John Kowal, B&R Automation, is an adviser for the PackML-OPC UA companion specification initiative and leader for OMAC’s OT Advisory Forum. He has helped drive development and adoption of new standards and automation tools globally through numerous industry organizations including OMAC, SESAM, ARC Forum and Industrial Internet Consortium.
Typically, we think of packaging machine safety in terms of hard wiring, e-stops, guarding, lock out/tag out and regulatory compliance. Those are important considerations, of course, but today’s networked safety technologies can achieve substantial increases in productivity.
Your manufacturing goals for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are likely similar to your goals today—make production more efficient, cut costs and stay competitive. The challenge is charting the most effective path from today’s systems and best practices to tomorrow’s.
