June 3, 2025 • 24 mins
Your industrial network isn't just infrastructure—it's the lifeline of your manufacturing operation. Without a properly designed and installed network, you're setting yourself up for productivity losses, frustrating downtime, and potentially compromising worker safety.
Manufacturing environments present unique challenges that office-grade networking equipment simply can't handle. Vibration, contaminants, extreme temperatures, and electromagnetic interference quickly destroy standard components, yet many facilities continue using consumer-grade solutions that inevitably fail. From patch panels duct-taped to beams to unshielded cables running alongside power lines, these makeshift setups might save money initially but prove catastrophically expensive when they fail at critical moments.
A comprehensive network assessment prevents problems before they escalate into expensive failures. This process examines everything from component selection (choosing appropriate cables, connectors, and switches) to performance requirements (understanding latency needs from basic HMI applications to precision motion control systems). Security implementation through frameworks like CPWE ensures protection at every level while maintaining operational uptime.
What makes industrial networks particularly challenging is that they only grow larger over time. Today's network is the smallest it will ever be, as facilities continually add devices, sensors, and capabilities. This constant expansion demands forward-thinking design that can accommodate growth without compromising performance, particularly for time-sensitive applications where even microsecond delays cause significant problems.
Ready to take control of your industrial network? Connect with our team of experts who can help assess your current infrastructure and design a robust, secure solution that will support your smart manufacturing journey. Visit EECOOnline.com to get started today and stop leaving your operation's lifeline to chance.
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Host: Chris Grainger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Eco Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes that
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast, we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to ECO Asks why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
I'm looking forward to spendingsome time with you today.
We're going to continue ourconversation we've been having
over the last few months aroundsmart manufacturing.
At the end of the day, it's ajourney and we're here to help
(00:44):
you.
Now we started talking aboutwhy this journey is important to
start with.
Why does it matter?
Why should you even care aboutthis?
So you can go back in a fewpodcasts ago I spent some time
unpacking that at length.
Then we really started divinginto modernization and looking
at our infrastructure to an nthdegree right and starting
(01:06):
shifting the mindset to smartmanufacturing of like what the
current state was and what ismodernization, why should we
even consider doing this?
What are some benefits there?
And then we got very practicalaround barriers for
modernization, and that led usto the whole conversation around
the definition of smartmanufacturing and what does this
(01:28):
look like for so many of thecompanies and the industries
that we work with at anelectrical equipment company?
And then we spent some timetalking about getting connected.
You know why that Ethernet is abig part of the automation and
control network, why thatEthernet is a big part of the
automation and control network.
So we spent time talking aboutwhy Ethernet versus different
type of protocols out there,understanding the ins and outs
(01:52):
and trying to just get a goodfundamental baseline established
around Ethernet.
Then we shifted to the idea ofprogression and smart devices.
So that was a big area for usof spending some time to
consider.
Is that progression?
How do we actually get startedtoday for what we were trying to
accomplish tomorrow?
And we really gave someinsights, some reflections and
(02:15):
ideas on how to do that.
And the big part of that werethe smart devices themselves,
because they're kind of like thebuilding blocks.
You know, if you think aboutprogressing forward, smart
devices are the building blocksthat we need to get in place to
start advancing the ball.
Ok, and then our lastconversation we had here gave
(02:36):
you three practical tips, ways,steps, whatever you want to call
it, to begin that journey.
And it really started with theinstall-based evaluation.
Right, and just understandingthat, from that analysis
standpoint, what do I have,whether it be on a particular
product line or a subset of theplant, or just maybe the entire
(02:59):
facility?
Some people go that route aswell.
But understanding what are myobjectives for an install-based
analysis?
Why does that matter?
What should I be looking for?
Why should I make thatinvestment?
And then recognizing okay, whenI get that data, what do I do
with it?
To make sense of it, to makebetter decisions, and then, from
(03:19):
there, how can we start lookingat integrating these new smart
tech devices into our currentoperations?
So we start.
