Managing Automation - November 2007 - (Page 23)

issues,” Rudzinsky says. “We have lots of good point solutions, but how do you get to that integrated solution that will allow you to achieve this total digital system?” And how do you do it affordably? There’s typically a $100,000 to $300,000 start-up cost associated with getting workstations and software in place to run the digital factory. Then there’s the cost of services and training. In the PLM market, for example, 60% of supplier revenue is generated from support and maintenance services, ARC’s Slansky estimates. All together, the digital manufacturing environment can be a pricey proposition. The cost issue joins a host of others in a rapidly changing market for digital manufacturing “The [IT] industry has made improvetechnologies. This year ments that [are] allowing us to do things alone, Oracle announced we never could have done a few years its purchase of PLM provider Agile; rival SAP ago.” — Richard Woodhead, GM unveiled a PLM roadand me, too. I’m just not sure we can get map; and, most important, Siemens acquired there,” he says. PLM vendor UGS. Rudzinsky understands the digital factory While Oracle’s and SAP’s PLM initiatives to be a paperless environment where syscould be seen as part of the integration journey, tems rely on electronic records and autothe Siemens-UGS announcement was a head mated processes, resulting in fewer mistakes turner. “Siemens and UGS pre-empted everyand the ability to scale as the company grows. one and turned the industry upside down,” Hologic, which makes diagnostic imaging ARC’s Slansky says. “They are taking a comequipment for women’s healthcare, already pletely different perspective on the PLM tool.” uses PLM from Agile, recently acquired by CLOSING THE FINAL LOOP Oracle Corp., which allows the company to “design for manufacturability.” But once the Siemens is working on integrating UGS Tecdesign gets to the factor y floor, there’s a nomatix, which digitally defines, simulates, speed bump — people. Some of Hologic’s manages, and executes manufacturing product assembly steps require manual inoperations, with the physical inspection techtervention. “Until you eliminate all people, nology that comes out of Siemens Automayou won’t have a fully automated digital faction & Drives, the unit into which UGS now tory,” Rudzinsky says. reports. This will not only build in quality Agile’s software does, indeed, bring Hoassurance, but also close that loop that logic’s design engineers closer to its manuRudzinsky and others have expressed confacturing engineers by acting as the single cern over — getting data from the factory source of truth where design history and all of floor back to design. the steps to validate a product coalesce in “One of the things we’ve been trying to one system. In addition, Hologic uses the Ordrive for a while is the integration of electriacle E-Business Suite and manufacturing softcal and control logic as a validation of the ware, which means that when a design HMI and PLC programs,” says GM’s Woodchange happens in Agile, it can flow to Oracle head. “We’ve been piloting this in various manufacturing. But closing the loop on the places ourselves, but we see the Siemensfactory floor is a different issue. If there are UGS acquisition as a key enabler to drive defects or problems on the factory floor, there that to the next level. It’s the next step foris no way to automatically flow those back to ward in digital manufacturing.” the design process so that they can be fixed. And if Siemens is working on it, it’s a safe It’s an integration issue, and one that bet that others are, too. Dassault Systemes, Rudzinsky and his peers grapple with on a for example, is creating a digital manufacdaily basis. “We had the ‘who’s who’ of medturing package that relies on a manufacturical device manufacturers in the same room ing hub. It is a data repository that houses talking about this and we all have the same and translates data from its CATIA CAD ing or it can be a long, tedious affair. In manufacturing, it’s typically the latter. As Slansky points out, many companies doubt the credibility of the digital factory idea. They see value in pieces of it, but not the big picture. “I think it’s a bit of a dream,” says David Rudzinsky, vice president of information systems and CIO at Hologic Inc., a medical device manufacturer. Rudzinsky is a self-proclaimed skeptic. As a company regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, Hologic needs as much electronic traceability as possible, but there will always be limitations and exceptions to the rule. “The business would love to make everything paperless, 23 November 2007

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Managing Automation - November 2007 Contents Take 1 Mailbox SAP's Business ByDesign to Validate On-Demand Model for Enterprise SW Portfolio Management Specialist Losing Ground to Rivals At Incor, It's Time for Some Deep Breathing Can HART, ISA Get Together on a Wireless Spec? Mesa Tries to Help Improve Plant Metrics Notes Cover Story: The Digital Factory Special Report: Breaking Down Walls Integration: Dreaming of One ERP Industries: Locking onto Cyber-Security Transformation: Not Your Father's Time & Attendance Program Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - November 2007

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