Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/594816
48 SMT Magazine • November 2015 by Stephen Las marias I-connecT007 When we did the survey for this month's theme for our magazines—The Data Factor(y): Looking at the Industrial Internet—we found out that some of the key challenges for our readers when it comes to data collection include accu- rate data collection; real-time collection of data; and making sure that they are collecting the right data. The growing Internet of Things (IoT) trend— or Industrial IoT, in this context—is just going to further fuel the explosion of data as more de- vices and systems on the factory floor get con- nected. To bring this manufacturing data into the enterprise where it can be used to generate value, investments in technology and equip- ment and a mindset shift are necessary. I interviewed Mike Hannah, market devel- opment lead for Rockwell Automation's Con- nected Enterprise initiative, who discusses the evolution of manufacturing in the era of Indus- trial IoT and the biggest changes to expect in the production line. He also talks about the im- portance of investing in the right equipment, systems and technologies to take advantage of the value that the IoT will bring. Finally, he also explains how the conver- gence of the plant-floor operations technology or OT—the world of industrial equipment, de- vices, controllers, sensors, and actuators—and the company-wide information technology or IT, which is the platform for end-to-end busi- ness processes, including ERP and CRM systems, supply-chain management, logistics and HR, can help align goals between these two organizations and focus on people, process and technology. Stephen Las Marias: As we enter the age of the industrial internet of things (iiot), what will be the biggest changes in the electronics manu- facturing environment? Mike Hannah: In this IoT era, the escalation of the Internet and Ethernet-enabled devices will drive the most significant change in the manufacturing sector, including electronics. A nearly endless range of "smart" things in the industrial sector will be embedded with intel- ligent sensors that can communicate seamlessly with one another within the existing Ethernet/ IP infrastructure. Many are predicting that by 2025, there will be over 50 billion IoT units in- stalled around the world. This ubiquitous con- nectivity will provide an unprecedented oppor- Connecting the Enterprise FeaTure INTervIeW