With Sarah Dana, Head of Information Solutions for North Europe, Middle East & Africa, Rockwell Automation. Industry's shared vision is to simplify the complexities inherent in designing, operating, and maintaining industrial enterprises. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced automation, Rockwell Automation, Microsoft, and NVIDIA are creating solutions that integrate seamlessly with physical environments. These innovations empower manufacturers to enhance efficiency, reduce operational waste, and achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
Also read: Rockwell Automation launches new FactoryTalk® Optix™
The Future of Industrial Automation
The future of industrial automation is bright, with Rockwell Automation's collaboration with NVIDIA set to revolutionise industrial architecture, creating the factory of the future. This partnership aims to streamline the digitalisation of industrial processes, making it easier for automation customers to embrace advanced technologies. The factories of tomorrow will feature enhanced sensing capabilities through machine vision, accelerated computing power in control systems, advanced simulations with learning agents, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and generative AI (GenAI) for improved information retrieval for frontline operators.
A vital aspect of this evolution is the integration of NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud APIs with Rockwell's Emulate3D. This integration will offer users data interoperability, live collaboration, and realistic visualisation for designing, building, and operating industrial-scale digital twins of production systems. Emulate3D specialises in dynamic digital twin software for virtual commissioning, throughput simulation, and industrial demonstration, allowing manufacturers to develop, test, and refine PLC and mid-level control systems offline before physical implementation.
Understanding Digital Twins in Industrial Automation
A digital twin goes beyond a mere digital representation of a physical asset or system. It is a dynamic model based on the physics of the machine or system, behaving and responding to conditions as it would in a real operational scenario. This technology allows for iterative design improvements, control testing before installation, and worker training in a simulated environment, enhancing overall efficiency and safety. When combined with technologies like AR headsets, digital twins' applications and business benefits expand even further.
One of the primary challenges in automated material handling system (AMHS) projects is the commissioning phase, where hardware meets control software, products are introduced, and operators are trained. Despite the use of standard components, each AMHS project is unique and requires thorough testing. Emulate3D Controls Testing enables comprehensive testing using an accurate Dynamic Digital Twin earlier in the project cycle and at a lower cost than traditional methods.
The dynamic behaviour of an AMHS cannot be thoroughly tested until completion, so control testing is placed at the critical end of every project. This stage often faces time constraints, practical limitations, and pressure from various stakeholders, making thorough testing challenging. Emulate3D Controls Testing offers a significant advantage by allowing offline testing, thus removing it from the critical path and providing numerous benefits. Once the design and planning phase is complete, the control system can be built and tested offline, independent of the hardware's state. This approach allows for reliable testing of control system changes to existing systems while maintaining current production configurations.
Testing control systems against an Emulate3D model as early as possible offers further verification of expected system operations. Potential issues can be identified and addressed early, with multiple computers running tests simultaneously to maximise testing time. Once the hardware is installed on-site, the controls testing phase is minimised to a checklist, ensuring correct sensor and output connections, as logical verification will have been completed offline.
Cloud and Edge Solutions in Industrial Automation
Rockwell Automation and NVIDIA's collaboration represents a significant leap forward in industrial automation, paving the way for more intelligent, efficient future factories. Manufacturers can achieve unprecedented accuracy, efficiency, and innovation by leveraging advanced digital twin technology and integrated cloud solutions.
The partnership between Rockwell Automation and Microsoft stems from a shared vision to create and deliver the best solutions to enable intelligent factories by simplifying complexity in how manufacturers design, operate, and maintain their enterprises. Achieving smart manufacturing outcomes will require people, processes, and places to operate seamlessly between physical and digital environments. By achieving this, manufacturers can experience cutting-edge transformation with AI-assisted design, connected data, and agile production optimization. This can be achieved by plugging in the latest solutions from the Microsoft product and partner ecosystem to accelerate industrial operations.
The Importance of Cloud-Based Solutions
Working with Microsoft, Rockwell Automation has developed innovative cloud-based solutions. Both Plex and FactoryTalk Design Hub are available natively on Microsoft Azure. This will be based on Microsoft's blueprint for the cloud for manufacturing, which was released early in 2023.
