Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/594816
November 2015 • SMT Magazine 51 able manufacturing. Customers benefit from accelerated time to market, lowered total cost of ownership, maximized asset utilization and mitigated risk management. Las Marias: how important is it to invest in new equipment that will provide end-to-end vis- ibility into the different manufacturing processes in the factory floor? What are the benefits? Hannah: Modernization, or technology upgrading, is very important in pursuing con- nectedness across an entire organization. It is important to first examine the network infra- structure, as this is really the blueprint for the successful integration of OT and IT. In addition, as more and more devices are being connected, network performance and reliability must be assessed and validated to better protect against security breaches and safeguard the architec- ture for future expansion. Moreover, in order to achieve significant results, manufacturers need to see if they can leverage legacy technology, determine which devices are designed for the information era and have built-in protection, and decide whether intelligence can be derived by connecting those assets to reduce unplanned downtime, decrease maintenance costs and bring products to market quicker. Las Marias: From your experience, what are your customers' largest issues around data collec- tion in the electronics manufacturing industries? Hannah: Achieving a connected enterprise requires the convergence of IT and OT, people, processes and technologies. These two typically independent architectures and systems need to converge into a single, unified architecture reliably and securely, leveraging one common technology—Ethernet/IP. Rockwell Automa- tion has been partnering with Cisco Systems to develop best practices and design guidelines, including publishing the Converged Plantwide Ethernet Design and Implementation Guide, which features tested and validated designs to meet the needs of both the IT and OT teams. In addition, we are jointly developing educa- tion and training courses to further bridge the knowledge gap. Las Marias: how do you help customers in the electronics manufacturing space identify the data that they need to find the weak link and improve the efficiencies in their process lines? Hannah: Rockwell Automation takes a ho- listic, open-systems-oriented approach to con- necting the enterprise. Through products, solu- CoNNeCTING THe eNTerPrISe FeaTure INTervIeW The connected enterprise.