"The Intelligent Gateway to Self-Service."

Smart portal expands mobility portfolio, connecting customers, associates, devices, and services in one simpler, seamless self-service journey.

Datalogic Smart Portal is a self-service hub connecting people, devices, and digital services to make interactions faster, more autonomous, and easier to manage.

More than a kiosk or mounted tablet, Smart Portal combines enterprise-grade scanning, NFC technology, and seamless connectivity in one compact, wall-ready platform. Its unique +25° tilted scan engine, purpose-built for wall-mounted use, places every scan at the ideal angle, allowing users to access information, services, and self-service workflows naturally, without adjusting their posture or the device height.

Retail: Connected self-shopping experiences.
Smart Portal turns self-shopping into a connected journey. Shoppers can identify themselves using loyalty cards, activate self-shopping devices, access promotions, verify prices, check availability, and complete checkout tasks such as NFC payments or age verification more quickly and independently.

Hospitality: Faster guest services.
Smart Portal supports quick and convenient guest check-in and digital concierge services, helping reduce queues while allowing staff to focus on more personalized and higher-value guest interactions.

Healthcare: Improving patient and staff workflows.
Smart Portal streamlines self-check-in, appointment management, information access, and facility navigation, reducing administrative workload while improving service continuity. Its hygienic, easy-to-clean design makes it suited for environments where cleanliness and uptime are critical.

Smart Portal helps organizations retail, hospitality, and healthcare install, power, and maintain self-service points quickly and consistently, reducing deployment effort and operational complexity through VESA standard mounting, PoE or standard power, and remote management capabilities. To support long-term performance, security, and lifecycle continuity as self-service needs evolve, Smart Portal is powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing™ platform and upgradeable through Android™ 19.

“Smart Portal represents the next step in self-service innovation,” said Rosario Casillo, Executive Vice President, Product & Solutions of Data Capture Division at Datalogic. “By connecting people, devices, and digital services in one platform, it helps customers create experiences that are more autonomous, efficient, and user-friendly.”

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@DatalogicGroup  @mepaxIntPR #Automation #DataCapture

Automation management platform deployment.

KUKA has reached a significant milestone in industrial automation with the successful deployment of KUKA AMP (Automation Management Platform) at KTPO, one of North America’s major automotive manufacturing facilities.

Marc Fleischmann

The open orchestration platform is now live and actively supporting production operations, connecting existing automation infrastructure with next-generation AI-powered technologies. "Manufacturing is entering a new era," says Marc Fleischmann, Chief Software and AI Officer of KUKA Group. "Traditional automation is expanding and transforming. The future lies in combining the precision and reliability of proven industrial automation with the capabilities of AI-powered systems. KUKA AMP provides the foundation for that next step." By combining proven industrial automation with AI-driven decision-making, KUKA AMP enables manufacturers to increase operational flexibility, enhance productivity and unlock greater value from production data.

The implementation represents another step in KUKA Group’s strategy to bring Artificial Intelligence out of pilot environments and into real-world manufacturing at scale. The United States is a significant market for KUKA Group and home to more than 3,400 employees across engineering, manufacturing, software development, systems integration and customer support functions. Since 2006 KUKA has been operating KUKA Toledo Production Operations (KTPO).

The next major leap forward will be driven by Physical AI – a new generation of intelligent technologies that enable machines and robots to better understand their environment, learn continuously from operational data and make increasingly informed decisions in real time. Factories generate enormous amounts of data. Until now, much of this information remains dormant in isolated systems. KUKA AMP helps customers to transform this data into actionable insights, allowing automation systems to better understand production processes, coordinate activities across workflows and continuously improve performance.

"KUKA AMP creates a scalable foundation for Physical AI," says Fleischmann. "It provides an automation platform that lets customers integrate their own AI models and generalize them in production with a shared context layer. By continuously collecting and analyzing operational data, it creates a closed loop system that can improve performance over time and helps organizations scaling intelligent automation."

