Transforming Manufacturing with Big Data & IIoT! [Roundup]

Sight Machine Leads Automotive Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation is in the air, and that’s why Martinrea Manchester Division, an automotive supplier, has chosen Sight Machine, a leader in manufacturing analytics platforms, to revolutionize the way it uses big data and drive its manufacturing Digital Transformation.

Sight Machine will initially focus on Martinrea’s process manufacturing improvements, and provide real-time monitoring and analysis across the plant floor. This will deliver data on processes carried out through the plant, and deliver reports and warnings of possible failures. The general manager of Martinrea stated that due to Sight Machine’s help, the plant continuously sees results thought out its manufacturing. Adding to this is Sight Machine’s cofounder and CEO John Sobel, “Martinrea’s technology leadership is an important step in the digital transformation of automotive manufacturing. Their commitment to both timeless values and innovative technologies represents the future of manufacturing.” To read more about this click here.

ExxonMobil and Lockheed Martin for Secure Automation

ExxonMobil announced it is partnering with Lockheed Martin to design a manufacturing automation system that can be easily upgraded. The oil company wanted a new system will ensure modularity, interoperability, extensibility, reuse, portability, and scalability. The two, who have been in communication since 2013, believe it’s a mutual goal that can be achieved together.

Lockheed Martin is familiar with this goal, as it is already in process of something similar with The Open Group Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) consortium. While some think ExxonMobile is asking a lot for an entirely new automation architecture, it simply wants to be able to build off the technology that is readily available and integrate the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and big data analytics into its manufacturing. Don Bartusiak, chief engineer of process control for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering said, “We needed more expertise and more capability to help with system engineering challenges.” To read more about the strange partnership towards a new automation manufacturing architecture click here.

IBM Acquires Truven Health Analytics

IBM announced its $2.6 billion acquisition over Truven Health Analytics, a company that tracks and collects big data in health care. It also tracks cost and quality. IBM intends to build out its Watson Health unit using the cloud-based healthcare data system in order to continue its data/technology platform that tracks from a “single-individual level to population level.”

The company explained it will use Truven Health Analytics to further advance Watson Health, IBM’s new smart health platform, by using Truven’s existing algorithms. Through the acquisition, Truven brings with it 8,500 customers and the top 25 pharmaceutical companies as customers to IBM. To read more about this acquisition click here.

Motor Vehicle Hacks Are Back Again

Nissan Motor Co. has joined the line-up of automotive companies experiencing hacks. In the past year we’ve seen Jeep and Chrysler both experience system hacks that forced the companies into a major recall. Now, Nissan has discontinued the use of its mobile application for electrical cars in the fears that the weak mobile app system could be easily hacked.

Leading up to the global shut down of the app was when an activist, anonymously protesting Japanese whaling, hacked the system. Although there were no major driving effects through the breach, it did disturb drivers’ air-conditioning. This event, and the many other hacks we’ve seen recently, add to the argument if these individual companies have invested enough in Internet of Things (IoT) security. We’ll be curious to see how this changes, as more hacks continue to happen. To read more about Nissan mobile app breach click here.

NEW Research Spotlight on strategies and recommendations for minimizing risk through a migration away from monolithic, single-plant MOM architectures through exploration of Cloud and IIoT technologies that are advancing in manufacturing today.