Automation World February 2022 by PMMIMediaGroup

FEBRUARY 2022 / www.AutomationWorld.com

18 CREATING THE SMART, SUSTAINABLE FACTORY 24 29 08 12 34 31

Why the MQTT Protocol is So Popular Wearable Technology Bolsters Worker Safety PLC, PAC, or IPC? Trademark Plastics Adapts to Market Changes with ERP Digital Twins for Discrete Manufacturing Applications New Product Innovations

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CPU starting at only

$89 with FREE software Since 2008, and with close to a million components sold, CLICK PLCs have become an industry favorite for simple, affordable control. This popular PLC family has now been supercharged with features you wouldn’t expect from a low-cost controller. Data logging, Wi-Fi, MQTT communication and increased security measures are just a few of the impressive features that make the new CLICK PLUS PLC series a “must have” for simple control...with a kick! The NEW 2-slot CLICK PLUS CPUs provide even more versatility, offering over 400 stand-alone PLC I/O combinations with plenty of analog, discrete, relay, and combination I/O option slot modules available. Or easily add more serial communication ports with the NEW C2-DCM serial communication option slot module.

PLC Comparison

AutomationDirect CLICK PLUS (C2-03CPU-2)

$227.00

• Dimensions: 101.8 x 87.8 x 87 mm (4.01 x 3.46 x 3.42 in.) • No built-in I/O • Supports 2 option slot I/O modules • Up to 8 expansion I/O modules • Ethernet, serial, micro USB ports • Data logging (microSD)

CPU

Max Discrete I/O Max Analog I/O High-speed I/O

Wireless Communication Programming Software

156 points

132 points including base, plug-ins, and expansion I/O

44 channels

including option slot modules and expansion I/O

including plug-ins and expansion I/O

8 inputs

8 inputs, 2 outputs embedded w/ 3 optional plug-in inputs

100kHz with up to 6 counters, including option slot modules

starting at

MQTT

$687.65

• Dimensions: 90 x 158 x 80 mm (3.54 x 6.22 x 3.15 in.) • Built-in I/O: 24 Discrete I/O (14 inputs, 10 outputs) • Supports 3 plug-in I/O modules • Up to 4 expansion I/O modules • Ethernet, serial, USB 2.0 ports • Data logging (microSD)

60 channels

$54.00

16 modules available w/ analog, discrete, relay, and combination options

Expansion I/O

Micro850 (2080-LC50-24QBB)

including option slot modules and expansion I/O

starting at

Option Slot / Plug-in I/O

Allen Bradley

$37.50

100kHz for embedded I/O, 250kHz for plug-ins with up to 7 counters - 4 embedded counters + 3 plug-ins

starting at

$69.40

13 modules available w/ analog, discrete, temperature, high-speed, relay, and combination options

starting at

$121.72

27 modules available w/ analog, discrete, temperature, and relay options

13 modules available w/ analog, discrete, temperature, and relay options

9 9

Wi-Fi (802.11b,g,n), Bluetooth (used with Mobile app to provision network settings)

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All prices are U.S. published estimated retail prices. AutomationDirect prices as of 11/30/2021. Allen Bradley hardware prices taken from https://export.rsdelivers.com/ on 11/30/2021.

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CONTENTS 3 AW FERUARY 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 | VOLUME 20 | NUMBER 2

18 24 29

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Creating the Smart, Sustainable Factory

Manufacturers on a journey to lower carbon emissions and optimize energy use need to measure consumption from the supply chain to the line, the cell, and the product being produced.

Why the MQTT Protocol is So Popular

This first installment in a four-part series on key industrial network technologies explains how an ultra-lightweight data transfer protocol became a widely used data gathering tool for Internet of Things applications.

Wearable Technology Bolsters Worker Safety

PepsiCo’s use of Kinetic’s Reflex wearable device has had a definitive impact on both worker safety and company culture.

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4 CONTENTS AW FERUARY 2022

EDITORIAL

ONLINE 6

Exclusive content from AutomationWorld.com: videos, podcasts, webinars, and more

INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS 8 PLC, PAC, or IPC?

BATCH OF IDEAS 10

John Deere Debuts Autonomous Tractor: “One Giant Robot”

PRODUCTION POINTS 11

A Digital Thread for Industrial Lithium-Ion Battery Innovation

PERSPECTIVES 12

David Greenfield Director of Content/Editor-in-Chief dgreenfield@automationworld.com / 678 662 3322 Stephanie Neil Senior Editor sneil@automationworld.com / 781 378 1652 David Miller Senior Technical Writer dmiller@automationworld.com / 312 205 7910 Emma Satchell Managing Editor esatchell@automationworld.com / 312 205 7898 Jim Chrzan VP/Content and Brand Strategy jchrzan@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1470 Kim Overstreet Senior Content Strategist, Alignment koverstreet@pmmimediagroup.com James R. Koelsch, Lauren Paul, Jeanne Schweder and Beth Stackpole Contributing Writers

ART & PRODUCTION

Trademark Plastics Adapts to Market Changes with ERP Cybersecurity at the Forefront of Industry Concerns in Early 2022

NEWS 15

ArcelorMittal Launches 5G Steel Initiative OPC Foundation Updates Field Level Communication Specs and Launches Cloud Library PMMI News PACK EXPO East 2022 Nears Record Size

NEW PRODUCTS 31

No-Code Robot Teaching Environment Robotic Tool Changer Assisted Reality Wearables Rotary Encoders And more...

Filippo Riello Marketing & Digital Publishing Art Director friello@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1200 George Shurtleff Ad Services & Production Manager gshurtleff@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1170

ADVERTISING

Kurt Belisle Publisher kbelisle@pmmimediagroup.com / 815 549 1034 West Coast Jim Powers Regional Manager jpowers@automationworld.com / 312 925 7793 Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast Kelly Greeby Senior Director, Client Success & Media Operations Alicia Pettigrew Director, Product Strategy

AUDIENCE & DIGITAL

INDUSTRY VIEW 34

David Newcorn Executive Vice President Elizabeth Kachoris Senior Director, Digital & Data Jen Krepelka Director, Websites + UX/UI

INTEGRATOR VIEW 35

PMMI MEDIA GROUP

Digital Twins for Discrete Manufacturing Applications By Dick Slansky

Three Ways Artificial Intelligence is Changing Food and Beverage Manufacturing By Gareth Williams

ENTERPRISE VIEW 36

Responsible, Crisis-Proof Supply Chain Management By Brian R. May

KEY INSIGHTS 38

Kurt Belisle Publisher kbelisle@pmmimediagroup.com / 815 549 1034 Reed Simonsis Brand Operations Manager rsimonsis@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 205 7919 Sharon Taylor Director of Marketing staylor@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1710 Amber Miller Marketing Manager amiller@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1130 Janet Fabiano Financial Services Manager jfabiano@pmmimediagroup.com / 312 222 1010 x1330 All Automation World editorial is copyrighted by PMMI Media Group, Inc. including printed or electronic reproduction. Magazine and Web site editorial may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

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6 ONLINE

AW FEBRUARY 2022

PODCAST SERIES

Is Internet of Things Control via SCADA Too Risky?

Ben Manlongat of system integrator Outbound Technologies explains the risks of remotely accessing SCADA data—even if it’s “read only”—and how to secure this critical automation system component.

AUTOMATION WORLD TV ERP’s Growing Importance to Production Operations

How manufacturers are leveraging the connection between ERP and plant floor systems to improve production operations.

THE AUTOMATION PLAYBOOK The Automation Playbook is a useful source of information as you look for guidance in how to approach the Industrial Internet of Things, communication protocols, controls implementation, safety, asset management, predictive maintenance, the mobile workforce, and much more.

AUTOMATION WORLD E-BOOK

The Long-Term Effects of Remote Access

Automation World’s editors zero in on the long-term effects of remote access and its impacts on end user expectations around how equipment is delivered and serviced, requiring OEMs and technology suppliers to partner in new ways.

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS How Does Connectivity Help Mechatronics Engineers?

During the design, selection, and commissioning of automated equipment, a mechatronics engineer will often encounter mechanical, electrical, and software issues. This webinar covers use of mechanical design software tools, harmonization of mechanical and electrical devices, and simplified programming.

5 Ways Automation Can Lower the Impact of Manufacturing Labor Shortages

Accuracy, visibility/traceability, efficiency, scalability, and standardization are required to improve production. This webinar highlights examples of technology implementations that address these needs to drive productivity improvements.

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The Plant Floor in Your Pocket Get an overview of your process at a glance. Control your SCADA with a swipe.

