connected factory

Did you know that about 60 years ago, “Sensorama” the first virtual reality (VR) machine was invented by Morton Heilig?  And 50 years ago, the first VR and augmented reality HMD (head-mounted display) was created by Ivan Sutherland. [Source: Timeline of Virtual Reality]. Today, virtual reality techn…

Co-Author: Scott Lapcewich, Rockwell Automation Note: This blog features content from a Connected Futures podcast which has been edited due to space limitations For today’s manufacturers, data is every bit as important as supply chains, trucks, and industrial machines. Data is useless if you don’t t…

Cisco Live is coming up fast and it promises to be the best yet. Digital Business Transformation will be in the spotlight this year in Las Vegas and our world-class experts will be sharing how the factory of the future is already here: There’s so much to see and do that you might find it a little o…

A jam-packed media briefing room in Tokyo was the site of a big announcement this week. FANUC, the world’s leading maker of industrial robots, announced a collaborative effort with Cisco, Rockwell Automation, and Preferred Networks (PFN) to jointly develop and deploy the FANUC Intelligent Edge Link…

In a recent meeting I saw this meme posted in a cubicle: How appropriate for a discussion on business executive moments of enlightenment. I have the opportunity to lead a line-of-business senior executive advisory board with members from the top manufacturing companies across the world. Our recent…

What are the secrets to a successful digital transformation? We’re exploring that in our Going Digital podcast hosted by Peter High, President of Metis Strategy, Author and Keynote Speaker. Peter recently interviewed Gus Shahin, the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of IT at Flex (…

Manufacturers are challenged with how to start digitizing their factories. Many have told me it is not inertia or budget holding them back, but being overwhelmed or unsure of where to start. Yet the value that awaits them is great – connected factories can boost profits by up to 19 percent (accordin…

Before coming to Cisco, I worked as CTO for an irrigation system manufacturer. We were building a cloud-based commercial irrigation system and we needed an improved ERP system for the back-office transactions. My goal was to move us from the on-premise system that was architected when Ronald Reagan…

A new year- and time for new initiatives and a chance to fast start your competitiveness as a manufacturer. According to our recent Manufacturing Thought Leadership Study, digital manufacturers who have connected their factories and production facilities are driving up to 19% more profits (over 10 y…