I recently connected with Adrian Heaton, Global Service Manager for ABB Measurement, to discuss the global skills shortage for technical talent in our industry.
A 2021 study conducted by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute (MI) predicts that 2.1 million manufacturing positions will go unfulfilled by 2030, partly due to an increasing skills gap.
Following are several points Heaton made during our conversation.
Heaton works in the Measurement and Instrumentation group of ABB focusing on services. He told me that from a service resources point-of-view, finding technicians who want to work in the area and have relevant skills is difficult. In Europe it can take 6-12 months to fill a spot.
He told me, “This is reality—not fake news.” (OK, the US meme has reached Germany, from which we connected.)
It appears to be a pretty global situation that tech colleges are an important source for people with technical skills. I’ve witnessed that in the US for several years. Looks like the same in Europe. He also mentioned that that can be a problem as students graduate in one country where opportunities are not abundant, so they move to other countries to find appropriate jobs.
I asked about something I had heard years ago where the large automation suppliers may have an advantage hiring talented people over smaller companies. He said that sometimes customers are having trouble finding people while the large automation suppliers have brand awareness that helps attract applicants. While marketing is key to attracting talent, training and employment contracts that offer more potential for development are also important.
Training, has always been a strong suit at ABB, but they are standardizing more, making it consistent across lines. E-learning of instrumentation is an adjunct to the classroom. Training is prepared as part of product launches so that all concerned can get thorough updates. “It’s the DNA of the product program.”
Safety is an important part of training at ABB. They are taught to evaluate what is risk. Perhaps instrumentation is low voltage but there are enclosed spaces, and underground places to consider. The global services team puts on as many miles driving to sites as miles around the Earth. So driving safety is another part of the service training DNA. “It’s extensive so that the team gets home at night.”
Heaton confirms my observation that Virtual Reality technology seems best suited for training. But it is very expensive to develop the visuals for VR in order to achieve good industrial training.
I asked about Augmented Reality (AR). ABB has a program Visual Remote Support that allows remote experts to “look over the shoulder” of the on site technician. This program was a success during COVID. People couldn’t travel and customers found the experience quite good. But after COVID, people wanted to meet people face-to-face again, so the program has dropped off some. It remains useful for checking things out prior to a visit such that the traveling technician can bring the right tools and parts.
ABB put together training using AR/VR technologies during COVID. They found customer experience was quite good. There were a number of programs where customers could “send” multiple people to training without travel cost. Students could actually manipulate instruments and valves from their remote locations.
AR remote support faces one major challenge for in oil and gas plants and other plants with hazardous areas—you can’t take an iPad in.
I haven’t had a talk with ABB for quite some time. It’s good to see how a major automation company responds to the skills crisis.
Computer vision technology and application seemed to have been in a long lull until semiconductor advances of the past few years. Now companies are unleashing new products at an astonishing pace. This is an updated product from Digi International—a company I covered a long time ago who became less interesting to me and now has returned to my view.
Digi International introduced the wireless and highly power-efficient Digi ConnectCore MP25 system-on-module (SOM) at Embedded World 2024. Featuring AI and machine learning capabilities, with an integrated neural processing unit and image signal processor, Digi ConnectCore MP25 is designed for next-generation computer vision applications in critical sectors such as industrial, medical, energy and transportation. The module provides highly reliable wireless connectivity and time-sensitive networking (TSN) making it perfect for smart portable devices and Industry 4.0.
Based on STMicroelectronics’ STM32MP25 MPU processor, Digi ConnectCore MP25 is engineered to streamline application development under demanding requirements to improve efficiency, reduce costs, boost innovation and improve end-customer satisfaction.
With an innovative architecture, Digi ConnectCore MP25 features two Cortex-A35 cores operating at 1.5GHz supplemented by a Cortex-M33 core and a Cortex-M0+. Enhanced with an AI/ML neural processing unit (NPU) delivering 1.35 TOPS and an image signal processor (ISP), the SOM provides accelerated machine learning capabilities for advanced applications. Its comprehensive connectivity options include 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless technologies, along with seamless cellular integration for expanded possibilities. The ultra-compact Digi SMTplus form-factor (30 x 30 mm) and industrial temperature ranges (-40 to +85 °C), ensure reliability in the harshest environments, making it an excellent choice for a wide variety of IoT applications.
I own an Ioniq 6 electric vehicle since about a year ago. There was a soccer association meeting I wanted to attend in Lima, Ohio, and I thought I’d combine it with a stop in my old home of Sidney, Ohio. Sidney has no chargers. There is one location in all of Shelby County, Ohio located about 20 miles from Sidney at the Airstream Inc. Customer Center in Jackson Center (my home town). There were a handful of Level 2 chargers in Lima located quite inconveniently.
