Automation Chat

Understand Single Pair Ethernet & Ethernet-APL Like You Never Have Before

** Winner of the 2022 Award of Excellence for Best Podcast from the 2022 APEX Awards of Publication Excellence in Corporate Communications. Learn more.

In this episode of award-winning “Automation Chat,” Executive Editor Theresa Houck talks with Dr. Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director of ODVA, a leading standards development organization and membership association. After listening to this podcast, you’ll walk away understanding what Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and Ethernet-APL are and what implementation looks like.

Find out what makes them unique, technical benefits and trends motivating manufacturers to increase their adoption, and their impact on smart manufacturing.

Also learn 5 major ways SPE and Ethernet-APL help engineers, how they affect cabling and network topologies, and how ODVA works with industry suppliers and associations on standards development.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• ODVA website
• EtherNet/IP Network Specification for Ethernet-APL Physical Layer for Process Automation
• EtherNet/IP Network Extended to In-Cabinet Resource Constrained Devices
• CIP Security Enhanced to Support Resource-Constrained EtherNet/IP Devices
• ODVA EtherNet/IP Information
• Subscribe to The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork’s digital magazine.

 

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating, and subscribe.

Video of this special podcast conversation is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/thoFPzIwno0.

Trends in Smart Water & Sustainability, and What it Means to You

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It’s vital for industrial firms and municipalities that use water in their processes to maintain regulatory compliance while helping to mitigate the global water shortage. In this episode, Executive Editor Theresa Houck discusses the role of digital technologies in helping organization achieve their water sustainability goals, including trends supporting their activities. She’s joined by Damon Sepe, Rockwell Automation Business Development Manager.

In their eye-opening chat, you’ll learn:

1. Why water sustainability has become a top priority for many companies.
2. What types of water organizations there are besides municipalities, and why they’re motivated to improve water sustainability.
3. The challenges they face achieving sustainability goals.
4. Trends in water wastewater and digital technologies, also called smart water, and how the trends influence how they achieve their goals.
5. Why we don’t see greater global adoption of desalination treatment.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• Rockwell Automation 2021 Sustainability Report
• Rockwell Automation Sustainable Solutions
• Smart Water Solutions from Rockwell Automation
• Subscribe to The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork’s digital magazine.

 

Video of this podcast conversation is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/pORjisLS03k.

How to Use Process Instrumentation IIoT Data

Process instrumentation is critical to process management. In this insightful Q&A, Ryan Williams, Strategic Business Manager for Digital Solutions at Endress+Hauser, talks with Executive Editor Theresa Houck about how to integrate IIoT data into your process operations to drive collaboration and optimize analytics. Also learn about strategies to organize, secure and share data gathered from sensors, control systems and monitoring systems, and what data visualization tools operators can use to help improve decision-making.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

Access more resources from this episode:

• Case Study: Smart Monitoring System for IIoT Improves City’s Water Treatment & Storage.
• Industry Perspective Q&A with Theresa Houck (pdf).
• Video of this special podcast conversation on our YouTube channel.
• Endress+Hauser Website.
• Subscribe to The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork’s digital magazine.

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating and subscribe.

How Industrial Analytics Work & What’s Coming Next

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In this episode of “Automation Chat,” Executive Editor Theresa Houck discusses advanced analytics in industrial automation and their role in improving business results for any size company. She is joined by Chirayu Shah, Rockwell Automation Product Head of Edge to Cloud & Analytics. 

Learn about descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and cognitive analytics and why they're important to your organization as well as your specific job role.

Find out how to understand the context of your data; how edge and cloud technologies are processing data at much higher rates, supporting AI and machine learning to improve efficiency and business results. Get real-world examples of how manufacturers are using analytics.

And find out key trends and why they matter to you.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• FactoryTalk^®Analytics™ software platform.
• ROKLive event, June 13-16, 2022, Orlando.
• Subscribe to The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork’s digital magazine.

Video of this special podcast conversation is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/s9KcmUlXqR4.

12 Industrial Automation Trends in 2022

In this episode from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, Executive Editor Theresa Houck discusses 2022 industrial automation trends affecting manufacturers and producers on their digital transformation journey.

Learn about the strategies and smart technologies companies are using to improve agility, productivity and performance — especially to help deal with the challenges of COVID-19, supply chain disruptions and skilled labor shortages that have arisen in recent years. 

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating, and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• Case Study: Kraft Heinz, AB-InBev Share Their DX Journeys, from The Journal’s April 2022 print magazine.
• Special Report: How to Keep Up with — and Contribute to — SPE Standards.
• 2022 Supply Chain Reliability eBook, from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine.
• 2022 Automation Fair Event, Nov . 16-17, Chicago.
• Sign up for the e-newsletter from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork.

Successful Strategies for Mitigating Manufacturing Supply Chain Disruptions

In this episode from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, Executive Editor Theresa Houck details the steps some manufacturers are taking to successfully build resilience and agility into their supply chain so they can recover from a shortage of people, products or capacity. Our hope is that some of these can help you. You’ll learn the common thread in all of them is the use of digital solutions, data analytics and IT/OT convergence.

Agility allows you to make faster changes, and will help verify the right cost, service and quality given external market factors. Resilience will mitigate the impact of disruption where there are potential points of failure.

