Managing Automation - April 2008 - (Page 19)

— nearly 74% this year — say they have established plant floor to enterprise systems integration as a corporate objective, a significantly higher number — 93% — of Europeans report their embrace of that goal. And the strength of that commitment carries through in the details. When asked to measure their companies’ progress in achieving integration, for example, only about 15% of U.S. respondents say this year that the integration work has been substantially completed. A mid-teens percentage response to this question has persisted in the poll for several years, once again underscoring the difficulty of the work. A far larger percentage — 28% — of European companies, however, report that substantial progress has been made. On other measures of the integration activity, including how much work remains as well as fully completed projects, both European and U.S. companies are at parity. But more than twice as many U.S. respondents — 13% — report no integration activity is under way, compared with 5% of European respondents indicating so (chart 1). Similarly, nearly 48% of European poll takers say they expect the integration work in their companies to be completed in one to two years, compared with 32% of U.S. companies, nearly the same percentage as last year (chart 2). And in one of the poll’s more closely watched indicators, the percentage of factory floor systems and devices connected to higher-level systems, 35% of European respondents say that more than 30% of these systems have been linked, compared with only 23% of U.S. companies, a nearly four-point drop from last year (chart 3). But when it comes to the basic business and technology goals driving the integration activity, both U.S. and European manufacturers are on the same page. Whether it is speeding up product development, improving customer service, reducing overall technology spending, or alleviating downtime and maintenance, U.S. and European companies are in hot pursuit of the same advantages. The poll’s findings are similar with regard to technology. Company-wide information sharing, a single information architecture, and a singular view of data are goals widely shared by the two groups. The industry truly lives in a global marketplace of ideas (charts 5, 6). In close alignment, too, is the way both U.S. and European companies formulate their technology integration plans. For example, while nearly 26% of U.S. respondents indicate they will pass data from a PLC or distributed control system first to an MES and then to an ERP system, nearly 18% of European companies say they will follow this route. Similarly, 19% of U.S. companies will pass data from the control level di- drivers integration 5 TECHNOLOGY GOALS REMAIN CONSISTENT Q: On a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest level of response, rate the importance of the following technology goals in the integration work (average of responses): Integrate, share information throughout the company 4.9 5 4.9 Rationalize, reduce systems via one information architecture 4.5 4.5 4.7 Provide a singular view of data 4.8 4.8 4.8 Create new applications via integration 3.9 3.8 4.1 Make information accessible to suppliers, customers 3.4 3.5 3.6 U.S. 2008 = U.S. 2007 = Europe 2008 = 6 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TIES TECH SPENDING CUT AS TOP BUSINESS GOAL Q: On a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest level of response, rate the importance of the following business goals in the integration work: Increase speed of product development, ability to build to order 4.5 4.6 4.7 Improve customer service, responsiveness 5 4.9 4.8 Reduce downtime, maintenance via better diagnostics, repair 4.7 4.7 4.9 Reduce tech spending, number of suppliers 5 4.2 4.4 Transform business model into an e-business model 4.2 3.6 3.6 U.S. 2008 = U.S. 2007 = Gain visibility of and reduce inventory 3.6 4.8 4.8 Europe 2008 = Percentages may have been rounded and may not equal 100%. 19 April 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - April 2008

Managing Automation - April 2008 Contents Take 1 Camstar to Introduce Software that Combines Quality, MES, and Intelligence SAP Revamps Maintenance, Raises Fees 29% New TAGSYS Chief Sees Opportunity in Broader Approach Siemens Turns to Security Weaver for Compliance Supply Chain Company Takes Next Step in U.S. Notes Cover Story: The Long Climb Special Report - Undertanding Enterprise Performance Management Caught Between Supply and Demand Taking Off the Blindfold No Room for Error Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - April 2008

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