From Cybersecurity to IIoT: The Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit Promises Operational Improvement

The Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit begins Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 12:15 p.m. with a keynote address by Raj Batra, leader of the Digital Factory division of Siemens. Presentations on robotics, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital twins and cybersecurity to follow at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m., respectively.

Bob Doyle, V.P. of the Robotic Industries Association and the Association for Advancing Automation, is leading the first panel discussion on robotics. Doyle is addressing how manufacturers can make the best use of current robotics and artificial intelligence technologies and how employees can be trained to work with these systems. He is also discussing the fact that, despite the enhancements offered by robotics, humans remain integral to all manufacturing operations.

Sal Spada, research director for discrete manufacturing for the ARC Advisory Group, is leading the presentation on IIoT, discussing how sophisticated analytics can help maintenance professionals focus on the proper data—leading to more uptime and better safety.

Hans Thalbauer, senior V.P. of digital supply chain and industry 4.0 at SAP will lead the discussion of digital twins and their value in manufacturing. By establishing a connection between a product and its digital representation, digital twins enable accelerated product design and more effective maintenance operations.

Dr. Richard Soley, executive director of the Industrial Internet Consortium and chairman and CEO of the Object Management Group, is leading the final discussion on cybersecurity, addressing the realities of cybersecurity, debunking its myths and describing some of the common-sense methods of securing data.