by Gary Mintchell | Oct 7, 2020 | Manufacturing IT, Process Control, Standards
The thought visited that some time has elapsed since I have heard anything from the Open Process Automation people (OPAF). Then this news of the successful conclusion of a digital infrastructure orchestration pilot project within the scope of the project. A nice step forward on the journey.
CPLANE.ai and ExxonMobil have published the results and findings of their digital infrastructure orchestration pilot. As IT/OT Convergence and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) adoption accelerates, new system management challenges must be addressed. This pilot demonstrated how orchestration can simplify the management of these new, multi-vendor systems while improving security and reliability. The whitepaper describing the methods and results of the pilot can be downloaded HERE.
Key findings from the pilot include:
1. Multi-vendor, open process automation can be integrated into a wholistic system using system orchestration technology.
2. Open standards, such as the Open Process Automation Standard, make inter-operability
orders of magnitude easier to manage and more reliable to implement.
3. An integrated hybrid-architecture of IT/OT digital assets can be managed in one cohesive
framework with limited or no IT expertise.
4. System orchestration is critical for accelerating innovation and adoption of converged IT/OT systems, particularly in an open, multi-vendor and interoperable control system.
Don Bartusiak, Chief Engineer for Process Control at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering said, “CPLANE.ai exceeded our expectations on what is possible in demonstrating the management of a converged IT/OT industrial control system. System orchestration is growing in visibility and importance within the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) and many of the findings of this pilot will help us shape the evolution of our standards.”
Digital infrastructure orchestration automates the provisioning, monitoring, failure-recovery, and evolution of OPA systems while maintaining continuous operations and network-based cybersecurity. Steve Bitar, an automation leader at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, said “this was an ambitious project from the beginning. And the results have really given us a vision for how complex open industrial control systems can be managed and automated.”
CPLANE.ai is now conducting demonstrations of its Digital Infrastructure Test Bed with partners and members of OPAF. Going forward, CPLANE.ai will be applying the learnings from this pilot project to other OPAF related test beds and pilots globally.
CPLANE.ai automates the orchestration of distributed edge computing across a diverse landscape of hardware and software components. CPLANE.ai removes the complexity of provisioning, managing, securing, and evolving distributed systems. CPLANE.ai’s intelligent software platform automates the coordination and configuration of policies and procedures across multiple layers of distributed cloud infrastructure.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 6, 2020 | Business, Manufacturing IT
A staple of industrial technology and business news has incorporated partnerships. Sometimes an acquisition is simply out of the question, but each company needs something from the other. The trouble with partnerships rests in assuring that each side benefits. When one partner feels like managing the relationship is more work than the benefit gained, then things go south. Likewise, when the partnership is consummated at a high level and the executives don’t get along like they thought they would.
However, the potential drawbacks fail to impede companies from trying.
This story is the tale of two partnerships involving two other megatrends of industrial technology—wireless and cloud.
Telit and Sequans
Telit announced the availability of two new modules designed and built to support CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) networks in the USA. The modules are based on Sequans’ Cassiopeia LTE Cat 4/6 chipset technology and are optimized for the design of devices for private LTE IoT and broadband applications. The collaboration will benefit both companies by leveraging Telit’s strong position as a module supplier and Sequans’ expertise in 5G/4G cellular connectivity.
The Telit LTE Cat 4 LE915A4-P CBRS module, based on the Sequans Cassiopeia SQN3220SC chipset, is pin-to-pin compatible with the Sequans CB410L module, and the Telit LTE Cat 6 LE915A6-P, based on the Sequans Cassiopeia SQN3220 chipset, is compatible with the Sequans CB610L module. Both are the industry’s first cost-effective LCC (leadless chip carrier) modules designed from the ground up to enable easy and massive deployment of IoT devices on private LTE CBRS networks. The modules can support a wide range of applications — including industrial IoT and M2M devices, gateways, and broadband consumer devices — and the very small form factor LCC package enables easy mounting into small and thin devices or mini-PCI or M.2 NGFF carriers.
