Digital supplement to
Technology Handbook
MOVE SECURELY INTO -IN T THE CLOUD L I U YB
INTERNET OF THINGS WAGO Cloud
Microsoft Amazon Web Azure A look into theServices products, technologies IBM and solutions shaping the market Other Cloud Services
Conveyance
r
t
sion, er,
Linear Motion
BLUEMIX
IIoEATDY R
Direct Field to Cloud Connection with the PFC Series Controllers
ADM/PACKEX • IIoT-ready with native MQTT and TLS encryption Toronto June 4–6, 2019 • Built-in VPN and Firewall for increased network security Booth #1213 • Simplify data routing and reduce latency
• Interface with existing controls via onboard fieldbus gateways www.wago.us/pfccloud
IT
UR C E S
mum uptime. We’re set to help you achieve smarter, ur factory
Booth #1213
Technology Handbook | INTERNET OF THINGS
w. develops Next. and goes Beyond.
r
Our guide to the shape of your future workforce Where do people fit in the Factory of the Future? 2019-04-11 9:46 AM
A
s the manufacturing landscape changes with the advent of Industry 4.0, the roles on the factory floor will too. With billions of IoT-connected components already contributing towards greater levels of efficiency in factories around the globe, manufacturers will need more people with technological expertise, triggering a rise in upskilling – something that is already taking place across the industry. While the core skillsets of workers evolve in-line with developments within the industry, significant changes to workers roles are nothing new. As recently as 1990s, manufacturing began to adopt automation in applications such as robotic welding in the automotive industry. However, jobs did not disappear as a result, rather, people evolved and competences began to change. Now, as the factory of the future transforms the industrial landscape, we will see greater shifts towards digital skills in the workforce.
Humans and technology working together With the presence of artificial intelligence (AI) increasing significantly in factories, its crucial for humans to work hand-in-hand with the new technology that surrounds them. In essence, collaboration is key. According to recent research from Gartner, one in five employees in “non-routine” work roles will rely in some way on AI by 2022, while an additional two million jobs will be created by 2025 as a direct result of AI.So rather than detracting from the role humans play in manufacturing, AI will support them to take on new roles, ultimately creating more opportunity for employees than it will eliminate.
In the view of Lina Huertas, Head of Technology Strategy for Digital Manufacturing at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), these changes in manufacturing – and the roles of workers – could ultimately make a genuinely positive impact on society. Pointing to the bottom-up thinking that the MTC is seeing in some emerging markets, Lina said: “They’re looking at these developments in terms not just of technology but of society, of their implications for social prosperity and cohesion. These markets recognize that in order to pursue these developments they need to make preparations, and in particular to ensure not just that they develop new skills, but that they retain vital older ones. They see that upskilling and training need to happen alongside technological investment. It’s a good rule for everyone, really”.
Driving a shared commitment to skills Ultimately, the Factory of the Future
2 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
is about evolution. As we’ve seen in decades gone by, things change – technology is developed to help us reach new heights, and people adapt to those changes when playing their part in that evolutionary cycle. For Bosch Rexroth – and manufacturers over the world – facilitating change allows us to retain the skills we’ve developed and extend the ability of workforces as we look to work more smartly and deliver greater levels of efficiency, productivity and profitability for every one of our customers. The thing to remember: the Factory of the Future isn’t a revolution, but evolution. Discover more about the evolution of manufacturing here
Additional information is available online at www.boschrexroth.ca/fotf
Electric Drives & Controls
Interactive Digital Assistant System Communication Platform
Mechatronics
Conveyance
Linear Motion
Complete motion control solutions - from Mechatronics, Conveyance, Assembly Handling, and Tightening Systems, to Linear and Electric Drives and Controls Technology Rely on Bosch Rexroth, the world leader in drive and motion control technologies that power today’s most advanced manufacturing systems. You can rely on our local manufacturing, applications engineering, and commissioning expertise as well as our complete local support services. Our automation solutions drive your manufacturing performance with fast throughput, precision, repeatable efficient motion control for maximum uptime. We’re set to help you achieve smarter, more productive automation solutions for your factory of the future today. Because the Factory of the Future begins Now. develops Next. and goes Beyond.
