products, requiring it to keep track of significant amounts of data. To be competitive, the company needs to ensure its products are manufactured and ready to ship to customers as rapidly as possible. As it was preparing to expand into new markets, it became vital for Eddyfi to implement a software
solution that would provide its project Toronto, Ont., the privately-held and management and finance teams with ISO-registered manufacturer serves real-time and accurate job costing. about 1,500 customers in Canada and the U.S., including hospitals, manuThe Strategy: The ability to handle facturers, food and beverage comexponential growth and worldwide panies and others with large HVAC operations was a major considera- installations. tion factor when Eddyfi undertook Klenzoid treatment programs are selecting an enterprise resource plan- designed to inhibit scale formation, ning (ERP) software solution. It was corrosion and micro-biological important that the software be inte- fouling, protecting valuable assets and grated throughout the organization minimizing wasted energy and water and be able to handle the unique needs through its unique solution. About of its complex engineered-to-order 80 per cent of Klenzoid’s workforce and make-to-order environment. “We knew we had to invest in software that would scale alongside us and support our custom manufacturing needs,” said John McCormick, operations vice-president and general manager of Eddyfi, as the company ultimately selected Genius Manufacturing ERP software.
is mobile sales and field service professionals, who conduct monthly inspections at client sites. The Challenge: Experiencing rapid growth in the mid-2000s, Klenzoid needed to replace its outdated legacy IT systems, including a DOS-based ERP application and Lotus Notes for customer relationship management (CRM). Unable to scale with the business, the unintegrated applications were slow, provided limited visibility into critical data and resulted
in inordinate manual work. As part of its modernization strategy, Klenzoid also sought to replace a custom-built application called Klenztrak that logged data collected from client sites. The Strategy: In a multi-phase approach that began in 2007, Klenzoid has implemented NetSuite OneWorld to run core business processes including financials, CRM, inventory and order management, manufacturing, purchasing and more in a single, unified Cloud system, and to manage its
Powering Canada Coast to Coast
The Results: “Genius Manufacturing ERP manages our entire customer order lifecycle, from quote-to-cash. Since implementing Genius Solutions software three years ago, we have grown from 25 to 115 employees, and our revenue has doubled year over year,” said McCormick. The ERP software provides Eddyfi with streamlined purchasing of materials, accurate inventory control and real-time job costing. Rapid delivery is extremely important to meet the needs of Eddyfi’s oil and gas customers, and it says Genius Solutions has helped Eddyfi significantly reduce delivery times to its customers all over the world. “With Genius Manufacturing ERP, we’ve been able to reduce delivery times on highly complex engineeredto-order custom products from over six weeks down to just two weeks. And, we’re now able to ship maketo-order products to customers within two days of receiving an order.” Eddyfi uses Genius Manufacturing ERP across its entire organization. “The software is very user-friendly, with common terminology and similar looking screens across all of its modules, making it very simple for our employees to learn,” says McCormick. The R&D department also uses Genius Solutions software to track labour and material expenses related to internal R&D projects.
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The Company: Founded in 1969, Klenzoid is an industrial water treatment company providing chemical treatment, equipment and service solutions that reduce energy, water and chemical costs for steam boilers and cooling water systems. Based in
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www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 17 2015-08-17 1:59 PM
A U T O M A T I O N
S O F T W A R E
U.S. company, Eldon Water, based in Michigan. In 2013, Klenzoid extended NetSuite to replace its Klenztrak data logging system with a new platform called AquaAnalytics. In both phases, Klenzoid leveraged NetSuite flexibility to customize processes and introduce game-changing innovations that provided a foundation for rapid growth and high client satisfaction. the results: With the NetSuite-powered AquaAnalytics, Klenzoid manages more than 1 million customer data points, ranging from pH levels to water, chemical and energy consumption. The solution has dramatically improved visibility into data inputted by Klenzoid technicians, as well as clients, to better monitor usage, detect anomalies, and enable precise and timely reordering of chemicals and equipment. Klenzoid is now working to incorporate real-time monitoring capabilities into AquaAnalytics. Winner of NetSuite’s 2013 Your Suite Award for the most innovative customizations, AquaAnalytics highlights Klenzoid’s transformation with NetSuite Cloud ERP/CRM. Revenues have soared 300 per cent since 2007 and the client base has doubled to 1,500, while Klenzoid has increased efficiency in on-site client service by 35 per cent, in operations by 40 per cent, and in data access and reporting by 45 per cent, it says. Klenzoid has streamlined equipment assembly with the NetSuite Work Orders and Assemblies module and improved inventory control in its 16,000 square feet of warehousing space, helping fulfill objectives of 99 per cent on-time availability of chemicals and 95 per cent on-time availability of equipment. “With AquaAnalytics, we’ve distilled our competitive advantage into a piece of software that offers so many advantages for Klenzoid and our customers,” said Michael Cairns, director of business improvement. “We love how the flexibility and scalability of NetSuite lets us rapidly introduce new programs and supports our objective to expand across Canada and the U.S.”
