Visiting My Godmother Dorothy Johnson in Glen Ellen, CA

Julie and I visited my godmother, Dorothy Johnson, at her Glen Ellen home.

Below are some pictures of me, Julie, my Aunt Dorothy and her oldest son Jim.  The last time I saw Jim was 47 years ago when I was 7 and he gave me a ride on his motorcycle.  We joked that we better not wait another 47 years :-)

Larry's Yacht With Golden Gate in Background

When we were visiting John and Janet we were on Alcatraz when the Oracle America's Cup yacht went flying by. 

Visit to Yosemite

Tim, John, Janet, Julie and me.

Napa and Sonoma Wine Tours

Below are some photos of our visit to John in San Francisco, where on the first day we did the Napa and Sonoma wine tours.

Me and Julie above at the Jacuzzi Winery with John and Janet below.

 

We had lunch in Sonoma with from the left - Julie, Gabe, John, Gabe's girlfriend Alena, Tim, Janet and me.

Tim and John shooting at Bass Pro Shops where we had to stop for a break.

Below was Tim's default restaurant - In-N-Out Burger.

The "Machine Whisperer" at [MC]2 2013

Below is a great video on The "Machine Whisperer" at [MC]2 2013 created by Jake Ervin and Diyana Hrzic of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology at [MC]2 2013.  This is part of IMTS iSPY Videos. 

Thanks Jake and Diyana - very creative!

Cyber Security and Manufacturing

Note: I wrote this article for the June 2013 IMTS Insider 

When you live in the Washington, DC, area, cyber security and security in general are simply a part of your daily life. This is true whether or not you are in the computer industry or a different industry altogether. As manufacturing continues to embrace complete supply chain integration, cradle to grave digital thread tracking of parts, open and royalty-free standards such as MTConnect, as well as networking across the board, the importance of cyber security in manufacturing will continue to grow. This article will be the first in a series of articles on the topic of cyber security.

At one end of the cyber security spectrum would be basic password security practices, and at the other end would be protecting a plant against a state-of-the-art nation-state attack on a manufacturer’s infrastructure. Most individuals have heard of the most famous cyber security event in manufacturing - Stuxnet. Stuxnet was a computer worm that targeted Siemens PLCs with the goal of remaining undetected, changing the frequency of drives to cause production issues with industrial equipment such as centrifuges. Iran’s nuclear program was believed to be a primary target. The scope of this series of articles is not designed for the level of detail needed to properly discuss the security issues needed to protect a company against a Stuxnet class piece of software. Instead, these articles will address the more common security practices that can help all companies in manufacturing, as well as other companies in different non-manufacturing industries.

The way to think about security is first from the absolute highest level and then work your way down from there. The highest levels of security have to do with the nature of information in general, such as data at rest and data in flight. Data at rest is information that is sitting on disk drives and should be encrypted. Data in flight refers to information that is being moved from one location to another and should also be encrypted. Encryption means that the information is “scrambled” and is not readable without the appropriate key. The size of these keys and the encryption algorithm are just a couple of the decisions that must be made. Individuals earn Ph.Ds researching these topics alone. The National Security Agency has acres of computers that are tasked with decrypting information as part of its Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) mission. The other key NSA mission is information assurance. We will discuss information assurance in future articles.

Does your company have a CSO – Chief Security Officer? If the company is a large, world-class manufacturer, they better have a CSO. If not, does your manufacturing plant undergo cyber security audits? Who in your company is responsible for cyber security? Being disconnected from the Internet is likely not a viable option. Some companies use a demilitarized zone as a security perimeter. A DMZ is a network that is fenced off a company’s network and acts as another security layer between the Internet and a company’s network.

If your company does have a CSO, then that person would be very aware of the resources that are available, such as U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division. NCSD operates the Control System Security Program. As is stated at the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team’s homepage, their mission is to “reduce risks within and across all critical infrastructure sectors by partnering with law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community and coordinating efforts among federal, state, local, and tribal governments and control systems owners, operators, and vendors. Additionally, ICS-CERT collaborates with international and private sector Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) to share control systems-related security incidents and mitigation measures.”

In the computer industry, the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute is where many times the first warnings of computer malware, viruses and worms are made known. These warnings and suggested procedures to remediate are sometimes called “CERTS” for short. Security experts carefully monitor the CERTS that come out to make sure they are being proactive in their cyber security measures.
Cyber security is a world unto itself and the goal of these articles is to explain these technical concepts in layman’s terms to help readers better understand, appreciate, and hopefully act upon.

