Five technologies for a future-proof edge control platform and flexible stack deployment

Digital transformation is an ongoing journey for manufacturers, driven by the need to enhance efficiency, insight and safety without disrupting operations. Modernizing control platforms offers a strategic opportunity to adopt new technologies, ensuring both immediate improvements and long-term digital innovation.

Top 10 in digitalization for 2024: Advanced manufacturing institute

Industry reports, projects, and membership programs by MxD.

Lessons for manufacturers in the digital transformation journey

The manufacturing industry is at a critical juncture, where the shift toward digital transformation and Industry 4.0 is no longer just an option, but it is now a necessity.

Advertisement: From chaos to clarity: The project management edge

Advertisement: System integrators with good project management ensure that work is efficiently organized, issues are quickly identified and project status is clear to customers and team members.

Benefits of improving batch management solutions for advanced technology solutions

How right-sizing a batch management solution paves the pathway for advanced technology solutions and helps companies realize Industry 4.0 automation.

More than a dozen places to accelerate industrial digital transformation

The Siemens Automate 2024 booth included an array of automation hardware and software designed to accelerate digital transformation efforts, the company said at the Automate 2024 event by A3, the Association for Advancing Automation, in Chicago.

Incorporate industrial PCs for better computing power in the plant

By incorporating industrial PCs in a manufacturing setting, several plant risks can be mitigated.

Accelerating digital transformation in oil and gas for competitive edge

Digital-first operations is an ever-persistent conversation across industries, but for the oil and gas segment and how this translates for a highly dispersed, asset-intensive operation there is real opportunity to reduce costs while improving productivity and worker safety.

Technology that is transforming the welding industry

The advancement of six technologies in the welding industry produces an array of benefits, transforming how welding operations are executed.

How digital transformation is adapting to Industry 4.0 and more

Digital transformation aims to enhance business decision-making, improve efficiencies and lower costs over the long term for manufacturers.

Developing a strong and pragmatic digital transformation plan

Developing a digital transformation plan can be daunting, but focusing on projects with high ROI and a realistic scope can help. See video.

Users look for open industrial software to help in three ways

Advantages of industrial software are explained at the 2023 Aveva China User Conference, including more effective digital transformation, data management and analytics and use of artificial intelligence, among other future benefits.

How to excel in digital transformation with strategy, software

Hexagon announced a software and business strategy at the 2024 ARC Industry Forum to help industrial companies accelerate and excel with digital transformation.

How to build an industrial transformation strategy, with tips, examples

A dozen years of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing efforts have been less effective in continuing the productivity gains of Industry 3.0. Tips and examples show how an industrial transformation strategy can improve industrial productivity and meet industrial sustainability initiatives.

How digitalization’s growing role, impact is changing process manufacturing

Digitalization is changing manufacturing and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is going to help fuel those changes. See video.

How digitalization, digital transformation strategies are evolving

The goals of industrial digitalization have changed and there are many potential disruptions in the digitalization journey for manufacturers.

Top 5 Control Engineering content: October 23-29 2023

The top 5 pieces of content from the past week include Episode one of the Bridging the Gap podcast series with Jeff Winter, edge computing and more.

Honeywell Connect Recap: Digital transformation, AI powering changes in manufacturing

Digital transformation remained a major theme at the second Honeywell Connect, but AI’s potential and use in manufacturing loomed large.

How to integrate process, digital technologies to increase petrochemical factory output

Automation and controls company and Chinese petrochemical firm integrate technologies for smart factory benchmarking. One plant reduced manual operation more than 50% and increased propylene yield by more than 0.1%.

Hot Control Engineering digital transformation articles in 2023

Control Engineering most-viewed articles online about digital transformation included new technologies impact on digitalization, digital twin simulations, digital transformation and system integration and more.

Game-changing innovations that drive digital transformation

Digital transformation in the manufacturing, industrial automation and smart building industries is necessary to keep up in a rapidly digitizing world. See video.

Lift: Advanced, automated metal forming, controls, training, optimization

Tour of the Lift manufacturing innovation institute reveals advances in automated metal forming, control design, control software, digital transformation, training and automation optimization.

Driving agile digital transformation in a complex world

Employing the concept of the Trojan Mouse, process manufacturers should start small to win big when it comes to digital transformation initiatives.

Realize Live 2023 Day 2/3: Manufacturers need more than innovation

Innovation and a willingness to push new ideas forward is valuable and needed, but the ability to be agile and flexible is critical.

Realize Live 2023 Day One: The importance of the digital journey

The digital journey for manufacturers is an arduous one, but it can have a meaningful impact that goes well beyond the bottom line.

Manufacturers using digital transformation to future-proof operations

Future-proof manufacturing holds the promise of smart, connected factories starts with digitization and digitalization to make better and more informed decisions.

