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The Internet of Things

02. Big Data Meets Measurement in Manufacturing04. Ethernet and Wireless Enable Manufacturing Internet of Things07. Automation Technology Futures09. Report Targets Power Transformer Monitoring Hardware11. Weaving a Tapestry of Automation Technology

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Big Data Meets Measurement in ManufacturingAll of the analog data acquired from manufacturing and products—a.k.a. the Internet of Things (IoT)— dwarfs what is currently known as Big Data.

By Gary Mintchell, Automation World Co-Founder

Big Data headlines not only tech news but also popular news—as in what’s the government doing with all the information it’s stor-

ing about us. Big Data comprises just a twig compared with the full-grown oak that Big Analog Data can generate. National Instruments Fellow Tom Bradicich mentioned twice in separate interviews during NIWeek last month that all of the analog data acquired from manu-facturing and products—a.k.a. the Internet of Things (IoT)—dwarfs what is currently known as Big Data.

When thinking about data, consider the flow. First is acquisition from analog measurements. This may or may not be used in real time. Then there is data in motion and data at rest. Finally there is archiving the data. Then characterize data by where it is. The insight comes from how the data is used. Real time is important if you are monitoring a motor about to catch fire. On the other hand, maybe you want to go through three years of data to look for trend.

“In test and measurement, we might debate with IT about whose data is bigger,” Bradicich says. “It’s not just size, but also velocity. When data leaves NI devices, it’s in motion. Then first it hits a switch, server or workstation. Now it is at rest in an IT server. Now the IT world takes over for analytics, then archiving. The question for us is, Where do customers want to derive insight? Maybe closer to the instrument, or maybe later at the desk. The four variables of data

classically are volume, velocity, variety and value. We have added a fifth—visibility—for who needs to see and analyze results.”

Since NI is a measurement company, it has partnered with several companies to bring a Big Data solution. IBM has become a close partner—not surprising given that NI’s senior vice president of R&D and Bradicich are both from IBM. Specifically, the product from IBM is InfoSphere Streams, part of the IBM Big Data platform. It processes vast amounts of generated streaming data in real time and allows user-developed applications to quickly ingest, analyze and correlate information as it arrives from thousands of real-time sources. The solution can handle very high data throughput rates—up to millions of events or messages per second.

Terabytes of dataAn NI partner, Phasor Measurement, has developed a solution to

monitor the electric power grid. Bradicich says it can generate 5 TB of data per month. A wind turbine can generate 10 TB per day, and a jet engine can generate 20 TB per hour. It’s easy to see how this fast, streaming data could add up quickly.

Duke Energy built a system to conquer the problem of monitor-ing and analyzing diagnostics of its “fossil fuel fleet” of generating plants. The old way sent condition monitoring specialists to each site with handheld data collection devices. The company figured that the

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ContinuedBig Data Meets Measurement in Manufacturing

specialists spent 80 percent of their time merely collecting data while using only 20 percent of their time actually analyzing the data. Imple-menting a Big Analog Data solution, predic-tive maintenance specialists in remote centers watch key signatures from equipment and note abnormalities. They can then compare these signatures when necessary to a fault signature database and take corrective action much more quickly.

When you delve into the guts of a buzzword, sometimes you find a solution to some intrac-table problems. So, don’t get turned off by all the hype of Big Data. See how you can use it to solve your major engineering problems.

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Ethernet and Wireless Enable Manufacturing Internet of ThingsThe concept of an Internet of Things (IoT) has morphed from its origins in RFID to one that encompasses all networked devices, both within and external to a manufacturing operation. The push to adopt IoT in manufacturing coincides with a concurrent enabling trend toward use of industrial Ethernet and wireless network technologies within the production environment.

By Chantal Polsonetti, vice president of the ARC Advisory Group

Along with intelligent sensors and machines, IoT encompasses cloud computing, analyt-

ics, Big Data, mobility and universal visualization. Improved business performance, production efficiency and asset optimization remain the core objectives for manufacturers to implement this technology.

In a manufacturing context, these objectives are achieved by gathering data locally from the myriad of sensors, devices, machines and other entities operating on the plant floor. This data is then made available globally via a cloud or similar infrastructure platform to all sanctioned parties for use in analytics, optimization, and a variety of other applications.

The push to adopt IoT in manufacturing coincides with a concurrent enabling trend toward use of industrial Ethernet and wireless

network technologies within the production environment. These technologies not only offer incremental benefit over dedicated automation solutions in many applications, they also favorably position manufacturers to support the data transfer requirements inherent in IoT.

