Automation World September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021 / www.AutomationWorld.com

34 MWC CONFIGURES ROBOTS FOR PACKAGING FLEXIBILITY 28 08 24 14 12 20

Remote Access Grows Even as Cybersecurity Fears Surge Is the Future of Automation Modular?

The State of Cloud-Based Automation Today Connecting PLCs to an Enterprise Database Managing Operations Technology with IT Deep Learning Boosts Robotic Picking Capabilities

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CONTENTS 3 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 19 | NUMBER 9

24

The State of Cloud-Based Automation Today

28

Remote Access Grows Even as Cybersecurity Fears Surge

34

MWC’s Robot Configurations Provide Flexibility

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A look at how digitalization and the need for scalability are driving more interest and investment in cloud-based industrial applications and how automation technology suppliers are responding.

Economic uncertainty and the quest for efficiency are driving the adoption of remote access technology across industry, even as growing concerns surrounding cybersecurity have many industry leaders spooked about greater levels of network connectedness.

Robotics come into play in the cheesemaker’s palletizing operations. But for the most part, that level of complexity isn’t needed in a facility producing such consistent product types and sizes. What’s needed more is simplified automation.

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4 CONTENTS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

EDITORIAL

ONLINE 6

Exclusive content from AutomationWorld.com: videos, podcasts, webinars, and more

INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS 8 Is the Future of Automation Modular?

BATCH OF IDEAS 10

How to Make More Sense Out of Difficult Data

PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVES 11 Remote Access and the Skills Gap Connection

PERSPECTIVES 12

David Greenfield Director of Content/Editor-in-Chief dgreenfield@automationworld.com / 678 662 3322 Stephanie Neil Senior Editor sneil@automationworld.com / 781 378 1652 David Miller Senior Technical Writer dmiller@automationworld.com / 312 205 7910 Emma Satchell Managing Editor esatchell@automationworld.com / 312 205 7898 Jim Chrzan VP/Content and Brand Strategy jchrzan@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1470 Kim Overstreet Senior Content Strategist, Alignment koverstreet@pmmimediagroup.com James R. Koelsch, Lauren Paul, Jeanne Schweder and Beth Stackpole Contributing Writers

ART & PRODUCTION

Managing Operations Technology with IT Connecting PLCs to an Enterprise Database The State of Industry 4.0 Adoption

Filippo Riello Marketing & Digital Publishing Art Director friello@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1200 George Shurtleff Ad Services & Production Manager gshurtleff@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1170

NEWS 18

ADVERTISING

KUKA Deploys 5G In Augsburg Plant Video Games and the Industrial Digital Twin Deep Learning Boosts Robotic Picking Flexibility Emerson Introduces Control System Modularity PMMI News PACK EXPO Las Vegas Is Back

Kurt Belisle Publisher kbelisle@pmmimediagroup.com / 815 549 1034 West Coast Jim Powers Regional Manager jpowers@automationworld.com / 312 925 7793 Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast Kelly Greeby Senior Director, Client Success & Media Operations Alicia Pettigrew Director, Product Strategy

NEW PRODUCTS 38 Rugged Embedded Computers Automated Laser Marker Liquid Analysis Sensors Line Scanning Cameras And more...

AUDIENCE & DIGITAL

David Newcorn Executive Vice President Elizabeth Kachoris Senior Director, Digital & Data Jen Krepelka Director, Websites + UX/UI

PMMI MEDIA GROUP

FINANCE VIEW 42

Kurt Belisle Publisher kbelisle@pmmimediagroup.com / 815 549 1034 Jake Brock Brand Operations Manager jbrock@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1320 Sharon Taylor Director of Marketing staylor@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1710 Amber Miller Marketing Manager amiller@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1130 Janet Fabiano Financial Services Manager jfabiano@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1330

Optimizing Manufacturing General and Administrative Costs By Larry White

IT VIEW 43

Cybersecurity Myth: We Are Disconnected By Dirk Sweigart

ENTERPRISE VIEW 44

It’s Time to Get Real with Industrial Transformation By Diane Sacra

KEY INSIGHTS 46

All Automation World editorial is copyrighted by PMMI Media Group, Inc. including printed or electronic reproduction.

Magazine and Web site editorial may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Automation World | PMMI Media Group 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: 312 222 1010 | Fax: 312 222 1310 www.automationworld.com PMMI The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies 12930 Worldgate Dr., Suite 200, Herndon VA, 20170 Phone: 571 612 3200 • Fax: 703 243 8556 www.pmmi.org

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6 ONLINE

AW SEPTEMBER 2021

PODCAST SERIES

Can Operations Technology Be Secured and Managed with IT Tools?

In this episode, find out how operations technology devices can be discovered, secured, and managed with the same kinds of tools used by IT, with an eye toward downtime avoidance and change management for asset management and cybersecurity.

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AUTOMATION WORLD TV Artificial Intelligence Explosion in Industrial Automation

From supply chain and workforce training to automated quality inspections, artificial intelligence capabilities are being added to automation technologies—changing how users interact with hardware devices and software applications. Watch this Take Five video to learn more.

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THE AUTOMATION PLAYBOOK The Automation Playbook is a useful source of information as you look for guidance in how to approach the Industrial Internet of Things, communication protocols, controls implementation, safety, asset management, predictive maintenance, the mobile workforce, and much more.

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AUTOMATION WORLD E-BOOK

Robotics, VR, and AR Set the Pace for Automation

Read Automation World’s best-read articles highlighting innovations in robotics, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). Download “Robotics, VR, and AR Set the Pace for Automation” for a comprehensive collection of insights from Bosch, Fetch Robotics, Emerson, and more.

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SYSTEM INTEGRATOR BLOGS • A Journey to the Cloud • Class Based Unit Synchronization, the Case for Link Groups • Modern Industrial Control System Firewalls • Building a Digital Knowledge Infrastructure • Three Scale-Up Pitfalls for Early-Stage Companies

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8/27/21 9:52 AM

8 EDITORIAL

AW SEPTEMBER 2021

INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS

Is the Future of Automation Modular?

By David Greenfield

dgreenfield@automationworld.com Editor-In-Chief/ Director of Content

T

he idea of modularity in automation hardware and software has been a long sought-after goal across the manufacturing and processing industries. Taking a tour through any production facility will highlight a primary driver behind modularity, i.e., most facilities use an array of technologies from many different suppliers. While reasons for this disparate technology use range from cost and feature/functionality to brand preference and buyer/seller relationships, the integration of these technologies are possible largely due to interoperability technologies like OPC UA and IO-Link.

A truly modular technology is one designed to plug and play with other products. Historically, however, this has not been the norm in the industrial automation world. Even among products that highlight their work with groups like the OPC Foundation, integrating many of these devices with those from other suppliers can require significant integration work. In other words, many automation technology suppliers have not, for the most part, intentionally designed their products to operate in a plug-and-play manner with products from other suppliers, as is more common in the consumer technology space.

ABB is one automation technology supplier that has long been a proponent of modularization. Ralf Jeske, global product manager of control systems and field devices at ABB, said, “Standardization has always played an essential role in industry, either through enforcing legislation, promoting best prac-

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tices, or simply creating a level playing field in terms of interoperability and integration.

And though there are plenty of success stories, one of the more recent standardization efforts is the idea behind modular automation—specifically, modularity based around the exploitation and deployment of Module Type Package (MTP) architectures.”

According to Jeske, MTP-based modular automation is designed to turn even the most complex processes and automation infrastructures into subsets of “easily configurable building blocks, where each discrete process step, machine or element is given its own identity and instruction set within an MTP container. These modular building blocks can then be deployed in any number and combination to create a full-capability processing suite, which can be much more easily reconfigured and extended, simply with the addition of more blocks.”

Each MTP container holds a vendor-agnostic process description of the automation procedures required for the related process module. “The procedures can be generated by the controller or logic engine within the module and then imported and very easily integrated into the primary process control architecture,” said Jeske. “The end result is the creation of a highly flexible production architecture through the use of standardized process modules.”

Offering an example of how modularization can impact production operations, Jeske said existing Industry 4.0 systems’ feedback will tell you about the operation of your control valve, but with MTP, you get data from a control valve in a filter unit.

This difference is important because putting data into context “delivers the capability to enhance and fine-tune components and processing modules to specific applications and then share these enhancements with similar units in the field,” said Jeske.

“Indeed, major chemical companies want modular process equipment assemblies common to all plants, where best practice and enhancements are shared by all.”

Jekse added that ABB’s larger customers often tell ABB that it is not their core business to perform detailed design of production sites. “What they want to do is generate a shopping list of capabilities and then have supplier companies work towards fulfilling this list,” he explained. “This is where modular automation is defining a new design/build/ operate eco-system where machine suppliers and OEMs deliver full-service capabilities, taking the onus off the end user to design, build, and maintain their own plant.”

In addition to impacting how plant floor equipment and the software that runs it is designed, Jeske contends that modularization will change plant design too.

“Existing plant design tends to be a topdown approach, where you start with the process flow and then decide what you need to install to meet these needs,” said Jeske.

“Modular automation, on the other hand, offers the capability to do top down/bottom up. By knowing what MTP modules are available, you can immediately anticipate where they fit your process and design upwards.

Not only does this save time, but also development effort and, as a result, costs.”

Don’t overlook these four critical aspects of industrial cybersecurity. awgo.to/1227

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10 EDITORIAL

AW SEPTEMBER 2021

BATCH OF IDEAS

How to Make More Sense Out of Difficult Data

By Stephanie Neil

sneil@automationworld.com Senior Editor

M

ost manufacturers take sustainability efforts seriously, but when the company makes paper, it is more than an honorable act for the environment, it’s a business imperative.

As the only paper mill in Denmark, Skjern Paper, which started production in 1967 with the idea of manufacturing paper exclusively from old newspaper, has had sustainability built-in to its production process from the beginning. Today, the company manufactures 75,000 tons of paper and board products each year from 100% recycled fiber.

The ability to provide high quality and just-in-time delivery to customers requires Skjern to use technology. Paper plants have hundreds of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loops that can cause process variations. In addition, quality assurance teams don’t have many real-time ways to measure paper quality, making real-time quality control difficult.

With the goal of reducing quality rejects, Skjern Paper turned to GE Digital’s Proficy CSense, an industrial advanced analytics software package that can predict future asset and process performance using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). What was compelling for Skjern is the software’s ability to do real-time closed loop control actions.

Another aspect that made the software so valuable to Skjern had nothing to do with the technology, but rather the training that GE

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Digital provided. Understanding that learning and using analytics isn’t easy, GE Digital offers its customers six hours of free consulting to get engineers up to speed on how to use the software.

Looking to reduce quality rejects by 5% as part of its exploration into adanced analytics, Skjern’s work with GE Digital experts enabled the paper mill to capture insights from the initial project and then build models to analyze data and discover quality variations. The company was also able to monitor the health of the PID control loops to reduce process variation and predict product quality in real-time.

