Machine communications a response to workforce shortage?

Communication has been a function of plant machinery for a long time. Machines communicate when there’s a problem, alerting operators of the issue. Machines communicate data on their condition or the level of production. They can communicate with each other about any number of things. Is the next step for them to take action on issues?Now, as Michael Ogle, vice president, educational & technical services, Material Handling Industry of America , wrote earlier this week, a new trend is emerging from the machines talking to each other. Machine-to-machine communication (M2M) technologies, “are becoming more capable, faster, easier to implement, and less expensive.” Together with the shortage of skilled workers and management’s desire to know everything about what goes in the facility, these trends, “point to the development of solutions helping customers and suppliers gather and share information, helping them better deploy their capital and people investments in a variety of material handling and logistics solutions,” Ogle wrote.Read the full article here .

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