A Tyson Foods employee accesses a FactoryTalk VantagePoint mobile app from his tablet, from which he is able to monitor ~1,500 data points across cooking, sticking, battering, frying, freezing and packaging operations.
Users can now customize content across desktop and mobile devices to track data in ways that are unique to specific viewing preferences, roles, and business priorities, and then instantly and easily share it with collaborators. For example, plant managers can view production rates across each line on a single screen, so they can quickly react if production targets are at risk. A reliability manager might use the software to keep a close eye on performance metrics of specific equipment types – such as variable frequency drives – across a site or multiple sites, so they can ensure uptime of crucial assets and assist in predictive maintenance activities.
This new software trend departs from the traditional define-and-dictate model, in which the system is preprogrammed with specific definitions that then dictate what users can and cannot do, in favor of a more open, lean and modular system. This flexibility empowers all levels of employees, giving them the freedom to develop the performance-tracking definitions that are most relevant to their specific operations and then to change them as needed, all without having to burden IT and OT with additional development. For example, maintenance personnel might be focused like a laser on uptime and have their dashboards show them line or machine uptime metrics, whereas a plant manager might define their view by production rates or asset utilization.
Energy management is another area where information software is allowing manufacturers and industrial operators to utilize the benefits of The Connected Enterprise and get more out of their legacy equipment. Energy intelligence software that integrates with a plant’s existing drives can monitor energy usage and help operators better understand and compare energy costs. It allows them to track equipment lifecycles and identify where investments, such as maintenance or replacements, may be necessary.
This software infusion is transforming how end users access and utilize information, but it’s also changing how developers create and upgrade their offerings. Equipment and software cannot be developed as independent or isolated products, nor on timelines that don’t allow for quick iteration and upgrades. Everything can now be connected within The Connected Enterprise, meaning that products must be developed to live as part of a larger ecosystem with a focus on delivering value to user personas. They must be considered within the context of other products and multiple roles in a plant.
