I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the SyncSort team. Their enterprise software helps organizations collect, integrate, sort, and distribute these companies’ most important data.
The interview, Expert Interview: Jim Cahill of Emerson Automation Solutions on Process Automation and Big Data is posted on the SyncSort blog.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview when asked, “What are the most interesting applications of automation you’ve observed Emerson customers using?”
I’m fascinated in how the Industrial Internet of Things technology is opening-up new business models and ways manufacturers and suppliers interact. Traditionally, equipment and services were sold to the manufacturer and supported with internal resources. Today, equipment such as sensing devices might be leased with data from these devices (very much Big Data) sent to robust analytical software and reviewed by experts to spot abnormal or inefficient conditions early.
One example is a chemical manufacturer in Asia who worked with Emerson to monitor their facility for steam leaks which waste energy. Wireless steam trap monitors feed data to remote Emerson experts to spot problems early and provide recommendations back before energy is wasted. Traditionally, these steam traps were manually monitored on an infrequent basis. The energy savings more than covers the cost of the ongoing monitoring program.
Check out the full interview for more on my views on challenges and new opportunities in our world of process automation.
