Feature Exhibition Review
nology. Many plants practice security in isolation, hoping that security threats will simply pass them by. The Connected Enterprise is simply not pos- sible with this approach. Cisco and Rockwell Automation have partnered to provide a common network and secu- rity environment on a single unified network infrastructure. As partners we have a shared philosophy that all net- works, including automation networks, need to be built on standard and open IP-based technology. Together we are driving the wide spread adoption of the common industrial protocol through the internet standard for safe and highly deterministic automation applications. “We are bringing voice and video across this common infrastructure and into the plant, and right down to indi- vidual machine level. We are deliver- ing solutions for security, which include unified security policy man- agement, and layered security func- tionality that is appropriate for the industrial environment.
“The Connected Enterprise brings value in the form of remote asset man- agement and analysis of big data over a secure infrastructure. Conditioning monitoring and predictive modelling avoids costly breakdowns, and environ- mental monitoring and reporting reduces risk and streamlines regulatory reporting - all resulting in improved productivity and sustainability. Deep domain experts in headquarters loca- tions help to de-bug problems from half way around the world.
“The industrial investment in IT over the last two decades has paid dividends. The next wave of investment will be at the plant infrastructure layer using tech- nologies like integrated control and information to deliver the business value of the Connected Enterprise. The value at stake is enormous.”
Learning and education Catching up with Nosbusch later on in the day, I took the opportunity to ques- tion him about the all important topic of the engineering skills gap. Commenting on the issue of getting more young people involved in engineering and manufacturing, he commented, “The engineering skills shortage is a global problem, whether you’re in the US, China, Brazil or India. We all hear the statistics of how many engineers gradu- ate in China and India, yet most engi- neers do not come out of college capable of working in automation because it’s not a curriculum that’s taught in many universities, so we think this develop- ment of talent is one of our greatest chal- lenges as a company - which is why we work with universities. “I see this as one of the potential limi-
tations to how fast automation technol- ogy can be adopted and can enable the benefits it can bring. It’s a worldwide
Automation JANUARY 2014
Above: Mary Burgoon, market development manager, sustainable
production, energy management and power generation, Rockwell Automation
that there’s as much technology on a plant floor today as there is in any other form of technology. It’s very sophisti- cated and requires very high skill levels to support it. Some heavy industry type plants might not be the first choice for a college graduate to go and work for, so we have to make manufacturing an attractive career to new students and show them what goes on on the plant floor. For many of the world’s mature economies, I don’t think their high school children have ever gone inside a factory and seen what really goes on, so in the US we’re trying to get kids involved, with experience and exposure to what goes on in manufacturing to try to get them excited about a career that can be as high tech as anything else. Manufacturing is still the biggest source of innovation - if you don’t have manu- facturing, you don’t have innovation; if you don’t have innovation, you don’t have a very vibrant economy.”
Energy Finally, on the hot topic of energy and increasing efficiency within industrial processes versus the cost of that investment, I also caught up with Mary Burgoon, market development manager, sustainable production,
motivating these changes - it really depends on the company’s unique business goals and values.
“Another variable to consider is geography - the energy struggle affects the world differently. In Europe, com- panies face not only high energy costs, but also stringent environmental regu- lations and energy reduction targets. Our solutions help to reduce energy usage to meet those targets. In the US, where the cost of energy is lower, simply reducing energy usage might not be enough to successfully get pro- ject funding. Energy is only one part of the bigger improvement picture as com- panies are more focused on improving productivity, reducing cycle times and doing more with less.
In emerging
economies, growth - and the ability to do more/produce more - is the focus. “By focusing on solutions
that
improve productivity and strengthen a company’s competitive advantage while also improving energy effi- ciency and reducing carbon emissions, we’re able to help customers achieve both their lean and green goals.”
Rockwell Automation
www.rockwellautomation.com T: 0870 242 5004
Below: with the location of the 2013 Automation Fair being Houston, Texas, the oil and gas stand on the exhibition floor proved very popular
issue and it’s not just about graduates from college. The lifecycle of engineers is getting shorter and shorter due to the rate of change of technology, so it’s really about lifelong learning and being able to continue to develop the talent that we have - that’s the challenge for the global engineering community and the global education environment as well. “Another dimension that makes it
even harder is getting individuals at col- lege interested in manufacturing. Manufacturing plants today are high tech but a lot of people still have a very differ- ent view of manufacturing. The reality is
energy management and power gener- ation. Commenting on the energy out- look she said, “Across the board we see an agreement that saving energy and costs is a worthwhile effort because it positively impacts prof- itability. What really differs between companies is how energy saving solu- tions should be implemented and the value placed in undertaking those efforts. Manufacturers must manage many competing priorities, and what works for one company and its cus- tomers won’t necessarily work for another. The same goes for what’s
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