NOTE: If there are specific areas of security that you would like me to address, then please comment on my blog here and I would be happy to incorporate them in a future article.

Come On Oracle, Get Serious About Java Security

In reading a blog post on Oracle's handling of Java's security, I read:

"Whenever Oracle makes an acquisition, acquired product lines are required to conform to Oracle policies and procedures, including those comprising Oracle Software Security Assurance.  As a result, for example, the Java development organization had to adopt Oracle’s Security Fixing Policies, which among other things mandate that issues must be resolved in priority order and addressed within a certain period of time"

Oracle, please..... Are you REALLY implying that Sun Microsystems did not take care of Java's security?

Robots and MTConnect at NIST

Great article on robots and MTConnect at NIST.  

Below is a snippet...

"Once uncommunicative industrial robots and machine tools are now beginning to talk turkey, thanks to a prototype application developed by a team of partner companies led by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). This application was successfully demonstrated and tested by manufacturing researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The practical advance stems from a “generic bridge” devised to span a costly, performance-slowing language barrier in factories. In effect, the innovation is a translator that converts data and messages written in two languages—one preferred by robotics researchers, ROS-Industrial, and the other by the builders of machine tools, MTConnect—into a form understandable to both.

The link eliminates the need to do a full-blown conversion of computer codes to get robots and machine tools from different vendors to handle complex interactions smoothly. Instead, using the bridge entails writing the equivalent of a mutually understood introduction—a “wrapper” in software parlance—that makes it possible for the entire message to get through."

DMG/MORI SEIKI Announces MTConnect Support For Machines with MAPPS Control

I thought this was a great announcement from DMG/MORI SEIKI.  Below is a snippet:

"As of June 1st, 2013, all new DMG/MORI SEIKI machines equipped with MAPPS control come installed with an MTConnect Standard V1.1 compliant MTConnect Adapter. With pre-installed MTConnect Adapters, DMG / MORI SEIKI customers will have a plug-and-play solution that allows easy, real-time monitoring of their machines—from anywhere, at any time. This remote-monitoring capabilityis enabled with MTConnect—a standard, open Web protocol that allows interconnectivity between manufacturing equipment, peripherals and software. For data collection, archiving and reporting, customers have the option of choosing DMG / MORI SEIKI as their single-source remote monitoring vendor, or a third-party vendor."

New white paper, “Getting Started with MTConnect – Shop Floor Monitoring, What’s in it for You?”

Below is the press release that came out from the MTConnect Institute on Thursday May 30, 2013.   Dave McPhail was the chair and I was the co-chair along with a very talented group of individuals whose companies are listed below in the press release.

The MTConnect Institute announces a new white paper, “Getting Started with MTConnect – Shop Floor Monitoring, What’s in it for You?” This white paper demonstrates the tangible benefits of monitoring a manufacturing plant using MTConnect, the open and royalty-free standard, as the way to collect data and information from the shop floor.

MTConnect is a set of open, royalty-free standards intended to foster greater interoperability between manufacturing controls, devices and software applications by publishing data over networks using the Internet Protocol.
The white paper discusses the almost limitless ways companies can use the data obtained via MTConnect to improve operations, track production and justify decisions that affect plant operations. Some of the common uses for shop floor data and topics covered in the paper include:

• •Production Dashboard;
• •Monitor Alerts; Equipment Availability and Usage;
• •Overall Equipment Effectiveness;
• •Production Reporting/Tracking;
• •Energy Conservation;
• •Mobile:  Anywhere, Anytime Access to Plant Floor Information;
• •Quality and Statistical Process Control;
• •Data Mining;
• •Genealogy; and
• •Security.

“The first and most obvious application for MTConnect is monitoring the shop floor to gather data, learn and make improvements based upon that knowledge. This white paper is written for the shop owner, plant manager or CEO,and focuses on the business-related features and benefits of MTConnect,” says Dave Edstrom, president and chairman of the board for the MTConnect Institute and the CEO/CTO of Virtual Photons Electrons.

David McPhail, president and CEO of Memex Automation and Chairman of the MTConnect Shop Floor Monitoring Working Group states, “As vendors of shop floor monitoring systems, we are often asked by prospective customers ‘what’s in it for me?’ and ‘how do I specifically benefit from an expenditure in monitoring my shop floor operations?’. This white paper answers those questions directly and our hope is that it creates the desire for prospective users to move from thought to action. The uses of data collected from the shop floor are vast, create immense business value, and should appeal to a wide array of end users.