oMniFy
Synaptive Medical sees increased productivity with Omnify PLM deployment the Company: Based in Toronto, Ont., Synaptive Medical offers a team of scientists and engineers, with expertise in optics, robotics and image-guided technology, to work collaboratively on the development of neurosurgical technologies. From automated surgical positioning systems to neurosurgical imaging, optics and information science, Synaptive Medical delivers the systems and equipment required to focus on what matters most — the patient. the Challenge: Synaptive has gone through an exceptionally aggressive and steep growth rate in response to market demand. Along with resource growth, Synaptive has gone through complete design, development and transfer to manufacturing iterations for a number of medical device 18
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
products. As the company grew in both personnel and products, it became obvious that the existing mixed paper and software solution was inadequate. There was a need to migrate to a software-only, integrated solution that provided the flexibility, visibility, control and regulatory compliance required for a growing medical device company.
For Tremco, a corporation with various separate legal entities, multiple manufacturing locations, 10,000+ inventory SKUs and over 2,000 employees around the world, managing the details of each free trade agreement was no small task. To solve these challenges, Tremco implemented SAP’s Global Trade Solution (SAP GTS).
the strategy: The implementation process for Omnify Empower product lifecycle management (PLM) was straightforward. The company employed 40 people at the time, and a team of two was able to implement the solution in less than three months. A detailed plan was made for mobile rollout; due to the flexibility of the system, there was a desire to implement more than just core functionality. Once the plan was made, it was a matter of the company familiarizing itself with the tool, performing data scrubs, setting up workflows and importing data into the newly created system. Apart from tool validation, a must-have in the medical device industry, a rigorous training process was undertaken that involved everyone in the company.
the strategy: The first advantage of SAP GTS is that it automatically identifies products and areas where Tremco qualifies for preferential treatment under current free trade agreements. And not only does it identify those opportunities, but it automatically audits and determines the eligibility for free trade, such as under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). SAP GTS provides NAFTA certificates directly — a critical task since fraud or mistaken NAFTA claims can lead to significant business and criminal liability. The second advantage SAP GTS provides Tremco is support on embargoes and sanctions. By law, companies can be penalized for doing business with any country currently under sanction, even if the action was in error. Staying on top of current embargoes isn’t an easy task, however, since regulations change frequently. SAP GTS blocks any document attempting to use a sanctioned country and provides a current list of sanctioned countries, which is manually maintained to ensure accuracy. Thirdly, SAP GTS provides an updated “Sanctioned Party List” — of special groups and organizations that have been deemed terrorist or enemy organizations. Many of these organizations operate within legitimate countries, but companies are forbidden from doing business with these organizations. SAP GTS reviews all customers, vendors, other partners and documents for possible matches to the Sanctioned Party Lists and all matches are blocked until Tremco’s Compliance Staff can specially review the situation.
the results: As employees familiarized themselves with the features in Omnify, they started pushing for other paper-based processes (which were not originally in-scope and were not contemplated to be handled by Omnify) to be migrated into the system. This improved speed of approval, visibility and subsequently, productivity, but the benefits don’t stop there, says company representatives. “We are currently in the process of extending Omnify yet again, this time by implementing a module that will allow two-way communication between Omnify and our ERP software. This should improve the speed of implementing change orders and the generation of purchase orders by piping information directly from Omnify into ERP, and will allow other information such as costing to be sent into Omnify,” says Arie Henkin, a quality systems lead at Synaptive, who lead the implementation. Whether raising a non-conformance in production, creating a change order in engineering, or opening a corrective action in quality, Synaptive “employees know that the answer to ‘Where can I find...?’ is Omnify,” adds company officials.
sap
Tremco defeats international trade uncertainties with SAP Global Trade Solution the Company: The Tremco Group is a manufacturer of construction and roofing materials. The company sells and ships its products globally, and doing business globally means increased challenges. The company’s Canadian subsidiary, Tremco Canada, represents more than 120 million in revenue. the Challenge: The company faced certain hurdles due to increased regulations and rules over the past decade, partially stemming from the acts of September 11, 2001; including political and economic sanctions, changing and dynamic free trade agreements, import/expert licenses and much more. In a nutshell, Tremco needed to manage a whole multitude of ever-shifting geopolitical and economic regulations in order to continue to serve its global clientele.
