August, 2017


www.us-tech.com


Page 49


Industry Voices: A Breakout Year for the IoM


By Michael Skinner, Associate Editor F


rom every corner of the elec- tronics manufacturing industry we are hearing about the


Internet of Manufacturing (IoM) or one of its various appellations, including Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This trend is changing rows of dis- crete machines into efficient, con- nected systems that are capable of self-regulating and require little human interaction. Recent break- throughs in machine-to-machine communications and the develop- ment of standard machine languages are turning what was once little more than an interesting concept into a full-blown manufacturing real- ity. Here, several industry experts weigh in on the IoM trend, its requirements and what we can expect from the future.


Kevin Decker-Weiss. “I’m abso - lutely confident that this year will be a breakout year for Industry 4.0, IoM, or whatever term you want to use. The elements are all in place


and we are starting to see examples of how, with collaboration and an open mind, companies can get start- ed. As integrators, we get to sit in the


geting the primary challenge, which is connectivity at all levels. This includes the new Connected Factory Initiative Sub-Committee from IPC, the Valor Open Manufacturing Language (OML) and the Cogiscan Co-NECT middleware to name a few. Leading equipment and soft- ware vendors are establishing their


own interfaces and collaboration strategies, more clearly defining the boundaries and the scope of their offering in the Industry 4.0 ecosys- tem.


In addition, large EMS compa-


nies such as Foxconn and Flex are aggressively driving their internal Industry 4.0 programs. These are not


only science projects in development labs; real-life implementations are supported with significant resources and budgets and pilot lines are underway in several locations. In this exciting and dynamic


environment Cogiscan is uniquely positioned to establish its Co-NECT


Continued on page 51


We move electronics. Boost your production efficiency


Kevin Decker-Weiss, director of sales, CircuitByte.


middle of the whole process and see everyone’s point of view, assisting in the all-important creation of key per- formance indicators (KPIs) and understating and aligning everyone’s objectives. This early definition of objec-


tives and a return on investment (ROI) model is essential, as is a desire to jump in and get started and let the process evolve. Define what you want to achieve, get the ball rolling and work with truly collabo- rative partners to move you forward stage by stage. By the end of this year we will doubtless look back on it as a breakout year and be able to show some real progress and exam- ples of measurable success.”


Francois Monette. “This year will be a turning point for IoM and Industry 4.0 in the electronics manu- facturing industry. Several new industry initiatives and commercial product offerings are specifically tar-


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