Order your free Factory Automation Resource Kit: www.boschrexroth.ca/factoryautokit For expert advice call 1-855-REXROTH (739-7684) or email us at info@boschrexroth.ca
ADM/PACKEX Toronto June 4–6, 2019 Booth #1213
Technology Handbook | INTERNET OF THINGS
IIoT Starter Kits Makes Connecting to the IIoT Quick and Easy
H
ARTING is making it easy to implement Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions with three HARTING MICA starter kits. Each of these new kits contains all of the necessary hardware and software for a basic application, removing the risk and guesswork for companies looking to embrace IIoT. “Many people want to integrate IIoT, but they don’t know where to start or which applications would benefit their operations the most,” says Pat Hogan, Senior Product Manager for the MICA, the company’s Hermes Award-winning industrial edge gateway device. “That’s why we created these kits. Everything you need to prototype a solution is in these kits, and the best part is that it takes less than 10 minutes to get a solution up and running.” The HARTING MICA CISS Complete IIoT Starter Kit creates a basic condition-monitoring application. It comes with a sensor that can measure seven different parameters, including vibrations, acoustics, temperature, humidity and more. The sensor is connected to the HARTING MICA, the edgecomputing device that processes, computes and visualizes all the data from the sensor. The MICA comes with pre-installed
software that includes an easy to use dashboard that shows all of the sensor readouts. The HARTING MICA RF-R300 Complete RFID Starter Kit contains everything needed for a basic RFID asset tracking application – industrial RFID tags, the HARTING MICA RF-R300 reader, two antennas and all cabling. The MICA comes with a pre-installed demo version of HARTING’s certified Ha-VIS Middleware, which translates the raw RFID signals formats into modern software protocols. Last but not least is the HARTING MICA Basic Ethernet Starter Kit. This is ideal for connecting peripheral devices through Ethernet using communications protocols such as Modbus-TCP or OPC UA. The kit contains all of the cabling required to get started and a basic version of the MICA and software. As with the other two starter kits, this one comes with Fast-Ethernet capabilities, eight digital GPIO ports, and the ability to be powered over PoE or 12V/24V.
Learn more at HARTINGMICAStarterKits.com
Telephone 1 (855) 659-6653
HARTING.ca 4 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
The First Industrial IoT starter kits Integrate an IIoT solution in under 10 minutes
LEARN MORE AT: HARTINGMICAStarterKits.com Asset Tracking Starter Kit
Condition Monitoring Starter Kit
Integrate an IIoT solution in under 10 minutes with IIoT starter kits from HARTING ■ Everything is in one kit – it’s easy ■ Software and hardware compatibility is guaranteed ■ Takes under 10 minutes to set up
LEARN MORE AT: HARTINGMICAStarterKits.com
Digital Retrofit Starter Kit
Technology Handbook | INTERNET OF THINGS
The Future Belongs to IO-Link
E
very application poses unique challenges. Pepperl+Fuchs’ broad portfolio of IO-Link products includes a range of sensing technologies and housing styles that can be seamlessly integrated into all applications, offering complete solutions from a single source.
Standardization for Industry 4.0 IO-Link is an internationally standardized, cross-vendor IO technology that enables bidirectional communication from the control system to the sensor/ actuator level—this makes comprehensive diagnostics possible and data transfer interference-free. The fieldbusindependent open standard can be integrated into any system landscape using standard unshielded cables and pointto-point connectivity. IO-Link enables individualized production with central data storage and automatic configuration, offering countless new possibilities and creating added value for users.
Comprehensive Diagnostics Down to the Sensor/Actuator Level IO-Link reduces complexity and provides needs-based maintenance with comprehensive diagnostics of sensors and actuators. Device identification can be performed at any time with cyclical process data and a wealth of data transferred acyclically. To do this, the control system simply accesses the manufacturer, part number, and serial number information saved in every IO-Link device. Diagnostic information about the general device condition and specific data from operation, temperature, and signal quality are also available.
Easy and Efficient Maintenance Diagnostic data from the IO-Link device
can be used to schedule and carry out maintenance based on the needs of plants and machines. If an inductive proximity sensor with IO-Link falls out of alignment and the target is no longer in range, a stability alarm can be triggered. During the next maintenance cycle, the sensor can be readjusted by maintenance personnel. When a sensor needs to be replaced, simply install a new one and let IO-Link import the existing settings.This prevents downtime and unnecessary costs.
is initially integrated into a control system, integrating additional devices from the same profile is simple. This makes it possible to quickly replace a photoelectric distance sensor with a measurement sensor that uses another sensing technology, such as an ultrasonic sensor. Pepperl+Fuchs is pioneering the integration of Smart Sensor Profiles in current and future product development projects to pave the way for international standardization and Industry 4.0.
