6 Critical Things to Know Before Implementing Wireless on the Plant Floor

While the automation command “startup” may not be as historically significant as the dots and dashes of the Morse code “SOS” distress call, it is no less important to the day to day operation of the factory machine that won’t go unless it gets the instruction to begin operation. According to industry analysts, those instructions are being transmitted more often via wireless networks than ever before. In 2007, industrial customers bought some 2.7 million wireless enabled... Read More

Automation Services Reduce Downtime for Manufacturers

According to figures from ARC Advisory Group plant downtime costs come it at about $12,500 per hour. That’s an average of course, downtime at some plants will be cheaper while others – especially continuous process operations like refineries – are much, much more costly. “Downtime is a big concern because the cost associated with it is so high,” says Larry O’Brien, a research director with ARC who specializes in process automation solutions, adding that a single incident... Read More

SIMATIC Manager: The Software “Glue” for Totally Integrated Automation

When Siemens unveiled its Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) approach to manufacturing in 1996 the concept didn’t seem all that new or revolutionary at first glance. “Well that’s just modularity,” some opined. However, they didn’t understand the totality of the TIA vision which calls for both vertical and horizontal integration, defines the interaction of the software, the hardware and services and ties the plant together from the management level, through the operators... Read More

RFID RF620R and RF630R Readers

Integration challenges continue to fall for manufacturers and supply chain managers rolling out Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. Most recently, Siemens Industry has broadened its RFID offering with a pair of new compact RFID readers — the Simatic RF620R and RF630R – equipped with a data and diagnostic interface specifically designed for connectivity back to PLC control systems. “This bridges the gap between the retail supply chain’s use of UHF, RFID... Read More