See the live demo now. Scan this QR code with your phone or visit demo.ia.io/automation

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8 EDITORIAL AW FEBRUARY 2022

INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS

PLC, PAC, or IPC? By David Greenfield

dgreenfield@automationworld.com Editor-In-Chief/ Director of Content

he heart of any automated system is its controller. This is where the decisions are made to signal actuators in the system to launch into action based on feedback supplied by sensors. But choosing a controller requires a series of decisions by the integrator or end user based on the application. A key controller decision revolves around which type of controller to use—a programmable logic controller (PLC), a programmable automation controller (PAC), or industrial PC (IPC). To learn more about the differences among these types of controllers, we connected with Nate Kay, senior project engineering with system integrator Martin CSI, for a recent episode of the Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered podcast series. Nate noted that the primary difference between a PLC and PAC is that a PAC is similar to a PLC but with additional features. An IPC can run the same software found on a PAC, but with the full features of a PC. “PLCs are typically used to control a relatively small number of analog or discrete I/O; and in a PLC the physical I/O is often tightly coupled to the programming language and to the PLC hardware itself,” said Kay. “They can communicate with network devices such as drives, but it often requires adding on additional modules to expand their [built-in] capabilities.” A feature typically associated with a PAC is its ability to be programmed in languages

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other than ladder logic. “Languages such as structured text, function block diagrams, and flowcharts can be used to program a PAC,” said Kay. “The memory is typically tag-based, whereas in a PLC the memory structure is often address-based. PACs also tend to be modular and use standard communication protocols so they can efficiently communicate with a wide variety of network devices such as remote I/O, remote panels, and drives. They can also handle complex applications like motion, advanced process control, and integrated safety.” Highlighting the difference between address-based and tag-based memory structures, Kay said address-based structures— which can be found in most major PLCs— come with a pre-defined range of integers, timers‚ or Boolean addresses. A tag-based controller is not restricted to using only the predetermined address ranges. “You can give an address any name you want,” said Kay. “It more closely resembles higher level programming languages like C, where you create variables as needed.” Kay explained that an IPC can be programmed to run the same control software used on a PAC, but it runs on a full-blown industrial computer; and with that comes an operating system familiar to most end users and the IT department, such as Windows or Linux.

work communications. You can get a PLC to talk to network devices like a PAC, said Kay, but you often “have to add on hardware modules to perform those type of types of tasks; whereas a PAC is designed to communicate with network devices. For example, PACs come with function blocks that deal specifically with motion and safety.” An IPC offers the same advantages of a PAC but with even more added capabilities, such as the ability to run middleware. “You can run databases, protocol converters, recipe managers, and even SCADA and MES software on the same IPC you’re using as the automation controller,” said Kay. “But there’s also a little bit of a tradeoff as well. IPCs typically run an operating system like Windows or Linux and oftentimes those operating systems are not optimized for high performance or deterministic industrial applications. That’s not to say an IPC can’t be optimized for such applications, but it may take some work; whereas a PAC or PLC come ready to handle those kinds of applications out of the box.”

Making the determination

Ultimately, the application should help dictate which type of controller you choose. Kay said, “PLCs are well-suited for standalone machines because they’re robust and simple, which makes it easier for maintenance personnel or technicians familiar with technical drawings—the basis for ladder logic commonly used in PLC programming—to troubleshoot rather than the PC programming languages often used in PACs and IPCs.” PACs are commonly preferred for controlling larger processes and integrating safety, motion, distributed I/O, and net-

Scan the QR code to listen to the full podcast with Nate Kay on this topic.

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10 EDITORIAL AW FEBRUARY 2022

BATCH OF IDEAS

John Deere Debuts Autonomous Tractor: “One Giant Robot” By Stephanie Neil

sneil@automationworld.com Senior Editor

t a press conference during the CES 2022 show in January, agriculture equipment maker John Deere announced a major advance for precision farming in the form of a self-driving autonomous tractor. Available later this year, the fully autonomous driverless machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, its TruSet tillage technology coupled with a chisel plow, GPS guidance, and other advanced technologies— including six pairs of stereo cameras enabling 360-degree obstacle detection and calculation of distance, and a deep neural network that classifies each pixel of each image in 100 milliseconds. This determines if the machine should continue to move or stop when an obstacle is detected. Of course, John Deere is known for its innovative farm equipment that has added automation in the form of functions such as AutoTrac turn automation for hands-free guidance of end-of-pass turns, and remote management through AgLogic, which uses advanced reporting to analyze machine and operator performance. “Through sensors and robotics we’ve already automated many parts,” said Deanna Kovar, John Deere’s vice president. “But this is different. The autonomous tractor will open so many doors for agriculture. Most autonomous vehicles, like cars, focus on getting from point A to point B safely. In agriculture it’s more than moving from one spot to another. The tractors in the field have to fol-

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low a precise path and do a specific job. The autonomous 8R tractor is one giant robot, performing its job with accuracy and without human intervention. It’s the next revolution in agriculture.” According to the company, the autonomous 8R solves three critical challenges that farmers currently face: the lack of skilled labor, the demand to get work done when it needs to get done based on soil conditions, and the ability to consistently maximize crop yield. Farmers can spend up to 18 hours a day in the field and are making countless decisions without knowing the impact of those decisions for weeks or months. “It is physically and mentally exhausting,” said John Deere Chief Technology Officer Jahmy Hindman. Now, with no one in the cab of the tractor, the farmer simply swipes the app on the phone to start the tractor while collecting data on how much of the field is tilled, check the fuel level, and if there is something in the field that the tractor is not sure about, it will stop and alert the farmer. The autonomous tractor is emerging at an important time in history, Deere officials point out, noting that the world’s population is expected to grow from 8 billion to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, increasing global food demand by 50%. To reduce hunger and serve a growing population, farmers need to increase agricultural productivity by 60% to 70% using the same amount of farm land. “Farmers need technology to help them do more with less…so that we can all put food on the table,” Hindman said. “Indeed, the 8R tractor can solve some of these problems. But the move to a truly autonomous farm is a five-stage journey,” said Boaz Bachar, CEO and co-founder of Fieldin, a provider of proprietary sensors and data management tools to seamlessly connect many different pieces of machinery in the field. “The 8R is applicable to large commodity crops like corn and soy, but there are many other machines that are focused

on more complex farming fields for fruits, vegetables, and nuts,” he said. But regardless of the crop, the journey to autonomous farming starts with digitizing the day-to-day process of the farm, using sensors to collect data from machinery to gain visibility. Stage two is gaining data insight through industry benchmarks. Stage three is when autonomous vehicles can be deployed. In fact, in November, Fieldin acquired a company called Midnight Robotics, a provider of autonomous driving technology in agriculture. “This acquisition will allow us to potentially transform any machine into an autonomous vehicle in the next few years,” Bachar said. Stage four of the farm transformation journey leverages artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive modeling. At stage five, it’s time to reimagine the design of the farm itself. “One hundred years ago, growers needed to restructure the way they grow to fit the capabilities of the machines,” Bachar said. And the same is true for the farm of the future. Deere officials agree that the addition of AI, machine learning, and cloud computing can set farmers up for future success. And it’s worth noting that, in 2020, Fieldin was selected as one of four agtech companies to participate in Deere’s Intelligent Solutions Group’s Startup Collaborator program. This group is representative of the many new partnerships developing to usher in the next generation of precision agriculture. The big question now is: why did John Deere, an agriculture equipment manufacturer, make this announcement at CES, a consumer electronics show? “The transformation of agriculture impacts us all,” said Hindman. “That is why John Deere is at CES. The future of agriculture starts now.”

2/13/22 5:01 PM

EDITORIAL 11 AW FEBRUARY 2022

PRODUCTION POINTS

A Digital Thread for Industrial Lithium-Ion Battery Innovation By David Miller

dmiller@pmmimediagroup.com Senior Technical Writer

lthough much of the innovation associated with lithium-ion batteries in industry has been linked to electric vehicles (EVs), these batteries are increasingly finding use in other industrial applications as well. For example, they are used to power material handling equipment such as forklifts or autonomous mobile robots, pumps installed in remote locations, and hand tools used by shop floor workers. In many cases, lithium-ion batteries are favored for their high energy density in addition to the fact that they make use of fewer toxic heavy metals than other battery chemistries such as lead-acid and nickel-cadmium. However, lithium-ion batteries have challenges of their own to surmount. For one, they are still quite costly, partially because of the difficulty of attaining raw materials, such as cobalt, that are required for their production. Moreover, these batteries are sensitive to high temperatures and may overheat, catch fire, or explode in some environments, which hampers their use in industry. To overcome these issues, Rockwell Automation has partnered with battery producer Cadenza Innovation to develop a customer cloud portal for management of batteries in the field, an end-to-end battery manufacturing execution system, and to provide equipment automation to support the expansion of Cadenza Innovation’s bat-

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tery manufacturing in the U.S. and abroad. The companies also plan to create a digital thread from Cadenza’s business systems to its factory floor and out to energy storage systems in the field to bring all data back into Cadenza’s connected operations. By collecting data pertaining to use and performance, Cadenza hopes to improve the engineering of future lithium-ion products. This type of arrangement between original equipment manufacturers and end users is becoming more prevalent as a way of allowing suppliers to gather information about how their products are used in the field, and how that use affects their products’ performance. Cadenza expects that its partnership with Rockwell will help it produce new products more rapidly—particularly its supercell battery architecture—which involves wrapping individual battery cells within a protective housing. According to Cadenza, this supercell architecture allows safety issues such

as thermal runaway to be prevented without incurring excessive costs. The supercell has passed safety testing conducted by the Department of Defense. “The transition to cleaner forms of energy to combat climate change is well underway. Driven by the global adoption of EVs, utility grid storage, and dozens of other uses, there’s unprecedented demand for rechargeable batteries,” said Christina Lampe-Onnerud, CEO at Cadenza. “Lithium-ion batteries are the only commercially viable, readily available solution to address this need, but the world requires safer, better performing, and lower cost versions. Teaming with…Rockwell Automation enables our companies to help address this global demand, doing so with an emphasis on sustainability.”

“The plan is to create a digital thread from Cadenza’s business systems to its factory floor and out to energy storage systems in the field to bring all data back into Cadenza’s connected operations.”

