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Saturday, February 16, 2008 |
I haven't been writing about PLM (product lifecycle management) recently, but I've been touching on something that encompasses it and uses it directly for manufacturing--the digital factory idea with Siemens' purchase of UGS and the Rockwell/Dassault relationship. Last week I had a chat with Oracle Agile PLM. Oracle acquired Agile in July 2007. The emphasis in this instance is to integrate PLM with enterprise IT, dubbing it EnterprisePLM. No surprise there. PLM has been evolving from CAD-centric applications to product data-centric ones.
The reason for the interview was to promote two encouraging analyst reports. AMR Research conducted a recent study (pdf) of 11 PLM vendors which stated "Oracle's Agile PLM was found to offer a high-level of focus in the most caegories, and was the only vendor to rank medium-high to high across all areas." Oracle Agile PLM was also positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Product Life Cycle Management."
8:49:54 AM 
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[Update, corrected URL]
This is sort of old news, but it's a new press release. I've followed the Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems for years. I can't always make it to the meetings, but the researchers from the consortium of universities (University of Cincinnati, University of Michigan and University of Missouri-Rolla) are doing some good work on machine prognostics and actually have developed a product called the Watchdog Agent. Jay Lee is the able director of the Center, moving from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to UC several years ago.
The press release part comes from Advantech. In a time-honored marketing move of giving products to universities so that students learn on its products (Apple has been the king of this approach), Advantech has provided an "eManufacturing Lab" to the University of Cincinnati and the Center. The Lab includes an embedded automation controller with flat panel monitors and I/O modules.
Students (ranging from undergrad to post doctoral) study problems at member companies (Toyota has been a big supporter and P&G seems to be stepping in, too) and devise solutions. Much research has gone into motors and pumps in an effort to predict failure. The math goes way over my head when I listen to them, but I understand the results.
7:59:45 AM
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I got way behind in my blogging news while getting the January and February issues of Automation World out--and I wasn't even traveling during that time. Some things just got too old. But from the archives--two "wins" for Profibus. I was told at the GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms user conference that Profibus/Profinet would be the field networks of choice for it and ABB announced it was joining the Profibus Trade Organization (PTO). In more recent Profibus news, Siemens announced a "win" at a new BASF plant in Michigan for its PCS7 process control product. The finished installation will house the largest implementation of Profibus PA in North America.
7:46:47 AM
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Citect has just announced an upgrade to its manufacturing execution
system (MES) product, Ampla. Version 3.2 now includes a service
oriented architecture (SOA) layer. This is a significant advance for
the product since enterprise architectures are increasing adopting this
technology. According to Ampla Global Director Colette Munro in a press
release, "SOA allows multiple applications to provide and consume
services using standards, which in turn provides our clients with
faster integration and more flexible business processes. The move to
SOA has also enabled us to deliver new services to our customers more
rapidly."
The new Web services layer is designed for platform independence and "broad interoperability, including culture invariance, time zone independence, WS-I compliance testing and Java interoperability testing." Citect says that Ampla now connects more seamlessly to standard reporting tools such as Microsoft Reporting Services and Crystal Reports. Citect also has included an online knowledge base.
7:30:48 AM
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© Copyright 2008 Gary Mintchell.
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