“The interesting thing about GE’s consulting is that we make sure the customer doesn’t get stuck in simple things like installation,” said Cobus van Heerden, senior product manager for analytics and machine learning at GE Digital. “We also get to know their teams and what the software was bought for to understand the highest value use case.”

The Skjern team built a model in CSense around a quality parameter related to the paper strength and fiber bond. By examining that data, the paper company was able to discover possible causes of errors in the production line. For example, when producing paper, Skjern adds dewatering chemicals. With the help of CSense, they found that they were producing scrap by adding too much chemical to the pulp mix.

In the process of working with Skjern, GE Digital found out that it needed to add more functionality to CSense based on feedback from the users. This has resulted in the roll out of Proficy CSense 8.5, which adds the ability for manufacturers to improve equipment operations by up to 10% through mathematical algorithms that recommend the best tuning parameters or configuration settings to optimize real-time, closed-loop control actions. While CSense has always been able to monitor PID control loops, the new tuning assistant can calculate recommended

PID loop tuning settings. In addition, there is a system identification assistant to estimate process transfer function models from historical data for process simulation or control optimization.

CSense 8.5 also adds support for the OPC UA interface to connect with other industrial systems. The software is also now available in Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and French.

It’s also easier to use, van Heerden said. “It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop environment. No programming skills needed.”

Skjern Paper has yet to upgrade to the new version of CSense, but the company is realizing a quick return on its initial investment.

Erik Møller, Skjern Paper’s technical manager said, “The more we use the Proficy CSense software, the more ways we keep finding to apply it. And with AI, we can take production to the next level.”

“At Skjern...the consulting time spent with GE Digital experts enabled them to capture insights from the initial project and build models to analyze data and discover quality variations. The company was also able to monitor the health of the PID control loops to reduce process variation and predict product quality in real-time.”

8/31/21 8:31 AM

EDITORIAL 11

AW SEPTEMBER 2021

PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVES

Remote Access and the Skills Gap Connection

By David Miller

dmiller@pmmimediagroup.com Senior Technical Writer

W

ith many companies motioning to reshore their operations in the wake of global supply chain disruptions, a number of automation technologies have become important tools helping companies navigate domestic labor shortages.

However, while the integration of automation technologies has eliminated some need for unskilled labor, it has also created an increased need for skilled labor, placing many manufacturers in a difficult conundrum.

According to the 2021 Manufacturing Talent study, conducted by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, while 4.6 million manufacturing jobs are forecast to be created over the next decade, as many as 2.4 million of those positions are likely to remain unfilled due to the continuing skills gap.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 appears to have further exacerbated this issue. While manufacturing has recouped many of the 1.4 million jobs that were lost in the earlier days of the pandemic, about 570,000 jobs remain unfilled according to the Deloitte/Manufacturing Institute study. Moreover, even as the unemployment rate remains high, many respondents to the survey reported that finding the right talent is now 36% harder than in 2018, as many employees remain skeptical about returning to work.

Despite the additional workforce issues created by COVID-19, the pandemic also

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appears to have accelerated the deployment of technologies that could help to surmount it. In particular, remote access use has boomed as plant managers seek ways to keep production moving apace with fewer workers present on premises.

“What we’ve heard from our customers is that COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of remote access technology because it’s become an absolute necessity for reasons of safety,” says Ranbir Saini, senior director of product management for automation products at GE Digital. “Even many smaller, single-site manufacturers are now adopting remote access because they see how hard COVID-19 continues to be and want to be prepared to better handle the next potential crisis from the get-go.”

While many companies initially installed remote access primarily to keep as many workers as possible out of their plants for social distancing purposes, the technology has proven to be a gateway to other beneficial functionalities, such as enabling the delivery of augmented reality training materials, which use digital twin data to give employees access to interactive, 3D schematics that can be overlayed on their field-of-vision to guide them through various work-procedures.

In addition, remote access technologies are helping aggregate equipment data into shared databases to create a single source of truth, as well as connecting distant subject matter experts to guide on-site employees through maintenance, repair, and operations tasks in real-time. This allows retirees, who are experts in a given plant’s systems, to easily shepherd new workers through difficult tasks—a key development at a time when getting these former employees to visit a physical location could be a hard sell.

According to Saini, such remote expert connections could eventually lead to a more consistent pipeline of knowledge

that will not only help companies overcome the current skills gap but eliminate future knowledge loss as well.

“In our vision, this can eventually lead to the creation of standard operating procedures and central training for new people coming on board,” Saini says. “The whole idea is that once you have the infrastructure in place that remote access provides, you can start doing things like [equipment] deployment, [worker] training, and [systems] commissioning more centrally.”

“While many companies initially installed remote access primarily to keep as many workers as possible out of their plants for social distancing purposes, the technology has proven to be a gateway to other beneficial functionalities.”

8/27/21 9:40 AM

12 PERSPECTIVES AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Managing Operations Technology with IT

By David Greenfield

Editor-In-Chief/Director of Content

I

t’s no secret that the worlds of OT (operations technology) and IT (information technology) are becoming ever closer. The growing connection of plant floor devices to enterprise networks for Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things initiatives is driving this convergence of OT and IT. That’s why these two technology groups cannot remain isolated from each other in a world that increasingly requires operations visibility across supply chains for manufacturers to stay competitive.

To better understand how IT and OT are merging, and the kinds of technologies enabling this, we connected with James Destro of ServiceNow, a supplier of digital workflow software to connect people, functions and systems across organizations, and Carey Blunt of Fujitsu, one of the world’s largest IT services providers, for a recent episode of the “Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered” podcast series (awgo.to/1246).

Beginning with an exploration of how OT devices can be discovered, secured, and managed with the same kinds of tools used by IT, we focused on the core plant floor issues of asset management and security to understand why it benefits a manufacturer or processing company to secure and manage operations technology in a similar fashion to IT. “Companies are starting to look at how they can have a proactive stance toward plant floor technologies that typically have been air gapped or disconnected from the enterprise network,” said Destro. To effectively manage this connection, companies are “looking for a better way to find and understand the current topology of OT systems on their network and be able to manage them proactively to respond to vulnerabilities and security incidents. IT tools have a long-standing framework of doing just that for cloud systems and servers in data centers, as well as laptops and distributed devices. This leveraging of IT best practices on the OT side promises a lot of strength and value for industry.”

Explaining how this process of connecting IT and OT can best be started, Blunt said, “When you're trying to get standardization between your IT and your OT teams, you’re

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Getty Images

really focusing on getting your processes, your people, and your technology working in the same way. Most of our customers approach this by focusing on the technology and process parts first—integrating a little bit at the network level to find out what assets exist on the OT network, linking those assets in the same place, and keeping them there.”

As you discover assets on the network, store them in a database, and map their relationships, you need a tool that can help with your security responses and with predictive and proactive maintenance for those assets.

“When you’re pulling these data points into your IT structure, that's where workflow technologies like those offered by ServiceNow are important,” said Blunt, “because they've got the CMDB (configuration management database) and the capability to exercise the workflow for both the IT and OT worlds.”

Relationship mapping

In both IT and OT, relationship mapping is considered one of the fundamental pillars to understanding how IT and OT systems can be impacted by network changes, incidents, or a vulnerability in any of these systems.

“Relationship mapping happens across two different vectors,” explained Destro.

“The first vector involves understanding the data and communication relationships of the actual OT system. This could mean an HMI (human machine interface) managing a SCADA (supervisory control and data ac-

quisition) system or a SCADA system controlling a PLC (programmable logic controller) or exchanging data with a historian. The second type of relationship mapping is understanding the context of the operational technology as it's used for manufacturing.

This means that we not only need to understand if we’re dealing with a SCADA system, a PLC, an HMI, or historian, but also automating the process of how we interact with these technologies in the manufacturing facility. This provides an overarching context—what we call a manufacturing system dependency—so that whenever we're changing configurations, doing configuration compliance, change management, or incident management, we can understand the potential impacts of these actions on other operational technologies, as well as what the potential impacts could be to the actual production process.”

Beyond asset management, Destro noted that relationship mapping is also an important aspect of cybersecurity. “Relationship mapping is critical to cybersecurity, especially around vulnerability response, incident response, and understanding how things are connected to the network, what relationships they should have by default, and what relationships might be established if an incident occurs,” he said. “This knowledge helps identify what systems may need to be taken offline when applying a patch, for example.”

8/27/21 9:39 AM

PERSPECTIVES 13 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Predictive outage avoidance

As the concept of predictive maintenance—where sensors on equipment feed data into analytics software to provide advance warning of failures so that unplanned downtimes are mitigated— gains ground across manufacturing and processing companies, it’s application predominantly applies in the OT arena. But when OT assets are connected to IT systems, you can also apply the IT concept of predictive outage avoidance.

Blunt explained that once an asset is connected to the enterprise network and you have access to operational data about that asset and how it’s interacting with other devices, that data—like event and error messages—can be used to see patterns. These patterns “give you something more thorough than a time-based prediction of roughly when these components are going to wear out.”

%OMKNI

Acting on data

Transferring asset data into action on the plant floor is the core function of field service management applications, which helps direct engineers to the right place at the right time with the right parts, said Blunt. “Field service management is about making a better experience for the engineers, because their time is used more productively, and it provides a better experience for the operations team because downtime is reduced and they're able to plan better,” he said. “Ultimately, this translates into a better experience for the company’s customers, employees, and board because you have fewer outages and your production time is working to its optimum efficiency.”

As manufacturers focus on the management and governance of OT systems, change management becomes a critical capability. It’s importance stems from the fact that having a managed workflow process for changes helps the manufacturing workforce better understand numerous applications—from attaching a new sensor to the system, upgrading or changing configurations and bridging these changes across the engineering network, to applying patches and ensuring that all the appropriate approvals to make any change have been received.

Having a comprehensive OT change management system— and all the metadata it provides about systems and their relationships—enables manufacturers to apply incident management. This occurs when there's an upset to a process, asset, or to the systems management technology itself.

Destro said incident management can come in two forms. “It could be one of the systems is not responding—due to a device or electrical failure—and in response we're driving workflows towards solving that particular challenge. Or it could be a security or operational incident that triggers security workflows—what we call a security incident response,” he explained. “Both of these are critical incidents that need to be handled in in different ways with particular workflows. One towards solving the problem and returning the system to normal, and the other towards mitigating the impact of this incident moving forward. In either case, the technology will help you determine which systems need to be isolated, what mitigation factors need to be put in place, and what actions need to be completed as part of the response workflow.”

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14 PERSPECTIVES AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Connecting PLCs to an Enterprise Database

By David Greenfield, Editor-In-Chief/Director of Content

TranTek Automation delivered a plasma cutting robotic system that could communicate with its customer’s enterprise database.

