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When we did the survey for this month’s theme for our magazines—The Data Factor(y): Looking at the Industrial Internet—we found out that some of the key challenges for our readers when it comes to data collection include accurate data collection; real-time collection of data; and making sure that they are collecting the right data.
The growing Internet of Things (IoT) trend—or Industrial IoT, in this context—is just going to further fuel the explosion of data as more devices and systems on the factory floor get connected. To bring this manufacturing data into the enterprise where it can be used to generate value, investments in technology and equipment and a mindset shift are necessary.
I interviewed Mike Hannah, market development lead for Rockwell Automation’s Connected Enterprise initiative, who discusses the evolution of manufacturing in the era of Industrial IoT and the biggest changes to expect in the production line. He also talks about the importance of investing in the right equipment, systems and technologies to take advantage of the value that the IoT will bring.
Finally, he also explains how the convergence of the plant-floor operations technology or OT—the world of industrial equipment, devices, controllers, sensors, and actuators—and the company-wide information technology or IT, which is the platform for end-to-end business processes, including ERP and CRM systems, supply-chain management, logistics and HR, can help align goals between these two organizations and focus on people, process and technology.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of SMT Magazine.