This guide was created by the MTConnect Shop Floor Monitoring Working Group, made up of members of the MTConnect Institute Technical Advisory Group, with McPhail as the working group Chairman and Edstrom as its Co-Chairman. Working group members are a mix of MTConnect software and hardware solution providers, as well as end users who have real-life experience with MTConnect at their manufacturing facilities:

• •Memex Automation Inc. (Chair)
• •General Dynamics – OTS
• •Scytec Consulting Inc.
• •MacKintok Inc.
• •Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc.  (CCAT) 
• •Task Force Tips
• •Remmele Engineering, Inc.
• •System Insights, Inc.
• •Virtual Photons Electrons, LLC (Co-Chair)

The ‘Monitoring Your Shop Floor’ white paper is the companion document to the MTConnect Institute’s ‘Connectivity Guide’ white paper. The ‘Monitoring Your Shop Floor’ white paper provides the ‘why,’ and the ‘Connectivity Guide’ provides the ‘how.’ Together these two white papers provide businesses with a complete explanation of the benefits of using MTConnect as the conduit to monitoring a shop or plant.

Both white papers are available at MTConnect.org under GettingStarted/WhitePapers/Manufacturers.

Sun Microsystems - SunDC - 4:30pm on Wednesday July 17th at Coastal Flats in Tyson's !

Attention Sun DC Alum!

There is going to be another summer Sun reunion party on Wednesday July 17, 4:30 p.m. at the same location we did last year -
Coastal Flats, Tyson's Corner Center (Tyson's 1). 

In order to help prepare the staff at Coastal Flats for the crowd, please respond to sundcreunion  ( at )  gmail.com if you can attend!  Please also help us spread the word and forward to all your old Sun friends.

We hope to see everyone there!

CRenshaw, DEdstrom, DWalker, KFox, REbling

Memorial Day 2013

Thanks to my father John Kenneth Edstrom who did two tours of duty in Vietnam as an officer in the Air Force.  My father is also in the very unique category in that he was awarded TWO BRONZE STARS for the two tours of duty for his countless acts of bravery in his two years in Vietnam.  The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service.  

Thanks to my cousin Chris Edstrom who has done two tours of duty in Iraq and two in Afghanistan and who is back to both countries now as a contractor.  Thanks to Dr. Harry Foxwell, Paul Warndorf and Brad Kirley for their service to our country.

History of Veterans Day as stated at TimeAndDate.com

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect. On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed the day should be "filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory". There were plans for parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business activities at 11am.


In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested that the president should "issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples."

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) was approved on May 13, 1938, which made November 11 in each year a legal holiday, known as Armistice Day. This day was originally intended to honor veterans of World War I. A few years later, World War II required the largest mobilization of service men in the history of the United States and the American forces fought in Korea. In 1954, the veterans service organizations urged Congress to change the word "Armistice" to "Veterans". Congress approved this change and on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor all American veterans, where ever and whenever they had served.

In 1968 the Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) made an attempt to move Veterans Day to the fourth Monday of October. The bill took effect in 1971. However, this caused a lot of confusion as many states disagreed with this decision and continued to hold Veterans Day activities on November 11. In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which stated that Veterans Day would again be observed on November 11 from 1978 onwards. Veterans Day is still observed on November 11.

Harry Foxwell always sends out a nice email to Sun employees (and I imagine others).  Two years ago, he asked the question: Do you know where your veterans are?

Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/tomb_of_the_unknowns.html
National World War II Memorial: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
Marine Corps Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/usmc.htm
US Navy Memorial: http://www.navymemorial.org/
Air Force Memorial: http://www.airforcememorial.org/
Korean War Veterans Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/kowa//index.htm
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/vive/index.htm
Vietnam Women's Memorial: http://www.visitingdc.com/memorial/vietnam-women%27s-memorial.htm
Iraq Veterans Memorial: http://iraqmemorial.org/

Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov/

Cunningham car and 1933 dietrich KB Lincoln V12 at Katie's Koffee Klatch

At Katie's Koffee Klatch there was an original Cunningham.  I knew nothing about the Cunningham until Steve and Mike Ferry educated me on this very unique race car.  Below are the two brothers who inherited this car.  Their uncle and father purchased it originally and it was literally left in a field for some time until they decided to have it completely restored.  The two brothers recently inherited this great car. 

