Plug and Play Industrial Automation? It’s Only a Matter of Time

In this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, we are pleased to host a thought-provoking conversation between Tech Consultant Zach Peterson and Dr. Philip Voglewede, Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University and Director at the Omron Advanced Automation Lab.

Zach and Phil have a very intriguing conversation about the role of automation in the current and future industrial landscape. Anyone interested in the current state of industrial automation, manufacturing, or labor trends won't want to miss Phil's insights, many of which are rooted in his work for the ground-breaking Omron Lab.

Show Highlights:

0:00 Intro
1:03 Phil & Omron Advanced Automation Lab
2:13 Pushing to Fail
5:27 A Space to Play
7:28 Omron's Early Achievements
11:26 De-Siloing & Student Response
16:37 Companies Noticing Student Skills
17:47 Students Handling Complex Problems
19:39 Grappling with the Role of Automation
23:05 Where Do We Get ROI?
25:18 Management is Adapting
27:14 The TOTAL Dollar Amount of Manufacturing Costs
29:33 Industrial IoT is the Achilles Heel
33:22 Plug & Play is the Goal
35:24 Make It Like Starbucks
37:13 Who Will Lead the Needed Standardization?
39:06 Will the Big Manufacturers Cooperate to Standardize?
41:15 Standardization is Only a Matter of Time