Moving into 2024 with tempered optimism By Eric J. Halvorson Segment
Marketing Manager II - Automation & Control
a large percentage of our total energy resources. Manufacturers are in a difficult but unique position that comes with a huge opportunity. Consumers now more than ever demand high quality, sustainable products manufactured through smart
and sustainable practices. As manufacturers look to be more competitive in getting goods in the hands of these consumers, environmental stewardship is more important than ever before. To add to the complexity, manufacturers continue to face a labor shortage epidemic. In order to meet the demands of the consumer, manufacturers need to be more nimble, more efficient in their processes, and constantly looking to improve. We see manufacturers doing this through the use of solar powered microgrids, carbon capture projects, asset monitoring, the use of AI and cloud computing, and many other technologies to meet net-zero goals.
with their assets in real time. If a motor is vibrating out of spec, they can address it immediately reducing downtimes, costly repairs, or replacements, and still maintain production levels. This also helps in reducing energy consumption greatly. The introduction of 5G has made asset monitoring even more achievable. By adding a wireless component with reliable, high speed, machine to machine communication, manufacturers can monitor every machine on the floor without the need to run more wire into sometimes very difficult to reach locations. The end result is the ability to take older factories and bring them into Industry 4.0.
Asset monitoring
Smart manufacturing
Introduction
Asset Monitoring is one of the easiest, effective ways to introduce automation on the factory floor. Manufacturers today, whether they are just beginning their journey into automation or have a state of the art, fully automated factory, need to maintain their equipment. This is by no means a new problem. Manufacturers need to protect their assets and minimize downtime. In the past, this meant scheduled maintenance plans that meant taking production lines offline to maintain compressors, tooling machines, motors, etc. Today, we can do it all from with the ease of a tablet. The integration of IIoT onto the factory floor has enabled manufacturers to communicate
Smart, sustainable manufacturing will continue to lead the conversation in industrial automation. When we look at the world’s total energy consumption, we see manufacturing representing
As we look back on 2023 in preparation for 2024, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. 2022 and the first half of this year has been difficult for every point in the supply chain. We are now beginning to see an easing of normal stated factory lead times. Inventory across the channel is increasing and finally coming back into a state of normalcy. Over the past year and a half, it wasn’t uncommon to hear lead times on drives, PLCs, HMIs, and other advanced products to be well over 52 weeks. As a result, we’re looking with a degree of optimism in 2024 for industrial automation across the industry. To that point, here are some trends I see continuing into 2024.
we get technical
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