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12 PERSPECTIVES AW FEBRUARY 2022

Trademark Plastics Adapts to Market Changes with ERP By David Greenfield

Director of Content/Editor-in-Chief

Trademark Plastics Inc. cross-trains machine operators to be the first line of quality by inspecting parts at the molding machine.

iverside, Calif. based Trademark Plastics Inc. (TPI) is a manufacturer of injection-molded parts. With eight of the world’s top 30 medical device manufacturers among its customers, 85% of TPI’s business comes from the creation of medical components for these customers. With COVID-19 roiling healthcare operations for nearly two years, adjusting operations to the quickly changing realities facing the medical community has proved to be a constantly moving goal. Fortunately, keeping pace with its customers during the pandemic did not require extensive adjustments to TPI’s operating processes because of the company’s long-standing investments in automation and related data acquisition and analytics. TPI uses more than 50 machines to create components along with a Zeiss Metrotom 800 computerized tomography scanning machine to con-

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duct x-ray inspections on all products. Data from the machines in TPI’s facility are fed into the DelmiaWorks manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (formerly known as IQMS, which was acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 2019). The information in the ERP software is then used to provide real-time alerts as well as generate nearly 20 different reports in SAP Crystal Reports (which provide detailed data analyses). Data from TPI’s SolidWorks computer-aided design (CAD) software creates the bills of material (BOMs) used by DelmiaWorks system to track materials and the status of each project. “Everything is connected here at Trademark, from the material to miscellaneous items to robots, injection molding, and machine information, and it’s all located in DelmiaWorks,” says Bryan Barrera, chief operating officer at TPI.

Problem identification

To quickly identify potential issues during production, TPI uses real-time monitoring displays on the shop floor. Color-coding helps employees see whether production is running efficiently (green), running faster than planned (black), or deviating from set parameters (red). “The system can tell you, for example, if you’re scheduled to produce 100 million components per day and your costs, and it’s going to let you know in real time whether or not you’re hitting your goals,” says David Carty, chief executive officer at TPI. “Also, when you see a red light pop up, possibly with some audio, you can go to a technician right then to troubleshoot the issue; whereas in the past, it might have been left alone for a couple hours, increasing the scrap ratio.” “If our scrap report shows that we have a splay issue, the engineers can check if

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PERSPECTIVES 13 AW FEBRUARY 2022

A cross-trained machine operator inspecting molded parts under magnification.

Trademark Plastics Inc. is continually implementing automation within its Class 8 clean rooms with end-ofarm tooling and index conveyors.

there's moisture in the material. If there is a tooling issue, the ERP system will say it needs repair. Burning material, flash, splay—these are all items tracked in a single scrap report,” Barrera says. Also, because production data is shared with the ERP system’s customer relationship management module, an alert will pop up if there is a delay in production so that TPI can advise the customer early in the process. TPI also relies on DelmiaWorks to track returns. This data is used to assist in quality control and attract new customers. “We can say we’re a great supplier [because] with the DelmiaWorks we’re able to show customers and prospects the reports with our metrics. In our case, we’ve had zero returns for the last few months,” Barrera notes. “But if there was a return, we could show them how, for instance, a non-critical dimension was not caught. Having the data for these discussions really helps us out." Several times throughout the year, TPI is also required to complete audits on behalf of ISO or MedAccred. These organizations want to understand how the manufacturer tracks its metrics, how the quality management system is set up, and how everything is captured and integrated. The company can track and report on much of the data using the ERP system.

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Improved customer interaction

TPI also has realized significant efficiencies from using the ERP system to automate its quoting, expanding from hundreds to thousands of quotes without having to increase personnel. Equally important is the strategic advantage that combining automated quoting with production data in the ERP software has provided in creating win-win scenarios for the manufacturer and its customers—enabling TPI to sell more while offering customers better pricing. “For example, if we have an order for 1,000 parts and we're able to manufacture 1,100 parts right then, we’ll produce the extra 100 parts, update the quote, and send it to the customer, perhaps giving them a price break,” Barrera explains. “Usually, they’ll accept the offer.” Alternatively, Barrera notes, “Sometimes the customer reaching out to us doesn’t even know they have a price break, but we’ll reach out to the material manufacturer and get five prices with breaks for 100 pounds, 500 pounds, 1,000 pounds, etc., and put those in the quoting module. Then we can just look at the quoting screen and tell the customer how much they’re saving based off the price breaks.” A third scenario is when the team gets an automated notification that demand for a

product is slowing. If the product in question is a highly profitable one for the company, TPI can use that insight to offer the customer a 5% discount as an incentive to purchase more.

Scan the QR code to read about the 3D printing-ERP connection.

Scan the QR code to read about the use of ERP to help manage operations during a pandemic.

2/13/22 5:01 PM

14 PERSPECTIVES AW FEBRUARY 2022

Cybersecurity at the Forefront of Industry Concerns in Early 2022 By David Greenfield

Director of Content/Editor-in-Chief

ou’ve likely heard about the log4j cybersecurity vulnerability. Chances are, however, that you’ve mostly heard how this primarily affects public-facing internet systems. Some of the higher profile exploits of this vulnerability include penetration of Belgium’s defense ministry, several ransomware hackings, and taking control of computers to mine cryptocurrency, according to the Washington Post. Though no incursions of industrial control systems via the log4j vulnerability have yet been reported, we do know that the potential exists. According to aDolus Technology, a supply chain cybersecurity provider, several million operations technology (OT) software packages use log4j. Most OT software suppliers use log4j because it is open-source software that effectively handles required logging tasks. aDolus explains that the log4j vulnerability (called Log4Shell) is “a result of overly-provisioned features enabled by…an insecure default configuration and the implicit trust of messages.” The National Institute of Standards National Vulnerability Database reports that Log4Shell has been disabled from log4j 2.15.0 and completely removed from version 2.16.0. As with most cybersecurity correction measures, protecting your operations requires identification of the vulnerability in your systems. After all, as aDolus notes, if you don't know that the software you use contains log4j, you won't know whether you should patch or block certain traffic, or perhaps do nothing at all. According to aDolus, a software bill of materials (SBOMs) is the “best tool for uncovering hidden vulnerabilities like Log4Shell.” The FACT platform from aDolus reportedly provides “enriched SBOMs that report all the subcomponents of a software package” and can be a valuable tool for cybersecurity assessments. Source code analysis is another option if you have access to the source code, but that's often not the case in the OT world,

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according to aDolus. More detailed information about mitigating Log4Shell and other log4j-related vulnerabilities can be found at awgo.to/1338.

ISA99 update

As 2022 began, the ISA99 Committee on Industrial Automation Control Systems (IACS) Cybersecurity issued an update to stakeholders about its focus moving forward considering the ever-evolving cybersecurity threats facing industry. Key aspects of this notice from the committee include: • 62443-1-1 (Terminology, concepts, and models)—The first edition of this document was published by ISA in 2007 and later distributed as a technical specification by IEC. Since then, the committee’s understanding of the subject has evolved considerably, as reflected in the more detailed standards in the series. These changes have been incorporated into the second edition of 62443-1-1 that is currently circulating for review and comment in both ISA99 and IEC TC 65 WG 10. • 62443-1-3 (Performance metrics for IACS security)—This technical report defines a methodology for the development of quantitative metrics derived from process and technical requirements defined in the ISA/IEC 62443 series. It has been circulated for review and comment and further revisions are underway. • 62443-1-6 (Application of the ISA/IEC

62443 standards to the Industrial Internet of Things)—This technical report describes considerations for asset owners when they are deciding on the implementation of industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies and provides guidance on the requirements of the ISA/IEC 62443 series to clarify and mitigate any cybersecurity concerns. It will be circulated for review and comment in early 2022. • 62443-2-3 (Security update [patch] management)—This technical report was published by ISA in 2015 to address the requirements for an effective automation system patch management program. A second edition has been completed and will soon be circulated for a second round of review and comment. • 62443-2-2 (IACS security protection)— This document prescribes the requirements to perform a protection level rating during the operation of an automation system. It was recently circulated for review and comment. • 62443-3-3 (System security requirements and security levels)—First published in 2013, this document prescribes the security requirements for control systems and assigns system security levels to the system under consideration. The committee is currently preparing a second edition.

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NEWS 15

AW FEBRUARY 2022

ArcelorMittal Launches 5G Steel Initiative By David Miller

Senior Technical Writer

s the need to remotely monitor and manage large numbers of connected assets increases, wireless connectivity in industry continues to grow in importance. However, many current wireless and cellular networks lack the data transmission rates, reliability, and low latency required for mission-critical industrial applications. In the case of technologies such as centrally controlled autonomous mobile robots, even small amounts of latency cannot be tolerated. Faster data transmission rates also allow for large quantities of data to be collected from intelligent field devices and enable live audio-visual remote assists to be shared with frontline workers via augmented reality (AR) headsets. 5G, the latest cellular technology in the LTE (Long-Term Evolution) family of telecommunication standards, may help to surmount these issues. While other attempts have been made to integrate cellular or other wireless networks capable of meeting the needs of industrial use-cases—such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee—these deployments have often been hindered by reliability and security concerns, as well as limitations regarding the number of devices supported and communication range. By contrast, 5G offers high data transfer rates, low latency, and a broad reach, while promising to be both secure and nearly universally supported. Still, new technologies like 5G often face adoption headwinds. Many companies are slow to adopt them until real-world applications have been demonstrated. As a result, jointly funded pilot projects and collaborations between private and public sector stakeholders often prove vital to accelerating technological innovation. One such endeavor is a recent partnership between steel provider ArcelorMittal France, telecommunications company Orange Business Services, and 5G supplier Ericsson. Supported by the French government in connection with its 2021 French Recovery Plan, this 5G Steel initiative will address industrial

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use cases of 5G adapted to ArcelorMittal France’s specific challenges and business requirements. Ericsson will provide 4G and 5G network technologies and Orange Business Services will contribute its expertise in integration and support. Specifically, the 5G network will provide: Extensive coverage for all of ArcelorMittal France’s industrial sites, both indoors and outdoors; high data throughput for all connected devices; low latency to support the use of autonomous vehicles and other remote-controlled machinery; network slicing to accommodate each business’s unique processes; and data security to ensure sensitive data remains protected. The 5G Steel initiative will begin at ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk plant, followed by Mardyck in Hauts-de-France and Florange in the Grand Est area. Two key applications the initiative seeks to bolster are remote maintenance and autonomous vehicle control. In the case of remote maintenance, workers equipped with tablets will more easily be able to validate and record information directly to the company's information systems. In addition, AR will allow them to access documents, images, or live experts remotely. Regarding its use of autonomous vehicles, ArcelorMit-

tal will be launching the first autonomous train on its private 5G network with the goal of putting it into service in 2023. This train will be used to transport products between various stages of manufacturing at the company’s largest sites.

