You might be wondering what the bio sciences industry has to do with the broad manufacturing audience of Automation World. The reason I want to highlight the bio sciences here is because it has everything to do with effective manufacturing strategies today. While bio science revolves around microbes and propylene and the latest economies of sugar and corn and new alternative fuel sources, it’s also about data and systems and technology and automation.
Today, data has become the first and most obvious consideration for manufacturers as they contemplate investing in any project. But in today’s world of data overload, what data should you focus on collecting and, honestly, where do you even begin?
Following are my three to recommendations for harnessing the mountains of data in your operations to benefit your business.
Identify your data needs. With any project you first need to identify the types of data and the level of granularity you need from those data points to achieve the reporting required for the project. Though this first step may seem obvious, since you can now grab any data points you want at any interval you want, there are the risks of grabbing the wrong data and getting even more bogged down in data overload or not having the data that proves what you need to support the funding or prove the efficacy of your project. Careful thought and preparation in this phase are crucial.
Accessing or generating the data you need. So, once you’ve determined which data points you need, you need to ask if you are already collecting them effectively? If the answer is yes, it may feel like you’re home free; but wait, it might not be that simple. Are you cataloging these data points in a systemic manner so that they can be accessed immediately when needed? Can you maintain this data collection over a long time period so that you can prove the proof of concept over the long haul? Do you need to instantiate an exchange between system applications to generate the data on a more timely basis? These are all important questions even if you already have the data you need.
If you don’t already have the data and need to figure out how to generate it, you will need to back up a few steps. Start by identifying the components, instrumentation or software that can help you integrate the crucial data needed into a historical database. This is where a trusted and proven system integrator with experience in these systems can be a valuable resource.
And whether you already have the data you need or need to build a platform to gain access to it, you should recognize that gathering data means nothing unless you turn it into actionable steps by generating dashboards and reports that are helpful in making real-time decisions. This is another factor where a system integrator’s experience in showcasing data and results can catapult you to the next level.
Data integrity and regulatory compliance. The bottom line here is that it’s not enough to have a great idea about using data to improve your operations. You must be able to work backwards from the compliance regulations relevant to your industry to understand what the result needs to be. And because regulations can change almost overnight, it’s critical to ensure your data source is reliable. So, the more well-versed you are with those regulations or the more willing you are to partner with someone who knows how those regulations work, the better your odds of success.
The bio sciences serve well as an example for manufacturers of all kinds because even though the bio sciences industry is well-known for its exploration and innovation, these cutting-edge moves all must be translated into organizational compliance and commercial production. And those are areas a trusted system integrator knows well. That’s why a system integrator’s cross pollination of experience across industries can be the genesis of new ideas you may not have considered to help automate a process with the ability to scale as your business grows.
Keith Mandachit, PE is engineering manager at Huffman Engineering Inc., certified members of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA). For more information about Huffman Engineering, visit its profile on the Industrial Automation Exchange.
