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By Bill Lydon, Editor According to IFR, more than 220,000 robots were sold globally in 2014. The automotive industry is still the strongest, followed by the electronics industry. But there are many more applications in other industries that are just starting to grow, particularly with new small, safe, and collaborative robots.

Bill Lydon: I am convinced that collaborative robots are the highest impact automation development to improve manufacturing since the assembly line. If this development follows the cost performance trends of past developments, like PCs, we at the beginning of a new revolution.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Previous standards wars resulted in higher costs for users. This same pattern could develop again with Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). But, there are some positive developments that might allow us to avoid new standard wars. Hopefully, the various “camps with agendas” will converge their approaches and standards to leverage the latest Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data and analytics technologies.

By Bill Lydon, Editor I recently learned more about Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning cloud-based predictive analytics software. It is designed to allow users to gain insights into their systems by leveraging data from those systems. I believe Azure is analogous to the power of Excel and Visual Basic - two products that democratized computing in the past.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industry 4.0 is Germany’s initiative to achieve the vision of integrated industry by leveraging Internet technologies, and is also referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution. Read my perspective on whether your organization should "bet" on this initiative.

By Leila Myers and Maurice Wilkins An effective HMI should give operators the information they need in a form they can comprehend quickly so they can make good decisions. The new ISA-101 standard helps users understand what those concepts mean and how to implement them.

By Bill Lydon, Editor I believe the growth and application of new technology is a stimulus for the development of new automation system solutions and architectures. These new technologies include, but are not limited to, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and cloud analytics.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The Internet of Things (IoT) definition as promoted by major industrial automation suppliers and computer industry suppliers is “IP to the edge.” IP to the edge means using Internet Protocol over wired or wireless Ethernet to communicate with end devices. This concept may not be common sense engineering and sound design for industrial automation systems.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Wurldtech launched a new firewall product for industrial control (ICS) and SCADA equipment that is designed protect from corruption and damage caused by cyber-attacks. I recently spoke with Wurldtech’s Peter Lunk and Tom Kenneth about their new Achilles Industrial Next Gen Firewall and their full portfolio of cyber security products and services.

By Bill Lydon, Editor I see the technology progress in other industries, and I am coming to the realization that the industrial automation industry is way behind. The automation market lacks the essential elements, thought leadership, and desire to take advantage of IoT (Internet of Things) architectures and technology.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A company called Tempered Networks has developed an interesting, alternative approach to cyber-protection architecture for industrial control systems. The architecture goes beyond a software only solution and includes both hardware and firmware components to create a secure industrial automation network.

By Bill Lydon, Editor There is a growing frenzy over the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to industrial automation. The question is, “Why do we want to do this?” The high level goal is to improve manufacturing processes in a number of dimensions, including efficiency, responsiveness, and the ability to meet individual customer needs in a timely manner.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A recent design and engineering conference emphasized the need for manufacturing automation and design engineers to collaborate instead of working in independent organizational silos. An open mind is required in order to embrace change and innovate.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Should the control room operator be responsible for making business decisions? Focusing solely on improving operator interaction may be a mistake. Your competitors may be focusing on increased automation and integration to gain a competitive business advantage.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Every time you contract a third-party service provider, you are putting your company’s intellectual property (IP) at risk. With the current cyber security landscape and the new range of services offered by vendors and system integrators, manufacturers are increasingly challenged to protect their IP.

By Bill Lydon, Editor They say, “What goes around comes around.” I think this is happening with Advanced Process Control (APC) and Model Predictive Control (MPC). There seems to be a renewed interest in APC, and the systems, while not trivial, seem to be easier to use and lower cost.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A few months ago, I gave a presentation to owners of small to midsize manufacturers about industrial automation technology and how it can improve operations and efficiency. One of the attendees asked why companies don’t apply more automation? The question triggered an interesting and instructive discussion. Here are some key takeaways from that discussion.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet, Industrial Internet Protocol (IP) all relate to the modernization and improvement of industrial automation. Is industrial automation evolving to become an integral part of enterprise computing, also referred to as IT?

By Bill Lydon, Editor The Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 visions, which includes connecting people and services, leverages open communications, like OPC UA, and embedded-to-enterprise computing.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet are all driving computing to automation edge devices. These devices include controllers, sensors, actuators, motor controls, and drives. The fact that these devices could now be on a more widely known IP network creates the opportunity for viruses and malicious control of industrial equipment.