IEN: How are MH vendors addressing demands for Custom Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and systems?
Miclot: Vendors with proprietary technology have control over their own destiny, but they do not have economies of scale. This means that they must deal with higher costs, or choose to pass the costs on to their customers.
Vendors that use commercial technologies must adhere to Moore''s Law, and face shorter product lifecycles. Rockwell Automation tries to leverage commercial technology wherever possible, but in doing so, engages in supplier-vendor relationships to provide longer life spans on technology. For example, in October 2004, Rockwell Automation announced that we are working with Intel Corp to expand the use of Intel''s new high-performance network processor technology in industrial automation applications. Our relationship with Intel allows them to learn about our industry, and provide a new breed of high-performance network processors that better serve our customers'' needs.
Wolff: Manufacturers are increasingly demanding COTS technology, such as Rockwell Automation''s SoftLogix controllers, to collect real-time data.
For example, a large parcel freight application recently used SoftLogix to improve its sorting operations. Because of the COTS platform, the customer was able to use its own internal resources to configure and provide PLC data to the SoftLogix servers.
IEN: Are you seeing implementation of RFID material handling solutions beyond the loading dock and warehouse?
Chand: By itself, RFID isn''t revolutionary -- slapping a tag on a pallet and sending it to a distribution center isn''t going to change the supply chain. Only when RFID is used in tandem with the Internet to access and share product information does the "revolutionary" potential of the technology emerge.
Dramatically different than the RFID of years past, today''s technology adheres to industry standards put forth by EPCglobal (www.epcglobalinc.org). These standards are key to enabling the sharing of a significantly greater amount of information via the Internet for increased visibility and greater efficiency throughout the supply chain. In other words, the data stored on individual tags is no longer restricted to the confines of the building in which it resides.
Receiving information from RFID is one thing, but utilizing it is another. The true rewards from RFID will come not through the technology itself, but rather from the manufacturer''s ability to filter and capitalize on the data it provides.
It''s my belief that the earlier you apply the RFID tag to an object in the production process, the greater the benefits you will be able to obtain from the information captured. Likewise, the more RFID is applied upstream from the supply chain to manufacturing operations, the greater the value that can be gained by integrating RFID technology into existing information and automation control systems.
By applying RFID technology on the plant floor, manufacturers can seamlessly integrate the newly captured information into the existing information and control infrastructure, utilizing the RFID tag as the unique identifier and minimizing capital equipment costs and investment risk. On the plant floor, RFID will provide the greatest impact in the areas of inventory visibility, labor efficiency, and tracking and genealogy.
- Inventory visibility: As contract manufacturing becomes more prevalent, achieving supply chain synchronization will require greater visibility into the supplier, as well as customer, activity. The better a manufacturer is able to collect, manage, and use information to drive production assets and processes, the more visibility (and value) it can provide to its trading partners.
- Labor efficiency: Many current bar code activities require manual intervention to capture data. An immediate impact of today''s advanced RFID technology is eliminating those requirements, thereby freeing up labor to perform other, more value-added tasks. This can have major impact, particularly in high-volume and high-speed manufacturing operations, where speed, accuracy, and timeliness are critical for throughput and performance.
- Tracking and genealogy: Increasingly demanding FDA requirements are forcing consumer goods manufacturers of all types to more effectively manage product information, including lot tracking and related quality data across their entire supply chain. In the event of a product recall, access to reliable, accurate, and real-time information is absolutely critical. RFID can also complement existing manufacturing execution system (MES) efforts in genealogy tracking. For example, information collected by the MES, such as product ID, time stamp, physical attributes, and lot number, can be encoded onto an RFID tag and then passed downstream into the warehouse at a pallet level, and then out into the supply chain. This greatly enhances a manufacturer''s ability to retrace steps in a product recall.
IEN: What about remote material handling and simulation?
Wolff: Rockwell has a broad array of programmable controllers that communicate over EtherNet/IP for effective bridging and routing from material handling equipment to a remote location or a handheld device, such as a PDA.
For example, the Allen-Bradley Ethernet PLC-5 controller line provides built-in, HTML-based human machine interface (HMI) for monitoring production and machine status via Microsoft® Internet Explorer or any other web browser.
Optical modems are also a popular method for remote access to material handling equipment. Leuze, a member of Rockwell Automation''s Encompass Program, offers optical modems that communicate over DeviceNet to send and receive information from mobile unit material handling equipment such as transfer cars, Automated Guided Vehicles, storage retrieval machines, and monorail trolleys.
As for simulation -- Rockwell Software Arena simulation software is a tool that is being leveraged in material handling applications to reduce startup time. For example, Span Tech, a developer of chain-curving conveyors, recently used Arena to reduce startup time by 75% for one of its customers. As Arena ran the simulation, Span Tech engineers viewed the data to spot problems in the suggested processes and modify the design. Span Tech discovered that by timing the speed based on the travel length of the conveyors, the manufacturer could eliminate the product collisions that were occurring using a typical gating system on a single conveyor.
IEN: Discuss increasing intelligence in traditional MH equipment and components (lift trucks, conveyors, containers, cranes, etc).
Wolff: Auto ID (bar code, RFID, vision etc) is a persistent form of high-speed intelligence required to monitor and direct material handling applications. To gather this intelligence, many manufacturers are turning to Ethernet-based networks as they provide numerous exclusive capabilities.
These include:
- New services like voice and video -- e.g., installing a camera to watch the material handling application and product flow remotely.
- Variable topologies -- e.g., setting up all the programming terminals on a virtual LAN, which would allow engineers to connect the terminals on a single network, yet segregate and isolate multiple control systems at the same time.
- IT integration -- e.g., accessing the MES system from the plant floor to review and refresh in real-time maintenance scheduling information.
- Remote management -- e.g., programming the control system to send a message to a maintenance pager when alarms occur.
- Internet connectivity -- e.g., accessing an online troubleshooting guide to adjust an inoperative sensor.
- Flexible security -- e.g., restricting access to a port on a switch, which results in restricted access to a specific I/O block.
Rockwell Automation supports EtherNet/IP for its control systems. Introduced in early 2000, EtherNet/IP™ is the front-runner of all the industrial Ethernet solutions. Part of the reason is that it is based on TCP/IP technology and uses the same application layer -- the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) -- as DeviceNet and ControlNet.
Wolff: Throughout the manufacturing and warehousing applications, Rockwell Automation''s controllers maximize performance because they efficiently control and monitor the health of plant floor equipment. This is achieved through RA''s bridging and routing capabilities, which require no additional programming. This is especially effective as the supply chain requires constant redirection as business needs change, such as moving RFID-enabled cargo shipping containers from seaport to seaport to match each region''s specific demands.