Julie's grandparents on her mom's side name was Cunningham, so that got my attention as well.

Here is the brief history snippet from wikipedia on the creator of this car - Briggs Swift Cunningham II (January 19, 1907 – July 2, 2003) was an American entrepreneur and sportsman, who raced automobiles and yachts. Born into a wealthy family, he became a racing car constructor, driver, and team owner as well as a sports car manufacturer and automobile collector.

He skippered the first victorious 12-Metre yacht Columbia in the 1958 America's Cup race, and invented the eponymous device, the Cunningham, to increase the speed of racing sailboats.

He was featured on the April 26, 1954 cover of Time magazine, with three of his Cunningham racing cars. The caption reads: Road Racer Briggs Cunningham: Horsepower, Endurance, Sportsmanship. He became an early member of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC), an invitation-only club formed to honor notable road racing drivers.

The October 2003 Road & Track magazine article, "Briggs Swift Cunningham—A Life Well Spent", states that "by building and sailing his own ships, and building and racing his own cars, Briggs Cunningham epitomized the definition of the American sportsman." He was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1993, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1997, and named to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2003."

The one brother that Steve, Mike and I were speaking with (the driver in the photo above) echoed the story on the racing stripes that is also listed on wikipedia:  "Cunningham's cars were the first to be painted with racing stripes. The traditional Cunningham racing colors were blue stripes on white, at that time the international racing colors of the United States. Carroll Shelby, who competed against Cunningham and his team, adopted these colors and revived the Cunningham Team stripes for his own brand of race cars."

Below is one of the coolest four door convertibles I have ever seen - 1933 dietrich KB Lincoln V12

Checkout the video that is on YouTube on this very unique car.

There is a great article on RM Auctions on a similar 1933 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan by Dietrich.  Below is a snippet.  (you should go check out the complete article and the photos there as well).

"150 bhp, 447.9 cu. in. L-head V-12 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, four-wheel power-assisted mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 145"

• One of 15 built, four known in the CCCA
• 96.5 points, first place at CCCA 2011 National Grand Classic
• Single-family ownership for a half century, including former president of Lincoln Owners Club

The 1920s were a time of mechanical improvement at Lincoln. Four-wheel brakes, initially fitted for police service, were adopted across the board in 1927. For 1928, the engine was bored out to 385 cubic inches, which, with larger valves and higher compression, improved its torque characteristics. Rubber engine mounts were added in 1929 to reduce vibration, and the brakes were changed to the internal-expanding type, with cooling fins added to the rear drums.

In 1931 came a new model, the K. A cruciform-braced chassis frame had a wheelbase of 145 inches and allowed a much lower stance. A new peaked radiator and longer hood combined with more flowing fenders to give the car a more graceful, streamlined look. Underneath, synchromesh and free-wheeling were added to the transmission, and cable-operated Bendix Duo-Servo brakes were adopted. The engine, too, was new, with five main bearings. Although it had exactly the same displacement as its predecessor, higher compression and better manifolding netted a third more horsepower.

For 1932, Lincoln took a page from the Cadillac playbook and introduced a V-12 engine in the new KB model. But where Cadillac’s was a 45-degree overhead valve unit of 368 cubic inches making 135 bhp, Lincoln went for a 65-degree L-head displacing 447.9 cubic inches. It weighed half a ton and developed 150 bhp. In a final nod to Henry Leland, it used fork-and-blade connecting rods, though it would be the last Lincoln engine to do so. For one final season the V-8 returned, as a Model KA on the short 136-inch wheelbase used in 1930."

Thanks to Ken Tock and Gary Bronson of MacKintok - MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know

Thanks to Ken Tock and Gary Bronson of MacKintok for highlighting my book - MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know on their homepage!

Thanks guys!

Ken and Gary have done a fantastic job with MTConnect and are real thought leaders in manufacturing.  MacKintok is the company that did such a fantastic job with the MTConnect website and MTConnect Forum!

Thanks to Dave McPhail and John Rattray of Memex Automation - MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know

Thanks to the great folks at Memex Automation - Dave McPhail and John Rattray - for showcasing my book, MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know at Memex Automation!

Memex Automation have been real leaders in the area of MTConnect - with Dave and John leading the way.  Dave McPhail has led the two most important white papers the Institute has delivered:

• Getting Started With MTConnect:  Connectivity Guide
• Getting Started With MTConnect:  Shop Floor Monitoring, What's In It For You?

