Microsoft Robotics Studio for
Manufacturers.
Each year I attend the Microsoft Worldwide Partner
conference. Two years ago as Steve Ballmer delivered his
keynote address he presented a slide to show all the new products
Microsoft had released that year. In the bottom corner I
caught a glimpse of an obscure reference to Microsoft Robotics
Studio. Being in manufacturing for small and mid-market
companies, this peaked my interest and I started to follow the
product. The next year as part of a new product demonstration
on the main stage Robotics Studio got its 15 minutes of fame in
front of all the partners in attendance. The demo was
actually disappointing, but the fact it got time reinforced my
belief Robotics Studio might be an up and comer for the real-time
enterprise. At that same conference the product had a booth
and I had the opportunity to talk to one of the product
managers. That conversation in addition to all my research
made me realize that this was not a niche product targeted to
robotics hobbyists. I realized it has real potential based on
some of the observations made below.
The Digital House
There has been a lot of discussion about the digital house. I
have seen refrigerators with internet access and game consoles
delivering on demand movies but what is going to be the brains for
the digital house. The gaming industry manufacturers are
adding features to achieve that goal and the audio visual companies
are making their play but does either groups have the right
technology base to provide the standardized brains to pull it all
together. I would argue that the right technology foundation
would derive its roots from robotics and the associated
asynchronous technology. This is not a trivial market and
Microsoft has a technology and the pull to deliver.
Manufacturing
Next, I look at the software currently running and connecting
devices on the shop floor for companies who participate in the
manufacturing value chain. This realm is dominated by PLCs
and software/tools provided by equipment manufacturers. The
programming languages and standards are fragments and
archaic. Some companies like Siemens can provide an
end-to-end solution but these solutions are not practical for the
small, mid-market manufacturers. The disconnect on the shop
floor makes it very difficult for companies pursuing concepts like
the Real-Time Enterprise or trying to bridge the gaps between the
front office and the shop floor. If Microsoft can provide the
R&D required to deliver a product for the shop floor that
commoditizes the software for device manufacturers and easily
connects equipment, there are huge productivity gains
available.
Zero Labor
Manufacturers and other industries participating in the
manufacturing value chain have realized the benefits of offshore
labor to reduce costs. To compete against this labor model
the keys for US based manufacturing's viability is innovation,
speed to market, and short lead-times. But as energy prices
rise, the pressure on firms to reduce their carbon footprint
increases, and a stable, low cost labor force is more difficult to
find will manufacturing return to the US through Zero Labor
investments. When you look at history we can use agriculture
as an example. Large numbers of people used to harvest but we
now have farming equipment to do the work. We used to dig
holes by hand but now there are backhoes.
As manufacturing becomes a fully mature industry can we remove
labor as a major cost driver and return production to local
sources. The keys to this movement will be investment in
automated machinery, the implementation of robotics, and the
increased use of information technology. I see a drastic
change coming and Robotic is one of the keys. We have to move
to lower labor and transportation costs but we are not going to be
able to lose the flexibility we have gained by shopping the world
market for specific capabilities. Robotics allows us to
create flexible work centers that can adjust quickly to changes in
market demand. It is my belief that manufacturing equipment,
robotics, and information technology will merge as we drive towards
Zero Labor capabilities. Microsoft Robotics Studio has the
potential to enable this trend.