Industrial security is a complicated, multifaceted challenge that cannot be solved by simply purchasing the latest technology. Instead, managing the security of industrial control systems and networks requires improving processes, tools and ultimately balancing risk, says Glenn Schulz.

Peter Lange believes that combining the power of mobile robots and cobots is key to making factories more flexible to cope with rapidly changing demands.

Today around two-thirds of manufacturers are gathering data from their production environments, yet relatively few are using it to improve processes or boost productivity and yield, argues Dr Simon Kampa.

Phillip J Corner discusses some shortcomings of the NIS directive, arguing that, while it focuses on technology, good governance is equally vital to manage security.

Lawrence Ross describes how digital experimentation with the IoT leads to innovation and looks at potential solutions for creating a clearer path to innovative IoT.

Suzanne Gill finds out where the food industry is on its ‘smart factory’ journey and gets advice about how to make use of new technologies to become more productive and flexible to meet rapidly changing consumer demands.

Laurence Wood discusses how the food industry’s reliance upon manual labour is likely to change in the near future requiring a greater uptake of robotics and automation to help the food industry increase productivity, quality and yield. 

Control Engineering Europe finds out how the GigE Vision standard has evolved to ensure it continues to meet rapidly changing image data transfer requirements.

Many business leaders find it hard to understand industrial control system (ICS) cyber security challenges as there are so many factors contributing to their complexity and so cyber security is one of the issues that is delaying adoption of Industry 4.0, says Erik Halthen.

It is becoming apparent that the reluctance to move beyond 100Mbit Ethernet technology is a very real limiting factor for Industry 4.0 adoption. John Browett, general manager at CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) Europe, argues that the transition to gigabit Ethernet networking technologies has to start now.

Malte Schlüter looks at the main trends that are currently influencing the manufacturing and packaging industries and which are expected to shape the future.

Cloud computing has three main limits – latency, connection and cost. Find out how this can be overcome by processing data at the edge.

The implementation of Industry 4.0 continues to focus on the linking of industrial production to the internet and the Cloud, and this has transformed the Internet of Things (IoT) into the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), according to Gavin Stoppel.

Tronrud Engineering produces automation solutions and machines. Among other things, this Norwegian machine building company has made a name for itself with its packaging machines. In developing and commissioning these machines, the company is now taking a completely new direction. Annemarie Loetzsch reports.

Suzanne Gill asked a cross-section of automation vendors where they believe the manufacturing sector is on its Industry 4.0 journey and, importantly, what obstacles still need to be overcome.

Suzanne Gill finds out more about the changing role of SCADA systems and asks what features are needed to ensure that this technology keeps pace with the demands of the digital factory of tomorrow.

Denby Pottery’s clay manufacturing times have been halved and productivity has increased since the installation of a new control system.

Maintenance and inspection of flameproof motors is critical to ensure safe operation. Pedro Maia offers advice on keeping them in good working order.

Manufacturers are now gearing up to ride the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) wave. Although the progress has been slow, manufacturers at different stages of their IIoT transformation are already beginning to experience the benefits of digitisation, says Matthew Lee, product manager at Moxa.

Laser profile sensors act as the ‘eyes’ of a robot and are now being used in a variety of applications, says Chris Jones.