Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Workflow Vendor

From Jay Mellon, vice president at Savigent, Minnetonka, Minn., who blogged (blog.savigent.com) this Top 10 list, edited here for brevity:

Nov 5th, 2012

1. Tell me about your product. Where has it been implemented? How it is being used?

2. Will your product fit my business? (In asking this question, you are seeking to understand the configurability and adaptability of the vendor’s product)

3. Does your product comply with Industry standards such as ISA95?

4. Will your product help me leverage my existing MOM (manufacturing operations management) investments?

5. Can you integrate with my other related systems?

6. Is your product scalable and ready to support my Enterprise?

7. Can I use your product or will I need to hire “a bunch of IT guys” to help use it?

8. How will your product help me drive actual improvement in my operations? How can I know that I am realizing results?

9. How long will it take to implement your product? Can the vendor’s product be implemented in a matter of weeks versus months? How will the product be implemented?

10. What questions haven’t I asked that I should be asking?

>> Click here to read Automation World's complete coverage on Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

The SaaS-ification of PTC
The SaaS-ification of PTC
PTC’s pending acquisition of Onshape will add a cloud-based Software as a Service product development platform to the company’s CAD and PLM portfolio.
Oct 24th, 2019
The Machine Economy is Upon Us
The Machine Economy is Upon Us
The IOTA Foundation has been working on an IoT communication protocol that will enable machines to autonomously conduct transactions in a fee-free, secure, and trustworthy exchange.
Oct 18th, 2019
Technology Startups to Watch
The industrial technology market has grown rapidly over the past decade due to the entrance of several new companies. In this article, we take a look at eight startups making a significant mark in industry.
Oct 18th, 2019
Paul Johnson, General Manager of Defense, SAGE Automation
Bringing Industry 4.0 to the Australian Defense Force
This article lays out the four key benefits when adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in your organization.
Oct 7th, 2019
Production Cockpit Analytics Software
Production Cockpit Analytics Software
TrendMiner 2019.R3 introduces a “production cockpit” that provides the processing engineer multiple ways to visualize and track plant production.
Oct 3rd, 2019
Machines that sense the world around them
Sponsored
Machines that sense the world around them
ADI gives cobots the ability to sense, adapt and interpret its surroundings. Our motion detection and machine learning expertise is transforming factory floors. From invention to breakthrough with ADI.
Nov 6th, 2019
Evergreen UV's EDU with Lascar Electronics' PanelPilotAce HMI as the device interface.
HMIs Play Role in Portable Disinfection
Evergreen UV expands the functionality and accuracy of its air and surface disinfection devices with the incorporation of HMIs from Lascar Electronics.
Oct 1st, 2019
Luigi De Bernardini, Autoware
How to Prepare for Digital Transformation Initiatives: Part I
A push into digital transformation is not as easy as it sounds. It takes an effort from the whole organization to get the process started, but there are many steps and precautions to understand before the initiative can even begin.
Sep 23rd, 2019
Peter J. Photos of Streamline Innovations in front of a live HMI view from one the company's processing plants.
Today’s Digital Transformation Reality
Dana Inc. and Streamline Innovations show how digital transformations can start today in the discrete and process industries using Ignition to overcome legacy infrastructure’s digital shortcomings.
Sep 20th, 2019
PTC’s digital twin demo combines real-world sensor and telemetry data with engineering calculations to highlight possible use cases.
Digital Twin Technology Highlighted with Excavator Demo
To illustrate the possibilities of digital twin technology and make it more broadly accessible, PTC created a simulation of an excavator to demonstrate the operational insights that digital twin technology can provide to industrial end users.
Sep 13th, 2019
Going to grayscale is catching on as a best practice in alarm management. Reserving color for abnormalities draws the operator’s attention and prompts more immediate corrective action. Courtesy: Honeywell
How Serious Are You About Alarm Management?
An Automation World reader survey detects a rising interest in alarm management best practices. It finds that, though many users are investing in new software, many are also missing the boat by giving their alarm philosophy short shrift.
Sep 10th, 2019
Tony Hemmelgarn, CEO and president of Siemens Digital Industries Software
Siemens PLM Name Change Reflects New Reach
Siemens PLM becomes Siemens Digital Industries Software to reflect the inclusion of manufacturing operations management capabilities, IOT analytics, and app development aimed at building new systems and integrating and extending existing ones.
Sep 5th, 2019
Phil Marshall, CEO, Hilscher North America
How Industrial IoT Can Build Next-Gen Automation Systems
A look at how IoT technologies are addressing automation system demands, including the need for real-time communications; cybersecurity compliance; and use of Time-Sensitive Networking, OPC UA, and MQTT.
Aug 16th, 2019
Global Pharmaceutical Optimizes Electronic Batch Records
