Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1124788
10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2019 Barry Matties: You've been at Aegis for two years now. How have the first two years been? Michael Ford: It has been a great experience because I love that my work is related to global industry standards, which has been very fulfilling. Only a couple of years ago, everybody was competing against each other, trying to work out their advantages with data when it was in its infancy. Since then, I've enjoyed the opportunity to be a friend of the industry as more companies are coming together. In my role, I've worked with hundreds of com- panies across the world—especially in China— where the Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) is becoming extremely popular. Manufacturers have been approaching, saying, "For the last five years of Industry 4.0, only 5% of compa- nies in the world have started to adopt it." And this was not part of their five-year plan. They wanted it to go much faster, but it simply didn't happen. Aegis has been providing the opportu- nity for the industry to understand what the standard means in terms of the defined data content, which is the first time this has ever been done. Data: Key to Automating Right the First Time Feature Interview by Barry Matties I-CONNECT007 In this interview, Michael Ford, senior direc- tor of emerging industry strategy, reflects on his first two years with Aegis Software Corpo- ration and looks to the future of the data-driven manufacturing environment. It is imperative that manufacturers streamline their manufac- turing process to stay competitive. Michael shares how the CFX and data collection model can play an important role in the streamlining processes, including Industry 4.0 and the sup- ply chain.