Smart Sensor Profiles: Finding a Common Denominator
IO-Link Devices: Broad Portfolio for Any Requirement
To achieve true standardization, data transfer, data structures, and data content must be clearly defined for all manufacturers. Smart Sensor Profiles were developed for this purpose. They divide all sensors into types that are not determined by manufacturer or sensing mode, but by the signal that a sensor transmits. Every IO-Link device that incorporates Smart Sensor Profiles follows a general specification and structure. The same device information is always stored and available anytime, and the pin layout and available modes of operation are also identical in every device. This standardization ensures efficient machine design and compatibility with Industry 4.0. Profile-specific function blocks exist for each profile class to make integration quick and easy for users. Once a device from a specific profile class
Pepperl+Fuchs’ IO-Link portfolio allows users to choose from a wide range of sensor technologies, including photoelectric sensors, ultrasonic sensors, inductive proximity sensors, positioning systems, and RFID. In addition to IO-Link sensors, I/O hubs with IOLink offer another economical solution for connecting standard digital sensors. The complete solution is rounded off by IO-Link masters, connectivity, and software. For an overview of Pepperl+Fuchs’ IO-Link portfolio, visit www.pepperl-fuchs.com/tf-io-portfolio
6 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
Pepperl+Fuchs, Inc. Factory Automation Division sales@us.pepperl-fuchs.com 1-330-425-3555
www.pepperl-fuchs.com
Unlocking added value. Discovering flexibility. Enabling Industry 4.0. Sensors and Systems with IO-Link Complete IO-Link solution from a single source:
sensors, masters, and infrastructure A wide range of of sensor technologies for
flexible solutions Ready for Industry 4.0 and IIoT: future-proof
with an open, manufacturer-independent standard Predictive maintenance: real-time diagnostics
simplify troubleshooting and reduce downtime
www.pepperl-fuchs.com/tr-io-link
and TLS encryption ncreased network security uce latency Technology Handbook | INTERNET OF THINGS ols via onboard fieldbus gateways
Seamlessly and Securely Connect Plant Floor to Cloud 4/12/19 9:12 AM
A
s companies prepare for the future, the digital transformation of the plant floor is in full swing. WAGO has been helping people collect and analyze information from their plant floor for years, and we continue to enhance our technologies with exciting new tools for this digital transformation age. We have already seen companies that are gradually implementing cloud-based solutions to their plant floor, because the advantages are tremendous. Large investments are not necessary to profit from the cloud’s flexibility.
Benefits of IIoT With global access to plant floor data, dashboards of system performance can be aggregated and used for analyses including benchmark data of similar manufacturing facilities as well as helping increase equipment reliability through condition monitoring. This creates a real added value for both corporations and their customers.
Challenges of Enabling NorthSouth Data Transactions One of the major challenges that comes with IIoT is how to securely collect data from your manufacturing site’s plant floors. It seems like an overwhelming task. How can data be collected when plants use multiple fieldbus protocols? Equipment on the floor is manufactured by several different vendors, so how can you cost-effectively collect information from each machine? There are all sorts of disparate machine types, conveyors, machine tools, mills, tank farms, heat exchanges, and thousands more. How do you collect meaningful information from each? Plus, data security is always top of mind.
First Step: Prioritize Your Data When getting started with adding the cloud to your plant floor operation, project goals should start small. State your objectives to help understand what you want to get from the data to help you make a comprehensive decision. By starting small and first selecting a manageable amount of data that is the most impactful, you can easily pilot your first round and then grow your cloud tools from there.
