Rockwell Automation Simplifies Analytics for Industrial Productivity
May 4, 2018
Industrial organizations must be able to quickly identify ways to tighten production schedules and maximize revenue. Gaining insight into operations and production capabilities to make informed decisions has often involved time-intensive IT projects and a highly specialized skillset. Rockwell Automation has expanded its FactoryTalk Analytics portfolio, a robust advanced analytics environment that empowers users with the ability to quickly and confidently make informed decisions. These latest advancements were developed to reduce the complexity of the operations environment for manufacturers and producers and their employees who are driving operations.
FactoryTalk Analytics has been developed for scale, discovering and connecting data sources from the edge of the network up through the enterprise, and then intelligently fusing the information to resolve issues close to the source. At the edge or the device, this can result in near-immediate resolution of production issues. Empowered with machine learning capabilities, FactoryTalk Analytics learns the process and looks for trends in the data, proactively presenting users with insights before an issue arises.
FactoryTalk Analytics brings contemporary user experience capabilities, which are common for consumer experiences, to the production environment. Focused on driving ease of use and productivity, FactoryTalk Analytics features internet-like search capabilities of production data, as well as self-serve drill-downs, allowing the user to make data-driven decisions quickly.
Rockwell Automation has chosen the Microsoft® Azure™ cloud as the preferred platform for FactoryTalk Analytics, to help develop and power advanced IoT solutions from the edge to the cloud.
Rockwell Automation executed several customer pilots before the official release of FactoryTalk Analytics, which generated several purpose-driven applications that prioritize ease of use and faster time to value.
In one pilot, a manufacturer of solar panels used FactoryTalk Analytics to connect the data sources of legacy systems spread across multiple facilities. They’re now able to more efficiently manage data both on-premise and in the cloud, which will minimize downtime and allow them to save millions of dollars in IT spend.
In another pilot, a global automotive manufacturer implemented FactoryTalk Analytics to help improve operational productivity. Purpose-driven applications brought data together from disparate systems that had previously proven difficult to integrate and had limited workers’ ability to investigate production issues. The solution is giving production managers and executives new visibility into key areas of operations and helping them more accurately forecast production targets.
“Smart manufacturing promises to remove blind spots between organizational silos, putting users directly in touch with information,” said Blake Moret, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rockwell Automation. “Our deep experience in production applications, coupled with technology that integrates control and information, provides outcomes of increased productivity for both existing and greenfield sites. Importantly, our partners are taking advantage of these solutions to enhance the value of their own offerings.”
Originally piloted as “Project Scio” last November, FactoryTalk Analytics is now available globally.
