Now the gang is tweeting from the panel discussion at Rockwell Automation's Automation Fair Manufacturing Perspectives. Keith Larson (KL), Putman's VP of content, Walt Boyes (WB), Control's editor in chief, and Aaron Hand (AH), Control Design's managing editor are doing live coverage from Chicago's McCormick Place.
WB, 8:46 -- #autofair John Nesi moderates panel on "the next frontier" in mfg
WB, 8:48 -- #autofair panelists: Nagesh Nidamaluri - Mahendra Vehicle Manufacturing Ltd
WB, 8:48 -- #autofair panelist: Robert Isaman Stolle Machinery
WB, 8:49 -- #autofair panelist: Frank Kulaszewicz ROK
WB, 8:50 -- #autofair panelist: Fritz Quitmeyer AAM (Amer. Axle & Mfg)
WB, 8:51 -- #autofair panelist: Jason Marquis. Marquis Energy
WB, 8:52 -- #autofair Nidamaluri: we are aggressively leveraging IT in our manufacturing practices
WB, 8:54 -- #autofair Nidamaluri: fortunately for the convergence of plant control and IT, I run both organizations (general laughter)
WB, 8:56 -- #autofair Nidamaluri is trying to mass produce in quantities of one
WB, 8:57 -- #autofair Quitmeyer: you have to treat data like a natural resource
AH, 8:58 -- Fritz Quitmeyer: You absolutely have to put data to work. You have to treat it as a natural resource. #autofair
WB, 8:59 -- #autofair Kulaszewicz: converting data into information works in both greenfield and existing manufacturing plants
WB, 9:01 -- #autofair Isaman: we have all this data coming back now and we have to make it into usable information.
WB, 9:02 -- #autofair Isaman: we need to move from reactive to predictive maintenance and position those parts we think will break closer to the cust.
WB, 9:06 -- #autofair Marquis: using the data to predict future plant states--small 1pct gains are millions of dollars.
WB, 9:10 -- #autofair Marquis: it is empowering for a person who has always turned a wrench to take an iPad to work everyday--tech is an enabler
WB, 9:24 -- #autofair Marquis: it is empowering for a person who has always turned a wrench to take an iPad to work everyday--tech is an enabler
WB, 9:25 -- #autofair Isaman: change is good when it happens to somebody else
Now speaking, William Strauss, senior economist, Chicago Fed
WB, 10:02 -- #autofair Bill Strauss Fed Res Chi takes a different tack "maybe because I'm an economist."
WB, 10:04 -- William Strauss, senior economist, Chicago Fed
WB, 10:05 -- #autofair Strauss:mfg empl [employment] as a share of nonfarm empl has been falling for 50 years
WB, 10:07 -- #autofair Strauss: service sector has grown 2.3 pct a year since 1947
WB, 10:08 -- #autofair Strauss disagrees with Atkinson about productivity's role in mfg employment
WB, 10:12 -- #autofair Strauss: durable mfg has way better prod'y [productivity] than non-durable- mfg is growing faster than GDP
KL, 10:14 -- Lower prices due to productivity improvements also contribute to mfg declining in overall US economy. Bill Strauss at #autofair
WB, 10:15 -- #autofair Strauss:how profitable is mfg? Mfg is highest profitability non-financial sector
KL, 10:17 -- US manufacturing jobs following agricultural employment: Downward. Strauss at #autofair
WB, 10:22 -- #autofair China gets credit for imports when they just do assembly- Strauss
WB, 10:25 -- #autofair We have added 300k jobs since 2009 but there are still 600k vacancies because we can't find trained people-Strauss
KL, 10:34 -- Recent mfg job declines in China total more than all existing mfg jobs in US. Fed Reserve's Strauss at #autofair
