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Digital Factory Portal: Products, News, Articles, Events & Resources
Digital Factory Products, News, Articles, Events & Resources
Welcome to Automation.com's portal for Digital Factory where controls and automation professionals find the latest information to indentify and apply the tools for design, simulation, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), ERP, supply chain management, lean manufacturing, security, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). The Digital Factory portal covers the manufacturing process that links product design, product data management, virtual factory layout and manufacturing simulation with real-world automation hardware and software. The target audience for this portal is those tasked with the integration of solutions required to take a product through all stages of manufacturing - from the initial design through to final production. Get the latest information on Digital Factory sent to your desktop as soon as they are published on this page.
Articles
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Lean Production with Work Process Management
By Greg Millinger and Alicia Bowers, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms By maintaining automated control over a process with Work Process Management, companies can have a much better chance of reducing waste for the longer term. Includes Lean Six Sigma glossary. |
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Automatic PLC Code Generation & Design Interchange Standards
Open standards, more powerful desktop computers, and lower cost software are making design, modeling, and automatic code generation for PLCs and PACs practical for improving automation. |
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Building dynamic value networks
- 03/19/10 Manufacturers’ Monthly, March 2010 By Colin Masson The discipline of Supply Chain Management requires multi-enterprise collaboration. Is your multi-enterprise supply chain responsive, adaptive, agile, and efficient? How well does your multi-enterprise supply chain enable your people to profitably meet the demands of your customers? |
White Papers
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Information Strategies for Manufacturing Sustainability
By GE Intelligent Platforms Manufacturers can greatly benefit from an integrated “big picture” view of their operations, whereby they can measure environmental factors alongside other operational metrics to gain visibility into where they may be disrupting stable processes, or conversely, where they are accepting waste simply because they do not realize it. |
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Improving Traceability With Work Process Management in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
By Greg Millinger and Alicia Bowers, GE Intelligent Platforms This white paper discusses how electronic work process management offers a way to greatly improve traceability by digitizing and documenting both manual and automated processes – and ensuring compliance with HACCP procedures and SOPs. |
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Six Sigma: What? Why? How?
By Dataforth Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to quantitatively measure how a process is performing. That process can involve manufacturing, business practices, products, or service. To be defined as Six Sigma means that the process does not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO) – which translates to 99.9997% efficiency. |
Application Stories
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Constellation Energy deploys Transpara Visual KPI
- 02/02/10 Management uses Visual KPI to monitor and manage operations, predictive maintenance engineering, vibration analysis, emissions tracking and daily reports. |
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Batesville Tool & Die – ERP and MES SaaS
- 01/20/10 Automation World, January 2010 By Rob Spiegel Batesville Tool & Die produces engineered stamping and robotic welding tools Plant managers wanted to standardize its two plants with a common ERP while also automating plant functions such as labeling. Batesville installed an ERP/MES from Plex. |
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Software puts F1 company in pole position
- 12/06/09 Control Engineering Europe, December 2009 Whitely Brooks’ plant in Brinley, UK, makes parts for Formula One race cars. It uses ProgressPlus software from Berkeley Myles Solutions to keep track of and follow orders every step of the way, making sure parts stand up to rigid design specifications and are delivered on time. |
Resources & Literature
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Poll Question - How many different networks do you have in your facility?
How many different communication networks do you have implemented in factories and/or plants? The list of available networks includes, but is not limited to: Foundation Fieldbus, ControlNet, PROFIBUS, Interbus, AS-Interface, CanOpen, CC-Link, PROFINET, HART, Ethernet, EtherCAT, Ethernet Powerlink, SERCOS, Modbus, LonWorks and DeviceNet. |
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How Lean are your manufacturing processes?
Motorola Survey Find out how lean your manufacturing processes are by completing a survey customized to your area of responsibility. We’ll immediately calculate your Lean and Mobility scores and benchmark them against an industry standard. You’ll also receive a FREE customized report, prepared with the assistance of R. Michael Donovan & Co., an internationally recognized lean consultant. This comprehensive report analyzes your scores and identifies ways to boost the impact of lean practices in your organization. |
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Siemens Automation and Drives Interactive CD Catalog
The interactive catalog of Siemens Automation and Drives Business (CA01) gives you information on more than 80,000 products and systems used for industrial automation and control. |
Training & Seminars
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Lean Manufacturing Work Culture podcast
- 12/10/09
Bosch Rexroth podcast covers the fundamental components of success with lean manufacturing: foundations, management and countermeasures. |
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Lean manufacturing podcast
- 05/26/09
“Lean and Sustainability” podcast discusses the relationship between lean manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing. |
Featured Products
Product Announcements
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GE introduces Open Enterprise software
- 03/15/10
Open Enterprise allows bi-directional messages to and from enterprise systems so companies can integrate data at the business level with the plant floor. |
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Siemens announces Sitrans RD500 remote data manager
- 02/26/10
The Sitrans RD500 integrates Web access, alarm event handling and data capture for remote installed process instruments into a single device. |
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AIS releases rugged mobile PDA
- 02/16/10
The PDA is rated to IP67 dust and waterproof standards, completely sealing against dust and capable of submersion into water up to 1 meter. |
Company & Organization News
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HALCON machine vision software runs on mobile phone
- 03/14/10 HALCON Embedded runs on the Nokia N900 mobile phone with the Maemo Linux-based operating system. |
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ISA selects Automation.com as advertising sales partner
In addition to daily and weekly digital and online content, ISA will publish 6 print issues of InTech magazine in 2010. ISA selected Automation.com as the advertising sales representative for InTech magazine’s print, digital, and online editions. |
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ARC says prices are coming down on automation products
- 03/07/10 One element contributing to the price erosion is that controllers are rapidly becoming an automation commodity in some sectors. |
Project News
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DEACOM to supply ERP software to Silver Spring Foods
- 01/28/10 Silver Spring Foods will use the ERP system to manage its recipe management, quality control/quality assurance, accounting, lot tracking/inventory control, purchasing, sales order entry, and production processes. |
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ABB to automate mill and pipe production plant in Saudi Arabia
- 01/06/10 ABB will supply a System 800xA control system, plus a switchgear substation, medium- and low-voltage switchgear, motors and variable-speed drives. |
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GE Fanuc to supply Proficy Workflow to SABIC Innovative Plastics
- 10/28/09 SABIC Innovative Plastics will use the system to connect and organize people and work processes to drive Lean production initiatives – easing decision making on the plant floor and reducing costs. |
Events
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Air & Waste Management Association Conference & Exhibit
- 09/30/09 June 22-25, 2010 Calgary, Alberta, Canada The 2010 Annual Conference theme is “Energy and Environment,” while the 2010 Critical Review will cover energy resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic development. |
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