WAGO Solutions WAGO’s PFC controllers become IIoT controllers that safely and efficiently send near real-time data from the field level to the cloud for information at your fingertips. We have embedded the MQTT Protocol in our Linux based PFCs, enabling secure
8 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
data exchange between the plant floor and Cloud services (Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, SAP Cloud and others). These same controllers also support the Sparkplug and OPC UA standards for seamless data exchange with SCADA applications. Our focus on cybersecurity tools helps users transfer this data in a secure manner with TLS security and built-in Firewalls and VPNs. Manufacturers can leverage the PFC controller’s fieldbus gateway features to collect data from multiple plant floor machines and securely pipe it North to the Cloud. Charlie Norz, Automation Product Manager,WAGO Corporation
For more information: www.wago.us, customerservice.ca@wago.com 1-888-WAGO-221
MOVE SECURELY INTO -IN T THE CLOUD L I U YB S
WAGO Cloud Amazon Web Services Other Cloud Services
Microsoft Azure IBM BLUEMIX
IIoEATDY R
Direct Field to Cloud Connection with the PFC Series Controllers • • • •
IIoT-ready with native MQTT and TLS encryption Built-in VPN and Firewall for increased network security Simplify data routing and reduce latency Interface with existing controls via onboard fieldbus gateways
www.wago.us/pfccloud
T
RI U C E
Q&A
CLOSING THE GAP Three Microsoft executives on how the IoT is shifting views on security and narrowing the divide between IT and OT BY DEVIN JONES & KRISTINA URQUHART
L
ast fall at the IoT in Action event in Toronto, Microsoft shared several new additions to its industry-agnostic Azure IoT suite that it says well help companies approach the Internet of Things (IoT) more holistically – including a dashboard for security deployment, security protection for connected microcontroller devices (called Azure Sphere), and a platform to create virtual models of physical environments. Microsoft highlighted the new developments as part of the company’s overall $5-billion investment in IoT announced in early 2018. How do these innovations add to the IoT landscape? And how can the IoT bridge the gap between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT)? We sat down with our colleagues at Design Engineering at the event to find out those answers from three Microsoft experts: Khalil Alfar, general manager of the Azure cloud and enterprise business division for Microsoft Canada, Michael Kuptz, general manager for Microsoft America device experiences – IoT, and Tony Shakib, general manager of Microsoft Azure IoT.
Khalil Alfar
Michael Kuptz
Tony Shakib
Manufacturing Automation: It’s clear from the turnout today that there’s interest in IoT. But how does Microsoft see that reflected in real use cases? And what’s the momentum like in Canada for IoT adoption?
Michael Kuptz, general manager for Microsoft America device experiences for IoT, speaks at the November 2018 IoT in Action event in Toronto.
Khalil Alfar, general manager of the Azure cloud and enterprise business division for Microsoft Canada: A lot of organizations are realizing that it’s time to do something about IoT. They’re starting to realize that there is a significant opportunity to connect directly now into the heart of the organization. It means really doing something outside of just the very specific scenarios operationally. We’re seeing so many different industries starting to understand that this is so important, and having [these] embedded compute capabilities in devices opens up significant opportunities for business. Design Engineering: One of the biggest things that we’ve been seeing is this convergence of OT and IT, where security-wise, those ecosystems were once separated. How is Microsoft using IoT to close that gap?
10 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
Tony Shakib, general manager of Microsoft Azure IoT: We have a very rich history with the IT community…We have a very good relationship in terms of understanding their business needs, migrating them to a cloud, managing data and overall making them productive. With this OT division that we’ve created, we actually had to go learn the line of business. We hired a lot of people from different industries – a lot of people from manufacturing. We had to figure out, one: How do we make sure that we provide the right set of technologies for both groups, and two: How do we really help bring these teams together and make them relevant? IT people come to us saying, “Hey, I want to be more relevant to my line of business.” To us, we hear: “Give me the right tools so I can connect more and more devices, make it secure, and run the applications that we’re looking for.”