M

ichigan-based TranTek Automation designs and builds automated welding, material handling, inspection, and assembly systems. The company is known for its preconfigured robotic welding cells, as well as robot transfer units, tip dressers for resistance welding, conveyors, and retractable locating pins.

One automation project the company recently secured required TranTek to develop a system consisting of six plasma cutting robots that could synchronously apply plasma torches to large, made-to-order steel structural parts using various production recipes.

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Plasma cutters cut metal by sending air or an inert gas through a plasma torch to spark an electrical arc. This forces the plasma through the torch tip to cut metal. The arc of a plasma cutter can reach temperatures of 45,000° F. While this application was straightforward enough for TranTek, one challenge for the company was figuring out how to connect the machine controller to the customer’s IT system. This step was necessary because “all of the production data for the steel parts are stored in a large database within the customer’s central server,” said Jeff Ebert, senior controls engineer at TranTek Automa-

tion. “Creating an upward-level connection between the PLC (programmable logic controller) and server created a lot of challenges for us. We would have spent weeks just writing the code so the system could access and download the recipe files to the PLC.” This type of connection between controllers and enterprise-level databases has long been possible, but typically requires the development of custom code to connect the two systems. To avoid writing custom code for a one-off application, TranTek decided to use the tManager Enterprise Appliance Transaction Module from Softing. This device is

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designed to “seamlessly connect” enterprise-level databases with PLCs, according to Softing. With tManager in place, TranTek Automation was able to deliver a plasma cutting robotic system that could communicate with its customer’s enterprise database without having to write any extra code. More importantly tManager addressed the reason why TranTek’s customer wanted to connect the system’s PLCs to their enterprise database—to download recipes and manufacturing instructions directly into the controller.

For this application of tManager at TranTek, ControlLogix and CompactLogix control platforms from Rockwell Automation were connected to the customer’s enterprise databases for downloading of recipe files. In addition to downloading daily recipes from the database to the ControlLogix platform, tManager is also used to upload production metrics from the ControlLogix platform back to the database to inform the enterprise system when production runs are complete. tManager can be used with a variety of enterprise databases, such as Microsoft SQL

Server, Oracle Database, MySQL, AWS IoT SiteWise, and Azure Cloud. In addition, via the module’s front Ethernet port, drivers can connect tManager to PLCs from AllenBradley, Siemens, and Schneider Electric.

Ebert added that configuration of tManager is simplified because, once it’s installed into the ControlLogix rack, the transaction module automatically enumerates PLC and database tags and structures and can monitor tags without touching the PLC logic. “We also avoided the code maintenance headaches associated with custom software,” he said.

“Thanks to the bi-directional data exchange capability of tManager, our customer can now confirm and update shipping orders directly within the ERP system, enabling them to fulfill their orders for steel parts faster and speeding their time to market,” said Ebert.

An added benefit of using the enterprise database to store complex production data instead of the PLC frees up “a ton of valuable resources in your PLC, such as memory, stor-

YOU DESIGNED, TESTED, PRODUCED.

age, and performance,” said Deane Horne, director of marketing at Softing. “You can also de-couple manufacturing line changes from PLC logic changes. For example, it's much easier and safer to update an SQL table than to edit PLC logic.” “tManager enabled us to design a system that could seamlessly bring in the production data for thousands of steel parts—everything from how the steel has to be cut to where holes should be located along the axis,” Ebert said. After tManager downloads the manufacturing recipes from the database to the PLC, the plasma cutting robots can automatically adjust variables, such as amperage and gas flow.

Ebert also noted that the TranTek customer is so pleased with this system that they’ve “decided to move forward on a long-term plan to automate and upgrade their systems, and tManager has become a standard for all their installations.”

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8/27/21 9:40 AM

16 PERSPECTIVES AW SEPTEMBER 2021

T�e tate of ndustry . Adoption

By David Miller, Senior Technical Writer

W

ith interest in end-to-end connectivity booming, Industry 4.0 has been at the center of discussions pertaining to automation technology and business strategy for several years now.

However, despite all the buzz, actual Industry 4.0 implementations are far from ubiquitous, and many hurdles remain for their broader adoption.

In 2019, a survey from industry analyst firm LNS research reported that digital transformation initiatives had already been undertaken by 45% of respondents and another 23% were expecting to begin initiatives within one year. A similar report published by Deloitte in 2018 found that the biggest remaining barrier to mass adoption had less to

2109_Perspectives.indd 16

do with technology and more to do with strategic and operational business issues.

This year, industrial electronics and connectivity technology supplier Molex released an update to its “State of Industry 4.0” survey. The report—part of a series of Molex industry surveys conducted in collaboration with independent research firm Dimensional Research—found that while some progress has been made, many of the key challenges facing Industry 4.0 remain the same.

On the whole, 51% of respondents to the survey indicated that their companies have well-defined Industry 4.0 strategies, marking a modest increase over the findings of LNS Research’s 2019 report. Moreover, Molex’s survey found that executives were signifi-

cantly more likely to describe their companies’ Industry 4.0 initiatives as well-defined than managers and operations technology (OT) personnel, indicating a continuing disconnect between plant-level operators and enterprise-level planners.

Business expectations

When it comes to what they would like to achieve through their Industry 4.0 initiatives, 69% of respondents want to build better products, 58% want to reduce overall manufacturing costs, 53% want to increase revenues, 35% want to offer products at a lower price, and 35% want to decrease time-to-market. This is noteworthy from a profitability perspective because it mirrors

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observations from Deloitte’s 2018 report, which found that while 94% of respondents said the need for digital transformation was an imperative for their business, only 68% expected it to increase profitability.

In the case of Molex’s survey, “defensive” interests such as keeping their products competitive similarly take precedence over driving revenue growth.

Regarding implementation timelines, 49% of respondents say they have already achieved major success with Industry 4.0 projects, and 53% believe they will see them within the next two years. However, when asked whether or not the projects will pay off in the next five years or will take more time, responses were split 50-50, indicating that those surveyed have mixed feelings about whether Industry 4.0 investments can be profitable in the shortterm, or are merely mandatory changes required for long-term survival.

Challenges and barriers

Barriers to adoption cited in the report can be broken down into three primary catego-

ries: Cultural challenges, business model challenges, and technology challenges.

When asked which type is the most severe, 44% of respondents chose organizational and cultural issues, 33% chose business model issues, and 22% chose technology issues.

On the cultural front, 96% of respondents reported that their customers face challenges that hold back Industry 4.0 implementations, with the biggest being that leadership is more comfortable with traditional approaches and doesn’t advocate for change. In addition, difficulty hiring personnel with the needed data and analytical skills was also cited.

Regarding business model issues, the most prominent was that change is very costly and requires difficult funding decisions. Furthermore, many reported that the large upfront investments required by Industry 4.0 initiatives make achieving a return-on-investment challenging. The prevalence of these concerns may be partially responsible for the explosion in as-a-service and pay-for-performance arrangements increasingly being of-

fered by technology suppliers.

The top technology concerns include separation between information technology (IT) and OT infrastructure, closed or proprietary communication protocols that complicate data transmission, and a lack of cybersecurity protection.

Such barriers aside, 88% of those surveyed reported being positive about the potential of their Industry 4.0 initiatives going forward. Perhaps even more revealingly, 100% of respondents reported that their organization would benefit from additional Industry 4.0 capabilities, indicating that, even as challenges remain for practical implementation, the idea of Industry 4.0 has been firmly embraced.

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KUKA Deploys 5G In Augsburg Plant

By David Greenfield

Editor-In-Chief/Director of Content

A

mid all the industrial networking advances seen over the past several years—from Time-Sensitive Networking and MQTT to Ethernet APL and Single Pair Ethernet—the one technology that’s likely received the most attention is 5G. The issue with 5G at the moment is that many areas cannot yet access the technology, but that is changing quickly with widespread 5G availability expected within the next few years.

Though the availability of 5G network access is not yet ubiquitous, it means that

now is a great time to see how manufacturers with access to 5G are using it to improve operations.

KUKA is one manufacturer of automation technology to publicly speak its use of 5G. According to an announcement from Nokia, KUKA will deploy Nokia 5G SA private wireless networking at its Smart Production and Development Center in Augsburg, Germany, for its intelligent robotics and automation products. Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) campus networking and application platform will be used to support KUKA’s product development.

Nokia’s DAC platform is designed to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency private networking, local edge computing capabilities, and voice and video services,

as well as other applications. The company claims that industrial-grade private wireless networking provides manufacturers the scalability, flexibility, low latency, and mission-critical coverage needed to advance digital transformation.

Dirk Lewandowski, vice president for Central and East Europe at Nokia Enterprise, said Nokia’s DAC is “a compact, easyto-deploy platform, comprising network and user equipment, a cloud-based operation monitoring system, and industrial connectors that ease standard and industry-specific protocol connectivity. It also features a new device management capability that seamlessly integrates ruggedized handhelds and other wireless devices.”

The DAC manager portal will reportedly

KUKA pilot plant for matrix production in the company’s Augsburg, Germany, facility.

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enable KUKA to configure the network to its specific requirements.

“In the coming years, KUKA will develop solutions that harness the potential of 5G’s fast, reliable, and secure connectivity,” said Michael Wagner, director of R&D, Competence Center Control Technology at KUKA. “By partnering with Nokia for private wireless networking, we have now established a long-term development roadmap that will allow us to capitalize on the new capabilities in future 5G releases for our automation solutions.”

Nokia will also support KUKA with network deployment, operations support services, and training, enabling integration of new use cases that include new 5G-based interfaces and components for the KUKA portfolio of technologies.

Video Games and the Industrial Digital Twin

By David Miller

Senior Technical Writer

D

igital twin simulations that provide end-users with a virtual copy of plant assets and production systems, though not yet widely used in industry, have been used for tasks such as production monitoring for some time now. However, new contributions from the field of video game development may both expand the core functionality of digital twins and extend their use from operations management to other departments such as sales and marketing.

According to Brad Hart, chief technology officer at Perforce Software, video game engines such as Unreal, which gave its name to the popular “Unreal” first-person shooter franchise, boast sophisticated visualization capa-

bilities and complex physics engines that make them the perfect tool for enhancing digital twin simulations. Current industrial digital twin software is, for the most part, highly technical and may require an engineering background to fully comprehend. By improving the accessibility, quality and realism of the visualizations, game engines like Unreal could help unlock new applications for digital twin technology.

For instance, automotive manufacturer Audi has brought physical data from its digital twin production pipeline into the Unreal engine to simulate the design of new vehicles. Not only can the performance of these vehicles be tested in a virtual environment, but these new digital twins powered by video game engines can more easily be exhibited to corporate executives in a highly realistic and interactive manner long before a single unit is actually produced. Similarly, aerospace companies that build private jets for high-class clientele can share design

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blue prints with customers far more effectively via the use of a digital twin simulation.

