by Gary Mintchell | Dec 29, 2023 | News
December 2003. We had the first few issues of Automation World published after a hectic startup period. I had been researching this new thing called blogging. During a couple of weeks of downtime around the holidays, I acted on the research.
Dave Winer developed one of the earliest blogging tools. I went to Radio Userland and constructed a simple blogging website—Gary’s Radio Weblog. Then I played with developing content. During my five years post-manufacturing career at Control Engineering magazine, I had developed a discipline of rising early, reading some industry news, and posting to the CE news site. I took that discipline to my new site.
Soon, I was “live blogging” from news conferences. It attracted an industrial geek following. Of course sales people are always looking for something new to sell. The AW sales team wanted to sell something around my blog. I, however, wanted to keep it personal. We compromised. I renamed the blog to Gary Mintchell’s Feed Forward (a process control term and the title of my Editorial Page in the magazine). We used it to front an email newsletter.
Soon my colleague/competitor Walt Boyes was blogging and then Jim Cahill at Emerson began calling himself “Chief Blogger” and we had a little industrial technology blog community. Unfortunately, Walt’s bosses (with a scarcity mindset) made him take his blog into the magazine and it was buried. It was a loss for the community and not much of a gain for the company. Happily, Emerson stuck with Jim Cahill who has proven the value of blogging to marketing effort. Almost all companies have added blogging to their marketing effort (while ceasing advertising). Almost no magazines truly blog.
I had a vision of developing a stable of blogs within Automation World but circumstances intervened (new owners, new bosses) and it was time for me to leave. It’s a shame that they never developed a true stable of blogs. My forte was that I was never and never wanted to be a journalist. I had technical and classical liberal arts training and just wanted to write. I have seen few trained journalists at any level in the past 20 years who have been able to transition to blogging. On the other hand celebrities such as Tim Ferriss, Paul Graham, Tyler Cowan have made the most of blogging.
The Manufacturing Connection became a front for business along with some sponsorships. Given the maturity and stagnation of the market, a lot of the side businesses withered and sponsorships have dwindled. It’s time for one last chapter before I get too old.
In the meantime I have covered, in succession:
- Control and Instrumentation
- Automation
- Networking—Fieldbus to Ethernet
- Connected Enterprise—mostly meaning software
- Internet of Things
- IT to OT connection (including IT interest in manufacturing)
- Standards
- Software
- Industry 4.0—cyberphysical systems and digital twin
- Digtalization
- Digital Transformation
- AI / ML
- And coming, workforce transformation
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 28, 2023 | News, Organizations, Workforce
I have an interesting startup designed to promote talented people and mentor them.
“Traditional innovation ecosystems have often been limited by a lack of diversity, resulting in homogeneous ideas and solutions, as well as unexpected bias. In today’s globalized world, innovation thrives on diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds.”
Parallax Futures is a non-profit fellowship program based in California that aims to infuse the world with Conceptual Technologists to seed emergent technology ecosystems such as artificial intelligence (AI) with talent, leadership and innovation skills inspiring abundant futures. Parallax Futures is led by its founder, Kim Newman, who formed the company in 2023 with the aim of creating Conceptual Technologists to inspire positivity and build better futures using emerging technology.
Parallax Futures is underpinned by 3 key principles:
- We believe the truest form of collaboration happens when the best and brightest multi-dimensionally diverse talent are brought together.
- We believe in the power of emergent technologies and their potential to shape the future.
- We believe it is our responsibility as humans to harness this potential and explore new possibilities.
By bringing together individuals from various backgrounds, cultures, disciplines, and perspectives, we create an environment where innovation thrives. Marry this with the potential of emerging technologies and the result is our collective diversity fostering creativity and breakthroughs necessary for abundant futures.
Through this limitless collaboration, we will unlock the full potential of new and future technology, paving the way for positive futures where these advancements unleash progress, equality, and alignment between all living things inclusive of new innovations and the world around us.
About Kim Newman
She’s passionate about enabling teams of creatives, technology leaders, and innovators with the skills, mindset, and network to tackle the complex and evolving challenges of tomorrow. Prior to Parallax Futures, Kim enjoyed a wide variety of leadership positions in both academia and the technology sectors. She served as the Director of UCSF’s first ever strategic planning process; was program executive for a $60M higher education analytics engagement; was the go-to-market leader for IBM’s Watson Education; and a top business development executive for intellectual property licensing at IBM’s 12 global research labs. Kim holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and German from Susquehanna University.
The Parallax Futures fellowship is a 5-month program that trains practitioners to become conceptual technologists through the application of conceptual thinking to emergent technologies. By bringing together individuals from various backgrounds, cultures, disciplines, and perspectives, we create an environment where diverse thought and innovation thrives. Fellowship participants will play an active role in refining and shaping the program through their experiences, feedback, and discovered best practices.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 26, 2023 | News
Venture capital money continues to be available for some manufacturing software—especially when it relates to data management and analysis. Braincube has raised €83 million of growth equity investment. The investment was led by Scottish Equity Partners (‘SEP’).
Braincube’s Industrial Internet of Things (‘IIoT’) platform helps manufacturers increase their profits using data insights to improve quality, productivity, and sustainability in their factories. Production line optimisations, resulting from Braincube’s use-case driven framework and proprietary AI, have already saved customers more than $10 billion, and have reduced carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes.
