Other technology drivers

Beyond the traditional industrial protocol network, there are a number of new technologies that are entering the factory floor:

• Wireless solutions including WiFi, Bluetooth, and BLE are enabling manufacturing facilities to eliminate cabling and create more reconfigurable operations.
• Smart Phones, Tablets, and Laptops continue to be leveraged on the factory floor as operators, managers, and executives demand access to information. Visualization solutions that present close to real-time production metrics combined with business information systems allow teams to improve performance and respond to challenges faster.
• Man–Machine interaction will also be improved through new communication technologies for Functional Safety, allowing operators and machines to work together side by side.
• SCADA, ERP, CRM and other data management systems will share information providing each system more visibility into the overall company performance. Cloud-based solutions will allow for business to business information sharing, paving the way for smart industries where suppliers, manufacturers and customers work together to reduce waste and create a more sustainable system.
• Service teams will continue to leverage remote access to better predict system health and need for maintenance and other services to assure uptime and improved productivity. 
• Quality Teams will take advantage of remote data access to track the performance of their products in the field which will lead to higher levels of product quality.
• Security will continue to be a key differentiator as vendors look to deploy proven and trusted communication solutions. Vendors with more experience and significant numbers of deployed devices will be preferred over new entrants to the market.