IEN: What strides do you see in: ease of integration? Flexibility and scalability?
Manning: Many industrial controls are already considered to be commodities, or are moving in that direction. As that trend continues, features will become more universal. The ultimate result is that ease of use and flexibility will be main points of differentiation. Product features will be similar across manufacturers, so companies that can tie their products together seamlessly or connect to other devices easily will have an advantage.
IEN: What improvements can users expect in drives, motors, servers, advanced control, Distributed Controls, Programmable Automated Controls, software, MEMS, deterministic Ethernet, PID tuning, customization, robustness, and elsewhre?
Manning: Manufacturers will create suites of control products that are "plug and play" when connected to one another. Limited programming will be required for fine tuning, reducing overall installation and setup time.
Smart devices will recognize when they are producing results that are out of specified tolerances, or when they are near failure. These devices will trigger system events, including emailing system operators or technical support facilities.
Combination devices will become more common. Motors with built-in controls and motion controllers with built-in PLCs are already here, but new combinations will arrive in the near future. For example, an HMI will incorporate its own embedded PLC, and will eventually become an HMI with PLC and motion controller or process controller.
IEN: How about open standards and data sharing?
Manning: Anything that enhances interconnectivity of devices or departments will become more appealing as "shop floor to top floor" becomes more common. Lots of users are already taking manufacturing data to upper management as proof of cost savings and maximum efficiency. This trend will trickle down from the Fortune 500 to smaller companies as the technology costs fall. Newer controls will pass data to other devices or to communication nodes that will ultimately provide productivity data or preventive maintenance alarms.