First deployment of initial version in Ohio.
The first operational deployment of KUKA AMP is taking place at KUKA Toledo Production Operations (KTPO) in Ohio (USA), and initially focuses on autonomous, mobile robots (AMR). The 335,000-square-foot facility manufactures more than 300 vehicle bodies per day – approximately one every 2 minutes KTPO has produced over two million vehicle bodies, generating vast amounts of production data.

Since 2006, KTPO has produced the body-in-white for every Jeep® Wrangler sold worldwide and, since 2019, for the Jeep® Gladiator. The highly automated facility combines KUKA's expertise in welding, joining technologies and systems integration, operating with 285 robots and more than 60,000 connected devices across the production environment.

The facility offers an ideal environment for demonstrating how established industrial automation can be enhanced through AI-driven technologies. “Testing the alpha version of KUKA AMP at KTPO is an important step forward. KTPO is a familiar environment for us, so we can focus on evaluating the platform under realistic conditions and accelerate improvements that will help deliver the best possible experience for our users”, says Fleischmann. The goal is to help manufacturers drive higher efficiency through more comprehensive automation without replacing existing assets. By connecting mobile robots, machines, software systems and data sources, KUKA AMP enables companies to automate more complex processes, increase operational flexibility, reduce changeover times and unlock greater value from existing factory data.

"Physical AI should not be viewed as a disruption, but as the next evolution of industrial automation," Fleischmann adds. "Manufacturers want a practical path forward that builds on decades of investment. KUKA AMP is being developed in the United States and provides that path by connecting and gradually augmenting today's factory with the autonomous factory of tomorrow."

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@UnnGmbh @pressebox #KUKA #Automotive #PAuto

"See, decide, act and optimise!"

Industry-leading digital automation portfolio connects intelligent field to software-centric evolution of automation architecture

Leveraging decades of digital innovation and leadership across all automation categories, global technology and software company Emerson has announced the evolution of the Plantweb™ digital ecosystem to incorporate the AspenTech portfolio of asset optimisation software powered by industrial artificial intelligence, creating the most comprehensive digital transformation portfolio in the industry.

 

Emerson’s Plantweb digital ecosystem, optimised by AspenTech, enables industrial manufacturers across all industries to “See, Decide, Act and Optimise” their operations. Leveraging a robust suite of sensors, software and control technologies, Plantweb now enables companies to optimise the business and sustainability performance of their plants and enterprise through advanced asset and business optimisation software.

 

“With the vast amounts of data created by manufacturing, the world’s most essential industries have increasingly demanded robust automation that transcends boundaries to help empower safe, reliable operations across a facility or enterprise,” said Mark Bulanda, executive president of Emerson’s Automation Solutions business. “Our Plantweb digital ecosystem, combined with the asset optimisation leadership of AspenTech, gives organisations the ability to ‘see, decide, act and optimise’ every aspect of their operations to drive exceptional returns on automation investment in productivity, safety and sustainability.”

 

The new Plantweb digital ecosystem, now optimised with AspenTech industrial AI software, empowers companies with an unprecedented flexibility to generate, manage and use the rapidly growing body of data each plant operation generates. As every operator increasingly uses data and software to perform their jobs, Plantweb helps make data actionable by more personnel in the context of their role, regardless of location.

 

Plantweb powers world-class performance by enabling: sensing and visualization, predictive diagnostics and monitoring, precision control, modelling and AI-powered analytics. These technologies include:

• Sense & Measure: Providing the ability to SEE, sensing and measurement technologies create high-integrity data to drive all decisions. This portfolio helps customers eliminate blind spots in locations and applications previously out of reach, including modern edge computing that enables faster local response. Key capabilities include leak and corrosion detection, tank, safety and equipment monitoring, personnel awareness, process measurements, and liquid and gas analysis.
   