CBRS Module Features
- Available in two versions:
- All-in-one standalone module solutions
- 3GPP Release 10
- Small LCC (leadless chip carrier) package, 32 x 29 mm
- Supports CBRS networks in USA on LTE band 48, and MNO networks worldwide on LTE bands 42/43
- Includes drivers for all major host operating systems
- Includes comprehensive set of interfaces
Microsoft and Rockwell
Rockwell Automation and Microsoft today announced a five-year partnership expansion to develop integrated, market-ready solutions that help industrial customers improve digital agility through cloud technology. By combining each company’s expertise in the industrial and IT markets, respectively, teams can work together.
The goal is to deliver edge-to-cloud-based solutions that connect information between development, operations and maintenance teams through a singular, trusted data environment. This will allow development teams to digitally prototype, configure and collaborate without investing in costly physical equipment. This unified data environment also enables IT and OT teams to not only securely access and share data models across the organization, but with their ecosystem of partners as well.
To date, the companies have co-developed over 20 use cases across Food & Beverage, Household and Personal Care and Life Sciences industries. The solutions developed from this partnership will augment and enhance their current offerings.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 5, 2020 | Enterprise IT, News, Operations Management, Software
This news release from AVEVA reads like something I’d have written more than 10 years ago from the predecessor company about enterprise control solutions. It has taken years, two acquisitions, and the retirement of the thought leaders behind the idea, but this looks like a step in a beneficial direction.
AVEVA announced the launch of the latest enhancement to its AVEVA Unified Supply Chain platform, Real-time Crude, designed to help customers gain visibility into their business and operations in order to quickly understand how crude quality impacts their value chain.
With the Oil and Gas industry facing disruption, a lack of visibility into the supply chain has led to difficulties with reacting to market changes in real time. AVEVA Real-Time Crude, a solution developed with Schneider Electric, combines cutting-edge analytical equipment with powerful machine-learning techniques to provide rapid and reliable crude oil assays across the enterprise in a matter of minutes. Timely information leads to advantages, including more intelligent purchasing decisions, improved operational planning, better allocation of refining resources, and more certain product volume and quality predictions.
Actually, O&G is always facing disruption, so any help managers can get will surely be appreciated.
AVEVA Unified Supply Chain is a single source of knowledge enabling enterprises to share and communicate decisions between diverse teams, promoting collaboration and discussion across global locations delivering increased visibility which enables rapid reaction to changing market conditions. It comprises modules for planning, scheduling, assay management and supply distribution that can share common information promoting an understanding of the entire plant and of the business. Utilizing common data, models, and user management, it promotes collaboration and visibility across the entire supply chain.
“Given the fluctuating oil prices, volatile markets and the severe global economic downturn projected, the launch of Real-Time Crude is opportune as it addresses many of the known issues that have been plaguing the energy industry. In an industry that survives by being nimble to fluctuations in prices of crudes and products, AVEVA’s offering provides fast information on crude quality to improve efficiency, reliability and agile decision making,” said Harpreet Gulati, Senior Vice President for Planning & Operations Business Unit, AVEVA.
“Real-Time Crude is at the cutting edge of much needed developments within the volatile energy industry, and Schneider Electric and AVEVA are committed to helping customers quickly navigate these uncertain times to function safely, efficiently and reliably. This key feature of the AVEVA Unified Supply Chain demonstrates the true potential of bringing advanced analytical equipment and machine learning technologies to the forefront without being complicated. Our combined goal is to deliver innovative solutions that will not only create efficiencies but also help customers to stay ahead of the curve,” commented Matthew Carrara, Vice President – Process Analyzers and Instrumentation, Schneider Electric, Industry Business – Process Automation.
The AVEVA Unified Supply Chain platform is unique because legacy solutions use a set of point solutions that require manual data transfer between different solutions, while AVEVA’s solution is a single, unified solution that leverages common data, models, and user management to promote enterprise collaboration and visibility across the supply chain. This eliminates the need for data transfers as well as potential errors resulting from data transfers. Everyone always has completely up-to-date information.
Enabling Enterprise Agility In Volatile Energy Market
This news release from AVEVA reads like something I’d have written more than 10 years ago from the predecessor company about enterprise control solutions. It has taken years, two acquisitions, and the retirement of the thought leaders behind the idea, but this looks like a step in a beneficial direction.
