by Gary Mintchell | Feb 2, 2024 | Business, Manufacturing IT, News
I have been wondering where ThinkIQ is going to wind up. It’s a pretty cool startup in the smart manufacturing software space (aka, MES). The company has taken an investment by Mitsubishi Corporation and a collaboration agreement to jointly accelerate the growth of ThinkIQ’s digital manufacturing platform in Japan. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
ThinkIQ has built its open platform working closely with U.S. and European government smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 initiatives and global standards bodies. The investment is further testament to ThinkIQ’s technology and will drive expansion leveraging Mitsubishi’s global presence.
ThinkIQ provides visibility to the manufacturing shop floor across each tier of complex supply chains. The SaaS platform securely connects to the physical world of legacy and smart equipment, IoT sensors, OT and IT systems to bring all relevant data into a single analytics platform that brings context, meaning and discoverability for all participants in supply chain and manufacturing operations. ThinkIQ Vision brings vision-processing software combined with powerful pre-packaged Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence capabilities to turn standard cameras on the shop floor into sensors that eliminate blind spots across equipment, materials, and people to greatly enhance the available data for Continuous Intelligence.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 19, 2023 | Enterprise IT, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
Once upon a time surveys were the purview of analyst firms and media. None were mathematically rigorous. Most do show trends and yield ideas for thought.
Digital transformation is top of mind for companies who develop and market software solutions but maybe not so much for customers. This survey is from iBase-t. I knew them as an MES supplier, but now the are the company “that simplifies how complex products are built and maintained.” In other words, MES. That’s OK. My background in that application goes back decades.
This original survey of more than 100 discrete manufacturing executives in the U.S. found that a lack of a clearly defined roadmap is the biggest challenge for manufacturers looking to digitally transform their operations.
None of this surprises me. Many studies have found similar statistics. Upper management in manufacturing organizations “know” these problems. They don’t seem to know how to go about implementing solutions. Or, they don’t want to spend the money!
In brief, their study revealed:
- 60% of manufacturers don’t have a clear understanding of the model-based enterprise
- 67% of manufacturers say that less than half their operations are digital
A full 60% of respondents said they did not have a clear understanding of the model-based enterprise (MBE), which employs CAD systems, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to help manufacturers fully digitize their operations.
Respondents confirmed that although paperless manufacturing and digital transformation are very important priorities, more than two-thirds (67%) of manufacturers reported that less than half of their operations are digital.
The survey found that more than half (54.5%) of respondents lack the interoperability across operations to adopt an MBE strategy. An additional 55% said that their manufacturing systems are not mature enough to support MBE.
Other Key findings:
- According to the survey, 62% of total respondents said that they believe paperless manufacturing is “very important” to their organization.
- The top four goals for manufacturers heading into 2024 are efficiency (66%), on-time delivery (66%), done-right first time (49%) and profitability (47%). An MBE strategy empowers manufacturers to reach all of these goals.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 7, 2023 | Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
I found this an interesting survey from Control Engineering (CFE Media). It ran a survey of its readers about SCADA. They received 135 responses from the USA. Some of the results were surprising. It should be noted that this survey is not statistically valid. It’s the opinions of those who cared to respond. Most were from the East Coast. (Thank you graduate school course on running statistically valid surveys which are definitely not run by journalists.)
Responding to “SCADA helps you to…” most responses were operational—maintenance and uptime. Not so many responded Industry 4.0 or IIoT.
Whose SCADA software do you use?
- Siemens
- Emerson and GE Digital (tied)
- Inductive Automation
- AVEVA (Wonderware?)
- Advantech (hardware?)
- Mitsubishi (Iconics)
- 45 of the 135 picked Other.
Rockwell Automation didn’t get enough responses to get its own line on the graph.
Who would you prefer?
When asked who would you like to use Inductive Automation grew to second. Everyone else slipped. GE Digital slipping the most.