• Automation Systems & Software: Providing the ability to DECIDE, digital automation systems enable agility through intuitive analytics and improved visibility. Advanced software drives better decisions through on-demand access to expertise, while automated workflows empower personnel to focus on high-value activities rather than low-value tasks. Software includes distributed, batch and advanced control, SCADA and PLCs, safety systems, asset and alarm management, remote monitoring, AI, machine learning and digital twins.
   
• Act & Control: Providing the confidence to ACT, responsive, precision control helps maximise performance and optimise production to drive operational integrity and protect people, equipment and the environment. Technology capabilities include digital valve control, process isolation, pressure regulation, discrete, motion, fluid and drive control and air handling.
   
• Industrial Software: Providing the ability to OPTIMISE across the entire asset lifecycle, modular, AI-based software features performance engineering applications to optimise and create world-class facilities. Manufacturing and supply chain applications maximise operational performance, while asset performance management applications extract the greatest return on investment from equipment and facilities. Industrial software capabilities include capital estimation, facility modelling, economic analysis, reservoir modelling, planning and scheduling, process and dynamic simulation, process knowledge management, supply chain management, process and energy analytics, management execution, electricity grid management, operations and asset performance management and digital twins.

The industry has increasingly realised advanced automation is the greatest strategic lever available to boost operating performance, improve safety and achieve sustainability targets through emissions reduction and greater energy efficiency.

“Plantweb has remained a platform for continuous innovation in the industry since its introduction in 1997, including the world’s first integrated digital safety loop, machinery health monitoring and the pervasive deployment of wireless technologies,” said Peter Zornio, chief technology officer for Emerson. “Now Plantweb sets the software foundation for the future of ‘boundless automation,’ where the intelligent field, edge and cloud become a seamless architecture for world-class responsiveness and performance.”

•  See "Forward Focus..."  - the theme of the Emerson User Group Conference commencing 24th October 2022 in Grapevine (TX USA).

@EmersonExchange @EMR_Automation @Emerson_News @AspenTech @HHC_Lewis #PAuto #SCADA

Simple SCADA-based Software.

Modular, scalable Movicon.NExT 4.2 built on open framework improves performance, reduces deployment costs, features modern graphics and more.

Delivering the next level in plant performance, visibility, connectivity and usability, Emerson has released its advanced automation platform, Movicon.NExT™ 4.2. The software is designed to easily interface with any field device and control or enterprise system, connecting users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with the data and insights needed to achieve operational excellence across a wide range of applications, including discrete and hybrid manufacturing, such as food and beverage and packaged consumer goods, as well as energy, infrastructure, building automation and machine automation.

Movicon.NExT 4.2 is a flexible, modular platform that provides local HMI, supervision and analytics that scale from small IIoT or WebHMI applications on embedded Linux devices to large Windows® server systems, allowing users to achieve sustainability and performance improvements, one step at a time, easily and cost-effectively.

“OEMs and industrial users today face new challenges, including skilled labour shortages, demands for higher productivity and production speed, and energy reduction goals,” said Jeff Householder, president of Emerson’s machine automation solutions business. “Movicon.NExT 4.2 provides the scalable, easy-to-use technology they need to develop advanced plant automation solutions that can improve productivity, decrease downtime and reduce development time.”

The Movicon.NExT 4.2 platform enables customers to develop solutions faster and securely through an array of new capabilities, including better performance, IEC 62443-3-3 certification for increased cybersecurity, and new flat objects for higher efficiency. In addition, the platform allows rapid application development without the need for specialised skills or customised configurations.

Improvements have also been made to each of the Movicon.NExT modules, Movicon WebHMI, NExT.AR and Pro.Lean, including connectivity enhancements to strengthen communications, new options to make licensing easier, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR - USA) Title 21 support for recipes for greater usability, and alarm notifications to reduce infrastructure cost. Among the expanded WebHMI visual capabilities is the addition of various customisable objects to further enhance ease-of-use for developers.

The NExT.AR augmented reality solution now includes new zoom functionality that allows personnel to access previously unreachable plant assets, reducing maintenance costs. The Movicon Pro.Lean productivity analytics module now includes a number of advancements that make it easier to navigate OEE metrics, manage schedules and improve scrap management.

