At its core, Digital Transformation simply means adding digital technologies to our manufacturing and industrial processes. A big by-product of this work is easy access to reams and reams of data. A Process Engineer, can see a wider variety of information about his process and in higher fidelity. A Production Manager, can have immediate access
The level of engagement of the people of an organization drive its ability to succeed and to sustain success. Dynamic market conditions are forcing companies to find new ways of competing successfully. A differentiating asset can be its people, but how do we get more value from existing employees? The 2017 Industry Survey “The Global
We’ve all heard about “machine learning.” At its simplest, “Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.” (1) Basically, we construct algorithms, instead of programmed instructions. In today’s industrial world we are constantly asked to do more with
The idea of implementing a Certificate of Analysis (COA) system can be somewhat overwhelming. The cost, resources, and time involved are not insignificant. However, once an organization recognizes the benefits of a COA system both internally and competitively, the decision is much easier to make. So, what are the benefits an organization can expect to
In a previous blog, I discussed the competitive advantages and benefits of utilizing COAs. In this communication, I will be looking at details to consider when configuring your COA. For those who may have missed my first blog, COAs are defined as “documents issued by Quality Assurance that confirms a regulated product meets its product
A successfully run organization stays successful by meeting the evolving needs and requirements of their customers. During normal business cycles, customer needs will change. One way the best manufacturing companies make sure they are meeting current client requirements is by supplying Certificates of Analysis (COA). COAs are defined as “documents issued by Quality Assurance that
Add CI to your Wonderware (or other industrial software) Training Plan Over the past several years, we have been collecting more and more data from various automation systems into our process historians, alarm and quality databases. We love those multiple trend lines overlaying one another, looking for correlations to a process excursion, an event, or
How many times do we hear of a recall for a product that we consume? Here’s a Food Safety News headline from earlier this year that serves as one example: Milk Recalled in New York Because of Improper Pasteurization. Many products that we consume require pasteurization. Pasteurization is a process by which foods are heated to
Across the spectrum of industries, one thing all companies agree on is that the cost of unplanned downtime is quite substantial. The vexing question is how much? Surprisingly, a survey of operations people found that 71% of respondents admitted their company is not tracking downtime cost with any quantifiable metrics. That means most companies won’t
Hello, I’m Chris Selph, Solutions Architect with InSource Solutions. I want to share some new ideas regarding how to develop and deploy manufacturing plant software applications. The goal always being to simplify and streamline the process while not sacrificing quality or busting the budget. A Human Machine Interface (HMI) software development cycle is usually executed
As a System Consultant with InSource with over 30 years’ experience in industrial automation, I have worked on many different types of industrial automation systems (Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), Process Historians, Quality systems, Robotics, to name a few) and in various industries all over the world. I
What is keeping companies from starting an effective and sustainable energy management program (EMS)? Seems strange. Study after study outlines higher ROI (on investments less than $100,000) than other popular cost saving projects. To be clear, I’m not talking about the kind of programs that are completed one time, that is, fixing the basics, such