In the consumer tech world, the unrelenting pace of development is so well established, it’s not even news any more. Consumers are constantly demanding faster processing, more memory, better virtual assistants, and cheaper. Hardware doesn’t have to last very long because it’s obsolete in 6 months, and software bugs are tolerated. But the world of industrial automation is a different story entirely. End users demand long product life and support (20+ years) with few bugs. There’s often resistance to new ways of programming, wiring, communicating, and designing because it requires new knowledge to implement and maintain. This resistance to change has slowed adoption of new technologies and caused a divergence between the industrial control sector and consumer/commercial products. With the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent on consumer electronics every year in recent history, there’s bound to be a lot of mature technology that can be reapplied in the PLC world. Patterns are converging that predict disruptive change on the horizon. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be exploring some of these patterns. What do you think? Do you see change on the horizon? Share your thoughts in the comments. —
Breen Machine Automation Services serves the American Manufacturing industry in controls engineering, consulting, and training. Check us out at www.Breen-Machine.com, and find our training programs at courses.Breen-Machine.com.
About the Author
Jon is an engineer, entrepreneur, and teacher. His passion is creating and improving the systems that enhance human life, from automating repetitive tasks to empowering people in their careers. In his spare time, Jon enjoys engineering biological systems in his yard (gardening).
