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IT/OT Integration Points Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
A connected manufacturing environment can give you better data and faster insight into what is happening on the shop floor, but every connection needs to be considered from a security and reliability standpoint. A system that keeps production moving is valuable, but an unexpected outage or compromised connection can quickly turn that same connectivity into…
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AI Won’t Replace Leadership, but it will Redefine It
What happens to leadership when technology can handle more of the analysis and everyday decision support? As #TechLeaders, it remains imperative to take time making judgement calls, set priorities, and understand the operational impacts of a decision. AI may change how quickly we get information, but someone still has to decide the best plan of…
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Compliance Starts with Product Security – Not Documentation
Cyber Security requirements are becoming much harder to treat as something that happens after a product or system is already built. In #AerospaceManufacturing, security has to account for how products, software, connected equipment, and data actually operate throughout their lifecycle. All of the documentation in the world cannot compensate for weaknesses in the technology itself.…
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Optimism for American Manufacturing
Great insights from Dave Evans on the massive innovations at work in #AmericanManufacturing and how much of these strides come down to better technology becoming practical enough to use on the shop floor. Modern #ERP and manufacturing systems are giving companies better ways to manage data, production, quality, and customer requirements without relying on workarounds…
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If AI Makes the Decision, Who Owns the Consequence?
We are getting more comfortable putting AI into processes that used to require a person to make the final call. That raises a practical question in manufacturing: when a system recommends a production change, flags an issue, or makes a decision, who is ultimately accountable if it goes wrong? In my experience, automation works best…
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How Innovation is Establishing Itself as an Essential Business Function
Innovation becomes meaningful when it improves something people deal with every day. A change that reduces downtime, simplifies a process, improves data accuracy, or helps someone make a better decision can have a much bigger impact than new technology with no clear operational purpose. The best improvements are often the ones that remove friction from…
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Enabling a Human-Led AI-Powered Workforce
One thing I have learned from leading technology projects is that getting the software in place is usually the easiest part. The challenge is making sure the technology we implement works along with the way the business actually operates. Like any other form of #FutureTech, AI will impact #Manufacturing where decisions depend on accurate data…
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The Real Key to Digital Transformation
Technology changes usually expose problems that already exist within our systems, and our teams need to feel comfortable pointing those problems out. If someone is worried about speaking out about a system creating extra work or a process not functioning as intended, those issues tend to stay hidden. In #SmartManufacturing environments during #ERP changes, system…
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Is Your Factory Smarter than Your Network?
A highly capable machine does not help if the network around it cannot reliably support the data moving through the operation. Connectivity issues can quickly turn into delays, workarounds, and questions about whether the information in a system can be trusted. Network reliability deserves the same attention we give other parts of our critical production…
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What Comes Next for AI and Smart Manufacturing
Creating a successful #CyberSecurity strategy is increasingly difficult as the systems running our businesses become more connected. A small issue can quickly become a major production problem when it affects #ERP, machine connectivity, or access to critical data. AI is adding another layer to this security challenge, but the fundamentals still matter. Prioritizing strong access…