With the pharmaceutical industry pushing for ever greater plant optimization, a major pharma manufacturer updated its batch processing platform and improved its electronic batch record process.
Aug 9th, 2019
How 3D Printing Is Changing Production Models
Additive manufacturing is no longer just for prototypes. Its increasing popularity and technical capabilities have pushed it into position to change the way manufacturers manage their spare parts inventory.
Aug 9th, 2019
Volkswagen Group’s re-conceptualized 1962 Microbus. Source: Volkswagen.
Volkswagen Applies Generative Design
Retrofitting a classic 1962 VW Microbus to create an electric vehicle showcase, VW worked with Autodesk’s generative design software to reduce the vehicle’s weight and re-imagine interior components.
Aug 1st, 2019
The robotic flexible sortation system (RFSS) in a one-robot configuration. Source: JR Automation
Virtual Commissioning of a Robotic Cell
To develop a new robotic system for the material handling industry, JR Automation used a combination of Siemens simulation technologies to create a digital twin of the system that included the robots, PLC, HMI, and sensors.
Jul 25th, 2019
Jack Fillenwarth, Panacea
Don’t Wait to Migrate Your Aging PLCs and HMIs
As systems, interfaces, and technology age, the chance of something going wrong rises and the chance of manufacturer support gets lower. Modernization and migration of these items is key to making sure everything operates smoother.
Jul 22nd, 2019
Brian Irwin, Accenture
Maximizing Innovation Using Digital Twin Technology
Companies wanting to compete and innovate need to use all the technology at hand. Digital twin technology can maximize productivity in ever-changing and demanding markets.
Jul 17th, 2019
The Benefits of Batch Recipe Lifecycle Management
The Benefits of Batch Recipe Lifecycle Management
It might seem appealing to use custom programming for recipe management, but that can come with problems. A batch management package can reduce risk and help get products to market much quicker.
Jul 8th, 2019
More in Software
Siemens, Siemens Opcenter
Siemens Opcenter Unifies Its Operations Software
Siemens Opcenter is cloud-ready software designed to integrate the company’s manufacturing operations management software packages into a single product.
Jun 27th, 2019
Rockwell's Blake Moret and PTC's Jim Heppelmann at LiveWorx19
PTC’s Push for Augmented Reality on the Plant Floor
At LiveWorx19, the company best known for its CAD, PLM and IoT platforms, emphasized augmented reality as the next big thing—backed up by new products, acquisitions, and partnerships.
Jun 14th, 2019
Small Form Factor Industrial IoT Gateway
Small Form Factor Industrial IoT Gateway
The fanless PL-80580 From WIN Enterprises is for use as an Industrial IoT (IIoT) gateway, and for networking applications requiring a small footprint and industrial temperature tolerance.
Jun 11th, 2019
Software Components for Robotics Simulation
Software Components for Robotics Simulation
Version 7.0 of Kineo software components from Siemens provide new simulation capabilities in robotics/machine automation.
Jun 11th, 2019
Change Management Software
New Version of Change Management Software
R130, the latest version of Honeywell Trace, delivers daily snapshots of control system configuration, changes and engineering anomalies that help amplify users’ situational awareness, allowing optimization of system management.
Jun 11th, 2019
System Design Analysis Tool
System Design Analysis Tool
The ARCHx engineering tool from exida allows designers and independent evaluators to analyze high level computer system design architectures for safety, availability, and cybersecurity.
Jun 10th, 2019
Chris Hough, ProMach/ZPI
OMAC Tackles Machine, Operator Efficiency
Providing updates at the Automation World Conference & Expo, group leaders outline efforts to provide guidance on line-level OEE implementation and machine interface standards.
Jun 7th, 2019
Batch 4.0
Food and pharmaceutical industries are adopting Industry 4.0 technologies to modernize manufacturing for both regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.
Jun 6th, 2019
Interior of Motorola mobile phone
Motorola Uses Machine Learning to Boost Quality
The self-programmed algorithms of Instrumental’s cloud-based inspection software are helping Motorola engineers spot known and unknown defects.
Jun 5th, 2019
Highlighting the importance of software in an advanced automation portfolio, Mitsubishi acquires Iconics to extend its Edgecross edge computing platform.
Mitsubishi Electric Acquires Iconics
Highlighting the importance of software in an advanced automation portfolio, Mitsubishi acquires Iconics to extend its Edgecross edge computing platform.
May 30th, 2019
A panel on understanding the digital twin includes (left to right) moderator David Greenfield of Automation World, John DeTellem of Siemens, and Graham Jackson of Maplesoft.
Understanding What a Digital Twin Could Do for You
From virtual commissioning to performance modeling, digital twin technology can provide a wide array of benefits. It’s important to decide first what you want from it to know what you’ll need to put into it.
May 29th, 2019
Subaru's Trent Lester speaking at the Automation World Conference & Expo
Subaru Speeds Production Without Sacrificing Quality
Using GE Digital’s iFix software, the manufacturer is able to monitor each car as it moves down the line, alerting operators of issues along the way for better decision-making.
May 14th, 2019