At the same time, we’re working with the OT department. We’re telling them, “Okay, we understand the environment you’re coming from” – security in OT is very different than IT – all of the legacy equipment that they have, those realtime needs of how to have that compute capability closer to where the action is. MA: What are some specific gaps Microsoft is noticing when it comes to IoT security architecture? Specifically, where companies and organizations believed they were secure, but in reality, they aren’t at all? TS: A lot of people honestly don’t know their environment and how vulnerable they are to hackers. A lot of the security incidents that are happening aren’t even malicious. It’s unintended. When you have a device, it has a set of parameters [that] it operates in. If you don’t confine its limits, it does unusual things and often breaks, bringing down the whole manufacturing line. Part of the Azure Security Center service that we just unveiled is where organizations can take their Azure subscription, point it to their plant, hospital or assembly line and we will go through every device, port, and operation that it should be executing. It’s a simple way to visualize and take stock of what’s connected and what’s potentially vulnerable. The second thing is that companies recognize the issues but have no idea what to do about them. For us, it’s to help them remediate – which one of these things do you address? Michael Kuptz, general manager for Microsoft America device experiences – IoT: Adding to that, from a manufacturer’s perspective, when you differentiate between industrial and consumer, there’s an inherent fear that continues to persist around connecting consumer devices. The home environment and home gateways are probably as open and transparent as any environment. The announcement of Azure Sphere did three things. It first addressed a massive gap in the awareness around what is secure. Many companies that we met with before we announced
Azure Sphere told us, “We’re secure enough.” There wasn’t a benchmark to be able to model what “secure” meant. Microsoft’s seven security properties delineate between having a secure hardware, a secure OS and a secure software base. In terms of a holistic approach to securing devices, Microsoft is saying, “We’ll take on the operation support side of securing that device” – it is an outsource of device security. When you move that into the consumer environment, parallel to the commercial/ industrial environment, it sets a whole new pattern of engagement that we’ve never had before. The third facet says, “We’ll extend that support and we’ll be responsible for securing those devices for 13 years.” DE: Why do you think we’re not seeing more movement towards that second phase of IoT solutions – from implementation and data collection to analysis and improvement? MK: I’ll address it from an engagement perspective. In the Americas, I have roughly 3,100 OEMs that I’m responsible for. And of those OEMs, the primary focus is, “Do I want to be the disruptor? Or be disrupted?” Once they decide that they’re going to be the disruptor, they become the aggressor in terms of accelerating their transformation. If they’re disrupted, it’s a defend-and-protect strategy, which takes longer because they’re trying to maintain the core business and revenue streams while dabbling in this “How long can I survive?” mindset. These engagements fall into two identity factors, the first being, is there an executive sponsor across the organization that says, “We will make this transformation happen”? You see that with companies like Johnson Controls, in trying to go to an autonomous type of device that will then auto-update based upon the environment that it’s in. They’re going to be the disruptor. The disrupted then becomes, “I gotta make something, connect it and be able to compete in added value to my end customers.” The fear factor and the reason it takes longer isn’t because of technology and it isn’t because of the architecture, it’s because of the
uncertainty and doubt around being all in or partially in. KA: To [MA’s] question about what gaps Microsoft is seeing, a lot of organizations felt like this environment is not secure and they don’t want to connect OT to this network that they believe exposes them to unsavory elements. Being able to have a view of that and have the tools and environments to show them something that’s operationally sound and secure at the same time is what we’re trying to do. MA: Could you elaborate on Microsoft’s involvement with legacy systems? A big concern of our readers is the overall investment costs associated with updating those systems with IoT. So how does Azure specifically work with the network architecture that’s already in place? TS: That’s a great question, and it’s a pretty complex problem to solve. We always realize that the refresh cycle in manufacturing environments [is] very long. When you look at an assembly line, that assembly line is there for 30 years. But we can tap into the existing infrastructure, extract the data, and do a protocol conversion either at the IoT edge because we have the compute engine, or at the cloud. Then it’s an IP-based packet with the new protocol. We try to push the conversion points as close to the port as possible. The second thing is that we’re driving standards. Like OPC UA, where we can actually push that responsibility to the vendors, [so] that they would be responsible for getting to common-based standards that everyone can understand. The third thing is that we’re working on a program called Plug-and-Play that we haven’t announced yet. Ten years ago when you bought a PC, you had to go home, download the drivers, or this and that version. You don’t do that anymore. We’re trying to do the same thing for the IoT world where every device will self-subscribe itself to a service and say “I’m this kind of device, these are my characteristics.” We then create a common data model of what these devices should be doing and their functions – which is automatically brought into the network to perform those functions. | MA
Technology Handbook Internet of Things · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 11
TECHNOLOGY SADZD
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP INTO
INDUSTRY 4.0 Determine your company’s goals, and then dive into digitization BY PETER GUILFOYLE
T
he term “Industrie 4.0” was first coined by the German federal government, in a national strategy to promote the computerization of manufacturing. It represents the fourth industrial revolution on the way to an internet of things, data and services. Decentralized intelligence helps to create intelligent object networking and
independent process management, with the interaction of the real and virtual worlds representing a crucial new aspect of the manufacturing and production process. The basic principle is that by connecting machines and systems, we can create intelligent networks that control each other along the value chain. For example, machines would
12 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
be able to predict failures and trigger maintenance processes autonomously, or self-organize logistics that react to changes in production. Industry 4.0 technologies include many of today’s buzzwords like big data, advanced analytics, virtual reality, the cloud, internet of things (IoT) and M2M (machine-to-machine communication). In the past decade, these technologies have swept across the globe, as manufacturers across the world recognize the value of Industry 4.0. It sounds great, doesn’t it? A vision of the future with efficient, selfautomated manufacturing processes
Investments need to be prioritized to ensure that those providing the Taking pause greatest ROI are implemented first, Few people would fault the vision, but a problem is emerging in the way that the and all changes need to be based on principles of this industrial revolution strategic plans to place the company are being implemented. The potential for Industry 4.0 is so huge that a lot of at an advantage. that monitor themselves, so they never go wrong.
