Smart: Any material, product, tool, instrument, software, or device that discernibly multiplies the impact of human intelligence on industry, directly or indirectly lowering the cost of production. Ever more intricate, intelligent products and systems are brought to market every day, in every sector.

For example, ITT Industrial Pump Group brings embedded intelligence to PumpSmart. "In a market place that is relentless on cost, PumpSmart offers mills a powerful tool to lower operating cost while optimizing asset utilization," says Mike Pemberton, marketing manager/PumpSmart control solutions at ITT Industrial Pump Group. This system integrates a standard centrifugal pump with a variable frequency drive (VFD) and the company's proprietary software program, allowing the pump to monitor and react to system conditions. (Click here for more.)

Burkert, Wago, and Phoenix Contact recently brought "smart" to pneumatic process actuation. Burkert's AirLine remote process system combines "on/off or continuous valve functionality, electronic input and output and Fieldbus connectivity in a single rail mount assembly," Burkert notes. The preconfigured system is compatible with Wago and Phoenix Contact I/O modules and "supports virtually any process field device." (Click here for more.)

Adds Randy Joy, vp sales and marketing, Ward Systems Inc: "We took standard off-the- shelf automation components and created a totally new way [the PowerPallet] to convey products in manufacturing plants reversing the way conveyors are traditionally built. We took the PLCs, motors, photo eyes, drives and RFID readers, and put them into smart, low-profile box-shaped devices that drive from location to location under battery power." (Click here for more.)

Meanwhile, GE Fanuc Automation is expanding "manufacturing execution system functionality to the supply chain layer," according to Kevin Roach, vp of Cimplicity solutions at GE Fanuc Automation. "Manufacturers are using existing hardware and software but improving capabilities by increasing connectivity and the ability to share data," Roach observes. Previously, many companies installed ERP systems to "deploy financial systems and customer order management applications with the 'promise' that manufacturing would follow," he adds. But the "batch-oriented method of distributing information" and the absence of integrated plant execution systems prevented real-time supply chain management. (Click here for more.)

Wonderware's forthcoming Real Time Asset Optimization (RTAO) product will adopt SmartSignal's Equipment Condition Monitoring (eCM) technology to report on the health of key assets. RTAO links FactorySuite and EAM. "There is an awful lot of information that exists out there -- important information -- that no one ever sees, much less takes action on," states Sil Zoratti, business development manager at Wonderware. "This happens, to a large extent, because the tools needed to get at and analyze data simply do not exist." RTAO moves beyond simple usage statistics and alarm notification. The new technology "can interpret plant floor information and give the EAM system advance warning of deteriorating asset condition so it can be dealt with proactively." (Click here for more.)

Industry is also increasingly shifting to Thin Client technology to help meet data gathering and inventory management needs, David Hancock, vp/marketing at Automation Control Products (ACP) tells IEN. "With a Thin Client, the customer can put a very low cost ($450) piece of equipment at the point of data collection, and not only receive the data but also display any full Windows programs just like they would be shown on a PC," he comments. (Click here for more.)

"Thin Clients used for data collection also simplify data consolidation, as all data retrieved through any of the clients is immediately available on the server," notes Hancock. "While all of the different applications for each client run on the server (or servers), they can all access the same database, even over a local network if desired. This keeps the overhead of potentially large data queries and updates off of the entire network." A Thin Client is "cheap, rugged, and easily replaceable," Hancock states, "and it can fail completely during a product run and be changed out for a brand new one without any data being lost. There is no configuration required for the new unit, and the application continues to run back on the server."

Manufacturers also are "pushing inventory management out to the point-of-use," observes Claude Hooton, executive vp of marketing and corporate development at SupplyPro. The company sees manufacturers "pushing inventory management out to the point-of-use," Hooton adds. "In the past, manufacturers have traditionally used ERP and MRP systems to manage inventory in individual store locations. Unfortunately, this type of inventory management frequently required extensive training of personnel to use complex enterprise systems."(Click here for more.)

Dave Quebbemann, industrial automation marketing manager at Omron Electronics LLC, believes industry can expect to see "increased intelligence on local devices" in the future, such as "PLC cards that include their own intelligence." Omron already offers a loop control module that "allows for the intelligent processing of temperature control loops, directly on the PLC card, without having to send information back and forth to the PLC CPU," Quebbemann notes. And the company's smart photoelectric sensors can detect and automatically compensate for the degradation of the LED.(Click here for more.)

And despite the deflation of the dot com balloon, the Internet remains a focus of industrial innovation, according to GE's Roach: "The web is ubiquitous, and our products facilitate the new communications paradigm.Physical location will become almost negligible as web communication and control cross all boundaries." Roach calls for "digitized systems across an enterprise communicating -- both internally and externally."

SupplyPro's Internet-enabled, self-service supply cabinets and vending machines automate inventory and supply chain, integrating with legacy ERP systems, and offer "web-based reporting and management from any web-enabled PC." Meanwhile, SupplyPro predicts "some very exciting developments in the use of wireless scanners, RFID, and ERP integration technology."

How can companies integrate smart systems with legacy/traditional parts of the enterprise? Roach tells IEN that a "communications infrastructure is a must. And, upgrade programs, such as the GE Fanuc Next Step Program, help manufacturers move from a legacy communications structure to an open, Ethernet platform."

Quebbemann confirms that Omron sees "more communication between protocols for an easier exchange of information." OLE for Process Control, he notes, "announced a new OPC DX specification that allows for exchange of information among different field network protocols on the Ethernet level. More software and hardware products will include these open protocols, allowing users the ability to seamlessly exchange data between their new systems and their legacy systems."

Notes Don W. Holley, industrial automation manager at National Instruments: "Automation systems and applications have a minimum 5 to 10 year lifecycle in discrete and process manufacturing plants. As new manufacturing automation systems are installed, information from existing legacy systems must be integrated to fully control and optimize the manufacturing process." (Click here for more.)

Industry is experiencing a "rapid evolution from proprietary systems that are difficult and costly to integrate and maintain to automation systems based on open, industry-standard technology," Holley tells IEN. "Many existing legacy systems have proprietary interfaces that could benefit having an OPC interface retrofit, allowing information access to newer smart systems and application that have OPC support built-in."

Systems integrators and software developers can "implement and retrofit [OLE for Process Control] servers and clients to existing legacy systems, providing plug-and-play connectivity and interoperability between new smart systems and existing legacy automation devices, control systems, and industrial networks across the manufacturing enterprise," Holley concludes.