by Gary Mintchell | Apr 25, 2024 | Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
Emerson continues on the software development path. In brief: DeltaV Workflow Management delivers scalable recipe authoring and execution technologies for life sciences companies.
Global automation technology and software leader Emerson on April 16, 2024 introduced DeltaV Workflow Management, a next-generation software designed for life sciences companies in early-stage development. The new software continues Emerson’s expansion of capabilities of the evolving DeltaV automation platform to offer more scalable options to suit the needs of smaller life sciences innovators. For companies with limited IT infrastructure, DeltaV Workflow Management provides a cloud-based, software-as-a-service solution for simple recipe authoring, execution and electronic data capture.
DeltaV Workflow Management transitions recipe workflow data from manual records to digital “paper on glass,” providing a simple and scalable solution that helps accelerate the drug development process with no coding experience required. The software also generates searchable digital records that are easily organized and exported and data that can be more easily analyzed and reported. In addition, this digital shift minimizes the contamination risks associated with paper records in sterile clean rooms.
Within DeltaV Workflow Management, users employ simple drag-and-drop elements to create steps for a recipe and automate workflows that meet Good Manufacturing Practice standards. Within those steps, they can add new parameters and e-signature requirements for quality control and regulatory compliance, run product recipes, authorize users for specific tasks and create digital batch records.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 15, 2024 | Automation, Business, Manufacturing IT, Process Control, Software, Technology
Emerson has gone through a process of divesting companies and adding others, such as NI (nee National Instruments) becoming overall more of an automation company. Much like years ago when Rockwell shed aerospace and trucks and other industries becoming Rockwell Automation.
Its tagline in press releases for some time has included software as an emphasis. Now, they’ve announced the new DeltaV Automation Platform adds SCADA, MES and operations management software technologies. The idea is to promote smarter, safer, optimized and more sustainable operations.
One of my more popular podcasts asked the question why industrial technology vendors are moving to software.
As part of its Boundless Automation vision for helping organizations deliver more seamless operations, global automation technology and software leader Emerson is evolving its DeltaV brand into the DeltaV Automation Platform. The newly expanded automation platform will include supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, manufacturing execution systems (MES) and operations management software alongside the distributed control (DCS) and safety systems (SIS) and other technologies that have been part of the brand for decades. The evolution builds a more comprehensive automation platform to make it easier for users to deliver smarter, safer, more optimized and more sustainable operations.
Organizations across nearly every industry including life sciences, specialty chemical, mining and extraction, food and beverage, energy and more are experiencing new complexities as they face the modern challenge of improving throughput, performance and quality while simultaneously increasing sustainability of operations. Navigating this increased complexity requires seamless mobility of data, reliable performance and advanced control strategies from the plant floor to the corporate boardroom. The comprehensive nature of the new DeltaV Automation Platform will empower users to move away from “plant-by-plant” strategies to “site-by-site” or even enterprise automation solutions—the more advanced, integrated automation strategies that are increasingly necessary to compete in a complex global marketplace.
This, of course, is an ideal way to perpetuate, and indeed increase, vendor lock-in of its customers. Why go anywhere else for all your hardware and software needs?
“In an era of increased demand and higher sustainability targets, today’s organizations are looking for ways to manage and contextualize data across the many software solutions they use to help unlock easier, faster and safer decisions,” said Nathan Pettus, president of Emerson’s process systems and solutions business. “The DeltaV Automation Platform will combine a flexible, fit-for-purpose portfolio of DCS, SIS, SCADA, MES and operations management software with unmatched application and cross-industry expertise to help cross-functional teams across the enterprise more easily achieve their goals.”
With an extensive portfolio unified under one brand, users will have access to a comprehensive technology ecosystem that provides a broader suite of solutions. Organizations will more quickly and easily find the right solutions to meet their specific needs and will gain easier access to service, training and support.
All solutions in the DeltaV Automation Platform will be seamlessly supported through the Guardian digital customer experience.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 8, 2024 | Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
Rob McAveney, Aras CTO, had a follow up conversation with me to flesh out some of the ideas from the recent customer conference.
