See What’s Possible in Packaging & Processing @ PACK EXPO International
See packaging & processing solutions from 2,700 exhibitors and gain insights from 150+ free educational sessions at PACK EXPO International.
REGISTER NOW

Create a free Packaging World account to continue reading

Hire an IT guy?

When I commented recently to a packaging machinery OEM that building packaging equipment was beginning to look more like an exercise in Information Technology than metal bending, he agreed wholeheartedly.

Here’s his take on it:

“IT and industrial controls as implemented in a manufacturing setting are practically the same thing. Yet if you tell an IT guy that he has to program or network industrial machines, it’ll scare the [heck] out of him. But in fact, he’s been doing it for years. He just didn’t know it. Connecting two machines together is the same as connecting two computers together in an office network. You provide an IP address in both cases and that’s it. They run at the same baud rate. They use the same cables. If there is a difference, it’s in accountability. In an office setting, if the network’s down, everyone complains, but they’re used to it. It’s practically normal. But in an industrial setting, the network can’t be down or you can’t produce.”

Your liquid filling supplier shortlist starts here
30+ suppliers across sachets, pouches, bag-in-box, and stick packs. Free, no search required.
Read More
Your liquid filling supplier shortlist starts here
Retail multipack suppliers, all in one place
25+ vetted systems for cups, tubs, and bottles — shrink, paperboard, banding, clip, and more. Free download.
Read More
Retail multipack suppliers, all in one place