This year's Siemens Automation Summit was as eventful as ever and full of excellent presentations, informative sessions, and advanced technology. Here are some of our favorite moments from the 2016 Automation Summit.
Virtual Reality at the Tech Café
The Technology Café was well-attended and enjoyed by a variety of conference attendees. The Café consisted of four different stations with different Virtual Reality applications. Station One displayed a roller coaster application with billboards featuring Siemens Solution Partners that was custom-made for the Summit. The other stations had a race car application, a 360-degree tour of an electric panel, and a 3D video tour of a manufacturing line powered by Siemens technology. DMC helped develop each of these VR stations and we loved watching attendees enjoy them!
Also on display at the Tech Café was an Amazon Echo, a Bluetooth-enabled Tile tracker, and a Philips Hue Light. All of the participants were able to test drive these cool electronics.
Industry Insights
DMC had the opportunity to collaborate with other Siemens Solution Partners to produce a video series for the Summit as well. This video series is a fun way to highlight some of the reasons why you should work with a Solution Partner. Check out all four videos!
We had a great time networking with other Solution Partners and learning from their presentations. One presentation by SecureNOK on Industrial Network Security focused on the different kinds of threats that exist and some of the methods available for detecting and managing them. As DMC gets involved in more complex and critical projects, our customers are becoming increasingly aware of the security of their industrial networks and the risk of cyber or electronic attacks. We appreciated SecureNOK's insight into the state of industrial network security, specifically with Siemens-based automation solutions.
We also attended a session on "Training your Workforce" to learn how Siemens partners with both Solution Partners and universities to prepare the next generation of engineers. We found this very interesting as DMC is always growing. We enjoyed learning about upcoming products to be released during the roadmap sessions. The motion technologies session also provided lots of great technical detail directly from Siemens.
Leading Presentations
As we mingled with other attendees, we spread the word about the new Siemens Open Library. People were excited to learn about this free, Open Source Library that DMC developed in partnership with Siemens. I led a presentation on the Open Library's development and tools. We're proud of the positive response that it has received from Siemens users, and we hope the Siemens Open Library will continue to grow in the future as more users contribute.
Frank gave a presentation with Bill Henderson of Siemens on the new Siemens User Communities that we have been experimenting with and rolling out. He discussed the Chicagoland Siemens User Group (ChUG), and the potential for growing similar user communities in other locations.
Jimmy discussed tips and tricks for keeping your facility safe including information on a Siemens safety PLC. David also led a presentation with tips and tricks for motion with Siemens S7-1500 PLCs. These PLCs are now equipped with several powerful motion control options that can be leveraged for simple solutions. Finally, Jason Mayes gave a presentation in collaboration with Adam Belair and Mike Spaner of Proton OnSite. They focused on the motivations for a project they are doing together as well as the technical advantages provided using TIA Portal and the 1200F.
If you're interested in the content we presented, all DMC presentations from the Automation Summit are available on SlideShare.
Aside from all of the sessions and presentations, DMC had a great time meeting new people and networking at the Connect Event at the ARIA Casino on Monday night. We also enjoyed heading to the casino each night after all of the presentations and sessions were over to try our luck.
The Siemens Automation Summit was an action-packed week of learning from and connecting with industry leaders and peers, and one of our favorite events of the year!
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