The future of enterprise software is undeniably in the cloud, marking a significant shift in how manufacturers approach their digital transformation strategies. As cloud solutions become the norm, manufacturers must recognise the many advantages the cloud offers, even for applications traditionally rooted in on-premise environments. Ignoring these benefits risks falling behind in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The cloud provides unparalleled flexibility and accessibility, allowing software to be accessed anytime, anywhere in the world. This mitigates the need for extensive IT infrastructure, including large IT departments and costly data centres. Additionally, the cloud offers financial flexibility through operational expenditure (OpEx) financing models instead of the substantial capital expenditures required for on-premise solutions. This shift not only reduces financial burdens but also enhances scalability and adaptability.
One of the most compelling advantages of cloud-based enterprise software is heightened security. Cloud providers invest heavily in advanced security measures, ensuring data is protected with the latest technologies and best practices. This level of security is often unattainable for individual organisations relying on on-premise solutions. Furthermore, the cloud guarantees access to the latest software versions without manual updates, ensuring that businesses always operate with the most current and robust features.
Given these advantages, the question is not why you should move to the cloud but rather why you wouldn't. The cloud's benefits are so substantial that staying with on-premise solutions increasingly appears anachronistic.
Balancing Cloud and Edge Computing
However, it is essential to acknowledge a nuanced shift in recent years. The rise of more intelligent sensors, machines, and devices has generated an explosion of data, necessitating significant computing power at the edge. This has driven some operations back towards edge computing for specific tasks like machine learning and real-time analytics. Nonetheless, for the core functions of enterprise software, the cloud remains the optimal environment.
While edge computing addresses specific needs driven by the proliferation of intelligent devices, the cloud is the central hub for enterprise software. Its advantages in accessibility, cost-efficiency, security, and continual updates position it as the cornerstone of any forward-thinking digital transformation strategy. Manufacturers who embrace the cloud will be well-positioned to lead in the digital age, leveraging the full spectrum of technological advancements to drive innovation and efficiency.
The Role of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
In the dynamic landscape of modern manufacturing, a Cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is pivotal for connecting plants to the broader enterprise. This connectivity provides unparalleled visibility, ensuring production efficiency, continuous improvement, and operational resilience.
Originally, MES systems were designed to enhance supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. They focused on recording production metrics, managing scrap, and orchestrating production schedules. This ecosystem included devices, sensors, and applications that operated mainly in isolation from ERP business systems. Typically, production schedules from ERP were downloaded into MES, with reports uploaded back to ERP, causing delays and reactive management.
MES systems encapsulate detailed plant floor activities and can function independently. However, integrating MES with ERP is essential for sharing schedules, priorities, inventory, and master data. Disconnected systems often rely on batch data transfers, significantly delaying communication between the office and the plant.
Over time, both MES and ERP systems have expanded, causing overlaps in their functions. Both systems play crucial roles in quality management, scheduling, tooling, and maintenance, leading to varied integration points based on company-specific needs. This evolution has also given rise to the term Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM), often used interchangeably with MES to denote control and visibility in manufacturing operations.
Leading MES systems create a real-time production environment, guiding and reporting plant floor activities to optimise operations. A unified production environment, designed with integration, ensures accurate, accessible, and controlled data. Real-time visibility into inventory movement, equipment status, production counts, and quality measurements empowers operators and managers with actionable information for timely decision-making. This enhances operational efficiency, quality, and schedule adherence.
Achieving Operational Excellence with Rockwell Automation
MES systems capture data for every production action, enabling precise genealogy and traceability of inventory. This granular tracking helps align inventory levels, reducing shortages and overages. The unified MES ecosystem ensures traceability by linking inventory batches to equipment, operators, and measurements, thereby minimising the risk and impact of recalls. Manufacturers can swiftly trace quality issues or improvement opportunities through high-resolution genealogy data.
Plant-floor sensors and devices feed data directly into the MES ecosystem, ensuring the timely availability of accurate information. Detailed asset performance data supports predictive and preventive maintenance planning, early detection of equipment issues, and tooling management. Digitised activities provide precise costing data, which can be communicated to ERP systems, fostering open communication and data exchange.
A Cloud-based MES transforms manufacturing operations by providing a real-time, unified production environment. Its integration with ERP systems enhances visibility, efficiency, and resilience, driving continuous improvement and operational excellence. Embracing a holistic MES strategy enables manufacturers to make informed decisions, maintain quality, and achieve optimal production outcomes.
This collaboration is set to drive rapid and scalable industrial transformation across the entire value chain by bringing these transformative solutions to the industrial sector. Manufacturers will benefit from AI-assisted design, connected data, and agile production optimisation, marking a significant step forward in the evolution of industrial operations. Rockwell Automation continues to play a crucial role in this transformation, ensuring manufacturers can navigate the complexities of modern industry effectively.
