AI • IOT • NETWORK EDGE

Often when you talk about digital transformation and Industry 4.0, the focus is technology. But people are the key to change.

As manufacturers adopt modern technologies, challenges they face usually stem more from the mindset and collaboration of those implementing them rather than from the tools themselves, according to Kelly Switt, Senior Director and Global Head of Intelligent Edge Business Development at Red Hat, provider of enterprise open source software solutions.

Manufacturing Operations Rely on Team Relationships

The reason why manufacturing operations rely so heavily on collaborative and adaptable teams and individuals is because they involve complex processes that require domain expertise, coordination, troubleshooting, and optimization. Shifting from legacy systems to modern, interconnected platforms, for example, requires a corresponding change in mindset.

The technologies and tools implemented within the factory should empower collaboration and productivity by breaking down silos and removing friction between teams.

“Businesses are a formation of people, and how those people operate the business often emulates system design,” explains Switt. “If you have poor collaboration with your IT counterparts or still experience siloed friction in the relationship, it will manifest in your systems—whether it’s a lack of resiliency or the inability to stay on schedule.”

That’s why Red Hat and Intel collaborated on a modern approach to advancing manufacturing operations and teams. The industrial edge platform is a portfolio of enablement technologies, including Red Hat Device Edge, Ansible Automation Platform, and OpenShift. It also features Intel’s cutting-edge hardware and software stack, including Intel^® Edge Controls for Industrial, allowing users to create a holistic solution that meets their specific needs.

“If you have poor collaboration with your #IT counterparts or still experience siloed friction in the relationship, it will manifest in your systems.” – Kelly Switt, @RedHat via @insightdottech

Bridging the Gap with Industrial Automation

A key component of the Red Hat industrial edge platform enables automation of previously manual tasks, one of the first steps toward overcoming cultural challenges. Software automation strategies that enable provisioning, configuring, and updating can also provide a common ground for IT and OT teams to collaborate, and free them up for more critical tasks.

“By automating routine tasks, you can free up the capacity of your staff to focus on more critical aspects of modernization,” Switt explains.

The industrial edge platform helps automate tasks, including system development, deployment, management, and maintenance not only on the server compute level but also the device and networking level—allowing for a more autonomous management of infrastructure.

“You can really create a platform-based strategy around how you think about having more autonomous management of the infrastructure that best supports the productivity of your facility,” says Switt.

Once automation is in place, the next step is modernizing the data centers within the factory. These centers tend to house larger, more critical applications that run the manufacturing processes. Modernizing these systems allows for greater agility and faster changes, which are crucial in today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment.

“Modern technology allows you to have applications with more agility, enabling more frequent updates and faster adaptation to changing needs,” Switt explains. “This not only improves productivity but also enhances the collaboration between IT and OT teams.”

The pharmaceutical industry, for example, needs a level of supply chain traceability. Modern technology enables organizations to reduce the time needed to implement changes from six months to a year to just 90 days. This acceleration brings significant value and benefits to management of both the plant or factory and the overall productivity and output of the facility.

In addition, the industrial edge platform delivers a real-time kernel that lowers latency and reduces jitter so applications can run repeatedly with greater reliability.

“Red Hat’s solutions allow you to not only have an autonomous platform but one that is stable, secure, and based on open source so manufacturers can get to an open, interoperable platform with less proprietary hardware,” says Switt.

Future of Manufacturing Enabled by the Industrial Edge

As manufacturers continue to navigate the complexities of Industry 4.0, collaborations like the one between Red Hat and Intel—focused on culture, people, and mindset—is crucial to the success of their efforts.

“Intel is a core collaborator of ours because not only is Intel ubiquitous with running both the public cloud as well as the IT data centers but is, and should continue to be, ubiquitous with running the factory data center or data room facilities,” Switt says.

By breaking down silos, embracing automation, and modernizing infrastructure, manufacturers can unlock the full potential of their operations and pave the way for a more agile, efficient, and innovative future.

“With Red Hat and Intel, we have the technology that enables you to run a better, faster, and more efficient factory. It’s up to manufacturers to decide what their future looks like, how they want to operate, and the level of collaboration and culture change they bring in to do so,” says Switt.

This article was edited by Georganne Benesch, Editorial Director for insight.tech.