Scan the QR code to learn more about 5G.

Scan QR code to read about an Ericsson smart factory in the U.S. that is implementing 5G.

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16 NEWS

AW FEBRUARY 2022

OPC Foundation Updates Field Level Communication Specs and Launches Cloud Library By David Miller

Senior Technical Writer

nteroperability is the challenge at the heart of Industry 4.0. With the basis for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) being the networking together of previously isolated systems, standardized communication methodologies are vital to industry’s digital transformation. With its wide adoption by technology vendors, the OPC Foundation's Unified Architecture (OPC UA) has proven to be a core element of industrial interoperability. OPC UA is a machine-to-machine communication architecture compatible with multiple operating systems, programming languages, and platforms. It helps integrators and end users ease the process of integrating disparate systems and equipment—often from various vendors—through the use of semantics to provide a common structural framework for various types of data exchange. At the 2021 OPC General Assembly Meeting, developments pertaining to these goals were discussed, including the release of new specifications for OPC's Field Level Communication (FLC) initiative, as well as the announcement of a globally available OPC UA Cloud Library. The purpose of the FLC initiative is to develop a general model of OPC UA architecture for use by technology suppliers in their automated field devices. The first set of OPC UA Field eXchange (OPC UA FX) specifications were announced at the SPS event in 2019. The newly released second set of specifications consists of four parts and focuses on enabling communication between automation components using both OPC UA client/ server and publish/subscribe methodologies. Those four parts: • Provide an overview and introduce the basic concepts of using OPC UA for field level communications. • Specify the base information model and communication concepts to meet the

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various use cases and requirements of factory and process automation. • Describe networking services, such as topology discovery and time synchronization. • Describe the data structures for sharing information required for offline engineering using descriptors and descriptor packages. The OPC Foundation created a multivendor interoperability demo that uses components from 20 different manufacturers to illustrate the functionality of the new specifications. Focusing on horizontal forms of communication, such as controllerto-controller, the demo shows how process data is exchanged via UDP/IP using wired Ethernet or TSN (time-sensitive networking), as well as in combination with a 5G wireless connection.

Cloud library

The OPC UA cloud library, developed in partnership with the Clean Energy and Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), was also announced at the event. Drawing on contributions from all major cloud vendors, the cloud library contains 65 OPC UA information models. According to the OPC Foundation, this

library allows applications to more easily access OPC UA information models and reportedly increases overall ease-of-use for end users by making the entire collection of OPC UA companion specifications more widely available. While assets at the operations technology level are already able to access these information models from other devices, security concerns have limited the degree to which they can be delivered via the cloud. However, through the OPC UA cloud library, this difficulty can be surmounted. Erich Barnstedt, chief architect for standards and consortia at Microsoft and chair of the OPC UA cloud library working group, explained how this new cloud library helps address security concerns. "The OPC UA cloud library is the missing link that makes OPC UA information models available in the cloud on a global scale without requiring a connection to physical machines," he said. "It enables OPC UA information models that are used as blueprints for industrial digital twins to be looked up and matched against time-series machine telemetry data provided by cloud-based analytics software, which is a common requirement in IIoT projects."

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PMMI NEWS 17 AW FEBRUARY 2022

PACK EXPO East 2022 Nears Record Size with Numerous Highlights By Sean Riley

Senior Director, Media and Industry Communications, PMMI

ith just a few weeks remaining before the event, current exhibitor numbers position PACK EXPO East (March 21-23, 2022, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia) as one of the best ways to see technology in action from more than 400 exhibiting companies. This year’s event is expected to show at least a 9% increase in the number of exhibitors—including 21 new exhibitors signing up in the past two months—according to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. This show is already surpassing the size of the last two PACK EXPO East events in 2018 and 2020, which was held just before the pandemic. Registration is also keeping pace with the 2020 show. “Things have changed dramatically since 2020 and our industry has been working to keep up during this pandemic,” says Laura Thompson, vice president, trade shows, PMMI. “There is a need to meet face-to-face to find solutions to keep up with demand and our numbers indicate that the industry is excited to come together and see the latest technologies first-hand.” The biennial event provides professionals from the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and life sciences rich Northeast corridor a convenient and rewarding opportunity to explore the latest packaging and processing technology in person, connect with suppliers, and find applicable solutions in a changing marketplace. After a highly successful PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2021 led the way in bringing the industry together again, PMMI has proven that PACK EXPO events provide unmatched networking and educational opportunities. Attendees and exhibitors alike will have access to several must-see highlights at this year’s show, including: • Free, supplier-driven 30-minute seminars on the Innovation Stage to learn from experts. • The Forum at PACK EXPO will feature free, interactive 45-minute open ses-

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•

sions followed by small group discussions and Q&A sessions on the latest industry trends. Networking high points include the PACK EXPO East Opening Reception, the Young Professionals Reception hosted by PMMI’s Emerging Leaders Network, and The Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network networking reception. The Workforce Development Pavilion will feature PMMI Partner Schools presenting mechatronics, packaging and processing offerings, and provide an opportunity to meet students interested in careers in the industry. The Association Partner Pavilion features associations dedicated to advancing the packaging and processing industry, including the Reusable Packaging Association, Institute

of Packaging Professionals, AIM (automatic identification), The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers, Flexible Packaging Association, Adhesive and Sealant Council, Organization for Machine Automation & Control, and the Foundation For Supply Chain Solutions, with more to come. Just a drive or train trip away for most of the East Coast, no other event will offer such a wide range of state-of-the-art packaging and processing solutions as PACK EXPO East. For more information and to register, visit packexpoeast.com. To learn about the PACK Ready Health and Safety plan and Philadelphia’s recent vaccination mandate, visit packexpoeast.com/packready.

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18 THE SUSTAINABLE FACTORY AW FEBRUARY 2022

Manufacturers on a journey to lower carbon emissions and optimize energy use need to measure consumption from the supply chain to the line, the cell, and the product being produced. By Stephanie Neil, Senior Editor

n 2020, Schneider Electric’s Lexington, Ky., facility—a 60-year-old brownfield facility where safety switches and circuit breakers are produced—was recognized as a “Lighthouse Factory” by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which, together with McKinsey & Company in 2018, created the Global Lighthouse Network initiative. “Lighthouse Factories” are companies that effectively use Industry 4.0 technologies to drive digital transformation. As a result, these companies are recognized as beacons for others to follow. The Lexington factory’s digital energy management strategy leverages IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) connectivity with power meters and predicative analytics to capture greater energy consumption granularity and optimize energy costs. As a result, the company has been able to reduce energy use by 26%, net CO2 by 30%, and water use by 20%. Based on that progress, the Schneider Electric factory was selected by WEF in 2021 as one of only three facilities in the world to be named a “Sustainability Lighthouse.”

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THE SUSTAINABLE FACTORY 19 AW FEBRUARY 2022

“It’s a testament to the work we’ve been doing in Lexington, and a reflection of the broader Schneider mission,” said Luke Durcan, Schneider Electric’s director of the company’s EcoStruxure platform. “We have been on the decarbonization sustainability path for many years.” Decarbonization is part of the company’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal call to action by the United Nations which outlines a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all." Schneider Electric is engaged in efforts to accomplish all 17 SDGs, as well as five sustainability megatrends related to climate, the circular economy, ethics, health and equity, and development. For its core business, Schneider is transitioning to more electric, digital, decarbonized, and decentralized energy. The company

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notes that it is committed to carbon neutrality at its sites and in its ecosystem by 2030. “As a manufacturer of things, this is aggressive,” Durcan said. As aggressive as Schneider Electric’s actions around sustainability are, more companies are following a similar path. According to a Capgemini Research Institute report on sustainable operations, of the 960 executives surveyed, 91% aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity and 87% plan to be carbon neutral by 2040. Achieving this, however, takes intent and technology. “We have a decarbonization pathway which is a four-stage, 12-point plan to understand the baseline and set targets,” Durcan said. And Schneider Electric uses some of its own technology to understand the actual base level in the plant. This technology includes its PowerLogic power meters, the EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert energy visualization and analysis tools that collect metering and

machine data at the control layer, and Aveva Insight—a cloud platform that uses artificial intelligence to create actionable information to improve asset reliability and operational performance from enterprise systems, MES (manufacturing execution systems), time series, and non-sequential energy data. Schneider Electric says its manufacturing customers are using the same technologies for their own sustainability initiatives. “To say there’s been an explosion in the last 12 months is an understatement,” Durcan said. “There’s been a seismic shift in people’s decarbonization efforts.” But this move to energy efficiency and carbon neutrality does not come naturally, and manufacturers need a lot of help when it comes to getting started.

Letting off steam

A common question is: “Where do I start?” And a common answer is, “Start by doing an assessment on where the greatest gains can come from with the least amount of effort,” said Nathan Hedrick, national product manager at Endress+Hauser. “Typically, I find that some of the biggest energy consumers are compressed air and steam where small changes can lead to big savings.” Indeed, industry experts agree that steam, compressed air, and electromechanical systems are the biggest culprits when it comes to wasted energy. Fortunately, relatively easy fixes exist for these issues as long as you can measure energy use in these areas first. Endress+Hauser makes field instruments to measure and monitor the flow, level, pressure, and temperature of liquids. “These instruments are the eyes and ears into the process and are important to sustainability efforts because they can generate baselines that can be monitored, measured, and reported on to see trends,” said Mark Thomas, Endress+Hauser’s industry marketing group manager. Sean Silvey, product application specialist with Fluke Corp., a supplier of electrical test and measurement tools, agrees that an energy assessment is a good first step. “But in energy, there isn’t a body of research for an industrial plant manager to use to set baselines for what ‘reasonable’ energy usage looks like in a manufacturing facility. So how do you assess what portion of current energy usage is reasonable and what is wasteful? Or, of that

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20 THE SUSTAINABLE FACTORY AW FEBRUARY 2022

At the Schneider Electric Lexington smart factory, engineers and plant managers use Aveva Insight software to view and optimize energy consumption across the factory floor.