We've spent quite a bit of timetalking about the smart tech
review and why the smart techreview is such a critical step
and, quite frankly, this iswhere we just we excel because
we've created labs andenvironments where you can come
(03:40):
in and try hands on Right, getreally practical down to the bit
level, to understand thetechnology and how it's going to
work for you.
And then, from there, it's allabout planning, planning that
progression.
You know, rome wasn't built ina day, but it had to start one
day, right.
So that's where we're at rightnow.
Sometimes you make this startat day one.
That's fine, and eco is here tosupport.
(04:03):
And that's fine and eco is hereto support.
Ok, so now we're going to kindof put a bow on this whole idea
of smart manufacturing todaybecause, at the end of the day,
smart manufacturing it's such acritical role of the industrial
Ethernet network and we're goingto spend some more time helping
(04:24):
you understand how you buildthat network to be as robust as
possible, because your networklet's think about this it's more
than just infrastructure.
Your network is your lifeline.
It is absolutely the lifelineof your business and if you
properly design it and installit the correct way, an
(04:46):
industrial Ethernet network canbe such a key to unlocking the
smart manufacturing capabilities.
Because the capabilities areout there.
Think about predictivemaintenance, to data flow, to
real-time monitoring.
That stuff is out there.
But if you don't have the rightdesign and it's not installed
correctly, you're just going tocripple productivity.
(05:09):
You're going to have a lot ofdowntime that you're going to be
frustrated about and, moreprobably not, probably
definitely.
Most importantly, you'repotentially jeopardizing the
safety of the people that areworking in your facility, and
that has to be at the forefront.
So at EECO we put a lot of timeand investment in helping
(05:31):
manufacturers out there build,assess and maintain these
high-performing networks toensure that they can deliver
reliable, secure and scalableresults.
Okay, so we're going to belooking at the idea around the
critical factors behindindustrial Ethernet success and
why this is just not yourtypical office Ethernet, why it
(05:53):
has to be treated differently.
Because the environment on theplant floor differs dramatically
from an office environment.
It just does.
If you've never been in anindustrial setting, it's just.
It's somehow depending on whereyou go.
It's night and day.
It's also a lot of fun.
But office grade ethernetcomponents, if they're exposed
(06:14):
to what happens on the plantfloor we're talking about
vibration, contaminants, high,high temperatures, maybe even
electromagnetic noise, high,high temperatures, maybe even
electromagnetic noise All theseare very common in industrial
settings.
But when you put an office gradeserver, for instance, right out
there or switch out in anindustrial facility, you're just
(06:36):
setting yourself up for failure.
And we've seen it all.
I mean I've seen it all goingfrom the paper industry to
chemical industry, foodprocessing.
It's all out there, right?
I mean I've seen patch panels,duct taped to beans.
I mean, it doesn't make anysense and at the end of the day,
it's almost like we'll put alot of focus and attention in
certain areas when it comes toequipment and reliability, but
(07:01):
often the network is just throwthe cheapest switch we can,
let's just get it up and runningright.
We network is just throw thecheapest switch we can, let's
just get it up and running right.
We're going to have theselittle hubs set up anywhere.
We'll just just give me a portand look, we can't afford to
risk uptime.
So investing in an industrialgrade assessment I'm telling you
(07:23):
down to the design level is agreat first step to your network
and ensuring that you have anexcellent network in place
that's going to be reliable.
So the last thing you have tothink about at night is is my
network going to go down?
So now, before you startdesigning or upgrading, we don't
want to go to that step first,we want to go to assessment.
(07:44):
You've got to start asking somequestions.
These questions are important.
First question are office gradecomponents being used on the
floor?
You just need to know that.
You can ask your IT department.
Maybe you are an IT department.
You just need to go do a factcheck?
Maybe ask the question arethere inconsistent results or
unexplained allergies?
Maybe ask the question arethere inconsistent results or
(08:05):
unexplained allergies?
Are the people in themanagement or people in
production?
Are they coming to youregularly?
Are you hearing regularfeedback?
Well, we can't run networks now.
The network won't keep up Tooslow.
Are you hearing those things?
Maybe you just do a physicallook.
