In a Forbes article, Building The Future Of Industrial Automation: Four Foundations For The Data-Driven AI Era, Emerson’s Chief Technology Officer Peter Zornio outlines four foundations for advancing industrial automation in the data-driven AI era amid supply chain disruptions and tech evolution.
These foundations include:
- Software-Defined Automation: Shifts from rigid hardware to modular software stacks, bridging legacy systems for faster AI deployment without full overhauls.
- Data-Centric Operations and Industrial Data Fabric: Unifies sensor, machine, and enterprise data for contextualized, real-time access, tackling quality and validation hurdles.
- Advanced Analytics and AI Integration: Powers predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and autonomous actions, upskilling workers and boosting uptime/efficiency.
- Intrinsic Cybersecurity: Adopts zero-trust models for secure, scalable connectivity across OT/IT/cloud.
Peter opens the article by highlighting the challenges manufacturers and producers face.
Global manufacturers must navigate disruptive supply chains, shifting market demands and the relentless pace of technological advancement. Executives are no longer asking if they should digitize, but how to leverage their investments in digital technology to transform their operations for a future where adaptability and actionable data are the new currency of competitiveness.
Solutions to the challenges revolve around making the abundance of data more accessible.
Data is the core of AI and smart manufacturing. ARC Advisory Group’s latest findings echo this sentiment, emphasizing the emergence of the “industrial data fabric”—a unified, contextualized data infrastructure that leverages data from sensors, machines, enterprise systems and supply chains to power the next wave of industrial AI innovations. This evolution is not just about collecting more data, but about managing, contextualizing and leveraging it to unlock real business value.
The people side in organizations is as important as the technology.
The industrial automation revolution is not just about technology. Challenging traditional organizational structures and “silos,” empowering people and having support from top levels of management are all requisites to delivering the financial benefits the technology can deliver. Executives must champion the shift not just as a technical upgrade, but as a strategic necessity.
Read the article for Peter’s thoughts on each of the four foundations in meeting the challenges for successful business performance. Visit the Boundless Automation section on Emerson.com for more on our vision for driving the data-driven AI era forward.
