The growth in plant floor automation and integrated communications is at a pivotal junction; new technology is available and adoption is underway, said Donna Ritson, President of DDR Communications, regarding her keynote presentation at this year’s Fluid Power Technology Conference (FPTC) at the Milwaukee School of Engineering May 13-15.
With a deeper focus on pneumatics and best practices in industrial manufacturing this year, the FPTC welcomes Ritson, who will open day two of the conference at 8:30 a.m.
Her presentation, “The evolution of advanced automation” will higlight the advancements in automation and the influence of technological breakthroughs that are impacting the industry for years to come. The presentation will review the role of pneumatics in automation, the reasons driving embedded intelligence, and the growth of smart machines on the plant floor.
“It’s not a matter of if CPG companies will adopt automation, but a matter of when,” said Ritson. “The Evolution of Advanced Automation presentation reports that most CPGs are automating in order to achieve greater operational efficiencies for their plants and remain competitive in the marketplace.”
Ritson has indicated that some companies are further along in automating their operations than others. Findings in the report indicate that only 1 in 5 companies have fully integrated production lines. “Look at it as a marathon,” she said. “The companies that are going to get to a fully industry 4.0 automation are your leaders in the industry. And everyone else is going to be spread out across the path. Everyone has crossed the starting line, and they understand that they’re in the race and need to keep going . . . most CPG companies are in the process and on the path to automation.”
Ritson will cover these six trends driving plant floor automation:
- Lack of skilled labor, labor shortages
- Global increase in product demand
- Rising demand for flexible manufacturing
- Producing products with consistent quality
- Overall operating cost reductions
- Smart machine technology and robotics
“CPGs are looking to OEMs and technology suppliers to provide automation machinery and software that are easy to use, are customizable, and can communicate along the production lines,” she said. “These technology improvements in processing and packaging machines benefit the operation by addressing worker safety, electronic documentation, energy savings, quicker changeover, improved performance, clean-in-place, lower maintenance costs, and mobile access. And this actionable data is gathered and shared with the enterprise for analysis.
Ritson founded DDR Communications more than 30 years ago. DDR’s business is based on a direct response methodology that delivers market research, business development, strategic alliance and actionable market intelligence for companies in virtually every B2B industry.
DDR has been a partner with PMMI for more than 12 years reporting on the trends that help members gain a deeper insight into key markets and customers.
Ritson is a certified business communicator with a BA and MSMC in Marketing Communications.
Visit fluidpowertechconference.com to register.
