World without wires

Abstract

Wireless technology, now the networking backbone in homes and offices worldwide, is about to see widespread adoption where it will have, perhaps, its most profound impact: on the plant floor and out in the field. The desire for new and improved business processes extends across all types of manufacturing. A major factor favouring greater deployment of wireless technologies in manufacturing is the ability of wireless applications to enable new and better ways of operating manufacturing plants, and process manufacturing stands to feel the greatest impact. Field operations within a process plant are a classic case of the need for more information that can only be delivered wirelessly. Historically, process manufacturing has not been able to use wireless on a broad scale, but new sensor networking and WLAN developments wifi soon change this, presenting a huge opportunity for manufacturers who can use wireless to gain visibility into hidden processes, assets, and activities. These now represent 'invisible' assets still not well integrated into the enterprise.