How digital transformation delivers bottom-line benefits for manufacturers

Digital transformation can help companies realize long-term business benefits, but it takes dedication and strategy to actually transform.

Overcoming organizational, technical readiness challenges for digital transformation

Manufacturers realize the benefits of digital transformation, but many are often ill-prepared to realize the benefits because of organizational and technical readiness.

The importance of digital transformation support

Many manufacturing facilities are taking on digital transformation initiatives, and long-term maintenance and support needs to be prioritized.

How the digital thread can help people learn and improve

The digital thread ties the digital and physical processes for products, creating a constant loop for refinement and improvement. The same can be said for how we learn and improve.

How sustainability can be a driver for digitalization

Sustainability is becoming an important driver for change in the industrial sector as companies look to improve profits while being safe and environmentally-conscious.

How the digital thread can improve manufacturing productivity

Creating a digital thread that provides users with all needed information will help them make better decisions and give their products a longer and more productive lifecycle.

Using Profinet to improve communication, networking

Profinet facilitates digital transformation with real-time/non-real-time channel separation, deterministic communication and coexistence with other protocols.

Profinet benefits for digital transformation and Industry 4.0

Profinet enables reliable communication and rises to the challenges of Industry 4.0 and the factory's digital transformation.

Manufacturing in America 2023: Digitalization, automation, sustainability, productivity

How digital transformation and automation help manufacturing and industry was the focus of the 2023 Manufacturing in America event, in Detroit; the opening session included speakers from Siemens Digital Industries USA, State of Michigan, Automation Alley, Dasher Lawless design-construction-automation firm, and Infinite Acres, an automated vertical farming company.

Digital transformation’s importance for manufacturing environments

Manufacturing is becoming more automated and specific as consumer tastes change. Manufacturers need to adapt to this changing landscape and digital transformation can play a key role.

Hannover Messe 2023 Recap: Thoughts and observations

General observations on the Hannover Messe 2023 experience and what industrial transformation means for the future of manufacturing.

Industrial transformation key focus for Hannover Messe

Hannover Messe 2023's main theme is focused on industrial transformation and how companies are utilizing digital technologies.

Digitalization, localization help develop China’s process industries

China’s process industries could benefit from more digitalization and by unlocking the power of existing data with factory design software and artificial intelligence (AI).

How digital transformation powers the machine economy

Digital transformation technology is pushing digital twins closer to their real-world counterpart and driving manufacturing through the next wave of the digital revolution.

What are 5 ways to digitalize an OT-data infrastructure?

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) digitalization benefits include connectivity, consolidation, context, collaboration and cloud access.

Digitalization, open automation cuts commissioning time 30%, creates services

Using digitalization and open automation provides opportunities and challenges for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) offering faster technology iteration and redefining customer value.

The impact of new technologies on automation and digitalization system architectures

Digital telecommunication evolution has been rapid over the past several years and is providing near real-time communication.

MQTT’s benefits for digital transformation

Message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) addresses many of the challenges involved in today’s increasingly complex industrial networks and can boost digital transformation initiatives.

Digital manufacturing, smart manufacturing, enable sustainability efforts

ZF Group, an automotive manufacturer, provides motion controls for automotive, industrial, wind power and is using digital transformation on the way to smart factory implementation to meet sustainability requirements.

Petrochemical company shifts attention to digitalization, optimization, sustainability

Digitalization with smarter automation and instrumentation is helping with sustainability as the energy industry faces a transition and new challenges.

Digitally transforming ourselves

Digital transformation can help manufacturers make better decisions faster and help companies harness the accelerating rate of change.

Digital transformation shift for process manufacturers

Focusing digital transformation on people can help process manufacturers enhance knowledge transfer and empower workers.

Digital transformation at Gibson, control system integration for chemical, food and beverage

2023 System integrator of the Year, Eosys, excelled in digital transformation, batch control, and other control and automation system project integration, with emphasis on mentoring and continuing education.

Digital transformation’s importance for manufacturers

Digital transformation is when a business or organization adopts and applies computer-based technology to improve a process.

Digital transformation and IIoT’s impact on process manufacturing

Digital transformation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can help companies transform their culture and business. Five steps for companies embarking on the digital transformation journey are highlighted.

Virtual forum highlighted industrial digital transformation, sustainability

ARC Industry Forum Asia featured speakers discussing their experiences in digital transformation, future automation architectures, sustainability initiatives and more.

Digital trends are transforming industrial landscape

The shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 is already happening, and the emphasis on digital technologies and concepts are driving this change. See six growth opportunities for manufacturers.

Manufacturing digitalization: Think differently, working smarter

Manufacturers can change how they operate and make better decisions with automation and controls, but it requires a different mindset and approach. See six steps for effective product, operations management.

AI is driving digital transformation in engineering

Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving digitalization when it comes to transforming the engineering sector.

Next steps for digital transformation for manufacturers

With many industrial organizations now having taken their first digitalization steps, there are potential disruptions for manufacturers with their digital transformation journeys.