On the plant floor Industrial Ethernet networks have sustained

a continued downward march in the industrial automation hierarchy. Originally viewed pri-marily as an IT technology best suited for en-terprise-level applications, Ethernet’s potential to provide a single network technology for use in vertical and horizontal integration through-out the enterprise, plus its improved industrial performance, make it increasingly popular. The network is now a staple at the control level of the automation hierarchy, with most suppliers

IoT and Big Data Combine Forces

This white paper will first show why manufacturers should integrate the IoT and big data into their industrial automation systems, and then it will reveal how this can be done using products and systems available to-day. The white paper will conclude with a look at the future of the IoT and big data, illustrating how these concepts will help create the factory of the future.

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ContinuedEthernet and Wireless Enable Manufacturing Internet of Things

offering an Ethernet-based control backbone. Numerous I/O and device-level products are also available.

Both manufacturing engineers and their IT counterparts now have years of experience with the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless standard. Most manufacturers have already established best practices for its usage in their facilities. These COTS-based wireless networks are widely used throughout production operations and the digi-tal oilfield, whether to support mobile devices, in-plant material handling, location tracking, safety, compliance, or multiple other uses.

Manufacturers already recognize the incre-mental advantages these networks provide compared with dedicated automation networks, particularly for data delivery. Ethernet and wire-less both offer bandwidth greater than most dedicated automation networks and largely rely on established standardization organizations and a large supplier base for continued development. Ethernet in particular has shown its ability to reliably deliver the right data to the right place at the right time, while manufacturers broadly apply cable-free wireless instrumentation to ad-dress business challenges ranging from improved

process performance, reliability and efficiency to conformance with government mandates.

IoT relies on production data The enabling infrastructure behind IoT is com-

posed of intelligent sensors and machines, data delivery networks, and cloud or similar platform computing architectures that support analytics, massive database management systems, and any number of applications. This infrastructure is designed to support the data gathering, analy-sis and presentation necessary to improve pro-duction efficiency and performance, optimize asset utilization, ensure safety and compliance, and generate incremental gains in these and other areas that were not previously achievable.

A core concept behind IoT is that minimal potential currently exists for improvements at the device or machine level. Instead, this more holistic approach contends that the potential for more robust improvements that incorporate all the potential variables and elements lies at the system level. IoT also promises to support real-time decision-making that incorporates real-time information, rather than the typical reliance on historical data.

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ContinuedEthernet and Wireless Enable Manufacturing Internet of Things

One of the further lures behind the IoT concept is the promise to enable new innovations in products, processes and procedures throughout the enterprise. IoT data and analysis can be remotely accessed via PCs, laptops, tablets, consoles, handhelds, smartphones, other machines, etc., for both process improvement and sources of innovation. As an extension of this concept, many current and future products and activities will migrate into services offered by both in-house and external providers. This is already true in areas such as machine or fleet maintenance, where external suppliers provide remote services reliant on local data.

Feed the beastOne way to view IoT is as a progression or

step-change in integration that provides multi-directional access to a massively collaborative environment, potentially enabling continued improvements in business performance and in-novation.

Migration toward IoT will require manufactur-ers to continue to mandate compatibility with COTS-based networks when specifying new

sensors, machines or systems. Ethernet and wireless networks will form the bedrock of the IoT architecture and, fortunately, many specifiers are already familiar with their use in produc-tion equipment. In general, plant floor sensors, devices, machines and systems will be required to transmit their data to the cloud computing platform for analysis and then be capable of ac-cepting real-time feedback from the analytical engine(s) for performance improvement.

The ability to access production data from with-in the typically tiered production architecture will be a major consideration. Security of plant floor operation is a major concern when such an integrated, network-dependent concept is raised. Multi-directional access control strategies will be paramount, as will continual monitoring and threat defenses. Again, many manufacturers have experience with these issues through their adop-tion of Ethernet and wireless networks, and have security provisions in place. Automation suppliers now offer their own firewalls and other security products, and more standards are becoming available in this area. The IEEE 802.1x standard supported in many Ethernet switches, for exam-ple, offers port-based network access control.

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Automation Technology FuturesThe concept of Internet-connected machines that collect data and communicate, often called Machine-to-Machine (M2M) or the Internet of Things (IoT), has been around for years. Now several leading companies have identified this as a strategic market with enormous potential.

By Jim Pinto

Digital technology continues to permeate in the world at large, and several growth inflection points are brewing in the new digi-

tal automation world. Rapid shifts are occurring in all industrial mea-surement and control environments—from wired systems to wireless connectivity; from conventional client-server systems to cloud-based processing; from tethered PCs and centralized operator stations to an abundance of mobile devices; from local data management to the advent of Big Data; from relatively large centralized systems to the distributed Internet of Things (IoT).