Thanks Dave and John!

ISO 13399 and MTConnect - Nice Article in Mold Making Technology

There is a nice article in Mold Making Technology called, "Kennametal Takes Leadership Role Supporting MTConnect® and ISO 13399".

Tom Muller at Kennametal and Kennametal are huge supporters of MTConnect and this article does a nice job of talking about the importance of working with other standards to continue to enhance MTConnect.  

ISO 13399 is very important standard that we have adopted at MTConnect.  Below is some high level info on ISO 13399.

As wikipedia states:  "The official title of ISO 13399 is Cutting tool data representation and exchange.

 ISO 13399 is an International Standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange of industrial product data. The objective is to provide a mechanism that is capable of describing product data regarding cutting tools, independent from any particular system. The nature of this description makes it suitable not only for neutral file exchange, but also as a basis for implementing and sharing product databases and archiving, regarding cutting tools.
Typically ISO 13399 can be used to exchange data between CAD, CAM, CAE, PDM/EDM and other CAx systems.

The usage of the ISO 13399 standard will simplify the exchange of data for cutting tools. Expected results are lower cost for managing the information about tools and a more accurate and efficient usage of manufacturing resources. The ISO 13399 has been developed with contributions from AB Sandvik Coromant, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Kennametal Inc, and Ferroday Ltd."

Below is from the Mold Making Technology article:

"Cutting tools can be an extremely valuable data source for shops to monitor, collect, and study, says Tom Muller, senior manager, Innovation Ventures Group, at Kennametal Inc. He chairs the MTConnect Institute’s working group on cutting tools and reported to the conference on ISO 13399 – Cutting Tool Data Representation and Exchange. Noting that MTConnect is a protocol and that ISO 13399 is an international standard, Muller demonstrated that MTConnect does not have to go into the standards development business."

The article goes on to state, "Since ISO 13399 already defines and standardizes such cutting tool attributes as cutting diameter, edge angle, body diameter, overall length, functional length, and functional width, among many others, MTConnect can simply adopt the ISO 13399 definitions and achieve a consistent language for exchanging data between machine tools, tool data management systems, presetters, and even CAD/CAM systems. Shops can literally monitor a customer’s project from art to part, efficiently gathering data from every step."

 

Agreeing With Ted Nugent's Brother On Background Checks

Most of my relatives have guns and love to hunt.  I think that is fantastic and support them 100%.  I read an article, by Ted Nugent's brother Jeffrey, which is very thoughtful and well written.  It appears in today's Washington Post .  Jeffrey Nugent is listed as the former president and chief executive of Revlon.  The article is titled, "Jeffrey Nugent says his brother Ted Nugent is wrong on background checks".

Mr. Nugent states, "'I believe strongly that expanding and improving mandatory background checks will keep a lot of people who aren’t entitled to Second Amendment rights from having easy access to guns. As of today, a convicted felon can find a gun show or a private seller and buy a firearm without a background check. That loophole should be closed. Every gun transaction must include a thorough background check. Why would responsible gun owners want to protect people who threaten not only our safety but our gun rights?"

Mr. Nugent goes on to say, "The NRA has it wrong: Irresponsible gun owners are bad for everyone. If you shouldn’t have access to a gun, then there should be no way for you to access a gun! Can anyone argue with that?

Consider the mentally ill, one of the biggest threats to firearm safety. How do we preserve their rights to health privacy while keeping firearms out of their hands? It’s a huge concern, given the role mental illness has played in recent gun-violence tragedies. While some states have made progress, it’s far from universal.

But convicted felons, people with restraining orders against them and those with a history of mental illness can still find ways to purchase weapons. No one should stand for this."

According to another article that appeared in April in the Washington Post (that is often quoted):

 "Nine in 10 Americans support expanding background checks on gun purchases in a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, an extraordinary level of agreement on a political issue and a finding that’s been duplicated in nearly every major public poll. "
 

The actual number is 91% of ALL Americans want background checks.  Of course this makes sense. But, as we all know, most politicians do not listen to the American people, they listen to what affects their wallets.  What affects their wallets is donors and lobbyists.  Most politicians are scared to death of the NRA and afraid that they will be "scored by the NRA" or "primaried" and lose their jobs and thus their income.