Three words that demystify digital transformation

The term “digital transformation” is heard so often in the industrial space that it’s taken on buzzword status, but what does it actually mean? See three words that help clarify and demystify what digital transformation means.

A look at digital transformation using the cloud

Cloud architecture, when examined in its entirety, can be very complex. Focusing on its interface with operations technology makes matters clearer and more manageable.

Factories born digital save 10x conversion cost

A digital-first smart-manufacturing plant to recycle polypropylene is expected to save 10 times the cost compared to facilities that convert from manual or analog in a digital transformation process.

Smart manufacturing needs smart security, communication

The need for digital transformation in manufacturing is only as good as the security program behind it, which needs buy-in from all sides.

IT, OT convergence enabling digital manufacturing transformation

Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) convergence is enabling a digital manufacturing transformation.

Digital field instruments accelerate petrochemical, process industries

Digital innovation of field instruments opens a new chapter of digitalization in the petrochemical and other process manufacturing industries.

Digital transformation: An IIoT journey to analytics maturity

A fully-augmented factory allows process experts to manage by exception rather than by reaction. Once companies can manage processes by exception, they have created a smart factory, according to a company with a Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award product.

How to securely implement digital transformation for manufacturing processes

Security is a journey; this is especially true when dealing with manufacturing and operational technology (OT) systems.

Standards-based interoperability for digital transformation in asset lifecycle management: More answers

Supply chain challenges, standards, digital twins, and advice for future digital transformation efforts were among more answers from a 1-hour RCEP/AIA professional development hour training session.

Succeeding with digital transformation post COVID-19

See three recommendations for companies to seize the extraordinary opportunity to automate that the pandemic disruptions created.

How to teach digital transformation to enable advanced manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing training can improve understanding of required competencies, Industry 4.0, Industry 4.0 technologies and use of industrial data, according to a 1-hour engineering training course available starting Oct. 18.

Digital transformation, smarter manufacturing: Expert interview series, Bernd Raithel, Siemens

Just starting or stalled with digital transformation and smart manufacturing? Gain inspiration and hear advice from Bernd Raithel, director of product marketing and deployment of new technologies at Siemens Factory Automation in the U.S., based on experiences at Siemens manufacturing plants. See video.

Finding the return on investment in smart manufacturing, digital transformation

Smart manufacturing and digital transformation continue to gain traction in factories, process facilities and other applications.

How to calculate digital transformation ROI

Simplify and prioritize the digital vision for smart factory upgrades and consider hard and soft savings in the return calculations.

Factory of the future: How to vitalize digital transformation

See five attributes of the factory of the future. Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) organizations, hardware and software synergy should be part of the roadmap.

Digital transformation’s role in manufacturing workforce evolution

For manufacturers to attract the best talent, they need to adapt to their environment by making tactical investments in digital solutions and be proactive in digital transformation.

The role of the system integrator in the digital transformation

Manufacturing automation is embracing digital transformation and the system integration plays a key role in facilitating it and integrating information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT).

Accelerating digital transformation focus of online forum

The annual ARC Industry Forum Asia titled Accelerating Digital Transformation in a Post-COVID World focused on many topics such as IT/OT convergence and improving interoperability.

Benefits of smart factory investment

5G will help manufacturers will be able to dynamically adapt their production areas to current circumstances at any time and create smart factories.

How to bring digital transformation (DX) to your organization: more answers

To help organizations better understand and implement digital transformation, Control Engineering offered a May 4 webcast, “Digital Transformation Acceleration,” for one professional development hour (PDH) credit. Additional answers from the speakers follow, along with a link to webcast, archived for one year.

Cybersecurity is key for digital transformation

Digital transformation can change manufacturing, but companies need to invest in cybersecurity knowledge and training to make it viable.

Smart factory acceleration in a pandemic

Cover Story: Learn how building for the pandemic era can accelerate the era of smart factories. See four ways a factory can become smart and resilient.

Digitalization, automation advice, benefits

A global manufacturer explains benefits and offers advice about connecting the real world of manufacturing to the virtual world, through digitalization and automation.

The time is now to move to smarter manufacturing

Many chip manufacturers lack an overall digital transformation strategy and cannot make the move to smart manufacturing.

What is a digital thread?

Digital thread is an operational concept that describes how a profile of data is defined, created, populated and modified throughout the product lifecycle. See three digital thread benefits.

Spotlight on Innovation: 2021 Engineers’ Choice Awards

Control Engineering announces the best automation, control and instrumentation products in the 21 categories of the annual Engineers' Choice Awards program.

Digitalization crucial for food manufacturing processes

Smart and proactive digital solutions can help support ongoing operations even through disruptive global events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

2017 Engineers’ Choice Finalists

The official ballot is open for voting for Control Engineering North American print and digital edition subscribers, until Dec. 21.