•  See "Forward Focus..."  - the theme of the Emerson User Group Conference commencing 24th October 2022 in Grapevine (TX USA).

@Progea_srl @EmersonExchange @EMR_Automation @Emerson_News @HHC_Lewis #PAuto #SCADA

"Moon landing for engineering" hailed with loud siren blast!

The Danish company Haldor Topsoe, has now ushered in a new era of digital, cooperative engineering with Aucotec's platform Engineering Base (EB).

Topsoe, one of the world's leading technology providers for the chemical and petrochemical industry, symbolically marked the start of the company-wide use of EB with a loud siren at the end of May. 'The introduction of this system is a key milestone in our digital transformation', explained Topsoe's CIO Niels Keller-Larsen at the go-live in which more than 100 engineers, managers and project managers participated.

'With EB, we are finally working in a truly data-driven manner across all engineering phases and disciplines on one data model!' emphasized Keller-Larsen. The migration to the platform is Topsoe's largest IT transformation project to date. 'Our moon landing, so to speak' he said.. As a knowledge base for everyone involved, EB supports projects from their "birth" to the very end and offers customers a continuous customer journey. Furthermore, EB standardizes Topsoe's system environment and engineering; numerous discipline-specific tools have been replaced. 'With them, this transformation would never have been possible. As a single source of truth, EB also lays the foundation for AI use.

Partner rather than supplier
The (petro)chemical professionals attached great importance to having to order as few special solutions as possible for their engineering ideal. Thus, EB was chosen. 'However, today's platform differs from how it was at the start of the partnership with Haldor Topsoe', said Aucotec Executive Officer Uwe Vogt. The partnership led to the joint creation of several new developments that are important efficiency drivers for EPCs, plant engineers and operators, such as EBML for faster data exchange or the automatic data sheets of Asset 360. 'Both are now part of the standard in EB's plant license, thus they benefit all customers', reported Vogt with a touch of pride. Furthermore, Keller-Larsen added: 'We wanted a partner, not a supplier. The implementation and pilot project have shown that this has been successful.'

Six weeks instead of six months
'The transformation process was complex and very democratic. Never before have we brought together so much expertise and knowledge', said Keller-Larsen. Everyone had to rethink, but they now have a uniform "data home" for the entire engineering and maintenance tasks. This increases flexibility and saves around 10% of costs. Due to considerable acceleration – some work now takes six weeks instead of six months – significantly more projects will be able to be created within the same time in the future according to Niels Keller-Larsen.

@HaldorTopsoe @AUCOTEC_AG @PresseBox #PAuto #Green #Digitalisation

Advanced networking and powerful automation in one operating system.

Red Lion’s FlexEdge™ Intelligent Edge Automation Platform now combines the scalability of Linux® with the power of Crimson® 3.2 software into one user-friendly operating system. This fusion enables a single FlexEdge controller to provide advanced networking, security, and automation.

By integrating information technology and operational technology, FlexEdge helps customers reduce costs, improve data security, and increase productivity.

Powered by Crimson 3.2 software, the platform provides customers with maximum flexibility to easily modify controller functionality as application needs change. From advanced networking to automation, one controller does it all. Customers can enable additional functionality through field-unlockable software upgrades that eliminate the need to purchase or add more equipment, saving both money and unnecessary downtime.

These new capabilities open doors to new product combinations, further expanding the applications to which the FlexEdge platform can be deployed. With FlexEdge’s modular communications sleds, users can now deploy multi-cellular radio gateways for critical communications applications. And, for environments with demanding requirements, the platform offers multiple isolated serial ports, routable Ethernet ports, optional serial, USB, Wi-Fi, and cellular communications sleds, and field-installable I/O.

• Red Lion products are marketed in Ireland by Instrument Technology.

@redlioncontrols #PAuto

Enabling rugged, optimized connectivity & automation at the edge.