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THE SUSTAINABLE FACTORY 21 AW FEBRUARY 2022

wasteful portion, what provides high enough ROI (return on investment) to address? The ROI under discussion here is the cost per kilowatt hour as charged by the utility.” Fluke’s power quality and energy analyzers troubleshoot power quality issues and discover the cost of wasted energy. Multiple parameters are measured simultaneously and displayed in formats that quickly describe overall power quality health. And understanding energy waste points is key. “Every system and operation has the potential to be a point of waste that can be mitigated or remedied,” Silvey said. “The goal is to map the energy use of specific equipment and processes to look at where energy is being wasted to quantify the waste and prioritize improvements or replacements based on life of the equipment, as well as which modifications can deliver the best return on investment.” Silvey’s “energy efficiency checklist” starts with a profile of energy use and then traces the energy consumption to understand energy waste points. He warns that manufacturers should not try to manage every

kilowatt consumed by the facility, but instead divide the facility by electrical infrastructure and key systems. “The understanding of basic energy components enables an electrician to set up energy logging equipment to measure overall levels and quality of consumption and then trace when energy is consumed by what. The biggest power savings come from determining when power usage peaks, evaluating overall power consumption compared to utility invoices, and possibly rebalancing loads.” By power logging each major system and mapping those costs against utility bills to quantify where and when consumption occurs, companies can often realize savings by simple operational and schedule changes, Silvey said.

Measuring for more output

There are other ways to measure energy use beyond checking the utility bill, and it starts with collecting the data from an energy meter connected to an equipment component—a conveyor or a pump, for example—and putting it into a historian as a way to maintain the

history of the equipment to look for optimizations. “As you monitor it over time, using a dashboard, you then have a data set and can use analytics to get efficiency,” said Gimmi Filice, senior product manager at GE Digital. In addition to historians, MES software can be tied to facility management software to determine when different lines are idle and can be powered down. A large automotive manufacturer using GE Digital’s Proficy MES software saved 10-15% on energy usage just by looking at what lines were not running during certain hours in the evening, dimming the lights, and shutting off high energy equipment, Filice said. Other customers are taking digital transformation tools to another level, like using artificial intelligence and digital twin technology to make predictions of how equipment will perform. According to GE Digital, a steel, chemicals, and cement conglomerate in Southwest China turned to Proficy CSense (analytics software that improves asset performance using a process digital twin) to optimize control of its energy-inten-

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22 THE SUSTAINABLE FACTORY AW FEBRUARY 2022

Fluke’s three-phase power quality analyzers capture hundreds of power quality parameters to ensure critical power quality events are never missed.

sive cement cooler process. By analyzing the data, new insights were gained about variation in the cement cooler’s performance. A digital twin model enabled them to predict how process input changes would affect the cement cooler’s performance. Though looking at a portion of data may help tweak a machine or a line, it does not provide the holistic view needed to truly optimize energy use. “I’ve often found that our own instrumentation has a lot more unlocked potential in the form of unused data that users do not fully leverage to their benefit,” said Endress+Hauser’s Hedrick. That is where new kinds of manufacturing data-capturing technologies are coming into play. An example being Sight Machine, a platform that converts unstructured plant data into a standardized data foundation. “A manufacturer should know how many units it’s producing and how much energy it’s using, but they need to dial down to see where it’s being used to get to the level of not just plant or line efficiency, but asset efficiency,” said Matt Smith, senior vice president, digital

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transformation for Sight Machine. Sight Machine features tools, called “cookbooks,” that contain recipes for products. Using this information, Sight Machine can determine the most efficient way to make these products using statistical weighing. “Cookbooks look through all of the historical data and, based on conditions—be it humidity, raw materials, etc.—give you your best set of running conditions using as little water as possible, for example,” says Smith. Schneider Electric’s Durcan agrees that the ability to track resource and energy use, not just at the plant level but at the product level, is important. The Lexington plant, for example, is a high-volume, low-mix facility, and when you are producing products the same way every day, managing the resources is straightforward. But that’s rarely the case. “You need to associate the resources with the actual product flowing through the facility. We have to think not just about what a plant does on a week-to-week or year-to-year basis, but how to optimize them,” he said. That means broadening the scope beyond

what is happening in the plant to include the extended supply chain. It can be difficult to collect all that data, but it is an important aspect of measuring energy use. “In the past we’d go to the ERP system to see what standard and variable costs were and see where it is cheaper to produce product, which was all based on cost. Now, we are genuinely looking at our supply chain based on carbon and resources, and that is a different proposition,” Durcan said. “Cost is not a reflection of carbon and energy produced.” There are numerous aspects to understanding energy use, and there is no one approach that works for all cases. To address this, many manufacturing technology suppliers, like Schneider Electric, have formed consulting groups to help companies establish baselines and measurements. But to be successful, there needs to be “strategic corporate intent,” Durcan said. “Everyone is at a different point on the journey; make sure you are strategic about what the objectives are first.”

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24 MAKING SENSE OF INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS AW FEBRUARY 2022

WHY THE MQTT PROTOCOL IS SO POPULAR This first installment in a four-part series on key industrial network technologies explains how an ultra-lightweight data transfer protocol became a widely used data gathering tool for Internet of Things applications. By James R. Koelsch Contributing Writer

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MAKING SENSE OF INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS 25 AW FEBRUARY 2022

he message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol is a key contender for the most favored method of data transference. The main reason why is MQTT’s open-source design and lightweight stature make it well suited to connect disparate devices to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems as well as other industrial networks. As Omer Qadri, product marketing manager for edge and HMI products at Aveva, explains, MQTT uses a publish/subscribe architecture that reduces bandwidth utilization by 95% compared to traditional polled communications and client/ server communications using the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). “An HTTP header is typically around 8,000 bytes,” he says, “but the MQTT protocol uses only two bytes and a few lines of code.” This is key in an era where millions of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) devices have been deployed, many with low internal memory and processing power. Besides having a much smaller footprint on the network, MQTT’s publish/subscribe architecture is also flatter than the architecture used by traditional industrial automation protocols, such as Modbus, EtherNet/IP, and Profinet. “This [MQTT] architecture replaces the traditional automation pyramid,” observes Garrett Schmidt, senior product manager for communication interfaces at Phoenix Contact USA. Whereas clients in a client/server architecture communicate directly with an endpoint or server, publishers and subscribers—message senders and recipients, respectively—never talk directly to each other in a publish/subscribe architecture. Rather, they communicate with an intermediator called a broker; the publisher supplies the broker with data and the subscribers consume the data. “The broker can reside anywhere—on the cloud, on a private server, or just running on a PC somewhere,” says Schmidt. “It filters the incoming messages and distributes them to the appropriate subscribers.” He adds that this decoupling of publishers and subscribers enhances flexibility in IIoT applications in at least three ways: “First, publishers and subscribers only need to know how to contact the broker, not each other. Second, a broker can store messages for clients that are not online and deliver them when the resource is available. And third, operations do not have to be interrupted when waiting to receive or publish a message to coincide with the asynchronous nature of most client libraries.” MQTT also has the advantage of being an open-source protocol built upon TCP/IP (transmission control protocol and internet protocol). In essence, MQTT permits users to send TCP/IP messages back and forth, according to Arlen Nipper, a co-creator of MQTT and president and chief technology officer at Cirrus Link Solutions. Like HTTP, MQTT defines only a transport protocol. It doesn’t provide for security; it relies on TCP/IP for that. Like HTTP, MQTT also doesn’t define a payload specification. Although being payload agnostic offers the flexibility to transfer any payload, including those from legacy systems, it can complicate the connection of some devices. In these cases, a programmer would be required to translate the data. To eliminate this translation work and streamline imple-

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26 MAKING SENSE OF INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS AW FEBRUARY 2022

The MQTT protocol relies on a publish/subscribe architecture, rather than the more traditional poll/response architecture, for gathering data from field devices and tracking the state of the connected devices. At the center of this publish/subscribe architecture is a broker. Connected devices (publishers), send data to the broker, which makes that data available to various subscribers that have permission to consume the data. Source: Opto 22

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MAKING SENSE OF INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS 27 AW FEBRUARY 2022

mentation, the open-source Sparkplug payload specification was released in 2016. “It marked the first attempt to standardize on an interoperable format for MQTT in industrial applications,” says Josh Eastburn, director of technical marketing at Opto 22. In 2018, the Eclipse Foundation sponsored the Tahu Project, which collected reference implementations of Sparkplug. The result has been the emergence of plug-and-play IIoT devices using MQTT. Nipper says Sparkplug does for IIoT what the hypertext markup language (HTML) did for the Internet of People. Consequently, he is expecting IIoT applications to explode, as the Internet of People did once both HTTP and HTML were defined.

Explosive growth expected

MQTT is already making significant inroads in industrial automation, as well as enjoying widespread use in other applications. Facebook, for example, adopted it as the transport layer for its Messenger app back in 2011.