companies rushing to adopt the technology haven’t paused to first figure out the root goals they are trying to achieve, computing will help early detection of and what main problems they are trying defects and production failures, thus enabling their prevention and increasing to solve. If these two questions are not an- productivity, quality and agility benefits swered before embarking on the path to that have significant competitive value. Industry 4.0, the route to follow becomes However, as more databases move onto unclear, and many companies lose their – or connect with – the cloud, security way. The key technologies required for issues are commonly cited as a barrier to digital transformation cause radical fully embracing the new technology, and changes in the business processes of any it’s important to ensure that all databases company, and those changes need to be are protected sufficiently. Some software technologies necesdiscussed and understood before they sitate the moving and/or duplication of are undertaken. For example, key stakeholders in the historian data or other data sources. This business need to consider the company’s creates its own problems, both in terms culture and how to help employees at of external data security and internal all levels to deal with change. This in- validation of the data. If a validated volves overcoming a general reluctance database is duplicated, does it need to to change that is typical of the human be re-validated? These additional drains makeup, as well as training employees to on IT and other resourcing need to be ensure they are qualified to use the up- considered and discussed – sometimes an alternative approach is graded plant. Once digitizaavailable that avoids these tion is achieved, reassurances issues but still allows the over continued employment company to move forward need to be made or, if the upgrades are likely to lead Adopting Industry 4.0 with digitization. New technology needs to redundancies, the com- technologies involves a to be reliable and stable for pany’s management needs to commitment, and critical M2M, and it needs to decide whether people can adequate resource meet any applicable regulabe redeployed in the new allocation, by the IT department to tions to the industry sector system (as is often the case), ensure necessary concerned. or whether they will need to connections are made and Of course, the economic be let go. maintained benefits of this considerable investment need to be justiIndustry 4.0: IT friend fied, and an expected return or foe? Adopting Industry 4.0 involves a commit- on investment (ROI) for each stage ment, and adequate resource allocation, should be estimated. Investments need by the IT department to ensure necessary to be prioritized to ensure that those proconnections are made and maintained, viding the greatest ROI are implemented and to avoid any IT snags that could first, and all changes need to be based on cause expensive production outages. strategic plans to place the company at Modern information and communica- an advantage, or at the very least maintion technologies like the cyber-physical tain a current favorable market position, system, big data analytics and cloud in the future.
4.0
The path to digitization Our world is becoming increasingly digitized, and this can be a good thing – improving efficiency, enhancing quality and helping companies to comply with ever-increasing data-related regulatory requirements. However, before embarking on the journey to Industry 4.0, companies need to pause to consider the objectives of the exercise, and set clear goals that will guide them on the way to the successful implementation of novel technologies. There is no shortage of technologies, but choosing the one that is going to have the greatest positive impact on your company, in the area that you most need it, is an obvious crucial decision. Determining how to approach your technology choices can be resolved by creating a step-by-step process. This should be a team sport with relevant constituent participation. The first step is to determine the problems you hope to solve and what challenges are in the way. Secondly, identify the team. Who has the technical expertise to identify the parameters of importance? How is the IT going to help access key data sources? Then take a look at the people and technologies involved. What talent and technologies are needed? For example, if looking to maximize existing technologies and data sources, what platforms are compatible with current equipment and will be scalable going forward? Finally, begin with a pilot project and refine its implementation, which will roll out to other sites. All of these steps can help you to avoid potential problems and set your company on its path to Industry 4.0. | MA Peter Guilfoyle is vice-president, marketing of Northwest Analytics, a manufacturing analytics solutions provider for Industry 4.0. nwasoft.com
Technology Handbook Internet of Things · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 13
INDUSTRY WATCH BY PAUL HOGENDOORN
Paul Hogendoorn co-founded FreePoint Technologies. “Measure. Analyze. Share. Don’t forget to share.” He can be contacted at paul.hogendoorn@getfreepoint.com or www.getfreepoint.com.
