Many of these new technologies had been in development for years before their respective products were applied on a wider level.
One of the aspects I have wondered about over the years is the logical integration of drive technology into control systems, which is by itself a highly logical step, and which has been on the horizon since the late 1980s. In automation technology, software has been left consigned to the shadows for many years. This is entirely unjustified.
It is of great benefit for the automation industry to think outside the box and take a look at what is happening in the field of information technology. The influence of IT in automation technology is increasing more and more—a process that cannot be reversed. It looks like the automation industry has been stewing in its own juices for many years, so important developments did not get quite the push they should have. Strategies of market foreclosure—especially implemented by, but not limited to, major automation suppliers—have been an additional factor in this stagnancy.
The victim has been and will always be the user, a fact that becomes apparent when different technological disciplines and products, offered by different providers, are connected, programmed and used together. In an online forum on automation, I asked the users whether themes like machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, cyber/physical systems and Industry 4.0 are of any practical relevance for them. The answers were quite sobering:
“Producers of automation technology need do their homework first and make existing systems more reasonably useful—then we can start talking about anything else.” This answer stands for the general feedback on my question. Does this mean that we have to set future and innovative themes aside? No, definitely not. But it takes both: We need to develop solutions for the future and, at the same time, make existing technologies more accessible.
One of the keys to success is software, where, if you look at it logically, all the different threads run together. Manufacturers need to focus more on developing software solutions where usability and openness are the most important features. On the other side, users need to be willing to spend more money on software, to underline the value of these new solutions.
If users of automation technology were like the customers of video game developers, they would often throw the software right back at automation providers. We should be reading enthusiastic comments about automation software in user forums, instead of frustrated and angry ones. The automation industry is in a state of change, a change that needs to be shaped in a way that satisfies users.
Chances are pretty good that users will be satisfied, because the technological conditions to do so already exist.
>> Martin Buchwitz, [email protected], is Editor in Chief of SPS-Magazin in Germany.