It has been stated by some pundits that it certainly appears that the NRA was for background checks until President Obama was for background checks:

"New York magazine, in a January 2013 story, dug up the advertising campaign LaPierre mentioned in his testimony. Titled "Be reasonable," the NRA ads that ran in national newspapers said, "We think it's reasonable to provide for instant checks at gun shows just like at gun stores and pawn shops. But what's unreasonable is how the proposed Lautenberg legislation ignores the 250,000 prohibited people, like felons, who've walked away from gun stores — instead of being prosecuted for a federal felony for trying to buy a gun."

Mr. Nugent ends his well written article with, "Let’s see if the NRA and its new leaders step up and do what is right. If not, it will get done without them. We all have a role here, especially to protect our children. Who is going to be the voice for them?

This requires nothing less than a major culture shift. It’s been done before. We just have to do it again."

Mr. Nugent is partially right.  It will require an organization that has the money and leadership that the NRA has and is in it for the long haul.   Maybe "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" can do it.  We'll see....

Press Release: Author Uses Computer Industry’s Best Practices to Ignite A Revolution in Manufacturing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Dave Edstrom Virtual Photons Electrons, LLC (703) 829-six zero five nine http://ToMeasureIsToKnow.com

Author Uses Computer Industry’s Best Practices to Ignite A Revolution in Manufacturing

In many manufacturing facilities around the world, the production environment has not changed for generations. Stack lights still proclaim when equipment is malfunctioning, and shop owners, as well as plant operators, have very little insight into what is really happening on the shop floor. Manufacturing will undergo a revolution that obliterates these stagnant trends, predicts author Dave Edstrom, if machine shop owners and plant operators embrace the open mindset of the computer industry and apply the open standards that make it easier for IT equipment to interoperate.

According to Edstrom, a computer industry veteran who spent over two decades as a leader at Sun Microsystems, the best resource machine shop owners can use to start this revolution is MTConnect®. “Think of MTConnect as simply the Bluetooth® of manufacturing that makes it easy to get information off your manufacturing equipment,” says Edstrom. “MTConnect is not an application, but it makes it very easy for applications to read data in a common and universal format. ‘Different Devices, Common Connection’ is what we say about MTConnect.”

In his new book, MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know, Edstrom explains the lessons of open systems and how to think about problem solving, learn about MTConnect from a business perspective, and understand the MTConnect standard and protocol.

“Sun Microsystems forever changed the world of computing in many significant ways,” says Scott McNealy, co-founder, president and chairman of the board for Sun Microsystems. “Dave's book, MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know, is a great way to not only learn about this game-changing technology called MTConnect, but to understand how the open system principles, that we believed so strongly in at Sun Microsystems, can be applied to manufacturing.”

According to John Byrd, former president of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology, “MTConnect will be more important in the 21st century for manufacturing than CNC was for manufacturing in the 20th century.”

To truly understand and embrace MTConnect, Edstrom first notes that a strong shift in thinking is required by most manufacturers.  Through MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know, Edstrom explains how thinking like an IT industry leader will help ensure successful use of MTConnect.

“It is first a book about how to properly think about open systems and technology and, most importantly, how to apply that thinking in manufacturing followed by the specifics on MTConnect,” says Edstrom. “This is both a business and a technical book.”

According to Edstrom, those who would benefit from reading this book and learning about MTConnect include:

·       Anyone who wants to understand the right way to think about technology and its business and technical implications

·       Shop owners, plant managers, and anyone in manufacturing interested in improving productivity

·       Industry thought leaders

·       MTConnect® Institute participants

·       Equipment suppliers

·       Students

·       Professors

·       Software developers

·       Distributors

·       Integrated Software Vendors (ISVs)

·       Integrators

·       Consultants

·       Anyone wanting to learn more about open systems, problem solving, and how to think about the application of technology

·       Anyone wanting to learn more about MTConnect

For more information please visit http://ToMeasureIsToKnow.com

Dave Edstrom is the CEO/CTO for Virtual Photons Electrons, president and chairman of the board for the MTConnect Institute and has been in the computer industry for more than 34 years. Edstrom worked for Sun Microsystems for almost 23 years in a variety of leadership positions. He has held a variety of positions ranging from an assembler programmer, technical management, system engineer, chief technologist, technical director, and principal engineer for a variety of companies. Edstrom, along with Dr. David Patterson of University of California at Berkeley, planted the seed and helped lay the foundation for MTConnect at the 2006 Association for Manufacturing Technology’s (AMT) Annual Meeting at Lake Las Vegas, Nevada. Edstrom was named president and chairman of the board for the MTConnect Institute in May 2010 and continues in that role today.  MTConnect® is a registered trademark of AMT - The Association for Manufacturing Technology.