“Think about 3D models put out by digital twins in the past. They’re still for engineering minds—not for the sales team, marketing executives, or consumers,” Hart says. “These people want to be as close to feeling the end product as possible. They want to be able to touch it before it’s physically built. These more sophisticated visualizations open up the utility of the digital twin to more people.”

In addition, the use of powerful game engines may make rapid prototyping, digital planning, and virtual commissioning of plants and equipment easier to achieve. Tests that previously involved complex calculations— even with the aid of a digital twin—can be iterated more quickly through the use of a more robust simulation.

Still, those in industry working on digital twin technology need not fear game developers stealing their jobs. While automotive, aviation, and several other manufacturing sectors are seeking game developers to help them build

more realistic industrial simulations, the tasks they are performing complement rather than replace those performed by others.

“Without a doubt, some of the biggest manufacturing industries are bringing game developers onto their staffs to assist with this. It really is opening up opportunities for people in game

development to branch out into new industries,” Hart says. “But it doesn’t preclude what people already in manufacturing working on digital twin are doing. We’re just augmenting the skillsets that already exist within these organizations.”

Deep Learning Boosts Robotic Picking Flexibility

By David Miller

Senior Technical Writer

G

ripping and manipulating items of diverse shapes and sizes has long been one of the biggest challenges facing industrial robotics. The difficulty is perhaps best summed up by the Polanyi Paradox, which states that we "know more than we can tell." In essence, while it may be easy to teach machines to exhibit a high level of performance on tasks that require abstract reasoning such as running computations, it is substantially harder to grant them the sensory-motor skills of even a small child in all but the most standardized and predictable environments.

However, with the need for flexible picking to accommodate reduced changeover time for more varied product runs on the rise, industry is pursuing new solutions to the problem.

A new collaboration project between Festo and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technol-

ogy (KIT) called FLAIRPOP (Federated Learning for Robot Picking), seeks to use training data from multiple stations, plants, or even companies to more effectively drive deep learning algorithms with the goal of helping picking robots to become more adaptable.

The approach is similar to that used by clouddriven machine learning algorithms, which leverage larger amounts of data than individual end-users have access to.

According to Jonathan Auberle from the Institute of Material Handling and Logistics at KIT, the process works by allowing autonomous robots at multiple different picking stations to grip and transfer items of various shapes and sizes. This data is then aggregated and shared, allowing other robots to more effectively manipulate objects they have not yet encountered.

At that, the technique isn’t entirely new.

It’s already been applied with substantial success in the medical sector where it is used for image analysis. Moreover, because the protection of patient data is a high priority in the medical field, it is well-equipped by design to

R protect intellectual property, even in situations where data from numerous companies is synthesized, according to Jan Seyler, head of advanced development for analytics and control at Festo.

“In the FLAIROP research project, we are developing new ways for robots to learn from each other without sharing sensitive data and company secrets. This brings two major benefits: 1) we protect our customers' data and 2) we gain speed because the robots can take over many tasks more quickly. In this way, the collaborative robots can, for example, support production workers with repetitive, heavy, and tiring tasks,” Seyler said.

KIT will contribute its expertise in robotics, deep learning, and data security to the project, while Festo will be responsible for pilot deployments in a real-world environment. In addition, the pilot deployments will use startup DarwinAI’s Explainable AI (XAI) platform, which is capable of clearly illustrating for human operators why artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms behave the way they do.

“We hope that our XAI technology will

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22 PMMI NEWS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

PACK EXPO Las Vegas Is Back

By Melissa Griffen

Contributing Editor, PMG

I

n-person events are coming back, including PACK EXPO Las Vegas, which will take place Sept. 27-29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. On June 1, Las Vegas returned to pre-pandemic guidelines, but to keep all attendees and exhibitors safe, updated health and safety protocols that meet current government regulations and industry standards are being put in place.

PACK Ready (www.packexpolasvegas.com/ packready), PMMI’s commitment to safety, provides a detailed list of protocols implemented by the Las Vegas Convention Center and show management.

With more than 1,500 exhibiting companies, PACK EXPO Las Vegas, co-located with Healthcare Packaging EXPO and produced

by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, is expecting to welcome tens of thousands of attendees to this year’s event.

Through in-booth demonstrations and free educational sessions on the show floor, attendees will not only see technology in action and have the opportunity to talk with suppliers, they also will learn about best practices and industry breakthroughs.

Can’t-miss seminars

Returning on all three days of the show are free, educational, 30-minute Innovation Stage seminars, showcasing breakthrough technologies, best practices, and case studies presented by industry experts. Topics will include connecting your supply chain network to build resilience; continuous improvement success based on stories from 700 food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers; and Industry 4.0 and digital transformation best practices.

The Forum will also return to PACK EXPO Las Vegas. These 45-minute sessions begin with short presentations delivered by topic experts and OpX Leadership Network members on the latest industry trends, followed by roundtable discussions with peers on issues affecting many CPGs. Keep an eye out for the sessions listing (www.packexpolasvegas.com/education/the-forum), which will be released soon.

2109_News.indd 22

Processing breakthrough solutions

Another can’t-miss is the Processing Zone, featuring technologies such as food processing systems; food safety; engineering, design, and construction services; and more.

Attendees can once again start their search for frontof-the-line processing systems while continuing to solve their packaging challenges, all under one roof. A new processing-specific Innovation Stage will also feature sessions focusing on the latest breakthroughs in facility design, spiral immersion systems, and cleaning systems.

On the Processing Innovation Stage, ProFood World will honor Conagra Brands, Smithfield Foods, B&G Foods, Liffey Meats, and Graphic Packaging International for outstanding sustainability achievements with ProFood World’s Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Awards. The award winners will discuss their projects on stage on Monday, Sept. 27, at 3:30 p.m.

Senior leadership from MWC, Kraft Heinz, and CTI Foods will share the details of their 2021 Manufacturing Innovation Award projects on the Processing Innovation Stage on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 3:30 p.m.

With the return of the Processing Zone to PACK EXPO Las Vegas, attendees will have the opportunity to discover solutions to help increase efficiency, achieve total system integration, and ensure safety.

Past, present, and future innovations

The PACK to the Future interactive exhibit debuts this year, showcasing the industry’s past, present, and future. It will display curated items and machinery from some of the world’s largest CPG and packaging companies. Industry experts, futurists, and business and financial leaders will speak daily on where the industry has been, where it is now, and what the future holds for packaging and processing. These 30-minute sessions will highlight relevant advances in artificial intelligence, sustainability, and more.

The Future Innovators Robotics Showcase

will feature student teams from Las Vegasarea high schools demonstrating creations they designed and built themselves. Attendees are encouraged to see the robots, watch the demonstrations, and talk with the students about the industry.

A final can’t-miss event is the Cold Pressure Council Annual Conference (Sept.

28-29), which will take place in conjunction with PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, offering education on the latest in high pressure processing (HPP) technologies. All registrants of this conference will receive complimentary registration to PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO. Attendees are invited to download the free PACK EXPO Las Vegas app to more easily organize their schedules and participate in the show to the fullest extent. The app includes all the features of the My Show Planner on the PACK EXPO Las Vegas website at www.packexpolasvegas.com. It also allows users to create a personal itinerary for navigating the show by clicking on an exhibitor or session and adding it to their schedules, along with their personal appointments.

Registration, which includes access to both PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, is $30 until Sept. 3, after which it increases to $130.

For those unable to attend in person, PMMI now offers virtual aspects of the live event via PACK EXPO Xpress (www.packexpolasvegas. com/pack-expo-xpress), where you can search for products and innovations in digital showrooms and connect with suppliers during the event no matter where you are.

8/31/21 8:31 AM

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Emerson Introduces Control System Modularity

By David Miller

Senior Technical Writer

F

or many manufacturers in the chemical, life sciences, and pharmaceutical spaces, the future is fraught with both challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, an increasingly stringent regulatory environment has made production more cost-prohibitive. At the same time, projected increases in global per capita drug spending have ensured continuing strong demand for the industries’ products.

Luckily, digital transformation has provided a multitude of tools capable of cutting costs while also increasing production capacity.

While traceability has helped to meet quality and regulatory requirements more easily, the ability to deploy modular assets more flexibly has allowed manufacturers to keep up with ballooning demand by increasing speed-to-market.

Recent activity by Emerson serves to illus-

2109_News.indd 23

trate this trend. The company announced that it will begin integrating Module Type Package (MTP) protocol automation standards into its DeltaV and PACSystems control systems to help manufacturers lower project and operation costs while also reducing changeover times for varied product runs.

Developed by the User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries (NAMUR), MTP provides a vendor-neutral interface specification that can be used to define many common interface categories encountered when integrating complex process control equipment into a plant. The protocol provides standardized definitions of all information assets required to communicate to higher-level systems, increasing interoperability and allowing individual process modules to be added and removed without excessive reconfiguration.

Typically, the time it takes to changeover production assets for a new product run is a major challenge for process industries. However, by

using a common, open standard such as MTP, complex integration work that previously took days or months can be replaced with plug-andplay procedures. According to Emerson, by eliminating the need for end-users or system integrators to invest in additional engineering or special integration tools, MTP could save weeks in project time and hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering costs.

“MTP is a significant step to help the manufacturing industries respond faster to changing markets. With our MTP implementation, Emerson is continuing a tradition of not only supporting but innovating on industry standards,” said Sean Sims, vice president of marketing for the DeltaV platform at Emerson.

“Integration between our DeltaV and PACSystems automation systems, as well as thirdparty automation systems, will help create more modular, flexible manufacturing that improves speed to market for our customers.”

8/27/21 9:27 AM

24 CLOUD-BASED AUTOMATION AW SEPTEMBER 2021

The State of Cloud-Based Automation Today

By Stephanie Neil, Senior Editor

A look at how digitalization and the need for scalability are driving more interest and investment in cloudbased industrial applications and how automation technology suppliers are responding.

2109_F1.indd 24

8/27/21 9:10 AM

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CLOUD-BASED AUTOMATION 25 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

C

onnecting the cloud to the factory floor, specifically to industrial control systems (ICS), has been one of those taboo topics for many plant managers. The problem is twofold. First, it’s a cybersecurity risk. Second, control programs require sub-second responsiveness, which shouldn’t—and really can’t—be performed from the cloud.

“It’s a safety concern,” notes Josh Eastburn, director of technical marketing at Opto 22. “We need systems to be responsive in case things trend in the wrong direction. So people are right to be skeptical about moving certain applications to the cloud. It can be done. The question is, should it be done?”

When it comes to controlling mission critical real-time processes, should it be done? The answer is a resounding “no.”

Despite this, manufacturing technology suppliers are finding more ways to couple cloud-based applications with factory automation. Here’s a summary of a just a few of the recent announcements from some of the biggest ICS suppliers: In April, Siemens and Google Cloud announced a new cooperation to optimize factory processes and improve shop floor productivity. The two companies will integrate Google Cloud’s data cloud and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) technologies with Siemens Digital Industries’ factory automation portfolio to help manufacturers harmonize their factory data, run cloud-based AI/ML models on top of that data, and deploy algorithms at the network edge. According to the companies, this enables applications such as visual inspection of products or predicting the wear-and-tear of machines on the assembly line.

