IEN: Which R & D hotspots (the Semantic Web, industrial wireless networks, SOA, autonomous agents, etc.) are close to commercialization?
Mason: Industrial wireless networks will be central to the future of networking, data collection and distribution for manufacturers. Ease of installation, configuration, and use as well as cost reduction are the keys to success for any new technology, and wireless networks have strengths in each of these areas.
Wireless networks will streamline data collection and distribution for manufacturers. This will positively impact manufacturing productivity by reducing system, direct, and indirect labor cost. Within minutes useful data can be made available throughout a factory, and, simultaneously, worldwide.
Manufacturers can integrate wireless technology into their existing infrastructure very efficiently because industrial wireless networks can be seamless with wired technologies. We believe wireless network applications will expand rapidly in the next couple of years.
IEN: How about production management, collaborative manufacturing, plant intelligence and visibility, advanced process control?
Mason: Informed production management, using real-time data from the plant floor, will be able to make better decisions about when and how to manufacture parts and what production parameters to adjust to avoid production of unacceptable components and eliminate cost. Enterprisewide factory management systems are emerging that make this easily achievable. Manufacturers can now avoid production of poor quality components, downtime from machine failure, and lost production time associated with inefficient production flow.
Manufacturers must embrace and implement collaborative manufacturing to adequately respond to customers. Production information, product availability, and delivery dates are all essential information that must be made available to suppliers and manufacturers to remove cost from the manufacturing process, and improve overall customer satisfaction.