- Siemens
- Inductive Automation
- Emerson
- GE Digital
- AVEVA
- Advantech
- Mitsubishi (Iconics)
I am not surprised at the growing preference for Inductive Automation. They have a solid product and the pricing model is outstanding. But given that Siemens has never been able to provide much competition for Rockwell Automation in the USA for control, how is it that its SCADA product leads the pack? Interesting.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 1, 2023 | Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
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The headline of this article comes from a survey conducted by MES solution provider Parsec Automation Corp. The company spent several months surveying 530 manufacturing professionals in the United States and Canada. Every security company I know does surveys. These are becoming quite a popular marketing tool.
I’m interested partly because I wonder how much talk about digital transformation is simply marketing hype and how much refers to real work. I’ve concluded that although manufacturers in general have digitized many sources of data they mostly fall short of gathering sufficient data from important sources and using that data intelligently in order to make better decisions.
This survey suggests as much.
Survey Highlights:
- Manufacturers are pleased with digital transformation but may need to go further, as 31% of “fully transformed” companies still collect most of their data using manual processes.
- Supply chain issues remain top of mind, with 53% of manufacturers saying their organizations are “hardly” or “somewhat” prepared to weather a storm.
- Manufacturers anticipate using AI/ML, but just one-third (34%) feel their businesses are prepared to leverage this advanced technology.
- MES (manufacturing execution system) technology is facing a knowledge gap, with 75% of manufacturers who report being familiar with—but not yet using MES—saying they don’t know how the technology would benefit their operations.
One telling thing is the lack of knowledge about the benefits of MES. MESA, the trade association, has been working alongside both solution providers and active users for many years to promote the benefits of the technology. Trainers told me 15 years ago that the greatest interest came from manufacturers in Asia followed by Europe. They had trouble filling classes in North America. This survey of manufacturers in North America seems to confirm what my current sources tell me—we are still falling behind over here.
Overall, nearly three-quarters (73%) of manufacturers have begun the digital transformation process, with 40% reporting significant progress or completion. However, more than one-third (35%) still report relying on paper-based data collection, which suggests a significant gap among manufacturers’ willingness and preparedness to embrace today’s technology.
“Although manufacturers are steadily advancing towards digital transformation, there remains a significant scope for progress,” commented Eddy Azad, Founder and CEO of Parsec. “It’s heartening to note that over half (53%) of the survey participants are utilizing enabling technologies like MES. This insight underscores the need for technology providers to not only effectively showcase the benefits of their solutions, but also to furnish the requisite tools and education for the seamless and sustainable adoption of these transformative technologies.”
In perhaps the understatement of the report, Parsec’s survey findings suggest that manufacturers may be underutilizing technology or underestimating its capabilities. Among the respondents whose companies have reportedly “completed” their digital transformations, nearly one-third (31%) still collect most or all of their data using non-digital processes.
When it comes to MES platforms, which leverage IIoT technologies to automate and optimize nearly every facet of manufacturing operations—from receipt of raw materials, through production, to shipping, warehousing, and distribution—more than one-quarter (27%) of respondents said they had never heard of MES before.
All is not lost, though:
Those who have adopted MES, however, are pleased with their results. An impressive three-quarters (75%) of respondents who are actively utilizing an MES platform said they were “very” or “extremely satisfied” with the product. These active users said they adopted the advanced technology to increase efficiency (73%), improve quality (57%), and reduce operating costs (47%).
I’ve become increasing interested in the power of various AI technologies. Here the report agrees.
Across the industry, manufacturers are keenly aware of the trajectory of today’s technology, with more than half (52%) agreeing that enterprise software solutions should include capabilities for AI and ML.
At the same time, just one-third (34%) feel their business is prepared to leverage this advanced technology. When asked about the barriers standing in their way, respondents cited lack of knowledge (46%), lack of trust in the technology (39%) and implementation costs (33%).
“Manufacturers need to adopt advanced technology to propel the industry forward,” Azad elaborated. “Contemporary software solutions must be developed with enhanced accessibility and exceptional user experience in mind. It is imperative for technology providers to proactively engage with manufacturers, address their apprehensions, and offer guidance to fuel their success.”