Red Lion Controls has launched the FlexEdge™ Intelligent Edge Automation Platform today. This revolutionary system brings a new degree of versatility to edge computing, while its ease of use makes productivity and efficiency gains from digital transformation initiatives accessible with point-and-click simplicity. FlexEdge’s highly modular design and intuitive software enable quick, straightforward customization and deployment to myriad applications without compromising rugged, reliable operation. The platform carries several certifications that make it ideal for oil and gas, water wastewater, maritime, hazardous location, and factory automation applications.

“In today’s market, we see innovation accelerating at breakneck pace. And that’s terrific. But it makes it hard for customers to cost-effectively plan for the future. Too often they have no choice but to make costly capital investments, scrap existing equipment, or both. The FlexEdge architecture answers their challenges. It adapts as quickly as needs change. No matter where a company is in their digital transformation journey, FlexEdge starts where they are, and helps future proof optimization plans,” said Colin Geis, data acquisition and IIoT product manager.

Engineered for industrial customers with diverse needs who want to effortlessly connect systems and process data at the edge, FlexEdge’s modular architecture boasts a wide variety of wireless and wired communication options. This breadth of options makes it an easily configured communication gateway that connects with any industrial communication requirement, regardless of protocol or manufacturer. And unlike fixed-function devices that require customers to learn many products—or systems with fixed chassis that take up unnecessary space—FlexEdge offers a form factor and platform that adapts as quickly as application needs change. It’s available with advanced networking functionality or advanced automation features including protocol conversion; virtual HMIs; an advanced web server with Bootstrap, JavaScript and CSS; data, security and event logging; and cloud connectivity.

With FlexEdge, customers can seamlessly connect new and existing devices, reducing overall downtime and allowing for frictionless, future-proof scalability at levels never before seen in edge computing. This flexibility allows the selection of one platform for any edge requirement, so customers can focus on business efficiency without worrying about choosing the right combination of products for their application.

For automation engineers, Red Lion’s FlexEdge offers a single platform that can solve most challenges while decreasing the number of deployed devices to reduce application complexity. For networking engineers, it’s a robust, industrial-grade networking gateway deployable as a wired or cellular solution to securely connect different networks through powerful networking functionality. With multiple isolated serial ports, Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi and cellular communication sleds, optional field-installable I/O, and a certified, robust enclosure, FlexEdge ensures optimal operation in almost any industrial environment with demanding requirements.

Craig Resnick

As word of FlexEdge begins to penetrate the market, the product’s unique capabilities captured the attention of Craig Resnick, ARC advisory group vice president. “As companies continue with their digital transformation and IT/OT convergence journeys, they seek an intelligent automation solution that will enable them to more seamlessly connect to both new and legacy equipment. Red Lion has introduced a new platform that enables users to collect the required data necessary from both IT and OT to better optimize decision-making and further maximize their investment in digital transformation. This scalable solution is designed to provide off-the-shelf plug-and-play connectivity to a wide range of networks, assets, generations of equipment, and protocols,” he says.

“Red Lion’s FlexEdge platform meets this demanding criterion, providing manufacturers and processors with a solution designed to not only fulfill their current and future edge platform requirements, but also one that can be deployed by a new and changing workforce, helping companies make faster, more informed and intelligent decisions and achieve higher levels of operational effectiveness. Having the local computing power and IT/OT connectivity that the FlexEdge platform provides often results in reduced unscheduled downtime; increases productivity, profitability and KPIs; and delivers the intelligent information necessary so decisions can be made based on a single version of the truth,” Resnick continued.

“Furthermore, with the ability to have end-to-end visibility of the supply chain, users can gain a competitive advantage with increased flexibility and operational agility, productivity, plant efficiency, asset uptime and quality. They can also add profits to the bottom line by reducing operational risks and safety concerns, overhead costs, and changeover times and deploying predictive preventative maintenance programs.” 


• Red Lion products are marketed in Ireland through Instrument Technology.

 #PAuto #IoT  @redlioncontrols @redlioncontrols @CraigDResnick @arc_advisory