SAP
“ We ' re seeing a convergence of operational tech and information tech around workplace changes ”
ANDY HANCOCK GLOBAL VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE , SAP
manufacturing sites , warehouses - they ' re all struggling to get and retain talent . So we ' re seeing a convergence of operational tech and information tech around such workplace changes .”
Such changes in workplace practices are driving “ hybrid data streams ”, says Hancock . “ You ' ve got on-premise capability and also cloud capability ,” he adds .
The on-premise capability Hancock refers to is so-called edge computing - a distributed computing model that brings computation closer to the sources of data .
“ If you have local processing power it can be invaluable ,” he says . “ For instance , if a machine is going out of tolerance at a paper mill and there was a delay in sending this data up to the cloud and back then you could have lost a hundred metres of product by the time the machine is switched off . So the idea is that local machine-learning tech understands the machine is out of tolerance , and without any human action needed .”
The other benefit of edge computing is that , being a local solution , connected machines never stop communicating .
“ They ’ re chatting 24 / 7 , creating data ,” Hancock says . “ The idea is that you discard most of this and look for the exception - the piece of data that shows a machine is overheating , or out of calibration , or whatever it is .”
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