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“Literally overnight, 800 million people were using MQTT,” notes Andy Stanford-Clark, MQTT’s other co-creator and distinguished engineer and master inventor at IBM UK. Since then, other Big Tech companies have followed suit. Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft’s Azure, IBM’s Watson, and Google IoT platforms, for example, all are using MQTT. With such broad uptake, MQTT overtook HTTP in 2018 as the transport protocol of choice for the Internet of Things, reports Stanford-Clark. Many automation suppliers expect MQTT to eventually dominate the industrial networking space. “We believe MQTT will become the de facto industrial standard in the next 10 years,” predicts Qadri. “It will enjoy widespread adoption as industry replaces legacy Modbus, OPC, and other telemetry protocols that are still predominant in SCADA applications.”

Key milestones

The success of MQTT in the consumer space has obscured some fundamental facts about

its origins. Namely that the protocol has been around for 23 years now and was originally developed for industrial automation, specifically for Phillips 66. The development of MQTT occurred after AT&T had been broken up and a number of vendors began offering their own SCADA systems to deliver data in real time by satellite. “Every one of those companies had a proprietary transport layer,” recalls Nipper, who, at the time, was with Arcom Control Systems Inc., a company he had co-founded and which is now part of Eurotech. The one exception was AT&T, which designed its new SCADA offering to run natively on TCP/IP. Phillips 66 had installed one of these systems and asked Nipper for help with increasing the efficiency of realtime data flows between field devices and multiple data consumers. “Polling over a VSAT [very small aperture terminal] is slow,” explains Nipper. “And it was very expensive if you had hundreds of sites, like we did at Phillips 66.” Other constraints included the use

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28 MAKING SENSE OF INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS AW FEBRUARY 2022

of devices reliant on 8-bit embedded microprocessors and 300-baud communications. Because the SCADA manager at Phillips 66 wanted to replicate the success the IT department had been having with messageoriented middleware (MOM) from IBM, he introduced Nipper to IBM’s Stanford-Clark. In 1999, the pair developed MQTT for MOMbased SCADA. Despite being an efficient, open-source protocol, MQTT would not gain much momentum for nearly a decade. “It wasn’t until the protocol became available in a royalty-free license that it began to catch on outside of IBM,” explains Eastburn. “In 2010, Mosquitto, the first open-source MQTT broker was released, proving that MQTT had a life outside of IBM and marking a turning point in its adoption.” Two other milestones in industry’s adoption of the protocol occurred in 2011. First was the Eclipse Foundation initiating the Paho Project, which collected MQTT clients implemented in various languages. “In 2011, IBM and Eurotech donated MQTT client implementations in C and Java to the foundation, allowing for a complete MQTT system to be built from open-source components,” says Eastburn. That same year, IBM also began the standardization process of MQTT with the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) ultimately adopting version 3.1.1 as a standard in 2014. Then, in 2016, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Geneva-based International Electrotechni-

Arlen Nipper, MQTT co-creator, president and CTO at Cirrus Link Solutions

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cal Commission (IEC) also approved it as ISO/IEC 20922:2016. To keep up with advances in related technologies, OASIS released version 5 of MQTT in March 2019. This version allows users to do new things with MQTT via the cloud, large distributed infrastructures, and clusters of multiple brokers. “We were careful not to let too many things creep into it, as we have to stick to the founding principles of keeping the protocol easy to understand and not very chatty on the wire,” says StanfordClark. ISO is currently considering adoption of version 5 as well.

Potential application concerns

Despite the success MQTT and its publish/ subscribe architecture have had, it’s not optimal for every application, according to Kenneth Tran, founder and CEO of Koidra Inc., a supplier of artificial intelligence-driven IoT technologies. “We find the pub/sub model is often not the best solution for higher-level applications, in part because they must be configured to consider asynchronous data availability,” he says. “In a factory, it’s typical to have many sensors connected to a controller, server, or sensor hub in the field.” In the IoT systems that Koidra offers, an on-premises IoT hub aggregates data pulled from a factory’s sensors via smaller, local sensor hubs. “These IoT hubs perform lightweight data cleansing, processing, and compression—and then push the resulting information to the cloud,” explains Tran. In this case, “because there is only one consumer, the central cloud, the pub/sub framework would be overkill.” Another potential pitfall is getting locked into a particular vendor’s proprietary IoT platform. This can happen with data sent to the vendor’s cloud services, which can happen despite MQTT’s open-source origins. In these instances, users buy their edge device and software and connect it using MQTT. “But you have no access to the data if it all remains within the vendor’s cloud environment,” explains Travis Cox, co-director of sales engineering at Inductive Automation. Consequently, Cox urges users to make sure the configuration of these cloud-based systems allows them access to their data. “You can send the data to their cloud,” he says, “but ultimately you should be able to send that data to your systems too.” A second way to get locked into proprietary technology, despite the use of MQTT, is

Andy Stanford-Clark, MQTT co-creator, master inventor at IBM UK through the payload format. This can occur because MQTT can transfer payloads in any format, including a vendor’s proprietary binary format. “If you don’t understand what’s being sent, then it’s going to be very hard for you to take advantage of it,” Cox points out. To avoid this pitfall, insist on either having a definition that tells you what the data look like or use the open-source Sparkplug payload specification. Cox also recommends building a resilient architecture. “If you were to lose a connection or access to your central broker, then your applications would be blind,” he says. One way that he suggests for building resiliency against such interrupted connections would be to store data in a local cache so it can be forwarded when the connection is re-established. Another way to enhance resiliency is to have two brokers, so that one can continue working if the other should fail.

Scan the QR code to learn more about MQTT security and industrial networking trends.

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CASE STUDY 29 AW FEBRUARY 2022

Wearable Technology Bolsters Worker Safety PepsiCo’s use of Kinetic’s Reflex wearable device has had a definitive impact on both worker safety and company culture. By David Miller, Senior Technical Writer

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s the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has become more ubiquitous, intelligent sensors have transformed everything from machine vision systems to conveyor belts into sources of valuable data for upstream analytics. Soon, those sensors could find their way onto workers themselves. Already, wearable technology is a fast-burgeoning field that is not to be neglected. Augmented reality (AR) headsets have allowed field service professionals working in dangerous conditions to access hands-free schematics, instruction

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30 CASE STUDY AW FEBRUARY 2022

IO-Link: We speak your language

Impact67 Pro & MVK Pro IMPACT67 Pro & MVK Pro, Murrelektronik‘s compact IO-Link master module with eight multifunctional master ports, are the most intelligent way to connect IO-Link devices. Combine these modules with our selection of IO-Link hubs and analog converters to increase your flexibility while minimizing hardware costs. In addition to pure process data (I/Os), the new Pro modules also provide secondary extended diagnostic data (voltage, current and temperature values) for both the respective ports and the entire module. This allows anomalies to be detected and the actual process to be optimized via data analysis. With the help of OPC UA, this can be done completely without a controller using a standard protocol.

manuals, and even real-time audiovideo feeds for remote assistance from potentially distant subject matter experts. Now, new types of wearables are allowing end-users to generate useful data insights as well. What’s more, the collaboration they foster between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) professionals is helping to bridge the OT/IT divide. Food, beverage, and snack company PepsiCo—which recently outfitted its workers with Reflex wearable technology devices from Kinetic—has seen those benefits clearly. The Reflex device is a belt-mounted wearable sensor that can automatically detect when a worker is assuming high-risk postures such as bending, overreaching, or twisting that may lead to repetitive strain injuries while on the job. From here, the actions taken are two-fold. First, workers receive realtime feedback via a gentle vibration which alerts them that they have assumed a high-risk posture, helping them to adjust their behavior. The data is then shipped upstream to a cloud-based web dashboard that delivers actionable insights to management on how to improve workplace ergonomics. Not only does this help to improve the health of workers by averting injuries, it saves PepsiCo money by reducing worker compensation costs related to repetitive strain and other workplace related impairments. According to Kinetic, claim costs can be reduced by up to 54% using the Reflex device. “At a company like PepsiCo, there’s a lot of lifting and a lot of manual handling of materials—twisting, turning, and high-risk postures. We’ve always tried to do ergonomic work to improve conditions as much as we could, but there was always something missing—a behavioral element,” said Cormac Gilligan, global vice president of environment, health, and safety at PepsiCo. “We never really tapped into that to create a sense of ownership in the mind of the individual employee, and help them to behave and move in a different way. The impact [Kinetic’s wearables] have had in that regard has been massive.”

“Not only does this help to improve the health of workers by averting injuries, it saves PepsiCo money by reducing worker compensation costs related to repetitive strain and other workplace related impairments.” Moreover, Kinetic’s Reflex wearable has brought PepsiCo other benefits beyond labor optimization and cost-cutting. The devices have also facilitated greater interaction between OT and IT personnel, which Gilligan said has made a meaningful difference in PepsiCo’s company culture. In many cases, employees have been more willing to make changes to their behavior when they are receiving and acting on data insights themselves, rather than merely taking instructions from supervisors. Beyond that, the role of OT personnel in producing data has granted them a larger role in discussions on how to improve workplace ergonomics. “It started off for us as a way of simply trying to eliminate ergonomic risks that drive our worker compensation costs, but it’s become more of an employee engagement exercise. They like the device, and they want to wear the device. This allows us to engage with the employees in a way we haven’t before,” Gilligan said. “The employees are having conversations with us that are helping us to understand why, at a particular time or in a particular place, they have to adopt a high-risk posture, which helps us to redesign the work area or process. We were telling them what to do, and now they’re telling us what to do—that’s extremely powerful.”

murrinc.com

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NEW PRODUCTS 31 AW FEBRUARY 2022

No-Code Robot Teaching Environment

Epson, epsonrobots.com Epson RC+ Express is an intuitive visual-based teaching environment that enables programming of Epson SCARA robots for users with littleto-no programming experience, enabling manufacturers to develop robotic programs to overcome cost and time barriers associated with running industrial robots. Developed for Epson T-Series All-in-One and LS-B Series SCARA robots, Epson RC+ Express features a visualbased teaching environment that integrates block-style format with the power and flexibility of a scripted-text programming language. Readyto-use templates are included, allowing users to quickly create common pick-and-place, palletizing, and depalletizing applications. The software is also equipped with time-saving features such as Epson proprietary Focus Assist technology with auto generated fields and a built-in 3D simulator to help visualize and fine-tune applications.

