Connected for the Greater Good

Looking back at 2015 there was one major recurring theme at every trade show, press conference and machine tool supplier-sponsored event: how to prepare for the impending Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and what it will mean for every manufacturing-related business. The name of the game is connectivity, and in this digital age it’s a wonder how so many machine shops have stood still as the rest of the world moves on. At Okuma America’s Manufacturing Excellence event in early December, Jeff Estes, director of the company’s Partners in THINC program, spoke on the topic of IIoT and noted how only 4 to 5% of machine tools are connected. He quipped how shops are still relying on paper for scheduling and a stopwatch for monitoring production.

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