As an example, at a Siemens manufacturing plant where industrial PCs are produced, the company is using visual inspection to help workers package the products. “It is based on a camera and a model trained by Google Cloud,” said Axel Lorenz, vice president of factory automation control at Siemens Digital Industries. “By doing so, we help our workers to package the right components completely and that saves time, saves rework, and it increases customers’ satisfaction.”

2109_F1.indd 25

In June, Rockwell Automation announced it will acquire Plex Systems, a provider of a single-instance, multi-tenant software-asa-service (SaaS) manufacturing platform.

The move is an effort to expand Rockwell’s industrial cloud software offerings for manufacturing execution systems (MES), supply chain planning, and quality management capabilities across discrete, hybrid, and process industry segments. That deal followed Rockwell’s acquisition of Fiix Inc., a supplier of cloud-based AI-enabled computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS).

And, in August, Honeywell announced an agreement with Microsoft to become a key provider of manufacturing software powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud that is geared toward increasing productivity, safety, and sustainability. Targeting oil and gas, mining, and process industries, Honeywell and Microsoft will work to migrate seven on-premises Honeywell applications to Microsoft Azure, enhance the capabilities of Honeywell Forge, a SaaS-based enterprise performance management application suite, and provide Microsoft cloud-based industrial software. The goal is to deliver industrial SaaS applications that will help customers address critical needs, including managing supply chain fluctuations, reducing carbon emissions, and meeting the needs of an aging workforce—all by leveraging cloud computing technology to make data-driven decisions in near real-time.

These announcements are indicative of a larger trend to move more industrial applications to the cloud, a direct result of digitalization efforts underway as manufacturers innovate operations with Industry 4.0 capabilities.

“Companies across industries are looking to upgrade production systems…and one solution is a modern, cloud-based [system] that is easy to use and maintain,” said Rockwell Automation chairman and CEO Blake Moret during the ROKLive event in June.

And, while most of the cloud-based industrial offerings are focused on data collection for analysis and visualization or remote monitoring for maintenance, more and more, the industry is seeing

examples of how the cloud can power “as-a-service” offerings, SCADA systems, engineering tools, and even offpremises robot management.

Rethinking the cloud

While it’s not advisable to control production equipment from the cloud, there are tools available to securely connect an onpremises control system to cloud-based systems. One such tool is the MQTT (message queueing telemetry transport) publish-subscribe protocol in which a central server, called a broker, sends information from the plant floor devices to which it is connected only when data generated by those devices change. Using MQTT, multiple software systems—ranging from enterprise resource planning systems to visualization dashboards—can access data from plant floor devices without affecting those systems’ performance since the systems requesting data from the devices are connected to the broker and not directly to the devices.

Opto 22’s groov EPIC (edge programmable industrial controller) includes MQTT communication which can connect to a cloud-based SCADA system.

For example, The Waterford Department of Public Works in Michigan recently upgraded its remote telemetry units (RTU) that communicated through licensed radio frequency (RF) transmitters. Now, they use MQTT on groov EPIC. Not only does this new setup remove the data bottleneck and reporting gaps of the old system, but it communicates directly with a cloud-based SCADA system based on Ignition from Inductive Automation running on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Each EPIC uses a certificate authority (CA) signed client SSL to establish a secure broker connection using a cell modem configured to block any traffic not originating from a trusted IP address. Additionally, with MQTT’s device-originating connections, groov EPIC's device firewall in each lift station can be closed entirely to outside connections. They continue to run a legacy SCADA system in parallel to the Ignition MQTT server hosted in an Ohio data center with a snapshot of the same server hosted in an

8/27/21 9:10 AM

26 CLOUD-BASED AUTOMATION AW SEPTEMBER 2021

The inOrbit cloud-based robot management platform is built with encryption at every level, role-based control, and includes APIs to integrate with existing systems.

Oregon data center. In this manner, if the system encounters problems, it can be back up and running in 30 minutes or less.

“We make sure the data from the field is a secure end-to-end connection, whether it’s on premises or cloud-based, we get the data there safely and efficiently,” Eastburn said. “And [Waterford] feels they are getting better reliability than before because if they lose the local internet connection, the cell service operates regardless of what happens at the headquarters.”

Like Opto 22, many automation technology suppliers are rethinking the way they approach machine control, especially in the age of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the need to unify information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) and scale applications.

Last year, Bosch Rexroth introduced its ctrlX Automation platform, which runs on Linux and includes a real-time component for the deterministic aspects of machine control. The ctrlX Core, the nucleus of the automation platform, is a Linux-based multicore technology that breaks down the boundaries between functionality, such as the controller, the HMI, the communication channels, etc.

“Now you can run everything on the same box in Linux on one processor,” said Allen

2109_F1.indd 26

Tubbs, product manager at Bosch Rexroth.

Linux being open, yet highly secure, opens the door to new types of applications that could eventually include connecting to the cloud—like the ability to run a digital twin of a system in the plant and doing incremental updates on the digital twin which are periodically synched to update the physical system.

Daymon Thompson, Beckhoff Automation’s U.S. software product manager, agrees that the ability to do a file transfer to a controller to update the code, for example, is a good use of the cloud. “We’ve had the ability to do file transfers to update PLC code for a while, but we’ve added other protocols like HTTPS so you can do the entire updating over the cloud remotely.”

Beckhoff also uses MQTT as a central message broker in the cloud to enable all engineering, analytics, and debugging tools to connect with machines. In this case, the cloud could act as a transport mechanism for a machine builder, providing customers with a dashboard of machine health or doing predictive maintenance. Another scenario is to have a machine learning product that runs in the controllers. Machine learning can make predictions locally and send data to a database in the cloud and then periodi-

cally reach out every 24 hours or weekly and download a new trained machine module. “If a machine builder wants to collect data from multiple machines and make each machine smarter, that training can be done in the cloud,” Thompson says.

The convenience of the cloud

One of the other big benefits of the cloud is the ability to scale and access information from anywhere. To that end, Beckhoff has a tool called TwinCAT Cloud Engineering, a virtual machine that allows registered users to instantiate and use existing TwinCAT engineering and runtime products directly from the cloud. With access through the Beckhoff website, this cloud-based software allows users to create instances that can connect to physical control hardware over a secure transport channel.

“The idea is that, from anywhere—even sitting in the airport with an iPad—I can pull up a dashboard and start an instance of an engineering workstation in the cloud,” Thompson says. A single instance of TwinCAT Cloud Engineering can connect to multiple controllers allowing for remote machine diagnostics and debugging of PLC programs.

But what if you want to control a fleet of

8/27/21 9:10 AM

CLOUD-BASED AUTOMATION 27 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

2109_F1.indd 27

ware to be updated,” Pestoni said, noting that this ability is also driving interest in managing robots at scale.

Whether its managing multiple machines or a fleet of robots, the need to scale will drive more development in the cloudbased industrial automation. “It may be a | AT11-19US |

robots from the cloud? There’s a new way to do just that.

InOrbit, a California-based startup offers a secure, cloud-based robot operations (RobOps) management platform. Designed for use with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling and inventory management, the technology is bringing a continuous improvement element to the world of autonomous robots, company officials said.

“The idea is you have this fleet of robots— dozens or thousands of robots—how do you keep track of them? How do you keep them operating at full potential, which means solving incidents as they occur; and how do you optimize operations over time to get the highest return on the investment?” asked InOrbit CEO Florian Pestoni.

InOrbit’s answer to these questions is its platform with bi-directional connectivity to the cloud to process massive amounts of data to adjust to changing conditions on the robots, the network, and the cloud.

The technology itself is a small piece of software that runs on each robot and collects data which is sent to the cloud through a secure channel. A multi-cloud infrastructure is set up for real-time data collection aggregated across many sites. A dashboard personalized for each role (executives, operations, engineers) provides the relevant information for each user’s role. An executive might want a view of the overall fleet and KPIs in each location. Operations might focus on robots having problems and jump in to fix them—to the point of drilling down to see through the “eyes of the robot,” including seeing events through a history of the robot to understand what’s happened in the past. And an engineer or roboticist will want to see more detailed technical data about robot itself.

Integration is also enabled with onsite systems. “An end user might want to integrate this with internal systems, like a warehouse management system or ERP in the factory,” Pestoni explained. “You can use this integration to send commands to robots to [for example] deploy it to [a different] part of the factory because there’s delivery of engine parts.”

InOrbit aims to solve problems around productivity, labor shortages, and the need for resilience and flexibility related to omnichannel fulfillment. “The power of the cloud allows you to make changes onthe-fly, even at an individual robot level, without having to wait for the robot soft-

few years before we see broader adoption, but we are laying the foundation for this,” said Opto 22’s Eastburn.

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28 REMOTE ACCESS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Remote Access Grows Even as Cybersecurity Fears Surge Economic uncertainty and the quest for efficiency are driving the adoption of remote access technology across industry, even as growing concerns surrounding cybersecurity have many industry leaders spooked about greater levels of network connectedness.

By David Miller, Senior Technical Writer

The use of remote access technology to aggregate manufacturing intelligence for use by plant managers and corporate executives is expected to grow in the years to come.

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8/27/21 9:07 AM

REMOTE ACCESS 29 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

R

emote access has been one of the more widely adopted Industry 4.0 technologies. In a recent survey conducted by Automation World, 67% of respondents indicated they are currently using some form of remote access to view machine and operations data. This high level of deployment is not very surprising when you consider that remote access is a key technology behind production monitoring, predictive maintenance, and aggregation of manufacturing intelligence across multiple sites. By granting end-users the ability to extract and aggregate data from numerous facilities, remote access can aid in optimizing production, reducing downtime, and coordinating enterprise-wide activities.

However, many in industry remain reticent about remote access due to concerns regard-

2109_F2.indd 29

ing cybersecurity and intellectual property theft. Even among companies who have adopted remote access, the systems being deployed and the applications for which they are used vary in scope and sophistication.

Adoption trends

First, it’s useful to identify which industry sectors have been most receptive to the use of remote access technologies, as well as those that have been more resistant.

According to Travis Cox, co-director of sales engineering at Inductive Automation, oil and gas companies leaned into the technology much earlier than others due to the geographically dispersed nature of their assets and the fact that they already had satellite and cellular networks in use for similar applications, making deployment of modern remote access technologies easier to accept. With facilities and equipment being spread across such large areas, the reduction in travel that can be achieved via remote production monitoring is greater in oil and gas, for example, than in fields where assets are concentrated in a single location.

