by Gary Mintchell | Sep 12, 2014 | Internet of Things, Operations Management
In this TED Talk, MIT Media Lab Founder Nicholas Negroponte looks back of 30 years of his Talks and predicts 30 years out.
He is an interesting person and well worth a listen.
What really struck me was his description of the Internet of Things. He said the current version of thinking where we put a replica of the control panel of something, say microwave oven, on a smart phone and then place sensors on the device connected back to the display.
The Internet of Things should build from smart devices, he says. Put the intelligence and the power out in the field. Interesting thought.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 11, 2014 | Automation, Industrial Computers, News, Operations Management, Organizations
Peter Terwiesch, ABB
I have been traveling again. This time at the MIMOSA members meeting in Houston. More to come on that later. Suffice to say right now that the standards for interoperability of data have come a long way in the past 10 years or so.
If my posts have slowed over the past few weeks, blame it on soccer. Every year that I’ve been a referee assignor, the work of keeping up with game changes and finding referees seems to get harder. I’m probably working six hours a day on that. Only four more weeks to go.
Here’s the latest manufacturing supplier news.
ABB launches Next Level strategy
ABB presented its Next Level strategy and financial targets on Sept. 9 for the 2015-2020 period aimed at accelerating sustainable value creation. The strategy is building on ABB’s three focus areas of profitable growth, relentless execution and business-led collaboration.
This is interesting in light of my recent speculations about ABB following yet another divestiture. This is an aggressive plan, but I note the continued weakness in the power systems market.
Here are the highlights:
- Accelerated sustainable value creation of leading power and automation portfolio
- Shift in center of gravity driving profitable organic growth, strengthening competitiveness and lowering risk
- Improving performance through leading operating model
- Driving change through 1,000 day programs
- Future company and Executive Committee structure aligned with new strategy
- Undiluted global business lines as core of ABB
- Peter Terwiesch (photo) appointed to Executive Committee as head of Process Automation
- Market focused, streamlined regional structure
- From 8 to 3 regions, led by experienced EC members: Frank Duggan for Asia, Middle East and Africa; Greg Scheu for Americas; Veli-Matti Reinikkala for Europe
- David Constable, CEO of Sasol, nominated to Board of Directors
- New targets focused on attractive shareholder returns
- Shareholders participate in strong cash generation through $4 billion share buyback
In the next period, the company will drive profitable growth by shifting its center of gravity toward high-growth end markets, enhancing competitiveness and lowering risk in business models.
“Our Next Level strategy will focus on actions centered on accelerating ABB’s organic growth momentum, margin accretion as well as enhanced capital efficiency to deliver greater shareholder value,” ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer said. “We are shifting our center of gravity towards higher growth segments while enhancing competitiveness and lowering risk particularly in our Power Systems division. We are increasing the customer focus of our organization by streamlining it for greater agility and speed. We will drive change with focused 1,000 day programs to ensure a successful implementation.”
In line with its Next Level strategy, the company is aligning its Executive Committee (EC) structure. Peter Terwiesch, currently head of ABB in Central Europe and Germany, has been appointed EC member responsible for the Process Automation division. The three newly created regions will be led by experienced EC members – Frank Duggan (Asia, Middle East and Africa), Greg Scheu (Americas) and Veli-Matti Reinikkala (Europe).
| ABB Next Level – 2020 targets |
| Revenue growth |
4-7% |
| Operational EBITA % |
11-16% |
| Operational EPS growth CAGR |
10-15% |
| Free cash flow (FCF) conversion to net income |
>90% |
| CROI % |
Mid-teens |
| Operational EBITA % 2015-2020 divisional targets |
| Discrete Automation and Motion |
14-19% |
| Low Voltage Products |
15-19% |
| Process Automation |
11-15% |
| Power Products |
12-16% |
| Power Systems |
7-11% |
End of an era
Nematron Corp. was a pioneer of industrial PCs and PC-based control. When that whole technology area came crashing down, I totally lost track of it. Well, the final closure was announced this week.
Comark LLC, a portfolio company of JMC Capital Partners has acquired the assets of Ann Arbor-based Nematron. Headquartered in Medfield MA, Comark is a manufacturer of ruggedized industrial displays, integrated computers, workstations and kiosks that are used in a broad range of industrial and commercial applications.
“Nematron has been an innovator in panel mounted industrial computer and operator interface devices for over 30 years and has thousands of systems installed worldwide. Nematron continues to develop innovative new solutions that set the industry standard,” said G. Lawrence Bero, a Partner at JMC.
“We continue to expand our presence in the industrial and building automation sector. The addition of Nematron will broaden our product line and distribution channels,” said Steve Schott, Chief Executive Officer of Comark. “Nematron’s state of the art HMC, industrial and panel PC product line is a great addition to our growing product portfolio. We look forward to working with the Nematron team to successfully integrate the Nematron business into Comark.”
Another end of an era
The Square D Co. has been headquartered in Palatine, IL for a long time, recently at a beautiful campus. It was acquired by Schneider Electric, but managed to survive as the leading brand in the US of the Schneider portfolio with the Schneider HQ there. That office is not closing, but it will no longer house the executive team.
Well, no more. In an interesting move, Schneider, which bought and then submerged Modicon, has built a new US headquarters near the home of that PLC innovator, Andover, MA.
The moved is couched in the usual phrases of getting closer to customers and making the company more innovative. I have seen worse reasons for a corporate location move.
Here’s the announcement lightly edited. (I wonder if the company’s PR people have set the record for the most company mentions in one sentence. I left them in so that you remember who the company is. That is a common strategy—to mention the company’s name as much as possible. Most editors pare it down in interests of space.)
Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced Sept. 10 the grand opening of its new North American research and development (R&D) center in Andover, MA. The Boston One Campus will also serve as the company’s new North America headquarters and is built to house approximately 750 employees across all disciplines of Schneider Electric’s business segments. Laurent Vernerey, President and CEO of Schneider Electric’s North America Operations, will relocate to the new headquarters as part of the company’s mission to drive innovation and efficiency in North America.
Designed to create an environment that encourages collaboration with customers, R&D engineers and employees, the new campus was also built with the company’s vision of sustainable design and energy efficiency. The Boston One Campus incorporates approximately $8 million of Schneider Electric’s own products and solutions and is expected to achieve about a 30 percent operating cost reduction in its first year. The facility is U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certified and leverages Schneider Electric’s SmartStruxure solution – a fully integrated building management system; APC by Schneider Electric EcoAisle and EcoBreeze data center cooling systems, data denter and server uninterruptible power supplies (UPS); Schneider Electric Altivar variable speed for HVAC control; a variety of ultra-efficient luminaires from Juno Lighting Group by Schneider Electric; intelligent IP security management systems from Pelco by Schneider Electric; and much more.
The Boston One Campus is made up of more than 240,000 square feet across two buildings. Boston One is also equipped with 53,000 square feet of engineering laboratory space that includes customer accessible, cross-discipline technology integration laboratories known as StruxureLabs, where Schneider Electric engineers test and validate products that go into real-world customer deployments.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 5, 2014 | Automation, News, Operations Management
I found this report on the Website of the Economics & Statistics Administration of the US Dept. of Commerce.
This report is a study of a number of statistics regarding manufacturing since the Great Recession. Interesting reading for all of us manufacturing geeks out there.
This is from the executive summary of the report:
The U.S. manufacturing sector has turned a corner. For the first time in over 10 years, output and employment are growing steadily. Manufacturing output has grown 38 percent since the end of the recession, and the sector accounts for 19 percent of the rise in real gross domestic product (GDP) since then. Through May, the sector has added 646,000 jobs, and manufacturers are actively recruiting to fill another 243,000 positions.
The steady growth across all three of these areas might have seemed like wishful thinking just a few years ago when manufacturing was hit especially hard. Yet, manufacturing output and exports have surpassed their pre-recession peaks, and employment has begun to grow again for the first time since 1998. Analysis by the President’s Council of Economic Advisors indicates that this is more than a cyclical rebound; the US has gained about four times as many manufacturing jobs since 2009 as would be expected from cyclical factors alone. Nonetheless, while the manufacturing expansion is robust, some industries and U.S. states have fared better than others. This report provides an overview of these trends in manufacturing, examining production, international trade, and the labor market.
Our analysis shows that:
Manufacturing has contributed decisively to GDP growth. Since the end of the recession in second quarter 2009, real manufacturing value added has climbed 18 percent, compared to an 11 percent rise in real U.S. GDP, increasing manufacturing’s share of total GDP to 12.5 percent at the end of 2013.
The manufacturing sector added 646,000 jobs from February 2010 to May 2014.
Average annual weekly hours for production workers in the manufacturing sector have climbed to their highest level since the mid 1940s.
Although growth has returned across manufacturing, just two industries have accounted for nearly half the rise in shipments: transportation equipment and petroleum and coal products.
Export sales account for more than a quarter of the rebound in shipments since 2009. Exports of U.S. manufactured goods totaled $1.2 trillion in 2013. Transportation equipment and refined petroleum (and coal) products captured 43 percent of the export gains.
Foreign investors also are helping build the U.S. manufacturing sector. As of 2012, total direct investment in the U.S. from abroad totaled $2.7 trillion, of which $899 billion (34 percent) was placed in the manufacturing sector.
The number of manufacturing establishments is growing for the first time since 1999.
87 percent of the job gains in manufacturing have been in three durable goods industries: transportation equipment, fabricated metal products, and machinery.
Job gains in manufacturing have been widespread throughout the country. More than half of the jobs added were in five states: Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 4, 2014 | Automation, Data Management, Internet of Things, Operations Management, Software, Technology
The movement in the United States calls it “Smart Manufacturing.” In Germany, you hear “Industrie 4.0” and sometimes “Smart Industry.” Others refer to “cyberphysical systems.” Also involved in this
witch’s brew of ideas is the Internet of Things—also known as Industrial Internet of Things.
The question that matters goes like this, “Is this all just hype perpetrated by academics, government bureaucrats and suppliers looking for something new to sell?”
This is definitely more than a marketing ploy. We are at a technological inflection point where many technologies are coming together. They are often being proven in the consumer economy and then adapted for manufacturing and machine control.
Networks are a fundamental enabler of this new manufacturing technology. As is advanced database technology (aka Big Data) and the analytics that accompany it.
Now we can add advances in smart devices (think your mobile or smart phone and gyroscopes, GPS, temperature sensors, even vibration sensor, and more) that can provide better knowledge of the state of a device. And we have a way to connect that date and use it.
The mobile computing we’ve been using is shortly going to look positively ancient. Let’s try computational embedded T-shirts. Better cameras. Wrist phones. Google (safety)Glass.
Distributed programming is coming into its own. We have IEC 61499 as a start. National Instruments has a programming language (LabVIEW) that is inherently parallel that can exploit the power of multicore processors and FPGAs. There will be more coming from competitors.
Think of the new power machine and operator interface designers have and will have to make things much better. We are at the beginning of a really cool time in manufacturing technology.
