Revitalizing U.S. Manufacturing with Industry 4.0 Applications
Interview with Al Dimassi, General Manager of IS International Services, LLC
With Donald Trump’s promise to restore Americanmanufacturing jobs, the U.S. manufacturing sector is hoping to change thenarrative that jobs are being lost overseas by establishing high-tech“factories of the future”. Therefore, efforts to reinvent U.S. manufacturing byleveraging the latest technologies to establish intelligent factories will havea substantial impact on the nation’s long-term economic growth. The growing useof interconnected intelligent machines to support activities along the entirevalue chain, as well as the adoption of Industry 4.0 and the IndustrialInternet of Things (I-IoT), is creating a fully digital manufacturinglandscape. In this smart manufacturing landscape, IS provides turnkey solutionsin the process control and automation industry to help customers implementsmart factory for maximizing operational excellence.
As a global services and engineering company focused onclient satisfaction, with an emphasis on providing quick and high qualitydeliverables, IS specializes in system integration which spans PLC, HMI, SCADAand DCS specification, configuration and commissioning. Their role is to easeany strain between customers and general contractors by coordinating with allof the other disciplines on the projects, as well as other vendors and skidmanufacturers to provide a complete solution for projects, from generalmanufacturing, to renewable energy, to health and pharmaceuticals.Manufacturing needs durable, strong infrastructure to thrive. IS has deepknowledge of industrial networking protocols, hardware design and programmingwith expertise in many different platforms. The substantial amount of expertisedevelopment in many of the major fields of industrial controls, I&C and systemsintegration has led IS to achieve many successful projects.
Advantech’sProfessional Services
The implementation of smart factory solutions involvesplacing sensors on equipment, leveraging software to collect data, and usingdata insights and analytics to optimize the entire manufacturing process.Because most existing manufacturing assets will need to be retrofitted withintelligent sensors and programmable logic controllers, for some companies,particularly small and medium-sized businesses, high upfront costs pose asignificant barrier. Most products currently available offer smart connectivity(i.e., remote access and control from a wide range of internet-based devices)and can be easily monitored from web-enabled SCADA management software, such asAdvantech’s WebAccess/SCADA, using Ethernet or wireless networks, andincreasingly do not require the services of a gateway. The challenge formanufacturers now is how to use the same software to monitor legacy equipment.This is where Advantech plays an important role.
As a platform agnostic systems integrator with 170combined years of experience in control systems upgrades, IS has beenconstantly looking for innovative integration solutions for its business. Theseintegration solutions must sometimes be off the shelf, supportable andcost-effective. IS has many choices, and the fact that they chose Advantech fortheir current projects substantiates the partnership selection. IS’s win-winbusiness model relies heavily on lowering their partners’ overall cost throughinnovation and cost-effective solutions.
Advantech’s SRPs (Solution Ready Packages) that combinehardware and software into integrated industrial applications are quick-starttools that enable a stepwise approach to achieving Industry 4.0. Advantech hasa wide variety of SRPs and products that present novel solutions for many ofthe applications that IS encounters with customers. Additionally, withAdvantech, IS has had access to engineers who have intimate knowledge of theproducts, their history, and their in-development enhancements. This has been akey to planning and executing solutions and installations that areforward-facing for IS’s clients. “I would have to say that we have found theaccess to people beyond just the technical support staff of the currentproducts to be the single largest benefit in working with Advantech,” says AlDimassi.
Future Cooperationon Industry 4.0 Applications
In many regions of the US, the process controls industryhas been undergoing serious contraction as production facilities have movedoff-shore. Software companies have attracted younger talent while the seniorleadership retires. In order to fill the gap created by these circumstances, ittakes IS’s results-oriented engineering practices to be used in conjunctionwith creative tools like those made by Advantech. IS possesses the engineeringand production expertise to lead its clients to Industry 4.0 solutions thatwill provide them with maximum benefits. However, it takes the hardware,software and WISE-PaaS platform tools of Advantech, along with IS’s industrialleading support, to make it a reality. “Most clients are looking for reliable,secure, cost effective and off the shelf solutions; Advantech provides all ofthis and more.” says Al Dimassi.
The future of U.S. manufacturing is being redefined. The next step in creating a successful future with the Industry 4.0 is collaboration. To gain an advantage, technology companies should establish partnerships aimed at advancing a particular field or building endto-end customer solutions that harness the best of their assets and capabilities. The resulting emergence of ecosystems and platforms will deliver a whole new level of value and business opportunities. In the Advantech IoT Co-Creation Partner Conference held in Philadelphia on May 15th, IS signed DFSI (Domain Focused System Integrator) agreement with Advantech and joined Advantech’s WISE-PaaS VIP Partner Alliance program. “We look forward to a long and successful Win-Win partnership with Advantech,” says Al Dimassi.