US industries have historically led in the adoption of advanced automation, all the way back to the first Unimate installed in a New Jersey diecasting plant in 1961. Today, automation has come to describe a broad spectrum of technologies, from smart sensors to autonomously guided vehicles, and until now no single trade association has emerged to represent the US industry as a whole. This has changed with the amalgamation of four industry groups into the Association for Advancing Automation, or A3. With Asian and European firms rapidly deploying advanced automation in multiple industries, the pressure is on for US firms to innovate on an equal level, or risk being left behind. A3 president Jeff Burnstein discusses the new Association, and the prospects for advanced automation in American industry.

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Connectivity in manufacturing has evolved from paper-based systems to centralized monitoring and control of plant operations anywhere, any time. Now, industry is looking at a new world of cloud connected devices that generate very large amounts of data. The drop in cost of automation and the rise of general-purpose production equipment in the new high mix, low volume manufacturing environment means that multiple datasets must be managed simultaneously for profitable production.

Manufacturers simply cannot tool up for production runs in the millions anymore, even in traditional smokestack industries such as consumer durables or automotive. Can traditional manufacturers adapt, or is the advantage in the hands of smaller companies that build from the ground up with highly integrated control and analytics systems? Abby Eon, PTC Kepware General Manager, describes how the future for manufacturing data management may evolve, from the implications of cloud connectivity, to the way information technology may change the way parts and products are sourced and made, worldwide.

Learn more about the way connectivity is transforming modern manufacturing.

An extensive report compiled by the MIT Work of the Future project team used interviews with small and medium sized manufacturers across America to determine their attitudes toward data, automation technology, and the skills shortage. The results will surprise many who believe that American manufacturing leadership mirrors that of Europe and Asia. Jim Anderton discusses the report and its implications with the lead author, Dr. Suzanne Berger, the John M. Deutch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Read the complete research brief "Manufacturing in America: A View from the Field".