the results: All of this effort pays off. Through the implementation of SAP GTS, Tremco estimates that compliant use of Free Trade Agreements saves the company more than $4,000,000 annually. Tremco is the first to say that implementing SAP GTS was a detail-oriented process. The implementation of GTS was led by Kevin Riddell, international logistics manager for Tremco. Referring to the project, Riddell says, “Don’t let deadline drive decisions — better late than subpar. So, run as many simulations as you can because time invested is time well spent. And take the time to have your compliance team review the settings as well.”
SIEMENS PLM
Agricultural machinery specialist realizes fivetimes faster design process with Solid Edge the Company: GEA Farm Technologies is the Quebec-based business unit of the large GEA Group in Germany. The Drummondville facility manufactures livestock manure management machinery for the global agricultural market. Its products include machines to pump, agitate, spread and separate liquid from manure for composting on livestock farms of all sizes. This segment of the Group has its largest markets in Canada, the U.S., Russia and Japan.
“By having a lower cost of manufacturing, we can offer more competitive solutions,” he continues, “we save material and weight by changing from steel to aluminum, making the machinery lighter and easier to manufacture.” The 2D to 3D migration proved very productive and, after about
eight years, the company decided to seek out more ways to utilize its 3D designs. In 2013, GEA added the integrated Solid Edge Simulation tool to further boost its design capability. “FEA is still new in our design culture, but we know now the analysis can be trusted because we
have been able to compare FEA results to physical bench tests,” says Alexander Laprise, an engineer at GEA. “It takes two weeks or longer to do physical bench tests versus one day with simulation. We save time and money. Working faster means we are more competitive in the market.” •
The Challenge: The company had a number of goals it wanted to achieve: accelerate design turnaround; reduce engineering changes; improve equipment fit, function and quality; reduce prototypes; and most importantly, increase market competitiveness. The Strategy: The GEA Farm Technologies Competence Centre for Manure Management at Drummondville moved from 2D to 3D computer-aided design (CAD) in 2005. Like thousands of companies moving from 2D, GEA prospered with its new 3D CAD system, Solid Edge software, from Siemens PLM Software. The benefits were widespread, including better visualization of fit and tolerance, easier and fewer change orders, the ability to quickly communicate design intent to manufacturing as well as customers, a reduction in physical prototypes, more efficient drawing production, and measurable results. The productivity didn’t stop there. By moving to 3D design, GEA now accesses a downstream application, Solid Edge Simulation, a finite element analysis (FEA) tool embedded inside the CAD system. The simulation tool raised confidence among an engineering staff eager to further elevate the reputation of its agricultural machinery, it says. GEA’s choice of the embedded simulation tool enabled the company to keep its FEA work within its design department. The Results: “On average, the move from 2D to 3D made our design process five times faster,” notes Stephan St-Onge, a designer at GEA. “3D made it easier to visualize and modify the designs.” According to St-Onge, for the company’s important sheet metal design needs, the old 2D software offered little value: “Sheet metal design in 2D is a manual process and is very tricky. For sheet metal design, 3D with Solid Edge is two times faster than 2D.”
Rittal. Remarkable Protection! Faster — Our range of modular solutions guarantees time-sensitive planning, assembly, conversion and commissioning. Better — We are quick to translate market trends into innovative, best-in-class products. Everywhere — With a global presence, including 11 production facilities on 3 continents, wherever you are located, we’re nearby and easy to find! Learn more about our remarkable protection at www.rittal.ca
RittalEast_MA_Sept.indd 1
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C O N N E C t I V I t y
BRIDGING THE GAP how an ot and it partnership can leverage the internet of things
BY JEFF LUND
A
n increasingly competitive world is forcing manufacturers to invest in becoming smarter and more productive. The Internet of Things (IoT) — the explosion of the number of smart devices that are interconnected via the Internet — is the next wave of technology that will help the industrial sector up its game. Connecting smart devices throughout a plant will allow companies to automate processes, better manage assets, and analyze real-time data from a variety of sources to make smarter business decisions and reduce costs. Enabling multiple devices to communicate with each other and enterprise systems in this way is only possible with Ethernet and the Internet Protocol (IP). And, the flood of data that comes with it will require a new level of collaboration between Information Technology (IT), which focuses on information processing, and Operational Technology (OT), which focuses on the devices, sensors and software that keep production running. Traditionally, these two disciplines have operated in silos. But, collaboration between IT and OT is crucial to the success of IoT. As an OT professional, you can play a role in supporting this convergence. Before starting an IoT initiative, review this list of potential challenges you may face in working seamlessly with IT and tips for how to overcome these obstacles.
