KEY INSIGHTS

As robots become more commonplace in society, widespread education about their use and operation will be required at primary and secondary schools, as well as at colleges and universities.

David Miller on ABB’s three robot predictions for 2022.

As manufacturers scrambled to keep factories running and remote personnel productive during the pandemic, they invested in edge and cloud technologies to enhance performance monitoring, collaboration, quality assurance, and predictive maintenance applications. Sixty-two percent of responding companies to the Automation World survey said they were leveraging cloud technologies, and 55% confi rmed deployment of edge technologies—both a signifi cant bump over the prior year.

Beth Stackpole on how edge computing investments and application are changing manufacturing data analytics strategies.

Specifi c actions being taken by Siemens as part of its transformation include an acceleration of the company’s focus on small to mediumsized businesses (SMBs) and simplifying the delivery and operation of their products for this audience; and targeted investments in cloud and edge computing, additive manufacturing, artifi cial intelligence, and 5G.

David Greenfi eld on Siemens announcement that it is becoming a “tech company.”

First, they want to remove paper processes from the factory fl oor. Second, they want to build knowledge into those processes, especially as people need to manage multiple jobs. And third, they want to onboard new workers faster by capturing and transferring the knowledge from experienced workers and retirees.

Stephanie Neil on the digital transformation of the industrial workforce.

Replacing an entire palletizing system is a large undertaking from a logistics, fi nancial, and time sink standpoint. However, like other equipment, it can be treated as a targeted risk-based obsolescence upgrade that considers the relevant mechanical and electrical issues.