Automation computers can be anywhere, and do very many things. Modern automation computers are connected to networks that may be connected to other networks throughout the plant, and via TCP/IP to the entire world.

So count‘em up! How many automation computers do you have? Did you overlook any?

Today, manufacturing organizations world wide are working on reducing complexity in the manufacturing process and increasing the transparency of processes throughout the enterprise.

The ability to communicate data from any part of the enterprise to any other part of the enterprise is core to making modern manufacturing work.

Every day, without thinking about it, we use hundreds of computers in every facet of our lives. Nearly every device with a display or a control in our homes, in our offices, and in our factories, has a computer in it. In our factories this is especially true.

As embedded computers have become ubiquitous, so too the need for human machine interfaces has grown.

Chasing Moore’s Law – The Truth Behind the OS and CPU Upgrades for Industrial PC Users