Similar trends are also visible in other continuous process industries. Cox cited wastewater treatment as an area where remote access has also been popular. In both industries, eliminating downtime is an important driver. Unlike discrete or even batch manufacturing, continuous process operations are just that—continuous. In the case of oil and gas, a small amount of downtime can result in large revenue losses. In a critical industry such as wastewater treatment, it could result in issues with the local water supply. As such, the ability to engage in real-time, continuous monitoring of equipment health for the purposes of preventative and predictive maintenance is vital.

The preference for remote access by companies with multiple production sites was further borne out in our survey. Among respondents with multiple production sites, 70% indicated they were currently using remote access technologies, while only 59% of those with single production sites were.

“The real reason there is more remote access among companies with multiple sites is that they’re trying to keep a handle on what’s happening across all the different systems so they can get an overall picture,” says Vishal Prakash, strategic product manager at ProSoft. “For someone with one site, they’re more likely to just give someone a call to get

a picture of what’s happening; but for a plant manager who’s in charge of 10 different sites, every time he needs to get an update, he’s got to make 10 different calls. With some kind of remote access, he can get that information more quickly and easily.”

Yet remote access is also gaining steam in the discrete and batch manufacturing industries as well as among companies with a single production site. While companies with multiple production sites surveyed were more than twice as likely to have been using remote access for more than five years, plans for future implementations were more common among single-site operations. According to the survey, 70% of respondents whose companies operate a single production site plan to adopt remote access within one to two years, whereas only 50% of respondent companies with multiple production sites have similar plans.

Regarding discrete and batch manufacturing use of remote access tech, growth has been particularly strong in the past year, says Prakash. This is largely a result of COVID-19, which led many companies to turn to more remote technology to keep production moving apace with fewer workers onsite. Not only that, but many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and machine builders are integrating remote access into their products so that they can gather information about how their products are used to improve future designs or offer performance-based costing.

Still, despite growing enthusiasm for the technology, remote access cannot yet be considered ubiquitous across industry based on some key concerns. According to José Favilla, global Industry 4.0 leader at IBM, any industry segment, such as automotive, where intellectual property could serve as a substantial competitive differentiator, tends to be highly averse to remote access adoption.

Moreover, while overall adoption has been strong among critical utilities such as wastewater and power generation, many holdouts still exist in these sectors due to concerns over cybersecurity. In these instances, if critical operations were to be disrupted or stopped, the consequences could be more dire than mere revenue losses.

How remote access is being used

On the uses remote access technology is being put to, our survey found that 45% of respondents reported using it for production monitoring, 63% for maintenance,

8/27/21 9:08 AM

30 REMOTE ACCESS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

According to José Favilla, global Industry 4.0 leader at IBM, cybersecurity remains the most prominent concern that could deter further adoption of remote access technology.

repair, diagnostics, and troubleshooting, and 26% for gathering manufacturing intelligence for use by plant management or corporate executives.

According to Ranbir Saini, senior director of product management for automation products at GE Digital, these results are not surprising. Typically, production monitoring and maintenance-related diagnostics are the most fundamental applications to which remote access technologies are put, and are often the purpose for which they are adopted in the first place.

However, the use of remote access to aggregate manufacturing intelligence is a newer phenomenon that many companies have not yet managed to fully leverage the power of, Saini says. This process entails the collection and analysis of data pertaining to equipment health, material availability, and other metrics across numerous facilities to ferret out opportunities for enterprise-wide optimization. This kind of analysis tends to take place in the cloud, and may help C-suite

2109_F2.indd 30

executives more efficiently coordinate supply chain activity or otherwise identify waste they didn’t even know was occurring.

Growth in this kind of advanced analytics is bolstered not only by its increasing necessity in the wake of recent economic uncertainty, but by the fact that remote access capabilities installed by operations technology (OT) personnel for monitoring or maintenance purposes can serve as the infrastructure necessary for enterprise planners to build upon with more sophisticated digital transformation initiatives. As such, the growing prevalence of OT-oriented remote access projects aimed at improving field-level operations may have a ripple effect that accelerates the use of more sophisticated Industry 4.0 technologies.

"There are tremendous competitive pressures on companies today. This is a journey and remote access is step one. In order to get access to the data and aggregate that data to be able to analyze it or optimize it, you need some sort of remote access in

place, especially if you're multi-site," Saini says. "Eventually, companies have to do this or they're not going to be competitive in the marketplace anymore.”

Cybersecurity concerns

By far, the most prominent concern holding some companies back from adopting or expanding their remote access capabilities is cybersecurity. When asked what the biggest reasons for not permitting remote access at their facilities were, 85% of survey respondents cited fears related to cybersecurity. In fact, according to Favilla, that figure is too optimistic. “I’d say even more. Ninety percent or more are very, very worried,” he says.

Uneasiness has only grown in recent times as cybersecurity attacks have begun to take more diverse forms. For instance, the surge in ransomware—software that blocks access to a system until a fee is paid—has led some industries that have long been comfortable with remote access to begin reconsidering whether or not it is safe. As an example,

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32 REMOTE ACCESS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Favilla mentions commodity industries, such as pulp and paper or textile manufacturing. Previously, companies in these fields were very open to using remote access, as they are not considered critical infrastructure and typically do not possess valuable intellectual property. Because of this, they did not see themselves as targets; i.e., hackers had nothing to gain by attacking their operations. However, through the use of ransomware, anyone can be shaken down or extorted for raw financial gain.

Fortunately, security frameworks have emerged to help companies navigate these challenges. Whereas companies once relied on perimeter strategies that used firewalls and other network-based strategies to inspect and validate users entering and leaving the network, this approach has become increasingly untenable as digital transformation has mandated that plants connect more and more devices outside of the information technology (IT) team’s control. As a result, defense-in-depth

strategies that seek to use intentional redundancies at every layer of a system— down to the device level—helps ensure that proper security measures are becoming more common. These technologies require individual machines on the plant-floor to possess security certificates and only send data via encrypted communications.

In addition, IBM employs a “zero trust” model. This approach assumes that every connection and endpoint may be a threat, therefore it logs and inspects all corporate network traffic and employs stringent authentication measures. According to Favilla, the use of this model will become increasingly necessary at nearly all companies.

Favilla also mentions that ensuring security relies not only on deployable technologies, but on employee training and education. With many hackers gaining initial access to systems via phishing, the role human error could play in even the most sophisticated system cannot be discounted.

When it comes to solving the cybersecurity dilemma, the greatest challenge will be maintaining the availability and costcutting benefits remote access allows for while also improving safety through more restrictive security measures—a potentially tricky balancing act.

“We have to be continually verifying everything all the time, but it has to be in a manner that it does not hurt the business. Security and availability are at odds with each other,” Favilla says. “If you want full security, no one is going to use anything. If you want full access to everything, you could be in serious danger. We have to acknowledge that.”

Cloud infrastructure has been a major enabling technology for multi-site remote access deployments.

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8/27/21 9:08 AM

REMOTE ACCESS 33 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

COMPARISON WITH 2017 SURVEY

W

hile industry experts interviewed for this feature unanimously reported a perceived increase in the use of remote access technologies among their customers, a comparison with Automation World’s 2017 survey on this subject throws into question to what degree this increase has actually occurred. The 2021 remote access survey found that 67% of respondents are currently using some form of remote access technology; however, that number stood at 71.9% in 2017.

Of course, there are several possible explanations for the discrepancy. For one, it may be that respondents to the 2017 survey were using simple remote desktop software such as Teamviewer to issue commands to on-site human machine interfaces (HMIs) and industrial PCs (IPCs). By contrast, companies responding in 2021 are more likely to be harvesting machine data directly via the use of OPC UA and other similar methodologies.

Equally important is the way remote access technology applications have changed. When asked in 2017 what companies planned to use remote access for in the future, only 26.3% indicated that gathering manufacturing intelligence for use by plant management and corporate executives was on their radar. In 2021, that number had expanded to 49%, most likely reflecting ballooning interest in advanced analytics and enterprise-level optimization.

Moreover, growing cybersecurity concerns may have led some companies using remote access technology to scale back their use of it. In particular, the increasing prevalence of ransomware used to financially extort manufacturers has led many companies that previously would not have seen themselves as potential targets of cybersecurity attacks to reconsider whether or not the technology offers more benefits than liabilities.

Finally, the industry experts interviewed note that, although overall use of remote access technology was reported as being slightly higher in 2017 than in 2021, those who claim to have adopted the technology within the last year stood at 8% in 2021, as opposed to 3.8% in 2017. This implies that the perceived uptick in use amid the COVID-19 pandemic was not a mirage, as these results indicate that remote access growth in 2021 doubled in relation to 2017.

2109_F2.indd 33

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8/31/21 11:14 AM

34 CASE STUDY AW SEPTEMBER 2021

MWC’S ROBOT CONFIGURATIONS PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY Robotics came into play in the cheesemaker's palletizing operations. But that level of complexity wasn't always needed in a facility producing consistent product types and sizes. What it needed more was more simplified automation.

By Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief, ProFood World

A

s robots become increasingly prevalent in the food and beverage industry, especially on the packaging end, you might expect a state-of-the-art facility like MWC to have its fair share. But that complexity isn’t needed in a facility producing consistent product types and sizes. Instead, MWC’s operations lend themselves more to traditional conveyors and case packers, according to Jody Zepnick, CEO of Zepnick Solutions Inc. (ZSI).

ZSI, which works heavily in the dairy industry, provided the automation for MWC’s packaging operations—from the equipment

2109_F3.indd 34

used in sealing the cheese blocks in bags all the way through the coolers and palletizers.

ZSI integrates systems, develops equipment and robotic cells, and does a fair amount of custom equipment design and fabrication, Zepnick notes.

Where the robots are

At MWC, Fanuc robots are used to place the packaged 40-lb blocks of cheese onto pallets before they go through a stretch wrapper and are taken to the warehouse. Besides being robust and reliable, a big selling point of these robots, Zepnick says, are the controller safety

systems, which integrate over Ethernet with Rockwell Automation safety PLC systems.

Another interesting design aspect of these palletizing cells is the end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) that ZSI developed more than a decade ago with help from longtime customer Southwest Cheese. “We reviewed some standard equipment, but it wasn’t robust enough for the applications we were looking at,” Zepnick says. “We found ways to reinforce and simplify the design. Instead of components, we standardized on welded frames.”

For the MWC project, ZSI made addi-

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36 CASE STUDY AW SEPTEMBER 2021

tional adjustments to better accommodate the Fanuc robots. “Those [original] palletizing units have been in operation for over 12 years,” Zepnick notes. “So we’ve been provided additional feedback on updates to make them even better.”

One of the challenging aspects of any EOAT is cable routing. With the tool twisting back and forth for the palletizing motion, ZSI simplified the cable routing through the end of the robot arm. “It’s now a much more reliable installation of how it accommodates the turning of the end-of-arm tool,” Zepnick says.

Ultimately, the end-of-arm tooling enables the Fanuc robots to reliably and efficiently pick up two 40-lb blocks of cheese at a time, lifting and rotating the packaged cheese onto the pallet.