The company has grown strongly in recent years, and now has over 250 employees across its operations in France, Europe, the United States, and Brazil. Its software is used on manufacturing sites across 35 countries. Braincube’s customer base spans several manufacturing verticals, with a particular specialism in the food and beverage, pulp and paper, building materials, and tires and plastics sectors. Customers include leading global manufacturing companies such as Bridgestone and International Paper.
“We are delighted to be partnering with SEP, one of Europe’s leading growth equity investors in software companies, and Bpifrance, one of France’s leading investors. It is clear that in SEP and Bpifrance we have found long-term supportive partners who can help Braincube continue its global growth journey,” said Laurent Laporte, Founder and CEO at Braincube.
SEP’s investment was led by Angus Conroy, Andrew Davidson, and Arpita Prasad. Angus Conroy, a Partner at SEP, said, “Braincube is an impressive business, with a complex and IP-rich product, excellent customers, and a track record of strong growth. The company has a leading position in a market that benefits from strong tailwinds, as manufacturers embrace Industry 4.0. There is excellent cultural alignment between Braincube and SEP, and we are excited to partner with the team for the next stage of growth.”
Bpifrance’s investment was led by Luc Heinrich and Mathilde Meunier Garcia. Luc Heinrich, Managing Director of Bpifrance Equity MidCap fund added: “We have been impressed by the team and what they have achieved so far. Braincube operates at the intersection of AI and Industry, two major themes for Bpifrance. We are excited to work with the team in this next phase of growth”.
Clipperton served as the exclusive financial adviser to Braincube on the transaction. Prior to this transaction, Braincube has been successfully supported by IRIS Capital and Next47.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 22, 2023 | News, Workforce
Harry Moser has been a tireless crusader for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the USA. Sometimes economic forces overpower desires. The economics of offshoring have weakened over time. Then the pandemic revealed supply chain weaknesses. Factors are coming together to bring jobs closer to markets. This is news of a first half 2023 Reshoring plus Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) job announcements.
We expect to see upwards of 300,000 jobs announced by year-end. EV battery and chip investments along with other essential product industries supported by Bidenomics account for the bulk of the announcements.
Several factors have come to light that substantiate the strength of U.S. reshoring and FDI trends. In the first quarter of this year, average spending on U.S. factory construction was more than double the average from the past 17 years. Reshoring Initiative data parallels the magnitude and focus of the construction investments. Independently conducted surveys on reshoring actions by U.S. companies also correlate very closely with Reshoring Initiative data on jobs announced over the past 12 years (Exhibit 1) adding validity to both data sets.
Reshoring and FDI job numbers demonstrate exceptional progress for U.S. manufacturing after decades of offshoring. If this progress can be combined with an industrial policy that supports greater cost competitiveness, we will continue our rapid strengthening of U.S. supply chains.
The Reshoring Initiative’s 1H 2023 Report contains data on U.S. reshoring and FDI by companies that have shifted production or sourcing from offshore to the United States.
“We publish this data to show companies that their peers are successfully reshoring and that they should reevaluate their sourcing and siting decisions,” said Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative. “With 5 million manufacturing jobs still offshore, as measured by our $1.2 trillion/year goods trade deficit, there is potential for much more growth. We also call on the administration and Congress to enact policy changes to make the United States competitive again.”
About the Reshoring Initiative
A 55-year manufacturing industry veteran and retired President of GF Machining Solutions, Harry Moser founded the Reshoring Initiative to move lost jobs back to the U.S. He was named to the Industry Week and Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Halls of Fame for his efforts with the Reshoring Initiative.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 21, 2023 | Automation, Process Control, Sustainability
Technology is finally catching up to the dream of using hydrogen to fuel our vehicles in place of fossil fuel. You will see commercial vehicle fleets switching over in only a few years. Honeywell leads in many of the technologies needed to bring hydrogen into the mainstream.
This news concerns the launch (Honeywell claims world’s first) of its 100% hydrogen-capable diaphragm gas meter. The Honeywell EI5 smart gas meter, which has been successfully piloted in the Netherlands, is part of a broader initiative to align with the region’s goals outlined in the European Green Deal.
The new gas meter is capable of measuring both hydrogen and natural gas, providing adaptability across the European continent. Once installed, these meters eliminate the need for future replacements, even as networks transition to hydrogen, thereby reducing long-term costs and enhancing operational sustainability. The EI5’s design and functionality have been tested and certified by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), ensuring their safety, accuracy, and preparedness for the evolving energy landscape.
“Honeywell’s hydrogen-capable meters are key to facilitating a seamless transition to hydrogen energy across European utility networks,” said Kinnera Angadi, Chief Technology Officer of Smart Energy and Thermal Solutions at Honeywell. “We’re enhancing operational efficiency with meters that are ready for the future, helping our customers stay ahead in a market that’s swiftly transitioning toward greener energy solutions.”
In the Netherlands, the gas meters will be delivered to Enexis Group, one of the country’s largest gas distributors, following a pilot project in Wagenborgen. This pilot project is transforming residential homes from the 1970s, integrating them into a hydrogen network that includes not only the EI5 gas meters but also a hydrogen central boiler for heating and hot water. Looking ahead, the project aims to pioneer the use of green hydrogen through electrolysis, marking a significant step in sustainable energy usage.
The 2020 Hydrogen Council report indicates that hydrogen costs are expected to decrease by 2030, making it competitive with other low-carbon alternatives. This leads large utility distributors like Enexis Group to commit converting their main gas lines to hydrogen within the next three years.
