I was actively involved with the MESA International organization when it developed the last MES Model. The organization changed and I gradually slipped away. But it is still busy promoting MES (or MOM) software applications although they’ve adopted the term Smart Manufacturing. They have adopted a new model. I like this because it blows up any pretense of the old pyramid structure. But I’m not so sure that it simplifies the complexity of the offerings of the many and varied MESA supplier/members. Take a moment and study where manufacturing software may be heading. Or, maybe where it has gone.
MESA International announces the release of a new MESA Model: A Framework for Smarter Manufacturing. The new model intends to help define the current and future landscape of “smart” manufacturing and production. It considers concepts that have been a part of manufacturing and production forever but dives deeply into how these concepts are made “smart” by integrating related functions and incorporating new or advanced technology.
The MESA Smart Manufacturing Model integrates three related concepts: Lifecycles, Cross-Lifecycle Threads and Enabling Technologies. The Lifecycles represent business processes and value streams required in manufacturing that need to be optimized. The Lifecycles apply to all manufacturing and production enterprises, though they might vary in application across different industries or across enterprises with different levels of maturity. Cross-Lifecycle Threads help link together functions between different Lifecycles to achieve specific goals and ensure that Lifecycles operate cohesively rather than independently. The Enabling Technologies listed in the Model are just a few of the examples of modern technologies that enable the desired Smart Manufacturing outcomes.
MESA’s Knowledge Committee Chairman, Khris Kammer, stated about the new model, “For many years, industry has turned to MESA as a reliable source for actionable tools and guidance to maximize manufacturing and production operations through the use of software technology. In fact, it’s been almost three decades since MESA was created, and in that time, we’ve released three (now four) MESA models. Over those years, MESA models have been referenced in thousands of textbooks, articles, and technical journals. They have also been employed by manufacturers, producers and vendors to enable a common vocabulary and structure for discussions as solutions are designed and implemented. The newest MESA model will be the basis for ongoing efforts to develop additional written works, webinars, and other educational materials at MESA, and we expect that it will be used by countless other people and organizations in the ways that previous models have been referenced. We thank the many volunteers who have helped pull this model together, and we hope that others will join us to add additional content and context.”
MESA (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association) International is a global, not-for-profit community of manufacturers, producers, industry leaders and solution providers who are focused on improving Operations Management capabilities through the effective application of Information Technologies, IT-based solutions, and best practices. To accomplish this, we:
• Enable members to connect, contribute, cultivate understanding, and exchange strategies to drive operations excellence.
• Collect, share, and publish best practices and guidance to drive greater productivity and the overall profitability of the manufacturing enterprise.
• Educate the marketplace on manufacturing operations best practices through the MESA Global Education Program.
I’ve sold many proximity switches in my life. I remember taking the first steel-face proxes around with a piece of 2×4 and 10-penny nails. The prox was installed in a steel rod. Give it to the customer. Have then drive the nail into the 2×4 then still sense the steel. Is that the last innovation in proxes? No. Here is one from Festo with an auto-teach function. From the press release:
Festo introduces the SDBT-MSX – the first programmable proximity switch with automatic switching point setting. With an initial detection range of 20 mm, the SDBT-MSX is easy and reliable to install and commission, especially in applications where mounting is difficult. The switch is ideal for all standard applications, including factory automation and the electronics industry/small parts handling.
Only two steps are required for installing an SDBT-MSX. The user simply fits the switch in the approximate end stop position within the 20 mm detection range (which is marked on the sensor) and connects the cable to the controller (PLC). No power supply is needed during installation. During first operation, the proximity switch detects the end position of the piston stroke and automatically learns and remembers the switching point. This is an industry first for a solid-state positioning switch.
Alternatively, the switching point of the SDBT-MSX can be taught manually using the capacitive control button. This button also allows the user to select PNP, NPN/ NO, or NC, and the switching window can be set from 2 … 15 mm. This flexibility can also reduce the variety of sensor types needed to be kept in inventory.
SDBT-MSX fits in all drives with a T-slot. It pairs best with drives from Festo, such as the DSBC ISO cylinder, DFM guided drive, DSNU round cylinder, ADN and ADN-S compact cylinders, and DGST mini-slide. Such pairings enable users to access the full capabilities of the switch.
Many surveys are coming my way concerning security, and now sustainability. Reminds me of a guy I knew in graduate school who would go out to a high school in the remote bayous of Louisiana and do a survey. It was the early days of computers. He’d compile the answers in the LSU mainframe and then write a dozen or more articles for academic journals.
ABB Study on Industrial Transformation Digitalization and Sustainability
Regardless, let us see what information we can cull from this survey of 765 international decision makers by ABB regarding the role of Industrial IoT solutions related to reaching sustainability goals.
This survey validates many other surveys about digitalization technologies. 96 percent of the respondents believe digitalization is “essential to sustainability,” just 35 percent have implemented Industrial IoT solutions at scale. I’ve seen numbers like this for several yeas. When, we ask, are executives going to make that transition from “belief” to action? Well, 72 percent said they are increasing investment in IIoT specifically to address sustainability aims.