the challenges
1. Different departments, different priorities To an OT professional, availability is the top priority because shutting down manufacturing is potentially disastrous and definitely costly. It could cause safety issues, impact production levels and damage critical machinery. In fact, system uptime often holds a higher priority than data integrity. For example, if a network security breach causes a system to shut down unexpectedly, it is more important to recover and restart the system — saving the data is secondary. 20
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
When OT data crosses into the IT domain and is integrated with business processes, you should be aware that IT also has its own priorities and procedures that are important and need to be taken into account. The IT department’s top priority is to protect data by keeping it confidential and accurate. IT has developed its own set of policies and procedures for data integrity, availability and confidentially that you will need to learn to work with when interacting with IT systems, just as IT professionals will need to learn to adapt to OT needs when working in your domain.
oPErational tEchnology
inforMation tEchnology
Protect the process – AIC
Protect the data – CIA
Availability (A)
Confidentiality (C)
Integrity (I)
Integrity (I)
Confidentiality (C)
Availability (A)
Priorities typically differ between OT and IT.
2. Standard IT practices don’t work for manufacturing systems Little to no downtime is key in any industrial setting. Therefore, IT may need to modify some practices for manufacturing systems. For example, some procedures may not be feasible in a factory, such as: • “Calling the help desk” to fix a system issue. Recovery must happen quickly to avoid impacting productivity. So, the recovery process must be simple and fast with steps that plant personnel can complete on their own. • Implementing automatic software patch updates,
• Rebooting, particularly as an early approach to fixing a problem, and • Giving all data equal priority versus prioritizing some types of data (e.g., robot movement instructions) over others (e.g., report generation). 3. Industrial networking systems have unique requirements that may be unfamiliar to IT When you prepare to work with IT, remember they may not have experience working with: • High-voltage, high-current equipment, • Industrial ratings and policies, • Keeping people and processes safe, and • The important differences between putting control versus information on a network.
A collaborative environment
IT also isn’t familiar with working in industrial settings’ harsh environments, which can impact the type of equipment needed to ensure the integrity of data transmission that is vital to IoT. Without understanding this, the IT department might install commercial-grade wire and cable and commercial grade routers, switches and wireless networking devices that will not perform well in an unforgiving industrial setting.
Overcoming the obstacles
As an OT professional, you can help overcome these challenges by fostering an environment of collaboration. Here are a few simple steps you can take to start bridging the gap between OT and IT. 1. Offer an olive branch: Find out which IT representatives would be the most likely to handle IoT projects and set up a time to meet with them. Look for projects on which both functions can begin to collaborate.
4. Walk through standard processes: Work together to develop standard processes for undertakings that will need to be modified to accommodate the needs of both OT and IT. For example, outline guidelines for when and how to administer software updates, how to recover from a network outage, and what steps to take before adding a new device to an existing network system.
2. Be sure you get in on the ground floor: Executives looking to capitalize on the IoT may think, because it involves IP technology, it should be led by the IT department. Speak to your leadership team and keep in touch with your friends in IT to let them know how including OT at the front end of IoT projects will help the process run more smoothly.
5. Listen: Collaboration is a two-way street. Both OT and IT can learn from each other and the different types of perspectives and expertise each brings to the table. Begin to create this type of environment by listening to IT, asking for their input and being empathetic to their needs.
3. Educate: Proactively educate IT about what is required for the manufacturing side of the business to make an IoT initiative a success. For example, make sure IT understands that, even when sitting in a control room, equipment can be exposed to extreme aspects of an industrial environment that can degrade materials, so you need products that are resistant to water, oil, torsion, vibration and shock. Give them details about the types of industrial switches, routers and physical components the project requires to withstand the harsh manufacturing environment.
The goal of IoT is to transform data into insights for creating business efficiencies. IP is the foundation for IoT and, once you start putting in Ethernet-based systems, IT is going to be involved with network design and access. Instead of working in silos, join forces with IT and create a collaborative approach that will result in a stronger industrial network to ensure your organization can benefit from all that IoT has to offer. • Jeff Lund is the senior director of product line management for Industrial IT, Belden.
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Reliable systems and services for transparent automation.