Perhaps the concept of an industrial metaverse is fizzling along with the Apple Vision Pro hype, but McAveney’s view is that it is all about data. Yes, without massive amounts of data, what will the visualization tools visualize?
While on the stage, he discussed how the coming Cognitive wave including AI will automate away rote tasks humans have done. Or as he put it, AI + Cognitive systems—leverage to describe what is possible and zoom in on potential solutions. He sees the coming 5.0 software leveraging all the data we’ve accumulated from 4.0 for breakthroughs. Some things to watch for in the Cognitive + AI systems:
- AI as an assistant
- Syndicate digital twins
- Connect system of systems
- Able to become increasingly able to suggest more complex solutions
We talked a little further about generative AI. Essentially PLM and similar systems are massive databases. Generative AI can be a way of pulling data from documents without the pain of finding and opening the documents.
He also suggested a day forthcoming when GenAI may be able to generate part drawings and then eventually could expand to subassemblies.
I’m thinking that, just like when using ChatGPT now, a trained and knowledgeable human will be required to check and finish the work.
Aras had introduced new Digital Thread capabilities. In my early career, I embodied the “digital thread”, so I’m quite interested in the evolution of the idea. McAveney told me to think of it in terms of collaboration from design to lifecycle management to suppliers to the audit trail.
New capabilities will support simplified user interactions for viewing, editing, and implementing changes on interrelated items. In addition, a new streamlined experience for configuring connections to a comprehensive range of authoring tools simplifies extending the digital thread to a broader set of enterprise applications.
I’ve recently been taking a deep dive into low-code applications. McAveney told me, “We did it before it had a name. We originally called it modeling. Builder was born as low code. It’s core of what we do; everything is built on that engine. Customers take it and extend it.
Aras Innovator is the only PLM platform with a fully integrated low-code development environment. Leveraging a rich set of development and enterprise-class DevOps services, Aras subscribers can extend applications or develop their own to address the unique needs of their organization. These enhancements introduce new widgets and charts that simplify the user experience and navigation for analytics dashboards and reports embedded in Aras apps. In addition, advanced form design tools facilitate a more streamlined, modern user experience for applications built within Aras-powered applications and deployed within Aras’ DevOps framework.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 5, 2024 | Enterprise IT, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
The beginnings of a trend in manufacturing software has appeared on my horizon about mid-way through last year. This would be the use of low-code software for application development. I first noted it with some acquisitions in my market space. Recently I have begun working with a company called Quickbase who has a platform built with low-code application development in mind.
[Note: In my work with Quickbase, I’m sometimes compensated for what I do. They do not dictate what I write or say.]
I recently had the opportunity to talk with two users of Quickbase’s platform for their manufacturing software needs. You can hear them plus me at the Quickbase Empower Virtual Customer Conference on May 8 (our session is at 11:30 am EDT immediately following the keynotes). Their stories verified what I was beginning to hear from my first encounters. Listening to their tone of voice, what really perked them up was the ability to be rapidly responsive to requests from users for modifications to screens and reports.
That discussion spurred me on to some additional research on the topic. Following is a list of benefits I uncovered on my research. This is not a list specific to Quickbase, but a more generic list that you might find with applications in a variety of areas. But check out Quickbase for your specific needs. I’m sure I’ll have more interviews in the future to take a deeper dive into Quickbase specifically. For now, I was interested in this new feature. Feel free to contact me with additional thoughts. Or stories about how you have used low-code in engineering or manufacturing operations software.
- Faster Development: Low-code platforms enable rapid application development by providing pre-built templates, drag-and-drop interfaces, and visual development tools.
- Reduced Costs: With low-code development, you can save on development costs by eliminating the need for hiring expensive developers with specialized coding skills. Additionally, the time saved in development translates to cost savings.
- Increased Productivity: Low-code platforms allow both professional developers and citizen developers (non-technical users) to build applications. This democratization of app development increases productivity by enabling more people within an organization to contribute to development efforts.
- Flexibility and Customization: While low-code platforms provide pre-built components and templates, they also offer the flexibility to customize applications according to specific business requirements. Developers can extend functionality by writing custom code when needed.
