IEN: How are manufacturers using existing technologies in new ways?

Sink: Little of these are truly "new" -- mostly what we are seeing is massive re-application or expanded application of technologies that have been around for a long time. Ethernet is 25 years old, CAN is 20 years old, but both are more popular than ever; x86 is 20 years old and the Pentium is 6 or 7 years old.

The world is just starting to realize the benefits and it's a cultural change. Heck, even Linux has been around for some time, but it's really taking off in the embedded and semi-embedded applications. Even though our EC1 chip has a few things that are really new (RISC concepts in a 186 processor, and some CAN buffering wizardry), mostly it's just well-established stuff combined in a unique and hopefully useful way.

IEN:What are the major concerns facing this sector in the next few years?

Sink: I think price erosion effects from the consumer electronics world are of great concern to the manufacturers. And while factories are still struggling to get up to speed with networking, networking becomes ever more sophisticated -- things like XML, OPC, .NET and all the other buzzwords -- product managers are faced with needing to be cutting edge on one hand, and successfully addressing the largest segment of a conservative market on the other hand.

Finally, there's the friction between the electronic components market, which constantly changes, and the industrial / MRO market, where people want to be able to purchase the same item for replacement years later.

IEN: What innovations are in store for users?

Sink: Open source software is making a growing impact on product development, and networking is blurring the lines of every single device.

IEN: How are software and equipment being integrated in today's HMI/MMI world?

Sink: Sink: There is ALWAYS the issue of new technology vs. what got installed 7 years ago on line 6. Integrating legacy stuff and new stuff is always a challenge.

IEN: Are we entering a new era of E-manufacturing?

Sink: In some places, yes. The most sophisticated manufacturers use information and networking extensively. But there are plenty of cavemen out there as well.

IEN: How will the drive toward lean manufacturing impact this sector?

Sink: It requires a very responsive sales channel because customers need to buy equipment to make changes faster and faster -- which is why the Web won't replace distributors and local expertise the way people may have previously thought.