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Saturday, July 14, 2007 |
Here's another thought provoking interview from Guy Kawasaki--this one with Jeffrey Pfeffer on management thinking, "What Were They Thinking?".
4:29:25 PM 
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I'm not sure what's going on in the historian market today. But here's an unusual offer--get a 25-tag historian free.
GE Fanuc Automation is offering this deal on its Proficy Historian. Historians undoubtedly can be the foundation of a great many initiatives such as information for OEE calculations, product quality trends, inventory visibility, genealogy and traceability programs, and other real-time reporting. Click here for more information or to download your free 25-tag Proficy Historian. Let me know how it goes.
3:14:06 PM
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Banner Engineering has introduced a wireless sensor network product line. It claims to be the "first wireless platform built from the ground up for industry" (a point sure to be contested by Honeywell--unless there are hairs to split here). I missed the briefing due to vacation and other commitments, so I'm waiting for Wes's report to answer some of my questions.
At any rate, the Banner SureCross network unapologetically sidesteps the sensor network work going on now featuring a proprietary point-to-point radio (FHSS and TDMA) solution. The release doesn't list all the sensors available, or when they'll be available for sale. More will be coming on Automation World on the Web.
The system consists of a gateway system controller and one or more remote nodes. Each gateway can support up to 15 nodes and each node can accommodate up to 12 I/O points. Both 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands are supported. Nodes can be powered by line voltage, solar or batteries.
2:36:41 PM
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WBF is promoting its 2008 North American Conference. The theme is "Shaping the Future of Manufacturing." The conference is March 24-27 in Philadelphia (before and overlapping Interphex, which is also in Philadelphia).
Keynote speakers, panels, discussion forums, and individual presentations will focus on case studies, current and evolving manufacturing methods and technologies, and implementation of industry standards including ISA-88, ISA-95, ISA-99, B2MML, and Make2Pack. In addition, WBF's collaborative activities with ISA, OMAC, and MESA will provide a broad and balanced view of the world of manufacturing innovation.
WBF are soliciting papers consistent with the conference theme and dedication to providing first hand accounts of technology and optimization. Deadline for submission is October 12, 2007.
I went for the first time this year and found the papers to be very worthwhile. That was because there was no hype, but instead just people doing the work talking to each other about real applications. Help out this year if you can.
2:20:21 PM
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MESA International has an upcoming Webcast "Metrics that Matter: Uncovering KPIs that Justify Plant Improvements." It's Thursday, July 19 from 11 to 12 EDT. Sounds interesting. It's on my calendar.
8:17:03 AM
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I've been so swamped with many projects from work to soccer to church that I'm woefully behind in posting some cool stuff. Here's a release from UGS (now part of Siemens Automation & Drives) that hints at the mashup of software tools that I believe can revolutionize manufacturing design. Wonder how this works in actuality, though. Maybe I can get some user stories in the next few months.
From the press release (I haven't had time to talk to anyone, yet):
UGS PLM Software, in collaboration with HP (for its servers), announced "UGS Synergy." The application program provides for asynchronous design information sharing in a CAD-independent environment. OEMs and suppliers at all levels of the supply chain will have a single optimized process for exchanging vehicle design and manufacturing information. Suppliers can set up their own PLM (product lifecycle management) environment and leverage its power to optimize the entire enterprise. The program leverages the JT data format.
The release goes on to quote from a Cyon Research report that if a single platform were implemented as a standard data-transfer mechanism, automotive industry suppliers would benefit from savings of $500 million to $800 million annually.
There are some bold statements here, but UGS is clearly striving to broaden its footprint and bring some valuable benefits to the manufacturing supply chain. More on this as I learn more.
7:34:44 AM
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© Copyright 2007 Gary Mintchell.
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