Are the cables that are beingutilized properly shielded and
routed away from the powersources?
(08:25):
Again, this is simple,fundamental things, but people
get busy, they just do.
And next thing you know, we runan Ethernet cable in with a
bunch of power cables.
That causes problems.
And then, as a more technicallevel, are determinations and
connections properly secured?
Are they just barely danglingin?
(08:46):
Are they actually legitimatelyconnected?
And then, where is all thedocumentation of the network?
And how do I know that it'saccurate?
Because the documentation thatwas done when the plant was
originally designed.
I'm not going to say it's notworth anything at all, but it
has definitely got a lot of gapsbecause of the enhancements and
(09:06):
the changes and the upgrades.
Things happen.
So we need to have gooddocumentation.
So we need to have gooddocumentation.
Again, a network assessmentprevents so many of these
problems before they canescalate into expensive failures
.
So, as we think through thistoday, if some of this is
resonating with you, I highlyencourage you to check out the
(09:28):
show notes because there'll belinks there where you can
connect with ECO's team directly, particularly if you're in our
service area.
Obviously, if you're listeningto this outside of our service
area, we can't help you.
We definitely encourage you tostill get this done, but if
you're within our service area,we would love to connect and
have a conversation about whatthis looks like, why this type
(09:49):
of planning is such a reallycrucial investment that you can
make into reliability, securityand just giving you a peace of
mind.
So when you look at a couple ofcomponents or a couple of
considerations, rather when welook at industrial Ethernet
design, the very first one isthe component selection.
We have to make sure that we'reselecting the right components,
(10:10):
the right cables, the rightconnectors, the right switches
on the application.
So you have your Cat5e cable,which is general use cable,
typically limited to lowerspeeds.
Then you have your Cat6, whichis more high performance, end of
cable, a lot of better.
It's more better noise immunityCan get up to those gigabit
(10:31):
type speeds.
If you need.
Then you have fiber.
Everybody knows about fiberVery long distance EMI immunity.
But fiber, you know you have toconsider it's a higher cost
point.
Okay, it's exceptionallydurable, but you got to budget
for it.
Then you have shielded type ofcables in the well for high
noise environments.
Then, for these connector typeoptions, you have your M12D
(10:55):
connectors and you have yourIP6567 sealed the modular
connectors, and this is reallygood for vibration resistance
and contamination.
So if you're trying to keep thedirt and the grime and the
water and all this stuff out,there are different types of
connectors to give you that typeof reliability and assurance.
So we need to understand thecomponent selection.
(11:16):
That's a big part of it.
The second part of really goingthrough and understanding the
network assessment is theperformance requirements,
because there are differentlevels of performance
requirements and there are twoprimary areas that you want to
think about when it comes downto your network.
You have latency, which is themessage transmission time.
(11:38):
How long does it take for me tosend a message out to where
it's received?
Then you have jitter.
Okay, so that's your variancein message delivery time and,
depending on what you're doing,matters a lot.
So if you're doing basicinformation or process,
typically you're less than asecond, like it's not super high
speed.
(11:58):
Hmi applications are very commonhere.
Or you may have time criticalthings where you have a PLC or
an IO network and you're gettingdown to the 30 to 50
millisecond time point.
At that point you need tounderstand this is a crucial
area.
Or safety, maybe that's a 10 ora 30 millisecond type of
requirement, where you have youre-stop circuits and you want to
(12:19):
make sure that when you hitthat button, slam it, that
things are going to stopimmediately.
And the most precise are theprecision type of applications
where you get into the 500microsecond type of requirements
Motion control systems that'sit.
You get into the 500microsecond type of requirements
motion control systems that'sit.
So designing the networkcorrectly minimizes the latency
(12:40):
and jitter for these differentcritical applications.
So it's not a one size fit all.
So that's where we have to makesure we're very clear.
We can't just say you know what, this is, what we're going to
go with.
This is the type of cableacross the board it's not going
to deliver what you want or,more specifically, what you need
to really move the ball downthe field.
Then you need to be thinkingabout, from a network standpoint
(13:01):
, assurance and security, such abig deal.