Robotic Tool Changer

ATI Industrial Automation, ati-ia.com ATI Industrial Automation is releasing a new standard tool changing option for smaller robots. The QC-29 Robotic Tool Changer brings the powerful and rugged technology of ATI’s heavy duty tool changers to robots in the 25-35kg payload class. ATI says the QC-29 is the first standard ATI Tool Changer designed with a rectangular body that mounts directly to 40mm and 50mm robot wrists. The QC-29 also includes in-body lock/unlock sensing and a new locking mechanism. Built-in air ports and three-module mounting ease utilities connections, and the Zero-Freeplay design ensures maximum repeatability for high-efficiency tool changing. The QC-29 is compatible with ATI’s standard utility modules and tool stands enabling unique configurations ranging from ultrasonic welding to servo motor support.

Assisted Reality Wearables

RealWear, realwear.com The RealWear Navigator 500 is the next generation of the RealWear’s industrial-strength wearables. Building on its flagship RealWear HMT-1 head-mounted display, RealWear Navigator 500 represents a new family of assisted reality products for RealWear, with a new modular platform, improved user experience, and comfortable ergonomics that empower frontline workers to perform work tasks while keeping those workers’ hands and fields of view free to more safely perform tasks for longer amounts of time in the hybrid work environment. Optimized for hands-free use, RealWear Navigator 500 combines hardware, software, and cloud-ready services with a rugged design that is one-third lighter and slimmer than the previous generation, making it easier for frontline workers to wear the device for their entire shift.

Rotary Encoders

Posital, posital.com Position and motion sensor specialist Posital has announced new models of its IXARC rotary encoders with housings that are only 27 mm long. This reduced length, combined with a diameter of only 36 mm, means that these compact devices are ideal for tight spaces. The radial cable entry and shaft seal have protection ratings of IP65, ensuring reliable operations in wet and dirty conditions. A variety of flange and shaft configurations are available, reducing the need for adaptors or work-arounds. The new compact encoders are based on Posital’s magnetic measurement technology. Both incremental and single-turn absolute versions are available. Incremental variants are programmable—resolution can be set anywhere from one to 16,384 pulses-per-turn without requiring any changes to the mechanical properties of the devices. Similarly, pulse direction and the output driver—either push-pull (HTL) or RS422 (TTL)—can be reset through software updates.

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32 NEW PRODUCTS AW FEBRUARY 2022

Rugged Industrial Computer

Abaco Systems, abaco.com The GRA115S is available as a rugged 3U VPX VITA 65 or as a high-performance computer (HPC) form factor with a graphics output board designed to align to the SOSA (sensor open systems architecture) standard. The HPC version is designed to meet the requirements of the military and aerospace markets and industrial/data sciences markets for graphics generation applications and high-performance, generalpurpose computing on graphics processing units. With two form-factor options available, alignment with SOSA lowers overall risk for users while fitting into Abaco’s wider 3U portfolio, which includes the SBC3511, SWE440S, VP431, and VP831. The GRA115S also utilizes AXIS ImageFlex Support to accelerate application development.

Variable Frequency Drives

Rockwell Automation, rockwellautomation.com Rockwell’s PowerFlex AC variable frequency drive portfolio is being expanded to support a broader range of motor control applications. The new PowerFlex 755TS drive is a six-pulse drive that incorporates the TotalForce technology from Rockwell Automation. Previously only available on the PowerFlex 755T drives with active frontend technology, TotalForce can now be used in a wider range of applications, including traditional fan, pump, and conveyor applications, as well as advanced motor control processes that require highperformance features typically found in specialized drive solutions.

LED Panel Lights

LEDtronics, ledtronics.com The PNL-1106 series of LED indicator lamps eliminate many of the shortcomings of conventional incandescent lamps. Accommodating panels up to 0.3 inch (7.6mm) in thickness with an 11/16-in. (17.46mm) mounting hole, the bolt-in bulbs with a 17.5mm mounting diameter and 0.19-in. (4.75mm) wide spade tabs fit many front panels in machine tools, medical equipment, and control panels where long-lived, energy-efficient light sources are required or when personal safety depends on a reliable status indicator. These high-efficacy indicators feature a black, polyester resin body and a fixed LED with a flat and fluted lens cap that is fixed, transparent, and cylindrical to facilitate viewing and light dispersion. The lamps can be installed with a twist-to-lock method to ensure a secure electrical contact. An integrated resistor prevents short circuiting, eliminating the need for special fuses.

Cloud-Based ERP

Epicor, epicor.com Epicor Kinetic ERP now offers the new Epicor Cloud Enterprise Services package for large manufacturers that contend with complex bills of materials (BOMs) and material resource planning (MRP) requirements. With this new services package, large manufacturers gain greater control and flexibility to manage multiple plants and facilities worldwide on a scalable and secure cloud platform. The software also delivers state-of-the-art computing power, customizable cloud infrastructure, and access to premium support expertise to accelerate global manufacturing processes.

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Produced by:

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packexpoeast.com 2/15/22 3:00 PM

34 INDUSTRY VIEW AW FEBRUARY 2022

Digital Twins for Discrete Manufacturing Applications By Dick Slansky Senior Analyst, ARC Advisory Group

ultiple technologies have emerged in recent years that are instrumental in driving the advance of smart manufacturing and the Industrial IoT (Internet of Things). These include advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), operational intelligence, advanced robotics, cyber-physical systems, and generative design for additive manufacturing. While each of these technologies is changing the face of manufacturing today, ARC Advisory Group research suggests that the Industrial IoT, connected smart assets, and the digital twin are having the most immediate and significant impact on how companies implement technologies that enable smart manufacturing.

How the digital twin is being implemented today

An integral component of a digital twin of a production system is the virtual model of the real-world products, assets, and processes. Virtual modeling provides manufacturing engineers with the ability to simulate and model the virtual and the physical, simultaneously or separately. This digital twin system modeling approach enables them to understand the holistic nature of their assets and production systems within the overall manufacturing ecosystem. Further, we are seeing the emergence of powerful digital twin development tools offered by suppliers that will enable manufacturers to understand exactly how their factory systems and equipment function, and enable them to make decisions to enhance performance and product quality through human and artificial intelligence. Digital twins can be applied to discrete manufacturing ecosystems in three distinct areas: product, production, and performance.

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The product digital twin is used to enable more efficient design and improve the product. In some cases, the product is the actual equipment and assets used in the production system. Virtual simulation modeling can validate product performance, while simulating how the product is currently behaving in a physical environment. This provides the product developer with a physical-virtual connection that allows them to analyze how a product performs under various conditions and make changes in the virtual design model to ensure that the physical product will perform as designed in the field. This eliminates the need for physical prototypes and reduces development time. Production digital twins are used in manufacturing and production planning. They can help to validate how well a manufacturing process will perform on the shop floor before the physical production equipment and work cells go into actual production. Today, the virtual commissioning of production automation —an established technology and process—is merging with the more expansive scope of the digital twin. Virtual commissioning is typically a one-time validation of an automated production system. In contrast, the digital twin represents an ongoing analytical and optimizing process that takes place in real time. By simulating the production process using a digital twin and analyzing the physical events across the digital thread, manufacturers can create a production environment that remains efficient under variable conditions. Performance digital twins are used to capture, analyze, and act on operational data. An important initial step when developing and implementing a digital twin is to identify the exact operational configuration of the product, asset, or production equipment that represent the physical components.

Context and configurational data required

needed to collect the relevant operational and performance data. Companies implementing any digital twin project should begin by capturing and managing the actual physical configuration of the asset. Additionally, due to the many use cases for a digital twin across the product lifecycle, implementers would be well served to employ digital twin technology that can integrate a flexible/ dynamic data model. The operational element of the digital twin aligns closely with concepts and technologies associated with industrial IoT. While virtual CAD models and product performance simulations define the fit, form, and function of the product, the real-time and operational data is the digital output of the physical assets in operation. The information is captured through sensors, industrial IoT endpoints, and intelligent edge devices in real time. This connects the digital twin to physical reality. Combined with the various forms of contextual data, this knowledge provides a foundation for insightful and timely decision-making, leading to process improvement and optimization.

Recommendations

To realize meaningful benefits when implementing a digital twin for smart manufacturing, organizations must think holistically. Successful implementation is much more than engineering design models or mechanical and electric components of a production work cell. The entire digital twin system must be modeled based on the virtual and physical elements and the desired output and results. For a digital twin, analytics, and operational performance to be effective, the context of the product or asset within the system is required. The ultimate benefits of a digital twin can be quantified by understanding up front that physical configuration is just as important as virtual design.

When implementing, user companies need to include context within the digital twin configuration. For predictive analytics or industrial IoT to be effective, the context (physical configuration) of the asset and system are required to know exactly what is

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INTEGRATOR VIEW 35 AW FEBRUARY 2022

3 Ways AI is Changing Food and Beverage Manufacturing By Gareth Williams Principal Consultant, Nukon

• Detects quality issues in real time; • Identifies the root cause of quality issues, thereby improving future production processes.

More efficient maintenance

anufacturing high-quality products at minimum cost is the goal for most companies, and Industry 4.0 initiatives can get us closer than ever before. Despite being in varying stages of digitizing operations, many in the manufacturing industry are seeing the huge opportunities these initiatives offer. One of the most talked about initiatives is artificial intelligence (AI). Mckinsey’s “State of AI” survey in 2020 reported that 22% of respondents who adopted AI saw revenue growth of more than 5%, particularly in areas such as finance and supply chain management. AI can also bring benefits to manufacturing, which we’re going to look at in this article.