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www.AutomationMag.com • September 2015 21 2015-08-28 9:36 AM
P r O d u C t S
E NC L OS U R E S
&
WOR KS TATIONS
smart factory assembly to virtualize fixed workstations
The SafeTy ComplianCe WorkShop November 10 Four Points by Sheraton, Mississauga, Ont.
Ubisense Group says it has launched Smart Factory Assembly to help vehicle manufacturers address critical operational challenges along the assembly line and reduce the increasing cost of manufacturing complexity. The modern assembly plant must be flexible and agile in order to manage product variability without introducing waste or compromising quality, it notes. According to the company, the two new products — Virtual Station and Smart Device — enable vehicle manufacturers to break free from fixed workstations and embrace the virtualization required to manage complexity on high-mix, highvolume assembly lines. With this level of flexibility, manufacturers can achieve measurable cost reduction, guaranteed productivity gains, quality improvements and the ability to effectively manage mass product customization, it adds. www.ubisense.net
C o n ne C t iV it y industrial terminal
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
regiSTer noW www.AutomAtionmAg.com
Mettler Toledo is offering the IND570 industrial terminal, which it says is characterized by its ability to deliver accuracy, durability and versatility. According to the company, it is constructed and approved for the harshest industrial environments and offers flexible control options for simple to complex weighing applications. The terminal has selectable interfaces and programs that allow users to customize features to match application requirements, “adding costs only when needed,” it claims. Meanwhile, real-time communications via serial, Ethernet and PLC interfaces can be tailored to a customer’s specific needs. In manually controlled weighing applications, the graphic display shows real-time weighing status and can be programmed with plain language routines to step users through operations to help improve efficiency and minimize costly errors. www.mt.com
Microsoft Windows 10 iot
ly ear
d birte!
SpaCe iS limiTeD!
ra
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Advantech says its Windows 10 IoT (Internet of Things) will power a range of intelligent connected devices from smaller equipment such as gateways or mobile pointof-sale units, to industrial devices like robots and specialty medical equipment. Designed to connect through Azure IoT Services,
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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Windows 10 IoT promises enterprise-grade security along with native connectivity for machineto-machine and machine-to-cloud scenarios. Some new features include: Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant; Microsoft Edge, which offers built-in features such as a screen grab tool with touchscreen doodling abilities, a note pad, and reading mode; virtual desktops; task view for multitasking purposes. www.advantech.com
Programmable remote i/o module
Artila has released RIO-2010PG, the new FreeRTOS programmable remote I/O module. RIO-2010PG is powered by a 32-bit NXP LPC1768 100MHz ARM Cortex M3 processor which is equipped with 64KB SRAM 512KB Flash and FreeRTOS operating system. The industrial I/O of RIO-2010PG features one 10/100 MHz Ethernet port, one full modem RS-232, one isolated RS-485, eight channels of relay, 16 photo-isolated digital inputs and one 1-wire interface for temperature or humidity sensors. It is shipped with a FreeRTOS+lwIP board support package (BSP), device manager utility and example programs. Users can choose the ToolChain either from Mentor’s Sourcery CodeBench Lite ARM EABI Release or Keil by ARM. www.artila.com
P r O d u C t S
MaChine
s aF et y
Pushbuttons, pilot lights and other safety devices
are available in normally open or normally closed configurations. www.idec.com
Mini circuit breaker series IDEC has introduced the EU2B family of safety devices including pushbuttons, pilot lights, selector switches and ammeters. These devices comply with ATEX, C-UL, IEC and UL/NEC safety standards for use in hazardous areas. According to the company, all the devices are fully sealed to prevent the release of sufficient electrical energy which could ignite explosive gases or particles in the environment for which they are rated for use. The devices are UL/cUL approved for use in Class I Zone 1 applications, and are rated AEx de IIC T6 Gb for use in explosive gas atmospheres. The devices are rated IP65 and Type 4X for protection against water, and are available with exposed or fingersafe IP20 screw terminals. The pushbuttons are available in flush, extended and mushroom styles, and contain up to three sealed contact blocks, each rated up to 10A, and
series is UL recognized. The GSB series is AC supplementary circuit protectors, which offer overcurrent protection for specific applications where branch circuit protection is already provided by another device or is not required. The cULus-listed series is available in 1, 2, 3 and 4-pole variations, ranging from 1A to 63A and have a short circuit interrupt capacity of 5kA. www.gavazzionline.com
Modular signal tower series
