Next week in San Jose is the “IoM 2016 Conference”, hosted by Global SMT & Packaging and Scoop Communications. This is the first conference of its kind, very much focused on the ability to get started with the Internet of Manufacturing within the electronics industry. Mentor Graphics will introduce OML and other technologies related to IoM at the event, and bring a strong message that the IoM is available now and available to everyone, without a huge cost, risk, or need for investment,
Talking to people recently about the IoM and OML, a common question has been, “Where can we see it in operation?” For sure whether buying a new car or a new enterprise software system, it is good to have a test drive in order to see exactly what it is about. By definition however, new and emerging technologies such as the Internet of Manufacturing offer very few opportunities to really see established example cases of what they are about. There are many stories about how certain aspects of IoM have been implemented and benefits achieved, related to cloud data storage, proprietary closed loop systems etc.
At the recent IPC APEX show, Flextronics presented a far more in-depth and detailed approach to an entire smart factory operation that they have achieved in China. The result is very impressive, but you have to think about the amount of effort and cost that went into it. It is all very well that the biggest companies in the world have the budget to pioneer their own solutions, but where does that leave the rest of the industry? Flextronics have had the right goals, and have proven the model by actually applying it to their factory in China, but it takes a technology like OML to bring the same kind of opportunity to the rest of the industry, who cannot afford to invest in proprietary technologies and who do not have the same kind of influence on hardware vendors.
The arrival of OML is therefore very timely. It is now the time to get started with OML projects. We invite all members of the OML community to share their thoughts and questions about OML based solution on this forum. Let’s get started together!
