Titus Crabb Mon Jan 25

The Times They Are A Changin'

In the early 2000s, if you were on the road to success, you owned a BlackBerry. When the BlackBerry was introduced, it was a revolutionary concept – who wouldn’t want to combine their PDA and their cell phone into one device? And, to make it even better, you could use your cell phone as a data connection to get email on the fly! However, the glory days of the BlackBerry were short lived. By the early 2010’s, as the “app economy” emerged and BlackBerry declined to embrace this technology, the only people left using a BlackBerry were doing so because they were forced to.

The automation industry is experiencing its own BlackBerry event today. Aging monolithic automation systems are exceeding their valuable lifespans, and new technologies are available and waiting to take their place. But, taking advantage of these new automation technologies is not as simple as walking into a cell phone store and upgrading to the latest iPhone or Android device. Thus, we oftentimes continue to operate our industrial facilities using a prettier versions of Windows 3.11 applications.

An Increasing Number of Change Agents
As the pace of technological advancement rapidly accelerates, many HMI/SCADA software providers are struggling to keep up. This is largely due to the practical requirement of system stability. Typically, organizations expect that a control system will remain stable and supported for 10 to 15 years, including its PC-based components. So, to mitigate risk, many automation software companies are essentially offering the same product they have for two decades with the exception that it runs on Windows 10 instead of Windows XP or DOS.

However, there are changes occurring today that are not only spawning new technological approaches, but are catalyzing the creation of innovative new products – think Cloud computing, mobile platforms, cybersecurity, and data-centric applications emerging from Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology. Many established providers are bolting these technologies on, but their core platforms were designed in a different era, thus, they are struggling to realize the full potential these technologies can bring to the plant floor.

A less tangible, but equally relevant, change agent is the replacement of the original automation generation with a new workforce that has already spent much of their adult lives with an iPhone in their hands. Millennials aren’t emotionally attached to industrial brand names, and they want the convenience of the technology they grew up with to be in their hands at work. They want contextualized information and control at their fingertips on demand, and they have little tolerance for artificial roadblocks to success like brand loyalty and archaic licensing schemes.

 

Decreasing Technology Lifecycle

Automation technology providers face a difficult challenge. On one hand, they must provide reliable, stable systems that simply don’t fail. On the other hand, they must provide innovative new products or face obsolescence and market erosion. Therefore, many larger software providers have not developed a new major product in years, and, as a result, are slowly being trapped by aging platforms.

However, startup automation software providers can uniquely provide advanced functionality and embrace cutting-edge technology. Product innovation is high, and change is embraced, not feared. Early adopters are attracted to these new technologies, and their needs begin to shape the product as development continues. More clients jump on board as the technology becomes more stable and they see cool new solutions to problems their existing technology providers are struggling to adequately solve. The startup software provider leverages the input from clients to improve the product with each new release, and the install base grows faster.

As the product matures, late adopters begin to be a larger part of the installed base, and the aggregate client voice begins to encourage a bias for stability over innovation. Eventually the product reaches full maturity, and it begins its long slow decline towards obsolescence. Many argue that with product age comes stability, but this is not always the case. Bloated code, integration of barely compatible technology, and support of obsolete technology can cause some mature software products to be no more stable than products way to the left on the lifecycle graph.

For new consumer technologies today, this cycle can be a year or less. For automation technology suppliers, the cycle is shortening, but still seems to be about 10 to 15 years. The challenge for an automation platform supplier is when to abandon a product to inevitable obsolescence and begin developing new technology. The challenge for automation users is to make sure the new technology is sufficiently reliable before making a transition from an aging or obsolete technology to a new platform.


Don’t Buy a BlackBerry

If you are considering an automation upgrade project, take some time to think about what your organization will likely look like in 5 to 10 years as well as what technology might will look like. Will the platform you’re considering support both your organization and likely technological advances as the years progress? Consider the lessons learned from BlackBerry’s mistakes back in the early 2000s. Think big, then think even bigger and adapt.

It’s also important to understand where you and your organization are comfortable on the technology lifecycle. For many organizations, stability trumps innovation, and it’s simply too risky to embrace early-phase technology. Innovation may be acceptable on non-critical systems, but more mature technologies may be required for critical production systems.

To start thinking about what technological changes your organization should consider and what it can handle, ask the following questions:

  1. What control, visualization, data analysis, cyber-security, business system integration, and mobility requirements would benefit my organization over the life of this system?
  2. Where does your current technology provider fall on the product lifecycle?
  3. If your technology provider is in the middle or to the right on the product lifecycle, will their current solution package meet your changing requirements for the next 10 to 15 years?
  4. What options are available on the middle-left of the product lifecycle?
  5. What provider has the most advantageous licensing structure?
  6. What resources are available to assist with implementation and ongoing improvement/maintenance over the coming years?
  7. Is your technology provider truly embracing new technology? Watch out for marketing hype!
  8. What does your 20-something workforce think? Where do they see the world in 5 to 10 years?

 

Turn and Face the Strange

While a control system overhaul may seem daunting, new technology really is bringing positive change to the automation market. Expect significantly lower capital costs and total cost of ownership with new platforms. Expect platforms that streamline and encourage data connectivity. Expect technology designed for security at the chip level. Expect technology that makes a real difference in your business.

See how Vertech can help prevent you from selecting today’s industrial automation version of a BlackBerry.

 

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Titus Crabb

As President of Vertech, Titus is responsible for building and maintaining corporate culture, high-level direction and financial stability, overseeing operations. He earned a BSEE from LeTourneau University in 1993, and he is a registered professional engineer in Arizona. He holds an C-11 contractor’s license in Arizona as well. He has worked in the automation industry his entire career starting as a controls engineer developing projects in a variety of industries including semiconductor, municipal water treatment, food and beverage, durable goods manufacturing, and baggage handling. Outside of the office Titus is an avid scuba diver, traveler, and outdoorsman. He channels his inner geek as a licensed ham radio operator with the call sign AF7MI and as a lover of science fiction.

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