Carlo Gavazzi has launched a new range of miniature circuit breakers for up to 480Y/277VAC systems: GMB series UL489 MCBs for branch circuit protection and GSB series UL1077 MCBs for supplementary circuit protection. The GMB Series are AC miniature molded circuit breakers, which boast reliable protection for a range of applications including branch circuit protection of HACR equipment, power supplies, transformers, motors, receptacles and other equipment. 1, 2 and 3 pole arrangements are available, ranging from 0.5A to 63A, with short circuit interrupt capacity of 10kA. The GMB
Patlite describes its LU7-LB alarm module as a loud, multi-sound module capable of producing sound pressure up to 100 dB and easily heard over ambient noise. The LU7-LB features four preset alarm sound patterns with various frequencies, selectable from a DIP switch, to maximize the effectiveness of the alert/notification process in almost any situation, it says. According to the company, it can be used even when a 5-light configuration is used and the alarm can be triggered to sound with any of the five LED modules. www.patlite.com
IoT Wireless I/O Modules
Wireless tower light
Banner Engineering says its TL70 wireless tower light provides reliable remote monitoring and visual status indication for remote applications, general and machine status, mobile call for parts, mobile work stations, threshold sensing and other applications. With a Banner Sure Cross wireless node built into the tower base, the TL70 offers twoway wireless communication to help reduce costly and time-consuming wiring requirements, it says. It is available in 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz configurations, allowing them to be used with matching, standard Banner wireless gateways. The 70-mm light tower can display up to five colours, as well as an audible alarm module—in one tower. The loud 92 dB adjustable alarm features four user-selectable tones, including pulsed, chirp, siren or continuous. www.bannerengineering.com
Changing The Way Data Is Collected
Direct Cloud Accessibility, Intelligent Processing, Instant Sensing
Advantech's wireless WISE-4000 IoT modules represent a vast evolution in transmitting I/O information between sensors and users. The WISE IoT I/O modules allow connectivity to both IT applications via RESTful API in JSON format and control applications via the Modbus/TCP protocol. • Supports connections as a standalone Access Point or within an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure • HTML5 user interface with broad browser compatibility, including mobile devices • Built-in data logger with active time stamp synchronization • Automatic data log file upload to Dropbox cloud storage • Modbus/TCP protocol for SCADA/HMI/PLC application integration
Publishing Processing Acquisition WISE-4012E
IoT Developer Kit 6-ch Input/Output IoT Wireless I/O Module for IoT Developer
WISE-4050 4-ch Digital Input and 4-ch Digital Output IoT Wireless I/O Module
WISE-4012
WISE-4060
4-ch Universal Input and 2-ch Digital Output IoT Wireless I/O Module
4-ch Digital Input and 4-ch Relay Output IoT Wireless I/O Module
www.advantech.com
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P r O d u C t S
P R OGRA MM ABL E
CO N T R O L
Din rail terminal block industrial control relays
mounts on standard DIN rail and has a pluggable relay with locking ejector. It is equipped with a red LED status display as well as protection diodes and inductive kickback protection. It accepts a push in jumper bar with red or blue insulator which measures 500 mm long and can be cut to fit the length. www.asi-ez.com
Automation Systems Interconnect (ASI) has released the PLC pluggable relay terminal block modules used to interface between automation equipment and system auxiliary systems. According to the company, the pluggable jumpers make bridging common inputs and outputs simple and save on labour and wiring costs. The standout model in the family is the ASI328003 — a 6.2-mm wide SPDT 6 Amp, 250 VAC/30 VDC pluggable relay module with a 24 VAC coil. It
Embedded Pc
Beckhoff Automation has introduced the CX8091 as a member of the CX8000 line, which it says currently includes the smallest embedded PCs available from the company. With support of the OPC UA protocol, a 400 MHz ARM9 CPU and a range of connectable K-bus or E-bus I/O terminals, the embedded PC represents a universal small controller for a variety of applications, says the
Beckhoff. In addition, the CX8091 is fully interoperable with power measuring terminals from Beckhoff to serve as a compact data collector that supplies all information via OPC UA, says the company. Bus Terminals (K-bus) and EtherCAT terminals (E-bus), as modular I/O systems, can be connected directly to, and automatically identified by the Embedded PC. In this way, a multitude of signals can be acquired locally — for example, via the I/O terminals for energy data acquisition and many other types of measurement, it adds. www.beckhoffautomation.com
single-axis controller
Micromo has announced PiezoMotor Uppsala AB, a provider of linear and rotary high end positioning systems, is releasing the latest drive option for the high precision Piezo Legs motor series. The DMC-30019 is a single-axis controller based on architecture from Galil Motion Control. The motion
info@omega.ca
a d
i n d e X
Advantech Industrial Automation Group....23