Parsec is the developer of TrakSYS, a proven operations management software application and solution platform designed to significantly improve manufacturing processes. Parsec is committed to providing best-in-class products and solutions to our worldwide community of clients to assist them in optimizing their manufacturing operations. There are thousands of TrakSYS licenses in use around the globe in a wide variety of Industries.
by Gary Mintchell | Nov 3, 2023 | Data Management, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management
MQTT seems to be still growing as a favorite light-weight data transport for industrial data. HiveMQ, whom I had a chance to chat with briefly at the Inductive Automation ICC event in September, has released a new MQTT product.
HiveMQ Data Hub, an integrated policy engine within the HiveMQ broker designed to enforce data integrity and quality, helps to detect and manage distributed data and misbehaving MQTT clients with the ability to validate, standardize, and manipulate data in motion.
HiveMQ Data Hub is available now and provides the following capabilities:
- Create a schema policy in JSON or Protobuf formats
- Define policy actions for data that fails validation
- Store schema registries locally for faster access and data processing in a single system
- Define behavioral policies to determine how devices work with the broker and log bad actors
- Visualize the data in tools like Grafana with an API
HiveMQ Data Hub’s policy engine allows users to script policies and transform data into the right format as it moves through the broker. Creating and defining schema policies for validation and transformation enables users to add context and quality control to data to ensure consistency for reporting and analytics.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 31, 2023 | Internet of Things, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
Honeywell Connect 2023, the user conference of Honeywell Connected Enterprise the software business unit of Honeywell, was held in Dallas this year October 10-12. I had been waiting for some documents from Honeywell and got busy. I’ve written several news stories from Honeywell Connect over the past six months. This Strategic Business Unit of Honeywell has been quite busy.
This event was sort of a 5th anniversary celebration. I’m a slow learner and it took some time before it sunk into my consciousness just what was up with Honeywell Connected Enterprise and Honeywell Forge. Honeywell corporately has five strategic business units. Four are vertical business. Honeywell Connected Enterprise is the software arm that cuts across all the other SBUs plus reaches out in its own right.
CEO Kevin Dehoff referred to Forge as the “premier Industrial IoT Architecture.” At a time when other companies who had touted IIoT were moving to other marketing slogans, HCE proudly discusses IIoT as the connected of the Connected Enterprise. I think they are continuing on the correct track. After all, I named my new website 10 years ago as The Manufacturing Connection because I saw that connecting things (and processes and people and businesses) was where we as an industry needed to go.
Discussion centered on outcomes. I also like that approach. Too many product companies focus on features. Customers are interested in outcomes.
Everything connected becomes a hacking risk. HCE acquired SCADAfence a few months ago to strengthen an already rich cyber security portfolio. Shortly after the acquisition, the company announced CyberWatch and CyberInsights. Expect to see growing robustness from the cybersecurity portfolio.
No software event can be complete without bowing to Digital Transformation. “Digital Transformation isn’t an event—it’s an ongoing journey.” HCE talks of technology augmenting humans. Another topic here is the potential use of AI as an enabler of autonomous control—another sub theme of the conference.
Some ideas in this vein include AI co-pilots, cyber forensics and recovery, closed loop sustainability.
Digital Transformation as the sum of process, people, technology, and data.
Sustainability continues to be a strong theme. Companies are continuing the trend from manual to automated data collection. Carbon and demand management continue as an important trend. HCE continues to see opportunities with instrumentation for monitoring emissions, as well as, applying process control technologies to mitigate those.
One final thought. The last session I saw was with Vimal Kapur, Honeywell CEO. HCE has been developed to solve customers’ big problems. Doing so, Honeywell is building the largest industrial software company. “Maybe we already have.”
This is interesting because earlier this year I was at the Siemens Digital event where executives extolled the division as the market’s leading industrial software company. The week following AVEVA held its annual conference—a continuation of the OSIsoft PI user conference. Meanwhile, Emerson has been aggressively promoting itself as a software company. Yet, Rockwell Automation had been touting its software for a few years, but it has become the “digital transformation” company for the past year or more.
Where will software take all these companies? Is this where growth lies? Instrumentation and control are stable, but mature markets? I wonder.