It’s useful to understand how and why the supply chain disruptions happen so you can evaluate your processes and technologies to minimize the impact. Theresa reviews the domino effect that started when COVID-19 hit in 2020, then examines ongoing factors that continue to resonate — including the China lockdown due to a COVID resurgence, labor shortages, a recent earthquake in Japan, the truck driver shortage, and particularly, the Russia/Ukraine war.

She examines catastrophic effects on the food and beverage industry, including the price and availability of bread, meat and eggs, and how food security is threatened in many parts of the world. Also learn about the semiconductor chip & other electronics and automobile industries, with reduced production in China, Europe and the United States that delay production and increase supplier and OEM costs.

Learn the real reasons behind The Great Resignation cited by MIT data and other research. And see how some manufacturers are successfully using cross-training, upskilling, labor-supporting technology like robotics or AGVs, and other strategies to streamline work and improve productivity and worker satisfaction.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

To learn more about how to build resiliency into your supply chain, download our newly released 2022 Supply Chain Reliability eBook.

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating, and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• 2022 Supply Chain Reliability eBook, from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork.
• Sign up for the e-newsletter from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork.

The Gray Market: True Risks of Buying Products Through an Unsecured Supply Chain

In this episode of “Automation Chat” from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, Executive Editor Theresa Houck discusses the gray market — products sold legally, but outside of the brand's permission. This isn’t an issue limited to just Rockwell Automation; it applies to all industrial automation suppliers.

What’s the difference between an Authorized Distributor and the gray market? Are counterfeit products really a big problem? And how can you tell if a product is counterfeit — or can you? What’s the harm in buying refurbished or used parts and equipment from an “unauthorized” source?

Theresa chats with Ryan Smaglik, Head of Revenue and Brand Protection at Rockwell Automation. He’s well-versed on what’s happening in the gray market, the risks of acquiring products through an unsecured supply chain, the ramifications those products can have for users, and examples of bad experiences customers have had. You’ll find his insights to be eye-opening.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating, and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

Access more resources from today’s episode:

• Allen-Bradley® Authorized Distributors.
• Technology Partners in the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ Program.
• 2022 Supply Chain Reliability eBook, from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork.
• Sign up for the e-newsletter from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork.

Video of this special podcast conversation is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/zoCjff3LbCo.

Highlights from the 2021 Automation Fair Event in Houston

In this episode of “Automation Chat” from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, Executive Editor Theresa Houck reviews highlights from the 2021 Automation Fair® event, hosted by Rockwell Automation Nov. 10-11 in Houston. Learn about the 100+ exhibits from Rockwell Automation and companies in its PartnerNetwork, the event’s hands-on labs, training sessions, industry-focused forums, and keynote presentations. Also learn about 3 trends evident from the technology on display on the show floor.

And of course, get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

If you like “Automation Chat,” please leave us a 5-star rating, and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

Access more resources about today’s episode:

• Process Solutions User Group (PSUG) Meeting
• Automation Fair website
• The Journal’s 2021 Industry Trends & Automation Fair Directory eBook
• Video: Automation Fair Product Highlights
• The Journal’s RealWear “Automation Chat” Podcast: Listen on your favorite podcast app, on the web, or watch the chat on YouTube
• The Journal’s Claroty “Automation Chat” Podcast: Listen on your favorite podcast app, on the web, or watch our chat on YouTube
• The Journal’s October Automation Fair Directory of Exhibitors
• Sign up for e-newsletters from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork

And the #1 Episode of 2021 is… Lessons from the Colonial Pipeline Cyberattack & Steps to Take

We’re excited to re-share our top episode of 2021! This is my chat with Grant Geyer at Claroty about he Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that happened in May.

Please follow us, and rate us and give us a review. And enjoy this #1 episode of the year!

The ransomware attack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline on May 7, 2021, is considered the most impactful cyberattack against U.S. critical infrastructure to date, but it’s not the only one. Many infrastructure and manufacturing facility cyberattacks occur that we don’t hear about.

So in this episode, host Theresa Houck, Executive Editor of The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, chats with Grant Geyer, Chief Product Officer at Claroty, a leading industrial cybersecurity firm. They examine how the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack happened, as well as how the February 2021 Oldsmar, Florida water treatment cyberattack occurred, and the far-reaching effects. Also learn about the importance of the asset operator as the first line of defense.

Also learn about the asset operator’s role as the first line of defense; how converged IT/OT networks are vital for ICS efficiency, but also increase the attack surface available — and what to do about it; the technical and organizational features of a well-thought-out cyber defense; lessons learned that are useful for every industrial firm and critical infrastructure facility. And more.

And of course, you get your family-friendly, silly Joke of the Day.

Additional resources:

• Blog: Ongoing Colonial Pipeline Attack Unprecedented Against U.S. Critical Infrastructure
• ICS Risk & Vulnerability Report, with data points pertaining to the energy sector
• Claroty website 

Best of 2021! #2: How the Oil & Gas Industry is Using Digital Technologies

As 2021 winds down, we’re re-sharing our top episodes of the year. This is my chat with Allan Rentcome at Sensia about how oil and gas companies are investing in digital automation.

Please follow us, and rate us and give us a review. Enjoy this #2 episode of 2021!

Host Theresa Houck, Executive Editor of The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, chats with Allan Rentcome, CEO of Sensia, the first fully integrated oilfield automation solutions provider.

They talk about how the economic downturn has affected the oil and gas industry, especially with COVID-19; how oil and gas companies are investing in digital automation; the role digital technologies will play in the next few years; how to get meaningful views into real-time production data; and more.

Video of this podcast is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/jDWVTd3xF8M.