controller operates stand-alone or can be networked to a PC via Ethernet. Features include PID compensation with velocity and acceleration feed forward, program memory with multitasking for concurrent execution of four programs, and uncommitted optically isolated inputs and outputs for synchronizing motion with external events, says the company. Modes of motion include point-to-point positioning, jogging, contouring, PVT, electronic gearing and electronic cam. According to Galil, these controllers use a simple, English-like command language which makes them very easy to program. www.micromo.com
Pc series 4120 for hazardous locations
Daisy Data Displays has unveiled a PC designed to operate in hazardous locations such as those found in refineries, drilling, fracking or oil drill rig locations and more. The series 4120 features either a 19-in. display (1280 x 1024 resolution) or 15-in. display (1024 x 768 resolution). Promising to be smaller, lighter, faster and fanless, the series is less than 19 pounds for increased ease of use and features a resistant touch screen (glass on glass) or optional multi-touch Projected - Capacitive (P-Cap). Because the units are fanless, the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is lengthened as the number of movable parts has been reduced, says the company. www.makeitdaisy.com
OMEGA Introduces Handheld Wireless Bluetooth® Transmitter
Allied Electronics Inc. ..................... 1 + 13
Everyday,
Automationdirect.................................IFC
thousands of Canadian manufacturers are connecting through EMC ... to skills and training, vital programs and resources,
Balluff Canada Inc.................................21
& EACH OTHER
Eaton Canada .......................................17
Beckhoff Canada .....................................5 Carlo Gavazzi (Canada) Inc. ....................4 Encoder Products Company ....................6 Excellence In Manufacturing Consortium .24 hArtING Canada Inc. .............................8
Reduce costs Connect to Peers and SME’s Access resources Grow your business
hiwin Corporation...................................9 Murrelektronik Canada ...........................3 Omega Engineering, Inc. ................ 7 + 24 Phoenix Contact Ltd. .............................11 rittal Systems Ltd..................................19
Join the conversation
Safety Compliance Workshop................22
www.emccanada.org/connect
Siemens Canada Ltd.................. 10 + OBC
SChuNK Intec Corp. ............................ IBC SME Canada .........................................25
24
The UWBT Series of Bluetooth® wireless transmitters turn your smart phone or tablet into a data logging and monitoring device. These transmitters measure different sensor inputs such as thermocouple, RTD, temperature/relative humidity and pH and transmit the data via Bluetooth wireless technology to your smart phone or tablet. A free app is available for AndroidT and iOS devices that is configurable in 9 different languages. The UWBT app allows you to pair with and set up multiple transmitters and view their data in either digital, gauge or graph format. Price starts at $332 Email: info@omega.ca http://www.omega.ca/pptst_eng/UWBT. html
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
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P R O DU C T S
WI RE
&
CABL E
Therm-O-Flow system
Graco Advanced Fluid Dispense (AFD) says its Therm-O-Flow Bulk Hot Melt System is an ideal fit for moisture block coating applications in the cable industry. Boasting material throughput capability 200 per cent greater than its leading competitors, Therm-O-Flow systems have been designed to improve process efficiency and production capacity while reducing energy costs and supporting environmental initiatives, says Graco AFD. The Therm-O-Flow 200 is available in configurations specially tailored for dispensing a moisture block primary cable coating, applied to facilitate adhesion of a moisture block powder deposited onto the cable downstream in the process. The system dispenses a hot-applied, butyl-based, inert compound into a heated coating head. Bare cable strands are pulled through the coating head after a braiding process. Dispense temperatures range from 149 C to 177 C. www.graco.com
P O WE R
R F ID Liquid-tight connectors
RFID transponders
AutomationDirect says its Raco liquid-tight connectors are designed for use on flexible metallic liquidtight conduit and Type B flexible non-metallic liquid-tight conduit in outdoor or indoor locations. Available in straight and 90-degree models, the connectors are suitable for use in Class I, Div 2; Class II, Div 1 & 2; and Class III, Div 1 & 2 hazardous locations. All models feature a zincplated steel heavy-duty locknut to assure continuity of ground, says the company. As well, a split gland-ring slips onto the conduit to grip the jacket of the conduit, promising a perfect seal and preventing pullouts. A sealing washer is also included if terminating the connector in a threadless opening. www.automationdirect.com
Falcon Electric has expanded its SSG Series Industrial uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) product line to offer power levels from 1kVA to 6kVA, which address a broad range of demanding industrial and process control applications, it says. Like Falcon’s other SSG models,
SME-CMTS15-infographic-ad-MachineAutomation-HalfJRIsland-print-v3.pdf
1
2015-08-1
SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1, 2015 THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE | MISSISSAUGA, ON
EDUCATION
SUP P L I ES
Expanded UPS series now offers 4, 5 and 6kVA models
Siemens is expanding its line of Simatic RF600 RFID products with “new transponders with large memory capacities and a compact mobile read/write device,” it says. The Simatic RF622T and RF622L UHF RFID
transponders have capacities of 4 KB and, according to the company, can store large volumes of data while rapidly accessing tagged objects. The carriers are ideal for production control, asset management and intra-logistics distributed configurations. The ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) of the RF622T and RF622L transponders promises high-speed writing as well as an unlimited number of write cycles. A fold down RFID antenna coupled with a small 147 x 60 x 39 mm size allows the handheld reader to be carried in a pocket. Weighing 235 g, the reader is equipped with a rechargeable battery with a ninehour batter life. www.siemens.ca
the 4 to 6kVA units are rugged, rackmount online UPSs that carry UL 1778, UL 508, cUL listings and CE certification, it says, adding that these certifications assure reliable, code-compliant operation over a -20 C to 55 C temperature range. The SSG family also features hotswappable 10-year rated backup batteries when installed in a 25 C environment. With double the average UPS battery life, this advancement reduces battery replacement and cost, it notes. www.falconups.com
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY & SECURITY Handheld wireless Bluetooth transmitter
The Omega UWBT series of Bluetooth transmitters promise to combine the accuracy of an industrial sensor/transmitter with the convenience of smartphones and tablets. It measures different sensor inputs such as thermocouple, RTD, relative humidity, and pH and transmits the data via wireless Bluetooth communication from the UWBT app. The free app monitors and logs sensor data on a smartphone or tablet, can be paired with multiple transmitters simultaneously, and displays sensor data in digital, graph, or gauge format. It can also be configured in nine different languages. This CE compliant product has the capability to download logged data to your device and email the data to an email address or to the Cloud. According to Omega, it logs up to 10 samples per second. www.omega.com
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B A C K S t O r y
The connected factory In anticipation of Manufacturing AUTOMATION’s 30th anniversary next year, we will be digging through our archives for a look at various topics we have covered over the years to see how they have transformed our industry. But what good is it to simply look behind? Backstory will work to provide you with a fuller understanding of each theme by offering industry perspectives on where we’ve been and where we’re going.
2011
T
he Internet of Things (IoT) terminology dates back to the late 1990s and was more associated with RFID, according to a timeline on Postscapes. It received a big boost in 2008 when Cisco reported there were more things or objects connected to the Internet than people! As technological advancements and the availability of Wi-Fi became more widespread, the connection of even more objects became possible and practical. I see the difference between IoT and Industry 4.0 as this — IoT is connecting devices together so they have the ability to communicate, while Industry 4.0 is focused on what they are saying, and even more exciting, facilitates the ability of the devices to react independently and adaptively. Because this technology is new and exciting, and a departure from the fairly technological stable world of industrial automation, I expect Industry 4.0 will continue to gain momentum as more and more companies adopt a “me too!” approach. While the industry has seen continual advancements, Industry 4.0 is a game changer. The deterministic intelligence is built into every device and they are communicating their health and operating information to other peer-to-peer devices without the need to program for every scenario. This is truly adaptive behavior. I anticipate we are looking at 10 to 15 years for Industry 4.0 to really come into its own, similar to the evolution we experienced from the first cellular telephone to the smart phones we use today. While difficult to envision every scenario, I believe it moves us far closer to true artificial intelligence (AI) at the industrial level than we have ever been.
1998
— Comments by Tony Varga, president of Rittal Systems Ltd. He has held prior roles with Omron, Rockwell Automation and Kellogg’s in controls engineering.
2010
2004
Dick Morley, inventor of the PLC, has retired from his “Distorted Realities” column. We thank him for his many years of dedication and wise words. Keep an eye out for an upcoming article on the impact he had on technology.
26
September 2015 • Manufacturing AUTOMATION
2003
CMTS Show Booth #3406
Meistermacher. Made in Germany.
Rainer Scholl, Master Gripping System Components
Jens Lehmann, German goalkeeper legend, SCHUNK brand ambassador since 2012 for precise gripping and safe holding.
German champion with Borussia Dortmund 2002 English champion with Arsenal London 2004
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