One of the largest “culture shocks” around Industry 4.0 is the competing interests of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). These departments often have their own, and sometimes conflicting priorities and budgets. Regardless, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) forces IT and OT to collaborate, which adds complications at both the department level and the computing level.
IIoT is not just a communications issue, but a far more significant strategic proposition. IT manages the flow of data, while OT handles the operation of physical processes and the machinery used to carry them out. The Evolution of Automation report from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technology, classifies IT as seeking the newest, fastest computing hardware and software for the benefit of the entire company while describing OT as dealing with the physical value of the company with technology spanning decades and legacy systems that often remain in use. Coolfire Solutions of St. Louis summarizes the distinction between the two as software (IT) vs. hardware (OT) or the office (IT) vs. the factory floor (OT).
A lack of cooperation between the two teams can prove detrimental to gaining the most out of IIoT, and most companies recognize that it is vital to establish collaboration between OT and IT departments so they can work together from the start of any project. According to PMMI’s report, 58% agree that a collaborative environment is evolving but admit that it moves at a somewhat glacial pace. Many surveyed feel that it is an issue that needs addressing from the C-suite. One quote in the report said, “There needs to be a higher-level objective and goal to bring the IT and OT departments together to decrease operating costs and increase revenue.”
Challenges for successful IIoT projects
With companies beginning to understand the need for collaboration between IT and OT for the success of IIoT initiatives, PMMI followed up on their Evolution of Automation Study with an Industrial IoT Readiness White Paper containing criteria for companies to support the collaboration.
The research looked at six criteria that companies should have in place to support successful IIoT projects regarding network and infrastructure, collection of data, skills and collaboration, software integration, cybersecurity and governance. These include elements of hardware, software, processes and people related topics and identified how prepared companies are in each area.
Some of the findings from this research revealed seven main obstacles:
1. Companies have been hesitant to introduce cloud-based solutions, with less than 10% currently using a remote cloud for analytics. From a collaboration perspective, this is an area in particular where IT and OT differ, and as the partnership between the two grows, companies expect to see significant change. As the comfort level grows regarding the use of the cloud in industry, 39% of companies plan to use it in the next three years.
2. The biggest expected change, particularly in the next three years, is the increase in companies expecting to do analytics based on a merging of multiple different datasets as well as the analysis of data from various facilities to support company-wide performance improvements.
3. So far, the largest proportion of companies have shared the responsibility of digital transformation but without a designated leader. Over one-third of companies have established either a senior executive or C-Suite representative for this task, revealing that companies are learning that it is an issue that requires buy-in from the top level.
4. Although one in three companies are extending the role of their workforce to support the analytics of data, many aren’t investing in training to upskill workers. In fact, only one-quarter of respondents are introducing programs to support their workers with training. Over the next three years, this issue will become magnified, with the proportion of companies upskilling their workers decreasing slightly.
5. The proportion of companies evaluating the integration of software solutions is expected to drop by nearly 10%. The biggest anticipated change is in the portion of companies that expect full integration. However, the proportion of companies planning partial integration is expected to drop, suggesting that many companies are planning a complete integration of IT and OT.
6. A surprising number of companies have yet to address the cybersecurity risks both IT and OT believe need rectifying before partnerships can truly exist. The most common activities are providing regular systems and software updates. This is especially important to protect against threats such as malware attacks, which can exploit vulnerabilities in unpatched networks and lead to issues from IT creeping into OT.
7. The approach by companies to introducing changes in its governance to support new business models varied with a similar proportion of companies either in the process of evaluating, introducing changes, or deciding no changes are necessary. Less than 10% of companies could already support IIoT-based business models.
While this is an overview of the industry as a whole, it does provide a fair valuation of the challenges facing meat/poultry facilities. Fostering collaboration and cooperation between the OT and IT departments so that everyone is moving in the same purposeful direction will lead to streamlined Industry 4.0 initiatives that are successful.
— By Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies
Editor’s note: Produced by PMMI, PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, which will be held Nov. 8-11 at McCormick Place, Chicago, will offer a projected 30,000 attendees the opportunity to gather insights on IIoT and other trending topics from over 2,000 exhibiting companies. Learn more at www.packexpointernational.com.