Although devices have become far more intelligent over the last decade, during which microprocessors have penetrated deeply into the world of manufacturing and provided a wealth of diagnostic and operations information, the real value of this information only materializes once a customer is able to access and use it.
Advances in integration capabilities, the intelligence in the devices and assets themselves, plus the unification of previously competing communication protocols, can contribute to the users’ ability to optimize their assets and gain valuable information. But the question is: are they doing so in today’s Frame & Truss industry?
Utilizing Available Information Sources
Taking a look around a process plant, we can list several technological innovations that have impacted automation and plant operations. Having surveyed the underlying technologies and trends of how automation has reached where it is today, now is the time to ask the technologists to pull all of the parts together so we can more fully take advantage of the advances. For this, we can ask our suppliers 3 important questions: What are the technologies that are going to propel innovation in the next few years? Do we have the skills to work with them? Most importantly, will they work with each other?
In the future, we will continue to see the transformation of today’s manufacturing plants to optimize plant and supply networks through the proliferation of advanced sensing and wireless communication, continued adoption of software-defined networking, greater utilization of advanced control techniques, and continued optimization of sustainable and safe production methods.
The other big transition is the reduction of complexity, which we call human-centered design. New technology alone is not enough to benefit a customer – we must consider the training that will be required to use it! It’s not an excuse anymore to have technology that’s difficult to use.
At Vekta, we are working with our customers and their technology choices, perpetually providing continued development and advances in our software we’ve named “Simple.” Through this software, we are able to address how we interact with our integrators and customers, how to manage workflow, and more. The continuous process improvement across an entire value stream can be facilitated by a vendors' ability to offer Open Standards and agree on more Streamlined Integration.
Looking ahead, the exploding adoption of smart automation is going to be the biggest factor driving manufacturing operations in Frame & Truss. We’re at the very cusp of tapping into real potential if vendors are more willing to support Open Standards and Streamline Integration. This will mean more options are available for customers, across their industrial automation workflows. Suffice to say there are significantly fewer obstacles in open systems. Are you willing to move forward with less obstacles in your way?