In fact, ZSI has other robotic systems that can handle MWC’s massive 640-lb blocks of cheese as well, Zepnick adds. “The robot picks

2109_F3.indd 36

the blocks off the end of the line and stacks them in a format that’s much easier for the fork trucks to handle,” he explains. “Rather than having to handle each block individually, they can handle up to four or six blocks—two rows deep and up to three high—and bring them into the cooler.”

Simplified automation

The packaging line that Zepnick put together for MWC begins where bagged blocks of cheese are conveyed on two lines through side-by-side sealers. The two lines are then merged together to go through a metal detector and a leak detector that ZSI developed more than a decade ago. The blocks then continue into a case packer, where the cases receive a printed barcode to track them through the system, then up an incline to a rapid cooler. After a 24-hour cooling period, the cases come back down a decline and

are weighed, scanned, and labeled. Then they move on to the robotic palletizers.

Besides the challenges that COVID-19 presented, MWC’s complexity came more from the size and flexibility of the project—allowing backup strategies for one line to run into the other, then on to the rapid coolers and palletizing cells. “There’s a lot of experience, knowledge and technology that goes into making these systems perform reliably. There are several integrated technologies from mechanical product handling, product accumulation, data collection, product scanning and tracking, and vision inspection,” Zepnick says. “Really, the challenge was matching MWC requirements with the most robust configuration of equipment and technology to meet their business needs.”

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8/27/21 10:24 AM

38 NEW PRODUCTS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Rugged Embedded Computers

Cincoze, cincoze.com The DS-1300 is the first 10th generation Intel Xeon/Core high-performance, high-expansion, rugged industrial computer. The three-model lineup includes the DS-1300, DS-1301, and DS-1302, which vary by the number of PCIe expansion slots. It is suitable for deployment in industrial equipment, AIoT, logistics automation, cobots, and applications requiring high computing power in harsh environments. The DS-1300 series provides for a 31% performance increase for multitasking, compute-intensive applications. It supports two sets of DDR4 SO-DIMM for a total of 64 GB, and storage options include a set of high-speed M.2 NVMe storage slots, three sets of mSATA slots, and two sets of 2.50-in. hard drive trays.

Automated Laser Marker

Anca, anca.com The AutoMarkX, an automatic stand-alone laser marking station, is the latest addition to Anca’s family of tool production solutions. The operator loads up to two full pallets of tools and the robot performs the laser marking operations, freeing up staff to take care of other tasks. The unit can accommodate a range of tool sizes. AutoMarkX’s capacity for flexible marking means a message can be etched on a single side of the shank or on the opposite sides of the shank as well as at the end of tool. In addition, AutoMarkX accepts different pallet standards, allowing it to be integrated with currently used pallets.

Liquid Analysis Sensors

Endress+Hauser, us.endress.com Endress+Hauser Memosens technology converts a measured value to a digital signal and transfers it inductively to the transmitter, offering safe data transfer for increased availability of the measuring point and trouble-free operation. With Memosens 2.0, liquid analysis measuring points are ready for IIoT applications. This new technology is available for pH/ORP, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen sensors.

Line Scanning Cameras

Teledyne, teledyneimaging.com The recently launched Linea Lite family of line scan cameras is built for a range of machine vision applications. The new Linea Lite cameras feature a 45% smaller footprint than the original Linea. Based on a new proprietary CMOS image sensor from Teledyne Imaging, the Linea Lite line of scan cameras is designed to offer customers a choice between high full well mode or high responsivity mode via configurable gain settings. The cameras are available in 2k and 4k resolutions, as well as monochrome and bilinear color.

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40 NEW PRODUCTS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Linear Motor Transport System

Bosch Rexroth, bosch.us The TS 2 Booster was developed as a component for the established TS 2plus and helps the multi-faceted transfer system to achieve more flexibility. The rapid intake system takes the workpiece pallet from linear motor-driven sections and accelerates it to 3 g.

This reduces cycle times as the workpieces spend less unproductive time before and in the stations. The TS 2 Booster is applicable in the automotive, electronics production, and health care sectors, as well as in controlled environments and clean rooms. It has a maximum acceleration of 3 g/30 m/s² and can reach speeds of up to 3 m/s. It transports workpieces with a length of between 160mm and 640mm and a width of between 160mm and 400mm. Depending on the workpiece pallet size, it is suitable for loads weighing up to 40 kg. In the process, it achieves a workpiece pallet changeover time of up to 0.5 seconds.

Cable Certifier

Softing, itnetworks.softing.com The WireXpert 500 is a cable certifier that targets copper cables up to Cat 6A. Featuring a modular concept and unique licensing system, the WireXpert 500 is a tool for cable system certification in industrial settings, laboratories, data centers, and office environments. Softing has found that the overwhelming majority of cabling contractors require Ethernet copper cable certification up to Cat 6A and has developed its WireXpert 500 to target these contractors. By enabling cable certification up to Cat 6A only, the WireXpert 500 fits more than 95% of contractor requirements. Contractors can also upgrade WireXpert 500 units to certify copper cabling through Cat 8 or fiber optic cabling.

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Robotunits, robotunits.com The Standard Linear Motion Unit includes 50-millimeter aluminum extrusions and a 14mm T-slot, making it compatible with other Robotunits systems.

These key elements—along with the company’s proprietary fastening technology—enable the Linear Motion System to work in combination with Robotunits’ conveyors, material handling components, safety fencing, and machine frames. The unit is available with a single or double carriage, and the system allows the energy chain to attach directly to the carriage without the need for additional components.

For advanced applications, the Omega Linear Motion Unit can be used as an individual device or x-y-z gantry to move and position parts with precision.

8/27/21 8:52 AM

NEW PRODUCTS 41 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

High-Speed Cameras

Ametek, ametek.com Featuring CMOS sensors with back side illumination, the new T3610 and TMX5010 cameras sustain their image throughput with optimized light sensitivity for high frame rates and sub-microsecond exposures. Joining the T-Series platform, the T3610 achieves a significantly higher frame rate of 38,040 frames per second at 1280x800 resolution and up to 875,000 frames per second at reduced resolutions. The T3610 also features a compact form factor and low power requirements. The TMX5010 joins the pre-existing TMX6410 and 7510 cameras as the entry point to the TMX family. Benefits include a higher RAM capacity of up to 512 GB, a higher partition offering 511 segments, standard 10 GB Ethernet with a rugged RJ45 port, and the ability to upgrade to higher throughput models at a later date.

Industrial Alternator

Nidec, nidec.com The LSA 47.3 delivers a rated power between 410 and 660 kVA at 50 Hz (495 to 825 kVA at 60 Hz). The 660 kVA rating (825 kVA at 60 Hz) was previously held by the LSA 49.3. This is a significant benefit for generator set manufacturers as the same power is made available through a more compact machine. The alternator also features a shunt excitation system with a R250 regulator as standard. An AREP auxiliary winding excitation system with D350 digital regulator version is also available to improve transient performances and provide high overload capacities. A D550 digital regulator can also be used for grid connected applications. A permanent magnet generator excitation system is also available as an option.

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8/31/21 11:16 AM

42 FINANCE VIEW AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Optimizing Manufacturing General and Administrative Costs

By Larry White

CMA, CFM, CPA, CGFM lwhite@rcaininstitute.org

Executive Director, Resource Consumption Accounting Institute (www.rcainstitute.org)

G

eneral and administrative (G&A) costs are a challenge for manufacturers. In good times, G&A is often ignored. After all, it is a common belief that improvements in technology and process typically move costs from the front lines to the back office. In lean times, companies target G&A activities with aggressive budget reductions and tell them to do more with less. One reason this happens is traditional financial reporting lumps G&A into an amorphous line item for board and senior executive examination. Companies that engage in comprehensive, causal managerial cost, revenue, and profit analysis have a much better model to evaluate the value and performance of G&A resources.

The keys to effective G&A management are clarity of purpose, information, and consistency. Management should identify and model the external and internal customers and requirements G&A functions support, how they consume resources, and how they measure performance. Think of each G&A function as a specialty operation within your company and manage it like any other operation.

It is important to be clear about why G&A exists. A McKinsey report titled, “Driving Value Creation through G&A: Five Ways to Rethink your Approach,” identifies four critical ways G&A create value: 1. Stable Backbone: Keeping core processes running and meeting routine requirements.

2. Nerve Center: Keeping critical information flowing throughout the organization.

3. Dynamic Allocator: Evaluating and acquiring resources.

2109_FinanceView.indd 42

4. Next-generation incubator: Ensuring the organization can move into the future.

None of these roles provide a free pass to resources but understanding their role in value creation is essential to effective management.

Cost and performance information on G&A functions is usually the biggest hurdle.

There are a myriad of excuses, such as: the work is too diverse, everyone does everything, and so on. All work boils down to ongoing processes and identifiable projects.

Each has a customer or fulfills a requirement, each customer or requirement has a performance expectation, and the resource time can be tracked (even if it has not been in the past). Often G&A functions view their work as too complex to model; that position alone should form the basis for a process improvement project that will probably yield substantial results. Advanced managerial costing and profitability analytics approaches advocate causal modeling of G&A functions to ensure full understanding and effective management of the connections to product cost, customer costs, revenue generation, and business sustaining costs.

Consistency in managing G&A functions is challenging. Manufacturers’ focus is on product innovation, manufacturing quality and efficiency, and sales. Creating time in a busy senior management and board agenda for a G&A review is hard. One way to approach it is benchmarking against competitors and similar sized manufacturers. However, benchmarking often becomes “floor-marking” when the evaluation is: “at least we are better than...”; this does not lead to improvement.

A better approach is to ensure that G&A functions are actively using the same process improvement techniques as the manufacturing functions and can prove, with solid data, that they have improved cost, quality, and performance over prior periods. Rotating presentations on the best practices for specific G&A functions will also help senior management assess how the company G&A function is doing compared to the best in that profession.

A more Draconian and resource-intensive approach is to periodically “zero base” G&A functions by asking “Why does the company

do ___?” Critically examine the resources, budget, and work activities for the function, then rebuild from core demands. The company can also investigate outsourcing the function. A zero-basing process will clarify the role and reason for a G&A function within a company.

G&A functions are essential and can be a competitive advantage if clearly focused on internal and external customer needs and company strategic objectives. In today’s competitive environment, manufacturers must consistently and methodically seek advantages in every component of the company—so don’t overlook G&A.

T�e keys to effective G&A management are clarity of purpose, information, and consistency. Management should identify and model the external and internal customers and requirements G&A functions support, how they consume resources, and how they measure performance. T�ink of each G&A function as a specialty operation within your company and manage it like any other operation.

8/31/21 8:31 AM

IT VIEW 43

AW SEPTEMBER 2021

Cybersecurity Myth: We Are Disconnected

By Dirk Sweigart MESA Cybersecurity Working Group Chairman

You may think your manufacturing systems or industrial control systems are disconnected and safe.