AVEVA announced the launch of the latest enhancement to its AVEVA Unified Supply Chain platform, Real-time Crude, designed to help customers gain visibility into their business and operations in order to quickly understand how crude quality impacts their value chain.
With the Oil and Gas industry facing disruption, a lack of visibility into the supply chain has led to difficulties with reacting to market changes in real time. AVEVA Real-Time Crude, a solution developed with Schneider Electric, combines cutting-edge analytical equipment with powerful machine-learning techniques to provide rapid and reliable crude oil assays across the enterprise in a matter of minutes. Timely information leads to advantages, including more intelligent purchasing decisions, improved operational planning, better allocation of refining resources, and more certain product volume and quality predictions.
Actually, O&G is always facing disruption, so any help managers can get will surely be appreciated.
AVEVA Unified Supply Chain is a single source of knowledge enabling enterprises to share and communicate decisions between diverse teams, promoting collaboration and discussion across global locations delivering increased visibility which enables rapid reaction to changing market conditions. It comprises modules for planning, scheduling, assay management and supply distribution that can share common information promoting an understanding of the entire plant and of the business. Utilizing common data, models, and user management, it promotes collaboration and visibility across the entire supply chain.
“Given the fluctuating oil prices, volatile markets and the severe global economic downturn projected, the launch of Real-Time Crude is opportune as it addresses many of the known issues that have been plaguing the energy industry. In an industry that survives by being nimble to fluctuations in prices of crudes and products, AVEVA’s offering provides fast information on crude quality to improve efficiency, reliability and agile decision making,” said Harpreet Gulati, Senior Vice President for Planning & Operations Business Unit, AVEVA.
“Real-Time Crude is at the cutting edge of much needed developments within the volatile energy industry, and Schneider Electric and AVEVA are committed to helping customers quickly navigate these uncertain times to function safely, efficiently and reliably. This key feature of the AVEVA Unified Supply Chain demonstrates the true potential of bringing advanced analytical equipment and machine learning technologies to the forefront without being complicated. Our combined goal is to deliver innovative solutions that will not only create efficiencies but also help customers to stay ahead of the curve,” commented Matthew Carrara, Vice President – Process Analyzers and Instrumentation, Schneider Electric, Industry Business – Process Automation.
The AVEVA Unified Supply Chain platform is unique because legacy solutions use a set of point solutions that require manual data transfer between different solutions, while AVEVA’s solution is a single, unified solution that leverages common data, models, and user management to promote enterprise collaboration and visibility across the supply chain. This eliminates the need for data transfers as well as potential errors resulting from data transfers. Everyone always has completely up-to-date information.
AVEVA Unified Supply Chain can help improve and optimize workflows in small and large enterprises. Flexible and modern integration mechanisms make working with existing business systems and processes simple, providing easy access to underlying data and results, while still retaining the security and versioning model used to ensure consistency between colleagues.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 28, 2020 | Business, Leadership, Personal Development, Workforce
Life is a series of paradoxes. We’re living in a time of many people either temporarily or permanently losing their jobs while other companies are struggling to find qualified people to hire.
When we dip into the labor pool, are we limiting our searches through something called Cognitive Bias?
I ran across this article at the World Economic Forum by Adwoa Bagalini, its Engagement, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead. He identifies three cognitive biases and shares some ideas for overcoming. Not to give away a punchline, but most of us should be students of W. Edwards Deming and/or Taiichi Ohno and should have learned about changing the process, not the individual.
From the paper.
We do know is that lasting, positive change is difficult to achieve without deliberate, sustained effort informed by reliable data that is free from bias. And it’s important not to underestimate the role cognitive bias can play in undermining these efforts – and to stay vigilant in spotting and mitigating it.
What is cognitive bias?
Human brains are hardwired to take shortcuts when processing information to make decisions, resulting in “systematic thinking errors”, or unconscious bias. When it comes to influencing our decisions and judgments around people, cognitive or unconscious bias is universally recognized to play a role in unequal outcomes for people of colour.