In the world we live in today,security is a growing concern.
It has to be.
Cisco put a thing out calledCPWE and that defines an
architecture that outlinesprotection at the machine, the
cell, the plant and theenterprise level.
(13:23):
This helps you minimizecybersecurity risk while
maintaining uptime.
If you go back and ECO-SY wehad several network experts who
came on talking about CPWE go inour archive, look.
If that's something that youwant to dig into, just start
searching for a networkassessment, network help,
(13:45):
network support and eco ask whyTons and tons and tons of
conversations around that?
Because we recognize this is abig deal and it hasn't changed
and it needs to be on your radarbecause there's so much that
can go wrong if you don't designcorrectly.
Okay, consider this you have amotor that's running.
(14:07):
You have a cable running besideit.
Maybe there's a little hub witha switch and that motor it's
turning a big agitator orwhatever it may be, and there's
a lot of vibration in the area.
Well, that could cause a cableto fail.
It happens all the time.
Or you have electromagneticinterference and that causes
(14:29):
just a little bit of data loss.
And then we see people usinghubs instead of switches, right.
Then you have data collisionsbecause we're not guiding that
data in an organized format, orthis happens a lot unauthorized
(14:53):
access due to the lack ofsecurity zones.
So, basically, open ports hey,I need a port, we'll plug in and
get it going right.
Tell me, these things happen.
You would think 2025, we don'thave to worry about this anymore
, but it's all too common.
It's all too common andmanufacturers have a lot on
their plates.
We're not picking here, we'reserving, we're helping.
We want to help them improve inthese areas and some of this
(15:15):
stuff it's just blind spots andif we can help identify blind
spots and help them move forward, that's such a big deal.
Or even for the guy out thereor girl she's out there trying
to troubleshoot and there tryingto troubleshoot and there's no
good documentation, zerodocumentation in many cases.
But the documentation that doesexist, how reliable is it?
(15:38):
So these are pitfalls thatcompletely are avoidable, but it
takes action.
It means you have to dosomething with it and the eco is
here to help you with it.
We're going to get down I mean,we'll help you get down to the
component level and understandthe right cabling.
Okay, let's figure it out.
Okay, is this Cat 5-6application or is this a fiber
(16:01):
application?
Do we need to have ruggedizedjackets here to help you prevent
any type of environment that isgoing to be subjected to an
industrial environment?
Or maybe we need to considershielded cable for a high-noise
environment?
We're going to look at thoseconnectors.
(16:21):
We're going to get down tobrass tacks.
Okay, this connector you havehere, I don't know about this.
Then we're going to also lookat the switches and we're going
to help you understand and seethe potential of what happens
with modern switches and howthat can simultaneously move
data at full speed betweenmultiple ports and minimize
those collisions and completelyjust start optimizing your
(16:44):
network performance.
All this is possible becausewhat we're trying to do is help
you achieve reliability at scale, because your network is good.
Whatever size it is today, it'sthe smallest it will ever be.
Consider that it will never beany smaller than it is today.
Is your plan getting smaller?
(17:05):
No, are you hiring a few people?
No, everything's aboutexpansion.
So the amount of data you'removing today will never be that
small again either.
It's always growing and that'sokay.
But as your network grows, yoursystem determinism becomes
critical because latency andjitter can make or break a
(17:27):
control application and we don'twant that for you.
And real-time applications likemotion control.
These items demand ultra-lowlatency.
I'm talking microseconds, buddy.
We have to get extremelyprecise.
Some of your other applicationscan have a longer delay, but
(17:49):
you need to know it.
You need to determine and thisis where we can come in and help
you what the optimum cycletimes are.
You need to determine what doesthat balanced bandwidth look
like?
And how do we determine anddesign the proper segmentation
for performance and security,because you don't want to be so
secure that nothing ever workseither.
(18:09):
Right, it has to be a balance.
That again, cpw helps.
This gives you some bestpractices to help you bridge the
plant floor with your ERP-levelnetwork design in a safe and
effective manner.
But eco is the difference.