Let’s say that I’m sensitive to the availability of chargers off the beaten path.
A PR pitch about a company with a solution to adding electric power not only for EVs, but also temporary power for concerts or power outages caught my attention. So I interviewed CEO Tom McCalmont of Paired Power to get some details.
Let’s set a couple of other problems Paired Power solved.
You have probably driven past a “farm” of solar canopies. Constructing those is nontrivial. There is a concrete foundation, supporting structures, and mounting the solar panels. Workers must continually go up, mount a panel, come down, get a panel, move the ladder, and go up again.
Also, many companies and businesses would like to have a smaller installation maybe for just a couple of EVs in the parking lot. Or, maybe a city like Sidney, Ohio (Hi, Mayor Barhorst) could pop up a couple of stations to help attract people with EVs visiting the city for dining or shopping.
The leaders at Paired Power asked, what if we could change the design so that the supporting structure is also the lifting mechanism? What if we could design a station with a solar canopy and a battery maybe also hooked up to the grid for supplemental charging?
And, they did. They call it a microgrid. The product is Pair Tree. You must visit the website and see how two workers can set up a station in less than a day. It’s way cool.
From the press release that caught my attention:
PairTree’s technology stores green power from the sun and combines it with off-peak power from the traditional utility grid to deliver resilient, reliable, and sufficient energy for charging vehicles. With its colorful pop-up canopy design, PairTree is an American-made EV charger that delivers user-friendly and reliable green electricity.
PairTree is already being used by hundreds of everyday consumers, businesses, farmers, and government organizations for daily EV charging. PairTree even has an emergency backup plug for use during power outages.
This tale involves two of America’s largest automation companies—Emerson and Rockwell Automation.
Several years ago both added “and software” to their marketing tag lines.
I never thought I’d hear Emerson CTO Peter Zornio talk so glowingly about software. Now, that seems to be the company’s main message.
Meanwhile, Rockwell Automation went from telling me “it’s an experiment, Gary” to forging a deal with PTC to incorporate ThingWorx into Rockwell’s software suite enabling it to halt its own development. That led to Rockwell investing $1B in PTC leading to a seat on the board and closer looks at other PTC software. Its tag line in press releases added “and software.”
Rockwell hired software executive Brian Shepherd to head the Control and Automation group which included software. For a time Shepherd seemed like the go-to SVP.
Then stories of the increasingly deteriorating relations between PTC and Rockwell emerged. Evidently sales of ThingWorx were not what was expected by the parties.
Then, Rockwell acquires two software companies getting it into the cloud with Plex and FiiX. Then Rockwell divested its investment in PTC for $800M. And now Shepherd has left the company to “pursue other interests.” Replaced by someone with automation experience.
Oh, yes, the “software” tagline has long been replaced by digital transformation.
Meanwhile, I’ve received two new releases from Emerson extolling the benefits of software.
Maybe Marc Andreesen has moved on from his “software is eating the world” comment, but software in one way or another is “eating” the automation market.
All of the manufacturing automation and cybersecurity suppliers have been conducting market research that they are releasing for us all to get a sense of what customers are thinking. This one from ABB Robotics looks into the global automotive supply chain.
Global ABB Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey confirms automation and robotics are crucial to the future of the industry
New OEMs and start-ups lead the charge, while suppliers are lagging behind
ABB’s flexible and smart solutions make automation viable for companies of all sizes
A new global survey commissioned by ABB Robotics and conducted by Automotive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) concludes that while automation is considered critical to the future of the automotive industry, many companies in the supply chain have yet to take advantage of the benefits offered by robotics and digitalization.
Almost all respondents (97%) believe that automation and robotics will transform the automotive industry over the next five years, with a similar number (96%) predicting that software, digitalization and data management will be equally significant. When asked about the pace of investment, most believed that new OEMs and start-ups were well ahead of the curve, investing either ‘very well’ (38%) or ‘quite well’ (28%), followed by legacy OEMs who were thought to be embracing automation ‘very well’ by 31%. However, only 7% believed that Tier 2 suppliers were making the necessary investment, with Tier 3 suppliers further behind with only 3%.
The ABB survey gathered opinions on a range of topics from a comprehensive mix of nearly 400 industry experts from vehicle manufacturers and suppliers at all levels of management and engineering as well as other key professionals throughout the automotive world.
