Linking automation and MES brings benefits
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Siemens Automation and Drives product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jan 25, 2007
Automation technology could play a far greater role in safeguarding the UK industrial and manufacturing base, but technology benefit messages often fail to reach board level decision makers.
Automation technology could play a far greater role in safeguarding the UK industrial and manufacturing base, but technology benefit messages often fail to reach board level decision makers, according to one of the UK's leading automation experts.
At a recent briefing, Brian Holliday, General Manager for Industrial Automation at Siemens Automation and Drives, said that UK industry is facing unprecedented levels of cost, competition and control, but the manufacturing sector is finally on the up according to many sources.
Challenges are many, energy and many raw material costs have soared in the last 12 months, low cost manufacturing competition from the Eastern EU and Asia is ever more visible and legislative and regulation changes now require many firms to act.
In addition to these generic drivers, many sectors face specific production and control issues, typically with less dedicated resources and often with less engineering representation at senior management level.
As a consequence, Holliday believes that Siemens must work harder to ensure that UK industrial users understand the wider benefits of automation technology throughout the enterprise, as today's systems can be as much a part of the business management and governance function as of the production or control system.
This, he argues, increasingly necessitates the automation investment discussion being elevated to the board's agenda.
But the emergence of the ISA S95 standard-based MES (manufacturing execution systems) has advanced the process of positively linking the benefits of engineering technology to the bottom line.
Holliday says the key to winning converts at senior level is more clearly establishing the linkage for senior managers between automation and shareholder value.
He adds that Siemens' work with Deloitte to establish a framework for linking automation and MES benefits with business need, and ultimately shareholder value, has demonstrated that automation can be understood in the boardroom.
"In my opinion, automation systems integrated with MES will increasingly be regarded not as a technology platform but as a tool to aid business transparency and decision making at senior levels".
"Such decisions will impact where and how companies in the UK manufacture".
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