We can come in and we can help,we can serve in such a great
way.
We can help you verify, we canhelp you go through and perform
(18:30):
these different verificationsand look at determination and
look at the cable links and lookat the band radius and look at
the shield integrity.
We gather all that data for youand start really working
through a certification process.
Okay, hey, after stuff's beeninstalled, let's walk through
with our equipment and with ourteam of experts and do a
(18:51):
baseline network performanceassessment for you.
Hey, here's where it's at rightnow and then we can show, okay,
your applications here.
This particular party networkcan definitely, or cannot
definitely, supporthigh-performance applications.
You see how all this stuffworks.
We have some very extremelytalented technicians and testers
(19:13):
and equipment.
All that stuff gets into theweeds.
But the bottom line we're hereto serve and we have the ability
to come in and help you assessyour network and build robust
enhancements around it.
There's a lot of value inpartnering with someone like ECO
, because we can bring thetechnical knowledge through our
network, through our industrypartnerships like Cisco,
(19:36):
rockwell, odva, all thesedifferent types of connections,
and to really deliver you acomprehensive network solution.
So we're talking about acomplete network assessment.
We're talking about mediacomponent selection.
We're talking about helping youget a better handle on
performance optimization.
We're talking about securityconsultation, helping you
understand what does that looklike for your plan specifically
(19:59):
and really getting certified,because this is not something
that you can lead a chance.
It's not something that you canlead a chance.
And if we go back and thinkabout the whole purpose behind
this smart manufacturing, whatis it?
The ability to solve existingand future problems via an open
(20:21):
infrastructure that allowssolutions to be implemented at
the speed of business Soundsgreat, but the speed of business
really you could substitutethat for the speed of your
network and you have to havethat in place and you have to.
It's like control thecontrollables.
So there's many things that areoutside of our control every
(20:42):
day period.
So what can we do for the areasthat we can control?
And the network, the networkperformance, is one of them.
It just often gets overlookedor gets put on the back burner
or someone else.
I'm encouraging you, as we'vegone through this today at Link
go to the ones that know thenetworks the best, lean on their
(21:07):
expertise, gain the data andthe insights that you need, and
then you make that vision,whatever you desire, you turn
that into a reality.
But it starts with that initialpoint of engagement Engagement
with the right people, with theright information at the right
time to help you enable theright decisions.
(21:27):
So that's it.
That's what we're talking about.
So hopefully, if you'reencouraged, or maybe you're
curious right now, highly,highly recommend, hope, implore,
would ask you check out theshow notes, because we're going
to have links there where youcan get connected with us
directly.
So if you're very interested innetwork assessment or just
having a conversation about yournetwork, no need to make any
(21:51):
commitments, let's just talkabout it.
Here's what we're experiencing.
What do you think?
We would welcome thatconversation.
We'd love those conversations.
We have the experts who areprepared and equipped to have
that conversation at the deepestlevel.
You want to go, and we're notgoing to leave you in the dust
and talk over your head with allthese different technology.
We're going to come down andmeet you where you are and serve
(22:12):
the best that we can.
Fair enough.
So, again, check out the shownotes for that.
Thank you for listening.
If you want to share this outwith others, particularly if
maybe there's people within yourfacility who are in charge of
the network or who have beencomplaining or have struggles
with the network, put this infront of them, because this may
be a great way to serve Allright.
So again, check out our shownotes.
(22:33):
Connect with us on LinkedIn.
Ecoonlinecom is the way to getstarted.
You got to get your onlineaccount set up as well, that's
the way we serve the best isthrough our EcoOnline account.
So get that set up so you canchat with our experts directly
there and then you can startsearching these components and
these solutions, and all thatstuff is at your fingertips to
help you get started.
So again, eco onlinecom, getstarted today.
(22:56):
If you need help getting set upwith that account, reach out.
We have experts ready to serve,to jump in and to help you get
going right there.
So, okay, thank you so much forlistening.
Eco-ask-why is so much fun.
We enjoy doing this each andevery month and hopefully you're
encouraged by this.