1. Moral licensing
This is when people derive such confidence from past moral behaviour that they are more likely to engage in immoral or unethical ways later. In a 2010 study, researchers argued that moral self-licensing occurs “because good deeds make people feel secure in their moral self-regard”, and future problematic behaviour does not evoke the same feelings of negative self-judgment that it otherwise would.
Moral licensing may help explain the limitations of corporate unconscious bias training in creating an anti-racist work environment, an effect which has already been observed when it comes to tackling gender inequality.
2. Affinity bias
This is our tendency to get along with others who are like us, and to evaluate them more positively than those who are different. Our personal beliefs, assumptions, preferences, and lack of understanding about people who are not like us may lead to repeatedly favouring ‘similar-to-me’ individuals.
Many hiring managers have a hard time articulating their organization’s specific culture, or explaining what exactly they mean when they say “culture fit”, leading to this being misused to engage employees that managers feel they will personally relate to.
3. Confirmation bias
This is the tendency to seek out, favour, and use information that confirms what you already believe. The other side of this is that people tend to ignore new information that goes against their preconceived notions, leading to poor decision-making.
Many people’s perceptions of others with different identities and with whom they have limited interaction, is strongly influenced by media depictions and longstanding cultural stereotypes.
For example, a 2017 study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people tended to perceive young Black men as taller, heavier, and more muscular than similarly sized white men, and hence more physically threatening.
How to overcome unconscious bias
1. Change systems, not individuals
The main reason unconscious bias training programmes fail to have the desired effect in creating lasting change, is that they are focused on changing individual behaviours while leaving largely untouched the systems that enabled those behaviours to thrive.
2. Slow down and act deliberately
Bias is most likely to affect decision-making when decisions are made quickly, according to Stanford University psychology professor Jennifer Eberhardt, who studies implicit bias in police departments.
3. Set concrete goals and work towards them
Data is essential to making real progress on diversity goals, and especially important when it comes to mitigating the effects of bias because it provides an objective measure of what has improved – or worsened – over time.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 23, 2020 | Business, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management
Raghav Saghal, President of Nokia Enterprise, Nokia, wrote a blog post on the World Economic Forum site positing seven critical investments for post-Covid intelligent factories.
The problem began with the Covid-19 outbreak disrupting supply chains and business continuity plans. Other challenges included running essential functions and business continuity plans for normal operations, giving workers safe physical access to sites and coping with a much-reduced workforce, and ensuring the timely support, supply and successful delivery of essential equipment.
We’ve been talking digital transformation and adopting digital technologies. Here Saghal draws some lessons.
Those looking to build resilience into their own manufacturing processes, must invest in capabilities that bring forth the best of IT and OT convergence. To this end, Nokia leveraged the following capabilities:
1. Guaranteeing resilience. Uninterrupted, low-latency connectivity of mobile assets and devices is key to delivering reliable digital communications. This was achieved using our own Digital Automation Cloud, a simple and secure private wireless network platform, and enabler to all other technologies.
2. Gaining clear, real-time visibility across operations – without having people physically present on-site. We achieved this by recreating in-the-field conditions using exact replicas in lab environments leveraging “digital twins,” helping us test adjacent technologies and anticipate problems before they occurred.
3. Delivering real-time data visibility and visualization. We used automated data tools from our partner ecosystem to manage the huge amounts of data being analyzed every day.
4. Ensuring vital collaboration and decision-making. We used remote collaboration tools including for voice, video and instant messaging to maximize collaboration between and within global teams.
5. Knowing the location of critical assets on the shop floor. Beam telepresence robots on shop floors, steered by staffers at home, allowed for remote views, inspections and surveillance at ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ factories.
6. Connecting to machines on the shop floor. Standalone surface mount technology (SMT) machines were accessed by experts using telepresence, remote access and collaboration with site-based and home-based workers using remote control application software to enable programming and Nokia’s visual and X-ray inspection.
7. Creating and sharing manual assembly steps. To guarantee quality control, we used virtual reality training to help employees learn assembly steps.
