Join us July 29 for an encore panel reviving the discussion about collaborative automation, spanning from basics to burgeoning trends. In this one-hour session, these industry experts will chat about the economy and how it’s affecting the manufacturing job market, market recovery and outlook for 2022. The panel will get into specifics on cobots themselves – the latest in UR-compatible kits and components, highlighting some of the latest applications like automated screwdriving and plasma cutting. They’ll talk pros and cons of do-it-yourself cobot integration and when it makes sense to do; how the recently increased payload on the most popular UR collaborative robot opens up more opportunities, along with benefits of pairing a cobot with a mobile robot. Just like their May discussion, this one is sure to be a lively discussion, chock-full of automation news and information you can use. Sign up today!
This week: Industry 4.0 Roundtable
Join and hear from this panel of experts as they discuss how best to drive your digital transformation.
The promise of shop-floor connectivity and Industry 4.0 is to drive more informed decisions, gain real-time visibility into production, and optimize processes. As a result, manufacturers can achieve efficient and flexible production and are better equipped to make predictions and adjust to changing operation conditions. Harnessing these capabilities to become fully digital, however, requires a roadmap. During this panel discussion, industry experts will discuss the latest trends and capabilities in digital technologies, how to leverage collected data, and share strategies to achieve digital transformation goals.
Topics will include: • First steps to building your smart factory • Adopting new technology and connecting existing equipment • Gaining real-time visibility into production, machines, and equipment • Leveraging and managing collected data • The latest industry 4.0/IIoT approaches to boost operations and opportunities • Tools to help achieve fully automated production
Wind River and Star Lab security experts conduct a deep-dive training on the specific steps necessary to secure your embedded systems, using 10 essential principles. A practical guidance is provided in how to prepare your system for a rapidly evolving threat landscape, and you'll get a chance to ask our technical experts your most pressing security questions.
After the session, you are invited to request a company-specific training for your whole team that covers all 10 properties.
The experts at Star Lab, the Wind River cybersecurity and technology protection group include: Jonathan Kline, CTO; Ryan Thibodeaux Principal Technologist – Embedded Security, and Michael Mehlberg, VP Marketing
97% of risk management professionals said they believed unsecured IoT devices could be open to a “catastrophic” security breach (Ponemon Institute, 2018).
Traditional embedded OSes have limited protections between processes and application/system dependencies. A large attack surface enables a single exploit to compromise the integrity of the entire system. Learn how to implement Linux securely on an embedded system.
What you will learn:
How to harden your embedded operating system
How to reduce the attack surface by removing code and interfaces that are not absolutely required
How to leverage defense in depth on your embedded device
Containerized applications are expected to grow by 29% by 2026 — but 60% of security professionals surveyed reported security incidents with their container usage (ResearchAndMarkets, 2021). Containerization of code helps mitigate such attacks and prevents an exploit of any one component from affecting others.
What you will learn:
How containerization affects (and doesn’t affect) application and systems security
The benefits of containerization on secure embedded systems
How even exploited software can be constrained to limit the reach of an attacker
Of information security professionals surveyed, 53% believe it likely their enterprise will experience a cyberattack in the next 12 months (ISACA 2020).
Boot attacks are a common method used to enable unauthorized applications and system modifications. Learn how to ensure a well-engineered secure boot sequence from the experts at Star Lab, the Wind River cybersecurity and technology protection group.
What you will learn:
A strong, secure boot sequence to maintain system integrity and authenticity
Commonly available secure boot technologies and the pros and cons of each
Proper storage and release of crypto keys in a secure boot sequence
The edge/embedded hypervisor market is projected to grow to $197.6M in 2024, at a CAGR of 7.1% (VDC Research 2020).
As adoption of virtualization increases, hypervisors help optimize the underlying hardware’s resources and functionality. Find out why embedded virtualization can be more performant and more secure than enterprise-level virtualization.
What you will learn:
The performance implications of embedded virtualization
How embedded virtualization enhances security
How to secure your own embedded system with high-performance virtualization
Ready-assembled blood collection tube filled with gel and sealed under vacuum. Further processing involves labeling and placing them into styrofoam trays.
Optima
Virtual acceptance test at Optima Automation
With a successful online FAT, the prompt deployment of a blood collection tube assembly line is ensured.
In the virtual FAT, the customer can view and monitor the system both in overview and in every detail and from different angles during operation.
Optima Automation has recently completed a comprehensive system to assemble blood collection tubes, including the dosing of additives. This consists of an OPTIMA BCT-200 processing line and an Optima BCA-200 assembly machine. It was not possible to perform the Eastern European customer's Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) with them being present at Optima due to the pandemic. The machine acceptance was carried out online and streamed live for the customer to avoid any risk of delaying the project.