We are heading into a world in which intelligence is widely dis-tributed across the physical landscape. Remote sensors will gener-ate enormous amounts of data, and cognitive processors will sort the information to deliver knowledge and capabilities never before thought possible.

The concept of Internet-connected machines that collect data and communicate, often called IoT or Machine-to-Machine (M2M), has been around for years. Now several leading companies have identi-fied this as a strategic market with enormous potential, though they still see the shift from their own points of view—not yet with a single coherent vision.

Cisco estimates that more than 99% of physical objects are still unconnected, and champions the Internet of Everything to bring together people, process and data, and convert information into actions that create new capabilities and unprecedented economic opportunities in almost every arena. IBM’s Smarter Planet strategy, more than five years old, is targeted at using data and analytics to build an intelligent and interconnected planet.

GE calls this the Industrial Internet, emphasizing focus on indus-trial applications. Growth is viewed as a third wave, following the industrial revolution and the Internet revolution. They believe that 46 percent of the global economy, or $32.3 trillion in global output, can benefit from these new developments. They estimate that this could add $10 trillion to $15 trillion to the world economy in the next 20 years. To back up these projections, they have committed R&D funding of $500 million a year for the next three years, the first major commitment on a scale that could meaningfully accelerate adoption.

The Automation Industry McKinsey Global Institute ranks IoT as one of the “most disruptive

technologies to 2025.” They suggest that much of that growth will be at the expense of older technologies and even entire industries

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ContinuedAutomation Technology Futures

falling into obsolescence. Since the 1970s, automation technology has

had only incremental developments around core developments: PLCs, DCS and SCADA. Accelerating technology has generated rapid product obsolescence and drastic reductions in system lifecycles. A lot of hardware is slipping back into the commodity supply chain.

Automation majors are all involved with pro-moting the Industrial Internet. They sense strong interest among large end-user customers, espe-cially on the issues of cutting costs and improv-ing productivity. The question remains: Which automation companies have the will and see the payback required to commit serious resources to generating major growth in these new markets? Beyond lip service, there just doesn’t seem to be strong evidence yet that they are anywhere close to reaching the tipping point.

For almost two decades, PLC inventor Dick

Morley and I have been preaching peer-to-peer (P2P) control systems—suggesting that signifi-cant new advantages and benefits would emerge through distributed architectures. Conventional hierarchical control systems are prone to failure when complexity increases. Few have achieved practical I/O point counts of more than a few hundred thousand. By contrast, intelligent, autonomous I/O systems with algorithmic (rule-based) response mechanisms have no theoretical complexity limit. Vastly improved performance can be achieved at a fraction of the cost of de-terministic hierarchical systems. The huge invest-ments in the Industrial Internet seem to back this viewpoint.

McKinsey cautions that by the time these dis-ruptive technologies are exerting their influence on the economy in 2025, it will be too late for businesses to plan their responses. Nobody can afford to be the last.

The Coming Era of Smart Devices and the Internet of Things

Advantech welcomes Harry Forbes, Senior Analyst, ARC Advisory Group, to discuss the business and technol-ogy drivers behind IoT. In this video, Harry Forbes looks at all the causes of the Internet of Things. The mar-ket size, applications, industries, and business models.

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Report Targets Power Transformer Monitoring HardwareThe Internet of Things (IoT) makes its presence felt in the electrical power distribution segment with this report from GTM Research on transformer monitoring for the smart grid. Despite slow adoption of the smart grid by utilities (and municipalities), the new report shows “low-hanging fruit” for the implementation of transformer hardware monitoring and sensors.

By Grant Gerke, Contributing Writer

The Internet of Things (IoT) and sensors needed to enable it are receiving quite a bit of attention as manufacturing and industrial pro-duction turn to smarter devices and systems. The hype is real and not only for machine design; networks and systems are getting smarter. A recent report from GTM Research entitled “Transformer Monitoring Markets, 2013-2020: Technologies, Forecasts, and Leading Vendors” sees a huge opportunity for utilities to install “smarter” monitoring devices for critical transformers. The report also finds a solid return on investment (ROI) for the technology—a key aspect of the smart grid challenge.

GTM Research defines the smart grid transformer market as a cocktail of monitors, sensors, software, diagnostics and analytics that promises to guard against outages and better protect utility grid assets. The report’s overall projection paints strong growth from the U.S. market for transformer monitoring hardware, increasing from its current valuation of $112 million annually to $755 million by 2020.