These things take time from decision to invest to actual accomplishment. Maybe we’ll begin to see stories of implementation before too many years.
“Sustainability goals more and more are a crucial driver of business value and company reputation, and Industrial IoT solutions are playing an increasingly important role in helping enterprises achieve safe, smart and sustainable operations,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB’s Process Automation business area. “Unlocking insights hidden in operational data holds the key to enabling literally billions of better decisions throughout industry and acting upon them, with significant gains in productivity, reduced energy consumption and lower environmental impact.”
The study, commissioned by ABB, found that an organization’s “future competitiveness” is the single greatest factor – cited by 46 percent of respondents – in industrial companies’ increased focus on sustainability. Yet while 96 percent of global decision-makers view digitalization as “essential to sustainability,” only 35 percent of surveyed firms have implemented Industrial IoT solutions at scale. This gap shows that while many of today’s industrial leaders recognize the important relationship between digitalization and sustainability, the adoption of relevant digital solutions to enable better decisions and achieve sustainability goals needs to accelerate in sectors like manufacturing, energy, buildings and transport.
ABB innovations for sustainability
Meanwhile ABB itself is moving ahead with sustainability projects.
ABB is committed to leading with technology to enable a low-carbon society and a more sustainable world. Over the past two years, ABB has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by more than 25 percent. As part of its Sustainability strategy 2030, ABB expects to be fully carbon neutral by decade’s end and to support its global customers in reducing their annual CO2 emissions by at least 100 megatons by 2030, the equivalent of removing 30 million combustion cars from the roads each year.
ABB’s investments in digital capabilities are core to this commitment. With more than 70 percent of ABB’s R&D resources dedicated to digital and software innovations, and a robust ecosystem of digital partners, including Microsoft, IBM and Ericsson, the company has established a leading presence in Industrial IoT.
The ABB Ability portfolio of digital solutions enables a host of industrial use cases to power improvements in energy efficiency, resource conservation and circularity, including condition monitoring, asset health and management, predictive maintenance, energy management, simulation and virtual commissioning, remote support and collaborative operations.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not escaped my attention. I took a couple of years away from technical education to study international relations under a professor with Army Intelligence and CIA background. He was a bit weird, but he also had a wealth of information and contacts. I often wondered if I should have taken him up on the offer to join the CIA. Well, no, I was better off the direction I went.
This story from Ukraine came my way. I am not a supply chain expert, but there are stories that fit the manufacturing connection story. This is one. Talk about important connections. These quotes come from Alexa Syniacheva, co-founder and CEO, Moeco.
“The war in Ukraine came as a shock to the world. On a personal level, I am the Ukrainian CEO of a Berlin-based startup, originally from the Ukrainian city of Odesa. My co-founder, Mit Gorilovskiy, and I and founded Moeco in 2018 and run our team across Europe and the US. I have already taken time out to ensure that my family has safely left the country, and am now doing all I can to help my fellow Ukrainians.
Moeco provides logistics visibility solutions based on disposable 4G/5G IoT sensors and a SaaS platform, which allow us and the recipient to track goods to their final destination. We are coordinating directly with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Defence to organize the purchase and logistics of medical supplies and body armor, and then ensuring these critical items reach the areas where they are needed most.
So far, we have shipped almost $2.5 million worth of supplies, helped by private fundraising initiatives!
To expand our fundraising efforts, Moeco has also teamed up with www.kindrace.com. This is a charity initiative by friend of Moeco, Tatyana Grinuova, a Ukrainian philanthropist and marathon runner. Based in Berlin, Tatyana is currently running a half-marathon in the city center every day to raise funds — and has pledged to do so each day until the war ends. The funds will go to purchasing and supplying these essential items for Ukraine.”
The go-to book for manufacturing operations management for a generation has been The Goal by Jeff Cox and Eliyahu Goldratt. The book tells about transforming a failing plant using the Theory of Constraints and examples from life such as a Boy Scout hike.
Steel Toes and Stilettos: A True Story of Women Manufacturing Leaders and Lean Transformation Success by Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller captures my nomination for the manufacturing operations management story for the new generation. This first person account (told in sections by each of the authors) tells the story of how they assembled and led teams of three divisional automotive parts plants through a Lean transformation. The plants became clean, profitable, enthusiastic examples of how manufacturing can be done better.
Noticing, perhaps, that the authors are women, they use shoes as a metaphor for the journey and for the outline of the book. They also played with the metaphor of walking a mile in someone’s shoes. Part of the book discusses some of the work and planning involved from convincing people to try new ideas into having those same people (mostly) become creative participants in turning the plants around. Like all good stories, there are several levels. Another part of the story is how they managed to blend home life with the time consuming travel and meetings a turnaround requires. Still another part touches on some unique challenges women face in an overwhelmingly male culture.
Oh, and I think many grapes were killed in the making of this story. You’ll have to read the book to catch the meaning.
Note: I link to bookshop.org rather than to Amazon. This website supports your local independent bookstore. Just as I’m a fan of local coffee houses that provide direct trade coffee, I also support local bookstores.