While the digital transformation journey and business continuity plans for an asset-heavy industry is different than what’s needed for information-based, light-asset industries, planning is still key. In our case, pre-existing technology and workforce investments drove success, empowering and augmenting staff with the leadership, creativity and digital skills needed to successfully execute on existing business continuity plans.
To achieve the digital control and self-orchestration needed to stay buoyant and competitive – both in normal times and post-COVID – network reliability, performance, and predictability must be dramatically elevated across all assets and ecosystems with mission-critical networks and industrial automation solutions.
Then, and only then, can information and operations technologies converge to deliver enterprise
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 22, 2020 | Business, Commentary, Internet of Things
KC Liu, founder and CEO of Advantech, the Taiwan-based electronics company, has always been a sort of philosopher/businessperson. Over the 20 years or so that I’ve followed the company several books have added to my library thanks to him. The company continues to build on its base of Adam I/O modules and industrial computers. But Liu continues to conceive new strategies and technology directions to keep the company fresh and interesting.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, yes, the first day of autumn, I sat in on a global press conference at 6 am my time followed by a few hours of presentations. And, once again, the companies that provide the infrastructure for virtual conferences and the companies that use them deserve commendation for well-planned and executed events.
Data, cloud, app marketplace, ecosystem, partners, Platform-as-a-Service were key concepts as executives explained where Advantech plays in the IoT market—industrial, smart cities, and more.
“Agile innovation in the area of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will be the key in driving forward digital transformation in industrial applications into 2021 and beyond,” said Advantech IIoT President, Linda Tsai, to more than 2,000 delegates at the company’s first ever global IIoT Virtual Summit, entitled ‘Connecting Industrial IoT Innovation’.
Ms. Tsai explained: “Figures from IDC suggest that by 2025, there will be 41.6 billion IoT devices in use worldwide, generating 79.4 zettabytes of data. Connected devices will pervade every aspect of our personal and business lives, and a complex mix of technology and infrastructure will be more crucial than ever to harnessing the power of the data generated by these devices.
“As a leader in embedded computer systems for industrial applications, Advantech is leading the way in developing more powerful edge computing solutions which are compatible with all types of IIoT devices as well as data centers and cloud providers and can aggregate these vast quantities of data, allowing users to optimize operational effectiveness in their facilities.”
Much of Advantech’s pioneering work in this area centers on its strategy of co-creation: collaborating closely with systems integrators and developers to create edge solution-ready platforms (Edge SRP’s) or IApps (Industrial Applications) to make digital transformation as rapid and simple as possible. Advantech can support optimization in areas from iFactory to industrial equipment manufacturing (IEM), industrial AI, smart automation, transportation, energy & environment and iLogistics.
Ms Tsai went on to identify six key technology trends for 2021: digital transformation, 5G, decoupling, device-to-cloud digitalisation, empowered edge and artificial intelligence (AI).
“According to the GSMA Mobile Economy 2019 Report, 5G will contribute more than US$2 trillion to the global economy up to 2035, of which 35 per cent will go to the manufacturing and utilities sectors. Meanwhile, research from MarketsandMarkets estimates the value of AI in the manufacturing at US$17.2 billion by 2025.
“Advantech has developed an extensive portfolio of AI platforms including edge AI systems, sensors and inference servers, as well as deep learning training servers, to assist customers in exploiting the potential of AI. Meanwhile, in the area of device-to-cloud, we are again at the forefront of innovation, with solutions including private cloud solutions, industrial APP, edge intelligence software and cross-platform middleware – all specifically developed to combining optimised computing with robust and reliable performance in even the most demanding environments.”
“There is no getting away from the fact that digital transformation will impact every manufacturer in the world in the years to come, and harnessing the power of data will be critical to competitiveness as we move from Industry 4.0 and towards Industry 5.0. Our global Summit has brought together partners from across the world to find the best ways to collaborate and exploit the power of new and emerging technologies, to optimise efficiency, performance and commercial success.”
Jash Bansidhar, managing director of Advantech Europe, added: ““The macro strategy of driving Industrial IoT development through the adoption of AI, 5G and edge computing is central to the further adoption and exploitation of IoT technologies. Our mission continues to be to work with ecosystem partners to deliver sustainable success in the post-pandemic era.”