Myth-busting the IIoT and Industry 4.0
T
he emergence of Industry 4.0 and the IIoT, or the Industrial Internet of Things, is causing equal levels of excitement and concern. Most manufacturers I visit have heard about its potential and are aware of the building hype, but don’t know how it will affect them specifically. Depending on a person’s age, the opinions vary from one extreme to the other, with a healthy percentage of indifference. There is often fear associated with it – and like all fear, it is caused by uncertainty and lack of knowledge, fuelled by myths and speculation. If you are close to retirement, you may be inclined to be indifferent, believing it will be the next generation’s problem – or opportunity. If you are in the middle of your career and working on the plant floor, you may fear it might eliminate jobs like yours in the future. And if you are in management, you might be concerned that the new technologies may obsolete or displace your skills, or require you to learn new ones. It seems to me that the more one group of people gets excited about the potential of these new technologies, the more concerned and worried the other group gets. So, let’s pop the four myths I see and hear as most prevalent. Myth #1: “The technology is only applicable for new machines, not for old and ‘legacy’ equipment.” This notion is completely false and is often perpetuated by companies seeking to sell new equipment or expensive software or consulting services. The truth is that old machines are often far easier and less complicated to connect than new machines. As an example, I have seen machines built in 1928 connected, “as is,” without modification or upgrade, for less than $1,000. Although newer machines come with more connectivity options built in, often those options require proprietary software that is either costly,
or that creates data islands for the newly purchased machines. Myth #2: “The IIoT will eliminate people.” While it’s true that technology does eliminate some jobs, it also creates new jobs, and in many cases actually helps protect jobs by helping companies remain competitive with low-cost regions. Properly applied, technology should do more than that – it should also improve the working experience. The purpose of IIoT technologies should be to engage workers, not to eliminate them. (The purpose of most internet technologies is to engage people – the more people engaged by a platform or website, the more successful it is deemed to be. The same measurement objective should hold true for the IIoT.) Myth #3: “Data is complicated and requires a sophisticated skill set.” If this is true in your situation, you are probably measuring the wrong things. The most important information is the information that lets you see which of your systems and processes are healthy, and which ones are not, and this information is usually very simple to extract, and equally simple to compute. For example, a doctor may see 50 patients in a week. By just taking three measurements from each one (pulse, blood pressure and temperature), he
14 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Internet of Things
or she will know which 47 patients are healthy and which three require far more attention. The same is true on the plant floor. Simple run time, stroke count and defect count will let you know which processes are healthy, and which ones require more attention. For the ones that require more attention, you and your people already know the symptoms that are evident. It then becomes a matter of measuring and analyzing those things empirically, automatically and in real time. Myth #4: “Big brother is watching.” This is the one I hear most often on the plant floor, but it’s a notion very easily dispelled. The fact is that management already knows the performance of a plant, person or machine, just perhaps not in real time. The only people that don’t know how well they are doing most often are the people actually doing the work. This may have been acceptable for our current workforce, but our emerging workforce – i.e. young people who have grown up with constant real-time feedback – needs that real-time feedback to remain engaged. Properly devised and deployed, IIoT technologies provide relevant, meaningful and engaging information to people. The information may come from a machine or sensor, but its ultimate purpose is still to inform, empower and equip people. | MA
DON’T MISS OUT on your next issue of
IT’S FAST, IT’S EASY AND IT’S FREE!
HERE’S HOW: FOR FASTEST SERVICE VISIT
AutomationMag.com AND CLICK THE SUBSCRIPTION BUTTON
AutomationMag.com