Suzanne Gill looks at the effect of the current global pandemic on the manufacturing digitalisation journey.

Notwithstanding the current COVID crisis, other megatrends are having, and will have, an even greater effect on the manufacturers of the future. Nigel Dawson from Festo SE & Co KG discusses how these opportunities can be exploited.

Tim Faulkner believes that the challenges posed by 2020 have resulted in greater determination from many manufacturers to start their digital journey to ensure they remain competitive.

While we are still embroiled in the battle to contain and defeat Covid-19, nobody truly knows the eventual outcomes – but we can begin to assess the impacts and respond positively to change, says Steve Sands. 

There appears to be agreement among automation vendors that Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) convergence is now becoming a reality across all industrial sectors. Suzanne Gill finds out more about the impact that this will have on the role of the control engineer.

Richard Kenedi, senior vice president of manufacturing at industrial software provider GE Digital, and George Walker, managing director of industrial automation expert Novotek UK, discuss the ideal path to industrial digital transformation.

Nigel Dawson, Global Head of Electric Automation Business Development at Festo explains how a single machine can demonstrate the possible opportunities of IoT in manufacturing.

José Miguel Dias Pereira summarises the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and offers an overview of the real-time demands of industrial networks, at plant level, at DCS level, and at SCADA level.

According to automation vendors there is still some way to go before industry starts to reap the benefits promised by Industry 4.0. The next step is the adoption of a variety of enabling technologies. 

Josep Lario, EMEA product marketing manager, Software, at Omron, comments on how industry is overcoming the challenges associated with the move towards greater collaboration between man and machine.

Philipp Jauch believes that change to both machinery and business models are needed to allow us to really see the full potential of Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 has now moved well beyond the concept stage although there is still a long way to go. The next generation 5G wireless networks and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be crucial elements to enable Industry 4.0 to be wholly implemented, says Steve Sands.

As industry starts to engage in digital transformation programs, Control Engineering Europe finds out more about the challenges facing engineers tasked with managing this change.

Suzanne Gill visits British Salt to find out more about the plant’s Industry 4.0 aspirations.

Tim Foreman argues that companies should be looking to benefit from the potential of technologies such as ‘AI at the Edge’ strategically and thoughtfully for business success and competitive advantage.

Powerful industrial controls are an important part of the digital transformation in industrial companies. With its comprehensive Sirius portfolio, Siemens can provide the right solutions for this, as Carolin Meuschel explains.

Sensors are on the front line of the data gathering process which is vital for the IIoT. Control Engineering Europe shines a spotlight on these ‘things’ and their implementation in successful IIoT projects.

Control Engineering Europe spoke to Matt Wells, VP digital product management at GE Digital about the trends towards convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) domains, as a key to enable digital transformation across the enterprise.

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.