Beth Stackpole

What Pub/Sub Means for Industrial Networks

The publish/subscribe communication paradigm promises an era of real-time data exchange and increased flexibility to support next-generation IIoT applications and flexible manufacturing.

Bosch Rexroth sees rising interest in using virtual assistants on the shop floor to aid in training and safety applications. Image courtesy of Bosch Rexroth

Are Virtual Assistants Headed to the Plant Floor?

Intelligent agent technology promises to boost operations and engineering efficiencies by delivering ready access to critical data and encouraging more natural interactions with industrial equipment.

IIoT Enables Next-Level Remote Asset Monitoring

Connectivity advances and intelligent offerings are making it easier for manufacturers to monitor remote plant sites while opening up potential for new product-as-a-service offerings.

Robots at Your Service

Robotics-as-a-Service is gaining traction as companies gravitate to a model that minimizes upfront capital investment, streamlines maintenance, and unleashes data-driven insights.

More from Beth Stackpole

Training Today’s Workforce to Fill the Skills Gap

As Industry 4.0 looms large, manufacturers are facing a significant reskilling effort to capitalize on new opportunities while maintaining legacy automation environments.

Not So Fast: TSN Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Though standardization efforts for Time-Sensitive Networking continue at pace, it is still years before industry should expect to see a bumper crop of compatible products.

Blockchain’s Role in Factory Automation

The distributed ledger technology is being tapped to foster trust and build transparency into extended supply chains and to facilitate mass customization.

Predix lies at the heart of GE’s digital twin strategy.

Digital Twin Makes Virtual Commissioning a Reality

Testing automation and industrial equipment in the virtual world is a more effective and less expensive way to commission and optimize the factory floor.

It’s Not Edge vs. Cloud—It’s Both

It’s Not Edge vs. Cloud—It’s Both

An Automation World survey reveals both cloud and edge computing are central to IIoT-enabled predictive maintenance and performance monitoring applications, each at different stages of the journey.

GE projects global electricity generation to grow by 2.3 percent per year over the next decade, bringing mounting pressure to transform and revitalize existing infrastructure.

Automating the Grid in a Modern Age of Electrification

Automation technology—including microgrids, data analytics and IIoT—is at the heart of a major digital transformation of the aging power grid, which needs to address expanding demand for a more sustainable and efficient energy source.

Mixed Reality Comes in Focus for Maintenance and Beyond

As manufacturers get more familiar with augmented and virtual reality, they are leveraging the technology for use cases in work instructions, remote expert guidance, quality inspection, training and more.

Beyond the Black Box of Predictive Maintenance

Beyond the Black Box of Predictive Maintenance

The Industrial Internet of Things promises to usher in an era of predictive maintenance, but manufacturers are moving slowly, struggling to transform asset data into actionable information.

Hey, Operators, There’s an App for That

Hey, Operators, There’s an App for That

Interest in mobile apps for operators is on the rise, according to an Automation World survey. But connectivity challenges and lack of awareness remain hurdles to deployment.