Automation and technology systems are exerting more influence on the way businesses run. And as automated systems and technologies get more ubiquitous and powerful, they are also becoming more invisible, with many imbedded intelligent devices undetectable to passersby.

Automation is big—only in the figurative sense. The futurists and science fiction enthusiasts, who half a century ago foresaw giant robots lugging wares through warehouses and room-sized computers with multi-colored blinking lights, have had to revise their vision and think smaller—literally.

Machines are integrating more functionality into ever-smaller footprints. Indeed, the goal of automation and technology now is seamless integration. Automation systems and advanced technology aim to make processes run smoother and speedier. For example, one big trend is the growing sophistication of CAD/CAM software, which imparts more intelligence to machine tools.

"Machinists still do the fixturing, etc.," says Martin Hardwick, president of STEP Tools Inc., New York, "but the design gets into production faster, with much higher accuracy and less skill required. And every improvement in software intelligence makes the conversion of the original design specs happen even more smoothly."

In particular, CAD/CAM software is improving its process planning capabilities, which "involves finding the right tool to do the right job," says Chuck Mathews, vice president of California-based DP Technology. "A successful process plan evolves into a work plan that minimizes cycle times and setup by selecting the proper cutting tools and optimizing the toolpath needed to manufacture the part and maximize workpiece quality," he explains.

Effective work plans are getting more important because "there's certainly no shortage of machine-tool complexity in the marketplace these days," says Bill Hasenjaeger, product manager of California-based CGTech. Process planning automation stores a shop's best work practices and ensures consistent work quality over time.

Even before committing to tooling costs, manufacturers are now employing technologies that let them review and refine designs. For example, New Jersey-based Magestic Systems offers a product that turns components of 3-D engineering models into a 3-D laser-projected image, which eliminates the need for hard tools altogether.

"It's an extremely flexible process," says Greg MacLean, Magestic president. "Instead of having to modify or scrap tool jigs when design changes are made, now you just update the CAD model, and the revisions are automatically implemented the next time you project the laser."

Large automakers and aerospace manufacturers are taking process planning a step further with another major automation trend—digital manufacturing systems. Such systems simulate the entire product development process and even let manufacturers plan the factory layout, optimizing space and eliminating ergonomic risks.

One overriding goal of all this increasingly sophisticated automation is simple—collecting more data. For example, modern microprocessor systems store "an incredible degree of process information for the operator," says Jim Barrett, president of Tennessee-based Link Systems. Such systems can thus automate such actions as recalling jobs, setting up machines, and ramping up and down.

The ability to gather data enables the new generation of sensor technology to perform far more complex tasks such as remote monitoring, problem notifications and system diagnostics.

For example, New York-based Questra Systems Inc. offers software that communicates with and checks the status of machines in the field, no matter where they are in the world, at all times. Technicians can access the systems through a PC, PDA, cell phone or other device. "These systems know what to do when various alerts are triggered, which conditions are to be expected and which ones need to be addressed immediately," says Vesna Swartz, Questra marketing vice president.

This enhances the bottom line, because, Swartz says, "if you can keep expensive machinery running at necessary uptime levels, you may be able to delay, or defer indefinitely, buying additional machinery as a backup when something goes wrong. Such a service can fit into the return on investment calculation in a number of ways, all attractive to a wide range of businesses."

Some systems can even respond to the data they gather. For example, Massachusetts-based Axeda Systems offers technologies with a degree of decision-making skills. "Our tracking devices have a rules engine built in which not only notify a human of an impending problem, but also change settings or otherwise implement a number of remote electronic fixes on its own," says Brian Anderson, director of product marketing.

Increasing responsiveness is another major trend in automation and technology. Indeed, 2003 may be the breakout year for "sense and respond" technology, says Connecticut-based Meta Group, an information technology research and consulting firm. This means that powerful new software will unlock once-closed computer systems and free the information they hold. This information will be available via the Internet to suppliers, vendors, employees and customers. Business partners and even outsiders will now be able to run integral systems that were once guarded in a trend IBM calls "on-demand" computing.

Today's powerful business software tools deliver productivity gains by providing much-needed information in real-time. For example, using supply chain management software, you can choose the best vendors and monitor their performance. Meanwhile, with business performance management software, you can obtain real-time financial data.

In short, the business software available today can offer tangible productivity boosts. And as companies begin to see these measurable returns on investment, business software sales will start to recover. In fact, after two years of declining sales, spending on business software will increase this year by about 2% to $11.2 billion, says market research firm Gartner Inc.

Indeed, the hottest trends in automation and technology are all geared towards leveraging information that would otherwise be untapped or lost. Seamlessly integrated and allowing for smoother operations, automated systems may be shrinking in size but they are growing in power.

Primer Links

Organizations

The Association for Manufacturing Technology http://www.mfgtech.org/

IEEE Robotics & Automation Society http://www.ncsu.edu/IEEE-RAS/

Measurement, Control & Automation Association http://www.measure.org/

Robotic Industries Association http://www.robotics.org/

The Robotics Institute http://www.ri.cmu.edu/

Resources

Automationtechies.com http://www.automationtechies.com/

Instrumentation & Automation News http://www.ianmag.com/scripts/default.asp

Machine Design http://www.machinedesign.com/ASP/index.asp

Managing Automation http://www.managingautomation.com/

Modern Materials Handling http://www.manufacturing.net/mmh/

Sources: Focus on Automation: Seamless Integration
Dale Short
NDX.com, Jan. 13, 2003
http://www.ndx.com/article.asp?article_id=422&channel_id=3&featured=1

Where Productivity Lives
Brian Caulfield
Business 2.0, Feb. 2003
http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/print/0,1643,46188,00.html