Improving product quality

Maintaining consistent product quality is a significant challenge in food and beverage production. Using machine learning can maintain higher levels of product quality overall, while enabling faster quality checks through visual inspection. Video and image recognition tools can detect and analyze products in real-time, determining whether a product passes the quality check based on input specifications. These tools can determine a pass/fail outcome for a range of needs, such as packaging fill levels and label placement. Image recognition tools are more accessible today, making implementation easier. Usually, it doesn’t require an overhaul of current processes, a large-scale installation within your plant, or significant investment to get started. How AI helps with quality: • Maintains a high accuracy of visual inspections;

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Predicting issues in machinery performance before they arise makes a huge difference to a manufacturer’s bottom line. Using sensors and data on past performance provides the ability to anticipate possible failures, allowing action to be taken before equipment fails. For example, using sensors to monitor machine vibration and trigger alerts when the vibration range changes. Condition-monitoring solutions have become popular because they simply attach to the machine and communicate operating data to the cloud, where it can be analyzed and used to monitor equipment health, triggering an alert if abnormal performance is detected. These types of tools use AI to take the guesswork out of predicting maintenance issue and deliver alerts as required, instead of requiring someone to investigate data logs. AI can also take sensor data and machine history to predict when maintenance should be performed—allowing it to be scheduled appropriately to minimize breakdowns— delivering cost savings over time. Integrating data analysis tools can then be used to track what the ideal production process looks like (often referred to as a ‘golden batch’). For example, equipment becoming too hot can have impacts on the outcome of the product. Taking that information to build an ideal ‘temperature range’ for the equipment means it can be monitored and the data analysis tool can trigger an alert if the temperature increases above the ideal range. How AI helps with maintenance: • Reduces cost through predictive maintenance which minimizes unplanned breakdowns and downtime; • Recognizes patterns of imperfection or production anomalies and triggers an alert when there is an issue; • Reduces waste due to breakdowns.

Insights from sensor data

Most manufacturing equipment is already collecting data; it adds value to operations when you have a way of making sense of it all. Using sensors to capture and correlate information relevant to the task, such as temperature or throughput data, enables process improvements. The benefit of an AI tool comes from taking real-time sensor data and combining it to extract insights and improve situational awareness. An integrated AI or machine-learning tool takes the raw data to begin identifying patterns and recommending actions to improve efficiency. For companies operating across multiple production sites, or with different shifts, this ability to compare operational conditions and draw insights is hugely valuable. With business intelligence solutions in place, your plant can capture performance data that AI technologies use to identify patterns. These solutions allow the capture of a wider business picture, not just into equipment but into energy use and efficiency of the production line. You can also derive more comprehensive insight into product quality metrics and begin combining other sources of data such as customer feedback and supply chain efficiency. How AI helps analyze sensor data: • Extracts patterns and identifies opportunities from raw data; • Monitors operational conditions and allows for adjustments to be made for optimal production; • Analyzes the production cycle and identifies which factors influence output. All food and beverage organizations can benefit from reducing operating costs and reduced risks. Machine learning and AI tools offer huge promise in this area—from performing visual inspections to monitoring essential manufacturing equipment. The ability to detect quality issues, or even the wrong packaging on a product, through image recognition tools can dramatically reduce the risk of a reputation-damaging (and costly) recall.

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36 ENTERPRISE VIEW AW FEBRUARY 2022

Responsible, Crisis-Proof Supply Chain Management By Brian May Managing Director, Industrial North America, Accenture

he impacts of the COVID-19 crisis underscore how important proactive and forward-looking crisis management is for safeguarding the competitiveness of businesses, especially with regard to the supply chain. With the pandemic outbreak, important suppliers failed practically overnight. Many industrial companies waited in vain for urgently needed raw materials and production materials, or had to put up with long and costly delays. The further course of the pandemic also demonstrated the vulnerability of tightly meshed supply chains. COVID-19 and its restrictions disrupted what had previously been solid commodity flows around the world. Companies suddenly had to look for entirely new sources of raw materials and business partners. Supply chain management therefore needs to be rethought. It is not only the short-term disruptions caused by COVID19 that play an role here, but also important social developments such as sustainability and the circular economy. The conclusion to be drawn from these developments is that companies need to build resilient and responsible supply chains that prove to be crisis-proof, but also address the issues of emissions and incorporate environmental social governance (ESG) criteria from the outset. Building such supply chains can only work if modern technologies and data are used throughout the company. Technologies from artificial intelligence (AI) to the Internet of Things (IoT) to cloud management and blockchain are enabling companies to reinvent supply chains to meet their climate and resiliency goals. In one of our recent reports, 75% of CEOs indicate they’re already digitizing value chains to take sustain-

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ability management to a new level. in addition to gaining more efficiency. Specifically, using digital twin technology is a good way to virtually represent assets, enabling supply chains to be modeled in real time. In this way, a business can test scenarios for improving resilience and reducing emissions while also optimizing customer service. But technology without data is useless. That’s why data is at the heart of any effective climate action. According to our study, while four out of five CEOs use technology to collect and manage company-wide ESG data, only a quarter of these business leaders manage their data in an advanced way. To change this, companies need to accelerate their move to the cloud. With the cloud, companies can connect the complex web of systems and data across multiple levels of supply chain actors. The cloud provides the technology and environment that takes information sharing and management to a new level. One example—straight from the field— that shows how technology and data can be combined to create ground-breaking and forward-thinking supply chain management is John Deere, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of equipment for agriculture, construction, forestry, and other industries. In agriculture—with large acreages, widely dispersed suppliers, a global network, and a natural interest in sustainability—the need for technology and data is evident. In Accenture’s recent edition of “The Industrialist,” Wallas Wiggins, vice president of global supply management and logistics at John Deere, made very clear how ESG criteria and technology are interdependent. Both are already shaping the supply chain today and will do so even more in the future. Data from the farmer’s field is sent to the customer’s operation center, from the time of tillage to harvest. This data is analyzed to gain insights into yield. For example, locations can be identified where it is worth sowing more because the yield is higher there. Deere provides a lot of tools that its customers can use to gain valuable insights to reduce costs and increase yields.

ESG

As part of Deere´s larger ESG-approach, one of the key focus areas is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, they’re working to ensure all the electricity they bus is renewable energy. Deere is also developing a structure that helps share and match disparate sustainability expectations with suppliers. The structure also captures ESG data to make their, and suppliers’, contribution to sustainability initiatives visible.

Knowledge transfer

In a world that thrives on exchange and swarm intelligence, it is important to use supplier knowledge. John Deere is therefore focusing on implementing innovative developments by its suppliers into its own products and services. In addition, John Deere also asks its suppliers where they see opportunities for Deere—an effective measure that is both informative and collaborative.

Necessity of supply chain transformation

In addition to the technologies discussed here, equally important is the development of appropriate and agile working methods in dealing with innovative technology. Combining new ways of working with a digital-first mindset in supply chain management creates a better customer experience, smarter business processes, and more sustainable products. Especially when it comes to achieving ESG criteria, the optimized and digitized supply chain makes a significant contribution to achieving sustainability goals. Companies that take advantage of these benefits have the potential to leapfrog the competition.

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ADVERTISER INDEX 37 AW FEBRUARY 2022

COMPANY

WEBSITE

PAGE

Automation Direct

www.automationdirect.com

Digi-Key Electronics

www.digikey.com/automation

Emerson

www.Emerson.com/PACSystems

Galco Industrial Electronics

www.Galco.com

Hammond Manufacturing

www.hammondmfg.com

Inductive Automation

www.demo.ia.io/automation

Inductive Automation

www.demo.ia.io/automation

Murrelektronik, Inc.

www.murrinc.com

Opto 22

https://op22.co/rioemu

PACK EXPO East 2022

www.packexpoeast.com

Rockwell Automation for MAVERICK Technologies

www.mavtechglobal.com/dcsnext

Telemecanique Sensors

www.tesensors.com/Safety

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38 KEY INSIGHTS AW FEBRUARY 2022

A critical step in ensuring the quality of your data is to make sure IT doesn’t own it. Your IT team might be resourceful, and they may do an excellent job of making sure everything is running smoothly, but they should not be the keepers of the data. Data should be managed by the people who are living it day in and day out—those who know what it means and the importance of having that information be reliable. David Greenfield on the five causes of poor data quality.

Manufacturers reported a slew of benefits associated with cloud, edge, and fog computing technologies, with some notable standouts. For example, cloud computing was more likely to facilitate improvements to profitability (50%) with edge and fog computing associated with boosting production output, cited by 54% and 38%, respectively. Beth Stackpole on how the pandemic has accelerated edge-to-cloud connections.

The OPC Foundation created a multi-vendor interoperability demo that uses components from 20 different manufacturers to illustrate the functionality of the new OPC UA specifications. Focusing on horizontal forms of communication, such as controller-tocontroller, the demo shows how process data is exchanged via UDP/ IP using wired Ethernet or TSN (time-sensitive networking), as well as in combination with a 5G wireless connection. David Miller on OPC Foundation updates to its Field Level Communication Specification.

OEMs hold a lot of responsibility when it comes to keeping equipment secure, but it’s not an area they tend to have a lot of expertise in. In response, several industrial control system and security vendors are delivering OEM-specific tools. Stephanie Neil on remote access cybersecurity management.

Software-as-a-Service analytics platforms are designed to span industry verticals and layers of industrial control while being marketed as versatile and flexible. To be everything to all verticals and layers is to be nothing specifically to any of those constituents. As a result, large platforms require as much programming as smaller options. Dan Riley of system integrator Interstates on the decision to make or buy analytics technology.

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Automation World February 2022

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