- Streamlined Maintenance: Low-code platforms often include built-in features for application monitoring, debugging, and performance optimization. This simplifies maintenance tasks and reduces the time required for ongoing support and updates.
- Integration Capabilities: Many low-code platforms offer out-of-the-box integrations with popular third-party services, databases, and APIs. This makes it easier to connect your applications with other systems and data sources.
- Scalability: Low-code platforms can scale with your business needs, allowing you to quickly add new features or expand functionality as your requirements evolve. This scalability helps future-proof your applications.
- Accessibility: Low-code platforms often come with intuitive user interfaces and guided development processes, making app development accessible to a wider range of users, including those with limited technical expertise.
- Faster Time-to-Market: By accelerating the development process and enabling iterative development cycles, low-code platforms help bring applications to market faster. This can give your business a competitive edge by allowing you to respond quickly to changing market demands.
- Risk Reduction: Low-code platforms often come with built-in security features and compliance standards, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Overall, low-code application development software offers a compelling solution for businesses looking to rapidly build, deploy, and maintain applications with greater efficiency and flexibility.
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 7, 2024 | Data Management, Manufacturing IT, News, Operations Management
The first trip I made as a new editor many years ago was to Microsoft to talk with a manufacturing software/PLM developer. PLM being Product Lifecycle Management—that layer of software used to translate CAD into manufacturing. When I covered automation, we didn’t cover this area often. These software companies seldom advertise, so the pressure from sales to cover them was, shall we say, less intense.
Last year I attended three PLM developers either in person or virtually. This year I began receiving more press releases and news from Aras. I told the marketing person that I knew the company but not that well. That led to an invitation to its ACE2024 conference held this week. I learned a ton about Aras and its products and partners as well as seeing two old friends that I never expected to meet there.
Roque (pronounced Rocky) Martin has been CEO for just more than 2 years. Sounds like he’s done well. Aras has been growing lately—61% over 2 years. The company counts 1.7 million registered users. It recently (like many industrial software companies) introduced a Software As A Service (SaaS) product which this year had seen a 77% year-over-year growth.
Setting a context for the event, he discussed three challenges facing the industry:
- Digitalization (silos, distributed, digital thread, connect, collaboration)
- Differentiated Innovation (industry didn’t like customization but discovered that one size fits all is not optimum),
- Accelerated Change
Discussing the change challenge, he listed this industry timeline:
- 1.0 Mechanization (120 years)
- 2.0 Electrification (70 years)
- 3.0 Automation (30 years)
- 4.0 Digitalization (10 years)
- 5.0 Cognitive (coming soon to software near you)
Rob McAveney, CTO, discussed how the coming Cognitive wave including AI will automate away rote tasks humans have done. Or as he put it, AI + Cognitive systems—leverage to describe what is possible and zoom in on potential solutions. He sees the coming 5.0 software leveraging all the data we’ve accumulated from 4.0 for breakthroughs. Some things to watch for in the Cognitive + AI systems:
- AI as an assistant
- Syndicate digital twins
- Connect system of systems
- Able to become increasingly able to suggest more complex solutions
Two interesting pieces of news follows. The first are enhancements to its PLM Platform. You sort of have to see the demos to realize how cool these things are. (Oh, if only I would have had tools like this back in my product development days!) The second announcement relates to a partnership with SAIC. Once again viewing the demos shows the power of this integration. I sat in the breakout presentation to get a dive—but I could never do it justice. If you’re in this area of work, check it out.
Aras Announces Strategic Enhancements to PLM Platform
Expands Digital Thread, Low-Code, and Visualization Capabilities and Adds New Supplier Management Applications
New Digital Thread Capabilities
Aras Innovator forms an extensible digital thread, serving as a data backbone for digital engineering and the broader digital enterprise. New capabilities will support simplified user interactions for viewing, editing, and implementing changes on interrelated items. In addition, a new streamlined experience for configuring connections to a comprehensive range of authoring tools simplifies extending the digital thread to a broader set of enterprise applications.
