Managing Automation - January 2008 - (Page 12) FREE E-NEWSLETTERS SUBSRIBE NOW! news managingautomation.com maonline Go online for daily news updates in perspective association, to change and really deliver value to the integrators, who are increasingly at the heart of the success of this industry,” Litt said, in an interview with Managing Automation. To that end, Litt’s mission as RIA’s leader is twofold: “My first charge is to maintain the momentum RIA has built in the historical core areas. But, really, my goal is to work with RIA to identify how we can better serve the needs of integrators.” For example, RIA has always provided its membership, comprising robot Richard Litt manufacturers, suppliers, integrators, and end users, with workshops that offer information on robot applications. New types of workshops designed specifically for integrators might include design control and management systems or modeling and simulation systems, Litt said. “It might even include programs for retaining engineering talent, so there’s a human resources element we may focus on,” he said. The important thing to understand, he said, is that the robots are evolving with new technologies, applications, and solutions to meet the needs of a variety of industries. As part of its service, RIA tracks robot sales each year. In its most recent report, published in November 2007, RIA noted a 34% increase in units shipped by North American-based robotics companies for the first nine months of 2007, reflecting a 22% increase in revenue. While the automotive industry — the traditional robot segment — purchased the majority of systems last year, other industries, including life sciences, pharmaceutical, food, consumer goods, and the plastics and rubber industries, contributed to robot manufacturers’ revenues. Given the new demand, “the biggest change in the industry I see now is the need for speed,” Litt said. Program development, which used to be done in weeks or months may now have to be delivered in days. “Often, when we pick a supplier, it’s not necessarily which one is the cheapest, but, more frequently, who is the fastest,” Litt said. During his two-year term, Litt hopes to accelerate change, not only within the robot industry, but within RIA as well. — S.N. Alliances, Executive Appointments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Products Transform your business through technology FREE Newsletters include: • MA Daily News Alert Hot off the press news exclusives written by MA Editorial Five-year-old Optessa has overcome those limitations by optimizing combinatorial heuristics algorithms to take advantage of new generations of more powerful personal computers, Netrakanti says. The MLS tool can create optimized schedules in automotive plants where there are as many as 100 constraints and where production is as high as 20,000 units per month, Netrakanti says. Such high-powered scheduling is increasingly important in automotive plants where manufacturers are facing increasing complexity. Auto manufacturers increasingly are leaning out production environments, driving down inventories. That increases scheduling constraints, Netrakanti notes. At the same time, customers and dealers are demanding that manufacturers build more vehicles to order and commit to quick delivery schedules, increasing complexity even more. So far, three large automotive manufacturers — one in Japan and two of the Big Three in North America — have signed on with Optessa. Now Optessa is betting that other industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, would benefit from the same type of advanced scheduling optimization software that carmakers are beginning to use. — J.M. • MA Membership Alert The latest industry research, products, news and web events Compete in the new global economy for years to come RIA’S NEW CHIEF REFLECTS A CHANGE IN ROBOT INDUSTRY ichard Litt’s appointment as the new president of the Robotic Industries Association may signal a turning point for the robot industry as a whole. RIA, founded in 1974, was created solely with the needs of robot manufacturers in mind. But over the decades, as more sophisticated robots entered the scene, the need for people who can integrate robots as part of a holistic manufacturing system has become just as important. RIA president-elect Litt is the founder and CEO of Genesis Systems Group, LLC, an independent systems integrator focused primarily on arc welding applications. His appointment marks the first time in RIA’s history that an individual from the systems integration segment has held the role of president. Litt sees this as a significant shift for the organization. “There’s a lot of opportunity for RIA, as an • Progressive Manufacturer • Viewpoint R Provocative and inspirational, features the opinion columns in print with exclusives online Sign Up Today at: MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM /NEWSLETTERS ® http://managingautomation.com http://MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/NEWSLETTERS http://MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/NEWSLETTERS
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