Wonderware Version 2017 It’s not likely in today’s world that many will argue that training has no value. After all, each of us is where we are, in part, due to years of learning; some formal training and some on-the-job training (OJT). The exact benefits may be harder to pin down. The chart below comes
“Why don’t our packaging lines achieve their design capacity? Why are we down?” Do those words sound familiar? As an IT Manufacturing Solutions Company, InSource ranked this as one of the top business issues voiced by our clients in Food, Beverage and Commercial Product Goods manufacturing in 2018. Finding the answer is important as companies face
Successful manufacturers of the future will need to embrace digital maintenance technology to remain competitive in their industry. Digital transformation empowers people, improves profitability and return on capital across the operations and asset lifecycle. These smart manufacturers manifest stunningly accurate digital twins of equipment, production lines and even full-scale plants and the processes within them.
Growing up in the 80’s, I was fascinated by the evolving computer presence and narratives found in the movies. From Terminator to No Way Out, I watched these films and they sucked me into the world of new age of computers and how they could be applied. War Games was an especially memorable movie for
In today’s Breaking News, a malware named Triton recently brought down a Saudi Petrochemical Plant. Sounds like another shock & awe headline from this fall’s torrent of political ads? You might be surprised to learn it’s not fake news but a real-life industrial cyber-security threat that warrants a little more investigation. It’s all about Russia
My family and I love taking trips together and just like millions of others, we love hiking to beautiful waterfalls. In many cases, when we hike to see waterfalls they are overcrowded because they are so beautiful. However, in some rare cases, we may find that one gem of a waterfall where no other person
I speak and write frequently about Industry 4.0/Smart Manufacturing. My goal is to educate listeners and readers on how to apply the available modern technology stacks to real-life applications. Differentiating terms like IIoT and Industry 4.0 is helpful but the real outcome I am seeking is to provide solutions and architectures that solve problems. An
With wind in the sails of a record manufacturing economy, it’s worth asking: “How can we make sure we catch all of the wind possible to maximize success for our organization and our people?” Fair enough question? Most of us are aware that executives around the country are working diligently this quarter to create the
In 2013 an NSA employee named Edward Snowden allegedly stole documents from the Kunia Regional SIGINT Operations Center in Hawaii and shared them with the world. This alleged data leak raised enormous awareness about the challenges that businesses and governments face when securing their data and intellectual property. Some of the largest companies in the
Digital Transformation is a hot topic for manufacturing today and we often receive questions on where to start. There is no one-size fits all approach as each company’s most pressing issues vary as well as their readiness to “digitize” their operations. However, we have found Downtime Tracking and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) projects are often
I’ve often likened my job to the popular TV show, “How It’s Made”. Each month, I’m involved with dozens of client conversations. While the breadth of industrial applications and industries is wide, the issues these companies face are remarkably similar. One of the most prevalent is a desire to get accurate and timely information into
The economy is steam-rolling, and your manufacturing business is in full tilt. So, the question is, with your current plant floor operating philosophy and capability, are your customer’s more satisfied than before the uptick? Your customer’s satisfaction is based to a large extent on your operational team’s capability to hit targets related to the Big