Processing's Weekly Mixer: How SCADA and analytics software improve OEE, and more
Welcome to the latest installment of Processing's Weekly Mixer, which highlights recent content from EndeavorB2B brands relevant to process manufacturers.
This week's entry features content from Automation World, Chemical Processing and Pharma Manufacturing, as well as this week's content from Processing.
How SCADA and analytics software improve OEE
From Automation World: Emerson's Silvia Gonzalez outlines how manufacturers can eliminate data silos, improve OEE metrics and transform manufacturing operations with real-time insights by integrating SCADA and analytics software.
Gonzalez writes:
With all the changes impacting manufacturing — from both a business and technology perspective — over the last few decades, companies are looking at new strategies to drive operational excellence. For example, we see original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) seeking ways to build more insightful, intuitive machines to help their customers improve operations. Simultaneously, end-user manufacturers are looking for technologies to improve operations on the factory floor to drive efficiency, reduce waste and upskill their personnel.
The approach both OEMs and end-user manufacturers are using involves using technology to replace manual practices and uncover new operational insights.
Dow's AI push: A blueprint for the industry or a play to investors?
From Chemical Processing: Dow's AI initiative drew praise from some and accusations of ‘AI washing’ from others who question its actual impact on operations and the bottom line.
Executive editor Jonathan Katz writes:
When Dow announced it would lay off about 4,500 employees Jan. 29, the reduction in force was significant but by no means unusual. Several large players in the chemical sector have made similar moves in recent years to manage costs amid a weak market.
But the Midland, Michigan-based company made a bold statement that connected two trends many workers fear are linked: job cuts and artificial intelligence adoption.
A Dow spokesperson didn’t elaborate on how the AI initiative, called Transform to Outperform, would be deployed or exactly which job functions it would impact, but she indicated roles would evolve as the program advances.
“The transformation is designed to strengthen how we operate by removing complexity, reducing bureaucracy and breaking down silos so it is easier and more efficient to get things done, said Dow spokesperson Sarah Young in a Jan. 29 email to Chemical Processing. “Headcount reduction decisions will be based on business need and the roles required going forward, as we put the right roles in the right areas of the company to better align with the changing market landscape and with the needs of our customers.”
The company’s ambiguous statement drew a strong reaction from several industry veterans. Some viewed the AI focus as a competitive necessity. Others dismissed Dow's emphasis on the technology as a ploy to please investors, a tactic that’s known as “AI washing.”
Connected packaging and the future of pharma manufacturing
From Pharma Manufacturing: Pharmaceutical packaging is undergoing rapid transformation as connectivity, sustainability, automation and evolving regulatory demands reshape how medicines are protected, tracked and delivered. From smart packaging features and prefilled injectables to e-commerce fulfillment and digital compliance systems, packaging and equipment investment decisions are increasingly tied to flexibility, data visibility, and long-term modernization.
In the lastest episode of the Off Script podcast, PM speaks with Rebecca Marquez, director of custom research at PMMI, about the association’s latest Trends and Challenges in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing white paper. The conversation explores how connected packaging technologies are strengthening relationships between manufacturers, regulators and patients; why sustainability initiatives are advancing despite material performance and validation challenges; and how growth in biologics and prefilled injectables is driving new packaging and equipment demands. Marquez also breaks down the regulatory documentation gap between OEMs and end users, the rise of automation technologies and more.
Listen to the episode below.
Recapping the week on Processing:
Articles
Contamination control and regulatory compliance in industrial screening
Rewiring communication on the factory floor for connected manufacturing operations
Silent failure: Why cyber risk is a functional safety issue
Restructured PTFE: The optimal sealing solution for continuous pulp mill digesters
Webinar
Achieving uniformity: Key principles for blending, sampling, and controlling segregation in bulk solids processing
Podcast
Industrial wastewater treatment at scale: Rethinking produced water in oil & gas
In this Processing Pros episode LiqTech's Brent Halldorson discusses how high-capacity membrane filtration is reshaping reuse economics in upstream oil and gas water management. Listen below.