With an aging electric grid and soaring demands being placed on it—such as smart meters and distribution automation hardware—

U.S. utilities have been scrambling to find cost-effective solutions and political will, in some cases, to implement a basic strategy. “Utili-ties must invest in monitors, sensors and software for their new and aging transformers,” says Ben Kellison, smart grid analyst, GTM Research. They are the backbone of the U.S. alternating current grid, and they range from one of the most expensive utility assets to low-cost street corner devices manipulating power to ensure our toast-ers work properly.”

The report says that the “installation of the new and retrofitting of the old power, distribution and secondary transformers with addi-tional sensors and monitoring equipment will take quite some time, as they are replaced gradually as they fail or are phased out due to perceived or verified insulation aging.”

“At GTM Research, we have seen the overall smart grid market slow down, but we see transformer monitoring and software mar-kets as a high-growth area driven by the strength of the secondary transformer market,” adds Kellison. “Grid giants like ABB, Alstom, GE, Schneider Electric and S&C Electric have already caught on to the opportunity the transformer technology offers and are well-

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positioned to lead the market.” According to GTM Research, trans-

former technologies are not typically rolled out in waves at utilities, but over the last few years notable exceptions have arisen in North America: San Diego Gas and Electric’s 2020 Reliabil-ity Plan, Arizona Public Service’s TOAN program, American Electric Power’s adoption of ABB’s Asset Health Center Solution, and Toronto Hydro’s pilot secondary transformer monitoring

program. Instead, monitoring is generally

added at the most critical or expensive assets or added into specifications dur-ing the acquisition of new transform-ers. GTM Research says the spread of field area networks, the demand for edge grid data and associated the time delay will create demand for monitors at the transformer level that will ramp up to exceed the traditional power transformer market by 2015.

ContinuedReport Targets Power Transformer Monitoring Hardware

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Weaving a Tapestry of Automation TechnologyThe things I see coming in the fullness of time are those that are built upon the control platforms that help us manage plants and factories more effectively.

By Gary Mintchell, Automation World Co-Founder

Welcome to 2013—I hope. I’m writing this editorial days before the end of the world, according to an interpretation of an old Mayan calendar. Whether we are crumpled at the bottom of the “fiscal cliff” is also unknown now. Such are monthly magazines.

Assuming we’re all still around to read this, I thought I’d take a shorter view about automation than the Mayans and a longer view than our political leaders seem to be able to muster. While there are still improvements in control platforms, programming, sensing and motion, the things I see coming in the fullness of time are those that are built upon the control platforms that help us manage plants and factories more effectively.

Mentioning Cloud Computing in a publication targeted to enter-prise information technology people doesn’t even draw a yawn any more. Automation people are moving with the usual haste (mean-ing “not quickly”) toward adopting cloud technologies. The reason is that “the cloud” is a place to house lots of information. Expect to read more about the cloud. Also expect to hear your suppliers talking more about it.

Building huge repositories of information does no good unless there is a way to make it all understandable and to deliver it in distinct ways to help people make decisions. Fortunately, another IT innovation is available—analytics. Look for the various technology

suppliers to bring out advances in analytics, dashboards, operator screens, mobile support and more.

Something has to feed that beast, and arrays of connected de-vices often talking among themselves and databases without human intervention are that something. The evolution of this technology has been painfully slow—just like everything else in our market. The Internet of Things, the Pervasive Internet and the Industrial Internet are just some of the new names for this new world of connected devices. Automation companies as diverse as GE and

Advantech have made this technology a cornerstone of strategy. There will be ever greater connectivity using all the strands of net-working technology we’ve discussed for the past 10 years.

InteroperabilityOne other technology and standards thread is required to weave

this information-rich industrial future. That is interoperability. I re-cently visited a Belden plant where wiring cables are manufactured. Management researched new Computerized Maintenance Manage-ment System (CMMS) applications. One manager told me, “I sure wish that these packages would communicate with other software packages such as our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.”

OPC UA has been more than five years in development. In 2012 we began to see a critical mass of applications and products. OPC is one

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industry standard for interoperability that has proven itself for many years. The advancements that come with UA make it even more valuable. The Open O&M Initiative is yet another industry-led interoperability standard that is beginning to gain mass in the oil & gas industry. Watch for more to come this year.

January 2013 marks the second year of reporting on the results of our open-ended reader poll of companies you choose to be on your “First Team” as automation suppliers. You’ll also find a

section where a variety of automation suppliers are promoting their prod-ucts and solutions and asking you to go online and select them as a Leader in Automation. These are a couple of ways you can make your voice heard.

January 2013 also marks the 10th Anniversary of the founding of Automa-tion World. I joined the start up team with Dave Harvey and Jane Gerold in Feb. 2003 with first issue published in June, and I owe both much gratitude for having confidence in me as the founding editor. It has been a lot of fun.

ContinuedWeaving a Tapestry of Automation Technology