However, you may not be aware of the number of factors working against your assumption and which threaten your systems.

2109_ITView.indd 43

I

n February of this year, I tested positive for COVID-19. How did that happen? I social-distanced, wore a mask, dramatically limited my interactions with others, washed my hands regularly, and thought I was protecting myself. I believed I was reasonably “disconnected.” Turns out, I was not.

You may think your manufacturing systems or industrial control systems are similarly “disconnected” and safe. However, you may not be aware of the number of factors working against your assumption to threaten your systems.

What are these factors? Here are some potential back-channels into your systems that could allow cyberattacks to occur.

1. Almost any time you connect a device to a USB port anywhere on the network, you could be breaking the disconnect.

If any USB ports are open, anywhere on the controls or manufacturing network, then connecting a device—even just to charge it—is breaching the barrier. You are no longer disconnected.

2. Are there devices that use wireless within the network? If so, unless access is tightly managed, wireless can be a place where the disconnect is broken.

Sometimes devices are added to a network (maybe temporarily) and they have wireless enabled on them. Have you ever connected a laptop to work on the disconnected network and have wireless enabled on the laptop? The use of wireless can break the disconnect.

3. Does your control system ever share a switch with another network? This is sometimes done for convenience, cost, or by an IT department (perhaps without realizing they are breaking the disconnect) and perhaps using a VLAN. Sharing switches with other networks can break the disconnect.

4. Even if you connect a workstation that is not actively connected to a wireless network, it may have been connected (and/or infected) recently.

After all, how are you going to get software updates or new configura-

tion into your disconnected network?

Connecting external devices such as laptops to the disconnected network can break the disconnect.

5. It is not unusual, especially during the pandemic, for methods of remote access to the control or manufacturing systems to be established. Knowledge of the existence of these connections may be closely held and they may also be activated only when needed. Regardless, these remote access techniques represent a break in the disconnected paradigm.

6. Perhaps what is meant by disconnected is actually “lightly” connected. The manufacturing or controls networks may have only a single point of access protected by a firewall that is tightly locked for in-bound traffic. Being actually connected by a firewall device, even one tightly controlled, is not disconnected. Also, pay attention to both the inbound and outbound firewall rules if you are using a common stateful firewall. If you lock down inbound requests but not outbound requests, you may have internal connections being made to e-mail or websites where malware can be encountered and introduced into your disconnected network.

This is not to say that you must find and kill all these back-channels. Just be aware that they often do exist and evaluate your risks accordingly. You can maintain that “it won’t happen to me,” but don’t believe the myth that it’s because you’re disconnected.

8/31/21 8:30 AM

44 ENTERPRISE VIEW AW SEPTEMBER 2021

It’s Time to Get Real with Industrial Transformation

By Diane Sacra LNS Research

Y

ou likely already know of or have been part of the phenomena of industrial transformation if you hold a leadership role within industrial operations. Sure, you may know of this technology-enabled strategy by another name, such as Industry 4.0, or digital or smart manufacturing. But just like that proverbial rose going by any other name, industrial transformation’s mission is the same no matter how you term the concept: to proactively leverage digital technologies to create step-change improvements across the value chain.

LNS Research, a subject matter expert in industrial transformation, reports that more than two-thirds of surveyed companies have implemented, are currently implementing, or plan to implement an industrial transformation (what LNS Research refers to as IX) program. And despite the challenges of a worldwide pandemic, COVID-19’s effects on business have not seemed to slow down the pursuit of IX. LNS Research reports 78% of companies are maintaining or accelerating their programs in the face of the economic turmoil created by the pandemic.

Yet, while industrial transformation has been proving itself as a valuable strategy for some time and continues to grow in popularity, LNS research principal analyst Tom Comstock suggests that it’s time for industrial organizations to fully embrace IX and get real with their efforts.

“One-half of industrial enterprises report they have embarked on an industrial transformation or IX journey. And the leaders in this journey have found very real benefits in the form of increased revenues, lowered cost of goods sold, and increased operating margins,” Comstock said. “These successes have

2109_EnterpriseView.indd 44

put pressure on the rest of manufacturers to stop playing at industrial transformation and get real building a value creation engine in the form of an IX program.” In fact, Comstock goes on to say “…IX leaders are 72% more likely to have grown revenues by more than 10% and 57% more likely to have reduced cost of goods sold by more than 10% than followers as a result of their IX program.”

So, what does getting real look like in industrial transformation? Comstock advises that industrial companies need to adopt a number of best practices from IX leaders and learn from those who are excelling at industrial transformation programs. LNS Research has identified several of these best practices throughout its research, with each grouping’s best practices having a people, process, and technology dimension to it. These best practices include top-down implementations, engaging business operations, including the entire manufacturing network, IT/OT (operations technology) convergence, balancing short-term and long-term wins, and capturing and analyzing data.

One of the key differences that an industrial transformation program brings from traditional continuous improvement programs like lean or world class manufacturing (WCM) is its focus on step-change improvement.

According to Comstock, the challenging solutions of industrial transformation must be deployed across a manufacturing network that is, “diversified by manufacturing models, culture, operational technology-deployed, and digital maturity.”

Perhaps one of the most misreported statements about IX is how difficult its implementation can be. From its study, LNS Research reports that only 7% of IX programs are considered “stuck” in pilot purgatory, meaning stalled periods of no progressive movement. In fact, LNS Research has found that more than half, or 57%, of companies report their programs meet or exceed their expectations. These programs typically include distinct initiatives—such as quality, connected worker, digital twins—and are seen as a three-year journey.

Comstock says, not surprisingly, organizational leadership is an essential ingredient in

the industrial transformation process. “Industrial transformation should be tightly integrated and aligned with the overall corporate strategy,” he says. “Senior leadership should be re-imagining business processes and service delivery to seek dramatic improvement in industrial operations and disrupt marketplaces. Meanwhile, the highest levels of the corporation should also be deciding how deeply to engage customers and suppliers in the IX program.”

The support for industrial transformation seems quite clear. Now, more than ever, is the right time to begin, fully integrate or accelerate your industrial transformation program, depending on where you are today.

Comstock boils down this key ingredient for success: “Industrial transformation is no longer a mystery that requires process innovation. IX now simply requires the application of identified best practices to your specific environment and culture.”

IX leaders are 72% more likely to have grown revenues by more than 10% and 57% more likely to have reduced cost of goods sold by more than 10% than followers as a result of their IX program.

8/27/21 8:48 AM

ADVERTISER INDEX 45 AW SEPTEMBER 2021

COMPANY

TELEPHONE

WEBSITE

PAGE

AutomationDirect

800.633.0405

www.automationdirect.com/stridelinx

Automation24 Inc.

800.250.6772

www.automation24.com

Beckhoff Automation

952.890.0000

www.beckhoff.com/xplanar

27

CIMON

800.300.9916

www.cimon.com

13

Contemporary Controls

630 963 7070

www.ccontrols.com/machine

21

Digi-KeyElectronics

800.344.4539

www.digikey.com/automation

5

Emerson Industrial Automation

888.889.9170

www.Emerson.com/Digital-Transformation-Pneumatics

33

Fabco-Air

352.373.3578

www.fabco-air.com

19

Festo Corporation

866.GO.FESTO

www.festo.com

35

Galco Industrial Electronics

888.526.0909

www.galco.com

Cover

Hammond Manufacturing

716.630.7030

www.hammondmfg.com

23

icotek North America

312.643.2315

www.icotek-usa.com

40

Inductive Automation

800.266.0909

www.demo.ia.io/automation

Opto 22

800.321.6786

www.opto22.com

47

PACK EXPO Las Vegas

571.612.3200

www.PackExpoLasVegas.com • www.HCPELasVegas.com

37

PACK EXPO East 2022

571.612.3200

www.PackExpoEast.com

39

MAVERICK Technologies

888.917.9109

www.mavtechglobal.com

48

Signode

800.323.2464

www.signode.com

15

Tadiran Batteries

800.537.1368

www.tadiranbat.com

31

Telemecanique Sensors

800.435.2121

www.tesensors.com/XUMMini

17

Winsted

800.447.2257

www.winsted.com

41

2, 24-a 9

7

Automation World ® (ISSN # 15531244, USPS 22435) is a registered trademark of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Automation World ® is published 14x a year by PMMI with its publishing office, PMMI Media Group, located at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611; 312.222.1010; Fax: 312.222.1310. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2021 by PMMI. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Applications for a free subscription may be made online at www.packworld.com/subscribe. Paid subscription rates per year are $105 in the U.S., $147 Canada and Mexico by surface mail; $250 Europe, South America. $325 Far East and Australia by air mail. To subscribe or manage your subscription to Automation World, visit AutomationWorld.com/subscribe. Free digital edition available to qualified individuals outside the United States. POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Automation World®, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611. PRINTED IN USA by Quad Graphics. The opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of PMMI. Comments, questions and letters to the editor are welcome and can be sent to: editors@automationworld.com. We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable firms. If you would prefer that we don’t include your name, please write us at the Chicago, IL address. Volume 19, Number 9.

Sept_2021_AW_AdIndex.indd 119

9/2/21 12:11 PM

46 KEY INSIGHTS AW SEPTEMBER 2021

The first step comes in the form of COPA QuickStart, which is a commercially available product bundled with a six-module training program that allows end users to better understand how to manage an open process automation system throughout its lifecycle.

Stephanie Neil on the first open industrial control system. awgo.to/1238

Module Type Package protocol automation provides a vendor-neutral interface specification that can be used to define many common interface categories encountered when integrating complex process control equipment into a plant. The protocol provides standardized definitions of all information assets required to communicate to higherlevel systems, increasing interoperability and allowing individual process modules to be added and removed without excessive reconfiguration.

David Miller on Emerson’s approach to modular automation. awgo.to/1247

During the three-day migration, controllers were upgraded without altering the commands and animations of the application.

The project involved 4,000 tags, 300 screens, and 10,000 alarms, as well as 25 clients—a number that continues to grow.

Jeanne Schweder on Pluspetrol’s use of SCADA to monitor jungle field sites. awgo.to/1248

Companies are looking for a better way to find and understand the current topology of OT (operations technology) systems to respond to vulnerabilities and security incidents. IT tools have a long-standing framework of doing this for cloud systems and servers in data centers, as well as laptops and distributed devices. Leveraging IT best practices on the OT side promises a lot of strength and value for industry in this area.

David Greenfield on managing operations technology with IT tools. awgo.to/1249

The UNS (unified namespace) model allows for a central location (hub) to be the source of data for your plantwide assets. This central repository then allows connections to edge devices, as well as other platforms and databases (spokes), decreasing the number of separate connections that must be maintained.

Will Aja of Pancea Technologies on the hub-and-spoke model for connecting industrial data. awgo.to/1250

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8/27/21 8:47 AM

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