New QuickStart Program Accelerates Manufacturing Competitiveness
Bill Lydon
Digital Manufacturing Transformation Consultant - Manufacturers are at a pivotal tipping point requiring Digital Manufacturing Transformation to succeed and prosper or become non-competitive.
The Coalition for Open Process Automation (COPA) launched the COPA QuickStart for companies to leverage the?Open Process Automation System (O-PAS)?standard to be more competitive and profitable.
The adoption of new technology during times of significant innovation is critical for manufacturing success. If your competitors adopt better methodologies and technology, they have a high probability of outpacing you in the marketplace. This has been proven throughout the history of manufacturing starting with the invention of the wheel.
Industrial examples include the use of hydraulics to replace mechanical methods (i.e., cable, pulley) and mechatronics to replace gearboxes and mechanical camming with programmable coordinated motion.
Companies that do not take advantage of the appropriate disruptive innovations are likely to become uncompetitive at some point and be leapfrogged by their competitors. Conversely, companies that leverage disruptive innovations position themselves to become leaders in their industry. There are numerous examples of companies using innovative thinking and technology to become industry leaders.
Ford dominated the early automotive industry. More than 100 years ago, Henry Ford and his team at the Highland Park assembly plant launched the world’s first moving assembly line and many other manufacturing innovations. Ford simplified the production of the Model T’s and dominated competitors.
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Andrew Carnegie built his steel-making business leveraging technology with new processes, such as the Bessemer process. He installed new material-handling systems, including overhead cranes and hoists to speed up the steel-making process and boost productivity. Carnegie was relentless in his efforts to drive down costs. He would tear out and replace equipment at his mills if a better technology was developed to reduce costs and make his mills more efficient.
Federal Express Corporation, founded in 1971, leveraged bar code and computer technology to achieve dramatic growth. One of FedEx’s great contributions was the tracking system launched in the 1970s, which has become standard in shipping. It was initially an internal process for quality control. When the system went online, it included early prototypes of handheld computers that scanned package bar codes with wands.
COPA QuickStart to accelerate the adoption of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is aligned with The Open Group O-PAS?Standard for industrial process automation developed by the Open Process Automation?Forum (OPAF).?The COPA partner companies have engineered COPA QuickStart to incorporate components and technologies from multiple vendors into a single, advanced?and cohesive ICS.?