Extended Low-Code Development Enhancements
Aras Innovator is the only PLM platform with a fully integrated low-code development environment. Leveraging a rich set of development and enterprise-class DevOps services, Aras subscribers can extend applications or develop their own to address the unique needs of their organization. These enhancements introduce new widgets and charts that simplify the user experience and navigation for analytics dashboards and reports embedded in Aras apps. In addition, advanced form design tools facilitate a more streamlined, modern user experience for applications built within Aras-powered applications and deployed within Aras’ DevOps framework.
Powerful Visualization of Complex Assemblies
Aras’ CAD-agnostic approach to 3D visualization has been built on the foundation of the digital thread, enabling users to leverage Dynamic Product Navigation to facilitate the exploration of product data in any representation. The introduction of Aras Advanced 3D enhances this capability, providing a scalable environment to visualize and interact with larger, more complex assemblies that often exceed the capacity of a single CAD session.
Optimized Connectivity and Collaboration with Suppliers
Aras is introducing a suite of supplier management solutions designed to enhance how organizations interact with their suppliers and business partners. These new applications facilitate secure, remote access to controlled subsets of digital thread and PLM information through configurable mobile-optimized web applications. These solutions streamline communication and data sharing to optimize supplier management business processes. Projected availability for Aras Supplier Management Solutions is in Q2 2024, with a preview webinar scheduled for March 26.
SAIC Powers Its ReadyOne Digital Engineering Ecosystem Solution with Aras
Aras, a leader in product lifecycle management and digital thread solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with leading technology integrator SAIC (Science Applications International Corp.) that includes integration of Aras Innovator as the digital thread backbone for its digital engineering solution, ReadyOne.
ReadyOne is SAIC’s rapidly deployable digital engineering ecosystem, which offers customers an end-to-end digital thread for consistent, traceable, and complete engineering solutions. By using Aras’ product lifecycle management (PLM) technology as its foundation, the solution creates a single-source-of-truth for users, letting them access any and all needed information, at any point in the engineering process, all from a common platform. With ReadyOne, collaboration and transparency are increased, while risks and costs are decreased.
by Gary Mintchell | Feb 19, 2024 | Data Management, Manufacturing IT, News, Operations Management
A couple of IT companies introduced DataOps to me about ten years ago. I thought this looked like a ripe opportunity for the industrial market. Shortly thereafter I ran into a group of former Kepware people who had formed just such a company—HighByte. I then had an opportunity to talk with the Snowflake people at the Ignition Customer Community meeting last September. This Data Cloud company has some interesting technology. This news relates to a relationship and interoperability service.
If you have not explored the utility of DataOps, check out HighByte and also Snowflake.
HighByte announced in February 2024 the release of HighByte Intelligence Hub version 3.3 that offers new and improved interoperability with industry-leading cloud services, including the Snowflake Data Cloud and AWS IoT SiteWise. The latest release introduces two new native connectors for Snowflake supporting a broad set of use cases for industrial enterprises.
The first new connector, Snowflake Streaming, utilizes the Snowflake Snowpipe Streaming API. This interface enables direct publishing to Snowflake tables without the need for staging files or third-party applications. This significantly reduces the compute, latency, and cost of frequently moving telemetry events into Snowflake. The second new connector, Snowflake SQL, enables HighByte Intelligence Hub users to directly query Snowflake tables. Rather than merely publishing to Snowflake, the Intelligence Hub can operationalize insights and context derived through the Snowflake Manufacturing Data Cloud by making this data available for industrial devices and applications.
HighByte Intelligence Hub is an Industrial DataOps solution that contextualizes and standardizes raw industrial data at the edge, delivering usable information to cloud service partners. Receiving consistent, usable industrial data accelerates adoption and scale of these cloud services, helping industrial companies orchestrate digital transformation projects across their enterprise. The Intelligence Hub gives operational technology (OT) domain experts a no-code application to curate and contextualize industrial data according to standard data models.
Intelligence Hub version 3.3 also introduces tighter integration with AWS IoT SiteWise. The Intelligence Hub’s modeling engine and the IoT SiteWise connector have been refined and enhanced for working with hierarchical asset structures. These improvements simplify the user experience, reduce effort, and provide a single, no-code approach for composing and delivering asset-model hierarchies to IoT SiteWise as well as hydrating them with industrial data.