Virtual Photons Electrons Becomes MTConnect Institute Partner

On April 21st, 2013, my company, Virtual Photons Electrons, became an MTConnect Institute Partner because of the dollar amount (over $50,000) of "in kind" hours contributions that I made for the [MC]2 2013 Conference.

Institute Partners - $50,000

• rotating logo recognition on front page - 2 years
• 40 hours of MTConnect Institute experts time  --WAIVED
• Press release announcement to media --WAIVED
• Feature story on the front page of MTConnect.org --WAIVED
• Recognition and benefits for each year as an [MC]2 Gold Sponsor

[MC]2 2013 - Big Success in Cincinnati

This appears in the May 8, 2013 IMTS Insider

-By Penny Brown and Dave Edstrom

NOTE: Penny Brown works for AMT and wears many hats including writer, editor, interviewer, on camera talent, ...

On April 9-11 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second [MC]2 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference was held and it was a big success. [MC]2 is about all the many ways that shops and plants are connecting with MTConnect to truly know what is happening on the manufacturing floor so they can improve production.

It is important to understand that MTConnect is not an evolution in manufacturing, but a revolution. MTConnect is making possible the dreams and desires of generations of manufacturers, machine tool builders and manufacturing equipment providers who all want to see the same goal of different devices having a common connection on the plant floor. [MC]2 2013 was a true inflection point for manufacturing with a strong lineup of fantastic speakers, moderators, panelists and instructors.

[MC]2 2013 kicked off with a keynote from Steve Fritzinger, Virtualization Alliance Manager for NetApp and economics contributor for BBC, titled “Manufacturing with Darwin, Moore and Metcalfe,” which stressed a company's need for adaptation and continual change in order to remain competitive. He also stressed that MTConnect implementers need to use dedication and focus to see results. “Initially, going to an automated shop floor is like going to the gym on January 1,” Fritzinger said. “If you stick with that resolution and see it through, you'll see results. But if you don't, you'll just end up back where you started.”

As the day's sessions continued, an exciting announcement was made regarding the kickoff of the MTConnect Challenge, a DoD-sponsored competition that seeks ideas and applications for MTConnect, with a total of $250,000 in cash prizes for finalists and winners. Those seeking more details about this competition can learn more atMTConnect.challenge.gov. This is an extremely exciting announcement and really proves how important MTConnect has become in not only manufacturing, but in the United States Department of Defense.

Day two opened with a keynote from John Meyer, Senior Technical Competitive Analyst with IBM, titled “Processing Zetabytes: The Technologies Enabling Big Data and Analytics,” which focused on the evolution of computing, the rise of big data and the opportunities this data creates. Meyer showed that the exponential growth in big data will be led by sensor data, and MTConnect will be critical in the world of massive analytics in years to come.

Throughout the conference there were panels, business sessions and technical workshops, hands-on labs to show how to write MTConnect adapters, and a concluding keynote from Douglas Woods, President of AMT, discussing the technological future of manufacturing and the need to ensure the industry's strength in the United States. “I think what is so cool about the [MC]2 is that it shows the ever increasing importance of MTConnect and open interoperability standards to propel manufacturing technology to new heights,” Woods said. “I can remember people questioning whether anyone would come to the first [MC]2 event a year or so ago, let alone attend a second event a year later. But the large number of attendees at both events makes obvious the criticality of this standard and the interest from users, developers, builders, media, etc. to accelerate manufacturing into the world of big data, analytics and productivity enhancement applications.”

The first [MC]2 in 2011 laid out the foundation for MTConnect, describing the pillars of the standard. [MC]2 2013 built upon that success. As we look out into 2014, we are going to increase the emphasis of the manufacturing solutions that are being built using MTConnect. [MC]2 2014 will connect manufacturers to the solutions that will save time and money by being more productive. They will have the information they need anytime, anywhere and on any device. We will connect developers to the tools they need to develop agents and adapters as well as client applications. We will connect exhibitors to manufacturers. We will connect professors and students to those in manufacturing who are the thought leaders. We will connect those new to MTConnect to the most exciting change to manufacturing since the invention of the CNC. MTConnect – Different Devices, Common Connect. Stay tuned for details on [MC]2 2014!