SIs serve a unique role and bridge the gap between challenges and solutions

By Tom Trainor

In your role as an honest broker and solutions provider, it’s important to be aware of industry trends and new technology, which positions you as a resource to your customers. Understanding significant pain-points for your clients – the current workforce issues, for example – will help you bridge the gap between their challenges and provide answers.
 
In the U.S., despite unemployment being at historically low levels, around 750,000 jobs are vacant in the overall manufacturing sector according to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ reports.
 
The extreme shortage is reflected in a study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute which predict that a staggering 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will remain unfilled in the U.S. by 2030.[1]
 
Additionally, according to the US Chamber of Commerce, as of November 2023, U.S. employers posted 100 job openings for every 72 available workers and fell to less than 50 available workers for every 100 open jobs in at least sixteen states.[2]
 
This shortage of workers and the inability to attract new ones are challenging to every industry. To combat this, more organizations are turning to digital solutions to help bridge the gap between the demands of consumers and the workforce capacity.
 
Seamlessly integrating technology like remote alarm notification software allows fewer people to monitor many more assets using devices that people already have, such as smartphones and tablets.
 
Uninterrupted remote availability is essential to ensuring systems can be continuously monitored, even without staff onsite or with fewer people working at the facility. 
 
While monitoring and alarms can improve system efficiency, they don’t automate the labor-intensive reporting process or provide much-needed analytics on the data collected for multiple assets over a discrete time period.
 
Historization and Analytics
The convergence of advanced technologies and data-driven strategies has ushered in a new era of optimization, where historical data analysis plays a pivotal role in achieving accurate forecasting and scheduling.
 
The ability to harness this data effectively can lead to smarter decision-making, improved processes, and a competitive edge. Analyzing historical data allows operations management to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies that may otherwise go unnoticed. These insights serve as the foundation for creating accurate forecasts and efficient production schedules.[3]
 
Reporting
Reports provide a visualization of this historized process information and correlate related process variables, compute metrics on that data, and visually graph such data for easier pattern and anomaly detection.
 
These reports are created through third-party software that seamlessly integrates with PLCs, SCADA, and historian systems. Advanced reporting solutions can even pull information from remote alarm notification software, allowing further analysis and optimization of condition response times.
 
Reporting software enables organizations to turn raw process data into actionable information, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing costs. As the data is collected it is summarized as key metrics – flow totals or runtime analysis from emissions producing processes. The final output is published into a formatted document accepted by regulatory agencies.
 
Unique Role
SIs help end-users navigate industry challenges and offer solutions with which they may not be aware. By understanding the myriad advanced technological solutions, you help clients move from reactive to a more controlled, prescriptive approach.
 
Tom Trainor is a Senior Software Developer at Austin, TX-based SmartSights and may be reached at tom.trainor@smartsights.com. SmartSights is a global leader in data-driven analytics, reports and notifications, serving the industrial sector.
 
This article was sponsored by SmartSights.
 
 
 


[1] https://qupaq.com/news/food-manufacturing-labor-shortages-a-global-challenge/ (accessed March 13, 2024).
[2] https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/food-manufacturing-outlook-trends-to-watch-2024-labor-pricing-inflation/703684/ (accessed March 13, 2024).
[3] https://www.planettogether.com/blog/analyzing-historical-data-for-enhanced-forecasting-and-scheduling-in-pharmaceutical-manufacturing (accessed November 9, 2023).