In health care, blood diagnostics is very important. Important information on the course of Covid-19 infection is also being obtained currently by blood tests. The quality of blood diagnostics does not just depend on the test itself, for example its sensitivity. Likewise, a blood collection tube must meet strict qualitative criteria in production in order to be able to provide safe, conclusive results. Optima Automation has developed a system especially for blood collection tubes which combines all the functions required and perfectly coordinates the individual processes.
In the Eastern European customer's current project, Optima Automation's modular machine base was able to cover the entire process, from the assembly of the closing capsoptim to the packaging of finished blood collection tubes. Part of the customer's requirements was high performance and high flexibility.
The first element in the solution is the Optima BCA-200 assembly machine for the blood collection tube caps, which are made up of several components. The Optima BCA-200 precisely assembles these components by pressing in rubber plugs into the caps. Several cap formats can be processed by the machine. Furthermore, the fully assembled caps are tested inline.
Rear view of the OPTIMA BCT-200. The line is supplied with components via various bunkers and feeding systems.
Perfect interaction of the two machines Once again, all the process steps required for assembling and packaging the blood collection tubes are integrated in the linear Optima BCT-200. In terms of product quality, the dosing of the liquid to gel-like additives, the integrated drying and the sealing under vacuum are to be pointed out. In addition, numerous features and design details contribute to both high product quality and high machine efficiency. Such as the precise feeding and assembly functions as well as the specific design of the workpiece carriers and grippers. Hygiene functions and various in-process controls are included in the machine concept as well. To provide a total solution, the line also covers labeling, packing in polystyrene trays and shrink wrapping.
In order to keep the operator efforts as low as possible, the individual product parts are stored on the line as bulk. Specific sorting units and separating solutions, which are also made by Optima Automation and are tailor-made for the line, are used to automatically feed the individual parts into the linear system. This solution from a single source ensures that the interfaces are designed in the most effective way possible. This makes a significant contribution to the subsequent smooth running of the process. The flexible system can be changed over to different product formats in a short period of time.
The blood collection tubes are transported to the next station with their caps in place, where the final sealing takes place under vacuum.
Live on site: a virtual FAT for the customer Optima Automation organized a virtual FAT for the customer under pandemic conditions. Consequently, the system functions could be tested over two days in December, and their compliance with the contract specifications was demonstrated. Optima Automation had defined a process for this in advance with the customer. Using a variety of cameras, webcams and headsets for live streaming, the customer was involved extensively. The customer had an overall view of the system and was able to follow details and processes and ask technical questions. Included in the FAT was a document review and a continuous operation of the system. A plan for subsequent commissioning also was agreed. Delivery to the customer's site was still able to take place in December. The final commissioning of the system by Optima Automation staff at the customer's site has already begun, despite the worsening pandemic conditions throughout spring 2021.
Despite COVID, reshoring numbers were up in 2020. Reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) job announcements for 2020 were 160,649, bringing the total jobs announced since 2010 to over 1 million (1,057,054). Also of significant importance: reshoring exceeded FDI by nearly 100%, the first beat for reshoring since 2013. Additionally, the number of companies reporting new reshoring and FDI set a new record: 1,484 companies. Reshoring will continue to be key to U.S. manufacturing and economic recovery in 2021 and beyond.
Top takeaways:
In 2020 U.S. reshoring set a record of 109,000 jobs and outpaced FDI for the first time since 2013. COVID uncertainty has resulted in companies emphasizing operations in their home countries.
In order to make the U.S. less vulnerable, there are now national initiatives to shorten and close supply chain gaps for essential products. The following industries are most likely to benefit: PPE, medical, tech and defense. Medical equipment and PPE are the first responders of new reshoring and FDI, with cases up nearly 2,000% and jobs up 400% from 2019.
President Biden is prioritizing reshoring highly but applying different methods than President Trump. The gaps in Biden’s plans need to be addressed in order to achieve his goal of returning 5 million more jobs.
There is continued growth in efforts by MEPs, EDOs and states to enable reshoring. The Reshoring Initiative is deeply involved in these efforts with its Import Substitution Program (ISP). As a measure of corporate interest, the demand for this service is more than 10x the rate of 2019.
We anticipate 2021 reshoring + FDI job announcements to be near 200,000, up by at least 25%.
“We publish this data annually to show companies that their peers are successfully reshoring and that they should reevaluate their sourcing and siting decisions,” says Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative. “With 5 million manufacturing jobs still offshore, as measured by our $900 billion/year goods trade deficit, there is potential for much more growth. We call on the administration and Congress to enact policy changes to make the United States competitive again. Our Competitiveness Toolkit is available to help quantify the impact of policy alternatives, including a stronger skilled workforce, competitive corporate tax and regulatory structures and a lower U.S. dollar.”
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
