Industrial Networks, IIoT and Communications – panel discussion Jan 12th.

PI UK is taking an active part in Talking Industry’s six-part series focusing on Industrial Networks, IIOT and Communications, with the first discussion on Tue Jan 12th, commencing 10:00 UK time.

Why the discussion?

Connectivity is a one-word summary for the Industry 4.0 revolution. From fieldbus to industrial Ethernet, from proprietary technologies to open standards, the evolution of network technologies has improved productivity and increased the interoperability of communication.

Industrial networking and IIoT are complementary. The importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) have increased dramatically with massive numbers of interconnected devices, but at the cost of new cybersecurity challenges.

The Talking Industry panellists will focus on three broad areas:

• Taking that first step in the Industry 4.0 revolution.
  • What the options and how do they vary for companies, small and large, and in different sectors?
• Enabling technologies in industrial communications.
  • The importance of uniform standards. Are proprietary systems on the way out?
• Moving data from the manufacturing plant through the enterprise
  • what are the technical issues and security implications?

[Register here]

Panellists include:

Chris McComb – PROFIBUS & PROFINET International – PI UK

Chartered Engineer with over 25 years experience in the automation industry. Currently Managing Director of a market leading System Integrator iTech, who specialise in a wide range of automation solutions which includes industrial networks, robotics and digitalisation. 15 years + experience with Siemens/ABB as a corporate account manager advising key global clients on automation, integrated drive solutions, electrification and laterally digitalisation. Prior to that a special purpose machine designer and builder delivering custom machine designs for most industries: Food & Beverage; Metal & Plastics; CPG’s; Electronics; Oil & Gas; Chemical & Life Sciences. A passion for delivering solutions to meet clients requirements, now developing into a desire to educate and deliver solutions they haven’t devised yet. Chris is an active and valued member of PI UK’s Steering Committee.

Michaël Lefeuvre – Product Manager Europe – RED LION CONTROLS

Michaël Lefeuvre joins Red Lion Controls as Product Manager Europe, strengthening the Global Product Management team based in the US. An important part of his job is to position the Red Lion product portfolio in the regional markets and to support the sales and marketing team. He gained his experience and knowledge in more than a decade working in various departments of Red Lion Controls. Red Lions Controls is a long-term member of PI UK.

Daniel Phillips-Fern, UK Country Manager, IXON Cloud

Since joining to lead IXON’s UK division in 2018, Daniel has been on a mission to help machine builders and system integrators improve their service, support and data analytics offering through the power of IIoT. Many companies have the will to start implementing Industrial IoT, but are not sure how. Therefore, Daniel supports companies to take the first steps. He aspires to help them grow and shows them why innovation is critical for the company’s future success. This resulted in a large period of growth for IXON in the UK over the past two years.’

Andy Pye – Talking Industry Chair – DFA Media

Andy is known to many in the engineering and automation industry in the UK, and has edited many leading design and manufacturing titles over the past four decades. Andy is a graduate material engineer and spent five years in engineering consultancy prior to joining the technical publishing industry in 1980. Andy was a founder and shareholder in the start-up e-publishing business Pro-Talk, which launched in 1999 and was bought by Centaur Publishing in 2006. Andy is now Consultant editor at DFA Media and Chair of Talking Industry.

[Register here]