Managing Automation - October 2008 - (Page 12)

FREE E-NEWSLETTERS SUBSRIBE NOW! news managingautomation.com maonline Go online for daily news updates in perspective 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 • MA Membership Alert The latest industry research, products, news and web events Compete in the new global economy for years to come • Progressive Manufacturer • Viewpoint or months trying to manage some new protocol, when I guarantee he’s already managing an IP protocol?” Mulligan said. The IPSO chairman dismissed worries that IP is vulnerable to security threats or that the smart objects the group is targeting are too lightweight to handle the IP protocol. IP was developed by the Department of Defense to run classified networks, he noted. It’s not the protocol itself that is vulnerable, but the applications that run on it, he added, and if a company is concerned about data security, it can always run a closed-loop IP network or install rugged firewalls or other security devices. As for the claim that devices as simple as temperature gauges, for instance, don’t have the processing power or battery life to conduct IP-based transmissions, Mulligan said researchers have built an IP stack that runs on sub-$2, 16-bit microcontrollers with limited battery resources. “Everyone thought you had to have a PC to have enough processing and memory to run IP,” he said. “That’s just not true.” Mulligan said the association’s main objectives will be to undercut such perceptions, raise awareness of IP’s capabilities, promote device interoperability among member companies and others, and demonstrate to users how technologies that use the IP protocol can work in concert. The alliance won’t wander into a standardsetting role, he said, preferring to leave that work to groups such as IEEE, ISA, the 6LoWPAN Working Group, the ROLL Working Group, and others. — Chris Chiappinelli Provocative and inspirational, features the opinion columns in print with exclusives online • NEW Lean Matters Refreshing commentary on the pursuit of lean manufacturing SOLAR, LIFE SCIENCES WILL BE THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR ROBOTS Sign Up Today at: MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM /NEWSLETTERS G ® rowth in the sale of robots in North America is always heavily impacted by the buying trends in the automotive industry. Given the economic hardship clouding this industry, it’s no surprise that robot orders fell 23% in the first half of 2008, compared with the same period last year. “2008 is a very challenging year in North America for the robotics industry and other capital equipment industries,” said Åke Lindqvist, group vice president of ABB Robotics and chairman of the Robotic Industries Association’s (RIA’s) Statistics Committee, in a statement. “With the economy either in a recession or on the edge of one, manufacturing companies are being quite cautious when it comes to investing in automation. This is especially true in the automotive industry, the largest customer for robotics.” The slip in sales can be turned around, industry watchers said, as robot purchases in nonautomotive industries, such as semiconductors, metals, plastics, and rubber, are on the rise. But perhaps the biggest growth opportunity lies within the life sciences and alternative energy industries. “In the area of solar power, we are seeing hundreds of robots being purchased,” said Jeffrey Burnstein, executive vice president of the RIA, which recently issued a report that said North American manufacturing companies ordered 7,100 robots between January and June of this year, compared with 9,208 in the first six months of 2007. The solar industry, in fact, could soon reverse the declining pattern. “From the standpoint of this country, we need to reduce our dependence on oil,” Burnstein said in an interview earlier this year. “Solar power is an example of an industry that is going to be growing rapidly and where robots are playing a critical role. Even fuel cell technology is an area where companies are at least researching how robots could help in manufacturing.” These are encouraging signs amid an economic slump that is hitting automotive — and subsequently automation companies — hard. However, the slump may be only a shortterm phenomenon, as RIA numbers show that non-automotive unit orders increased by 23%. “The gains in sales to non-automotive companies are very encouraging for the long term,” Burnstein said. “We are seeing growth in the use of robots for laboratory automation,” where a small robot may be used to mix test tubes, for example, he said. Overall, Burnstein said, more industry education is needed now in order to secure the successful deployment of robots going forward. “There are a lot of companies out there that may not be aware of what is possible with robots,” he said. — S.N. 12 October 2008 http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/Newsletters http://www.MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/Newsletters

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

Managing Automation - October 2008 Contents Take 1 Systems Integration Market Braces for a Wave of Consolidation Kinaxis Launches Program to Lure i2 Customers Patent May Give Mobility a Needed Shot in the Arm New Group Aims at More Efficient Smart Devices Solar, Life Sciences Will Be the Next Frontier For Robots Notes Cover Story:�2009 Companies to Watch Special Report:�Siemens plus UGS: Is the Merger Working? Transformation:�Driving Energy Efficiency Integration: How Clean is Your Data Industries:�Fed Raises Red Flag on Chemicals Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - October 2008

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