Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 16

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING TRENDS 35 Continued on next page C asting process simulation has been used by many foundries to design the process for production of castings before castings are made or before equipment is built or altered. Computer modeling has the ability to evaluate process designs in much less time, and at much less cost, than building equipment and producing sample castings. McKinsey defines industry 4.0 as “the next phase in the digitization of the manufacturing sector, driven by four disruptions: the astonishing rise in data volumes, computational power and connectivity, especially new low-power wide-area networks; the emergence of analytics and business intelligence capabilities (BI); new forms of human- machine interaction such as touch interfaces and augmented-reality systems; and improvements in transferring digital instructions to the physical world, such as advanced robotics and 3-D printing.” Industry 4.0 and IIoT will be changing the way foundries do business. In traditional foundries the information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) Industry 4.0 and Foundry Cyber Security departments were back room wire heads that no one in management understood their use of unheard- of acronyms. These two areas of expertise have very different priorities and goals that lead to a finished casting. We cannot live like that today. In Industry 4.0 and IIoT huge amounts of data are being created and shared in foundry operations such as: • Scheduling • Core making • Molding • Melting/liquid metal handling • Finishing • Heat treating • Machining • Shipping • Accounts payable • Accounts relievable • Payroll • Inventory control • Maintenance (perhaps the most important) This vast amount of information will be shared via IIoT, the cloud, digital threads, and real time data analytics. We will rely on our desktops, laptops, handheld devices to do things that were once done with memos and face to face communication. Obviously, there is a need for heightened cyber security. All this new technology and data transfer have given the criminals new ways to attack and rob us. Cyber attacks are a real threat regardless of the size of your business. I know this firsthand because my company’s bank account was robbed by cyber thieves. This painful incident is proof that cybercriminals are innovative, organized, and have no morals. That being said, your defense must be more innovative and organized. Despite this new threat many foundries have been slow to respond, often thinking we are well protected, or it cannot happen to us. There is no simple solution to protecting your foundry’s data. We must combine high tech security with a culture of workplace security and employee training. JOHN HALL President CMH Manufacturing Company ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Defending your company against cyber attacks • How to combine high tech security within your workplace • How to create a security plan