This is something that you lookforward to when they come out
to see what we're talking aboutfrom month to month.
If you have topics you'd likefor us to cover, reach out to us
(23:18):
.
There's my contact list withinthere.
You can just come to Eco onlinedirectly and send us some
information there.
We're always looking to servein a meaningful way and to talk
about the topics that areimportant to you.
So hopefully you've enjoyedthis journey through smart
manufacturing together andhopefully everybody's having a
good 2025.
So far, we're already into themonth of June, super excited,
(23:41):
looking forward to servingcontinuing in the future.
And again, we're here to serveand to help you with your
network.
So reach out anytime whatsoever.
So have a great day.
Thank you again and rememberwhat's coming next.
Oh yeah, that's right.
Keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to.
Eeco Asks why this show issupported ad-free by Electrical
(24:03):
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(24:23):
That's E-E-C-O-A-S-K-S-W-H-Ycom.
Welcome to Eco Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes that
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast, we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to ECO Asks why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
I'm looking forward to spendingsome time with you today.
We're going to continue ourconversation we've been having
over the last few months aroundsmart manufacturing.
At the end of the day, it's ajourney and we're here to help
(00:44):
you.
Now we started talking aboutwhy this journey is important to
start with.
Why does it matter?
Why should you even care aboutthis?
So you can go back in a fewpodcasts ago I spent some time
unpacking that at length.
Then we really started divinginto modernization and looking
at our infrastructure to an nthdegree right and starting
(01:06):
shifting the mindset to smartmanufacturing of like what the
current state was and what ismodernization, why should we
even consider doing this?
What are some benefits there?
And then we got very practicalaround barriers for
modernization, and that led usto the whole conversation around
the definition of smartmanufacturing and what does this
(01:28):
look like for so many of thecompanies and the industries
that we work with at anelectrical equipment company?
And then we spent some timetalking about getting connected.
You know why that Ethernet is abig part of the automation and
control network, why thatEthernet is a big part of the
automation and control network.
So we spent time talking aboutwhy Ethernet versus different
type of protocols out there,understanding the ins and outs
(01:52):
and trying to just get a goodfundamental baseline established
around Ethernet.
Then we shifted to the idea ofprogression and smart devices.
So that was a big area for usof spending some time to
consider.
Is that progression?
How do we actually get startedtoday for what we were trying to
accomplish tomorrow?
And we really gave someinsights, some reflections and
(02:15):
ideas on how to do that.
And the big part of that werethe smart devices themselves,
because they're kind of like thebuilding blocks.
You know, if you think aboutprogressing forward, smart
devices are the building blocksthat we need to get in place to
start advancing the ball.
Ok, and then our lastconversation we had here gave
(02:36):
you three practical tips, ways,steps, whatever you want to call
it, to begin that journey.
And it really started with theinstall-based evaluation.
Right, and just understandingthat, from that analysis
standpoint, what do I have,whether it be on a particular
product line or a subset of theplant, or just maybe the entire
(02:59):
facility?
Some people go that route aswell.
But understanding what are myobjectives for an install-based
analysis?
Why does that matter?
What should I be looking for?
Why should I make thatinvestment?
And then recognizing okay, whenI get that data, what do I do
with it?
To make sense of it, to makebetter decisions, and then, from
(03:19):
there, how can we start lookingat integrating these new smart
tech devices into our currentoperations?
So we start.
We've spent quite a bit of timetalking about the smart tech
review and why the smart techreview is such a critical step
and, quite frankly, this iswhere we just we excel because
we've created labs andenvironments where you can come
(03:40):
in and try hands on Right, getreally practical down to the bit
level, to understand thetechnology and how it's going to
work for you.
And then, from there, it's allabout planning, planning that
progression.
You know, rome wasn't built ina day, but it had to start one
day, right.
So that's where we're at rightnow.
Sometimes you make this startat day one.
That's fine, and eco is here tosupport.
(04:03):
And that's fine and eco is hereto support.
Ok, so now we're going to kindof put a bow on this whole idea
of smart manufacturing todaybecause, at the end of the day,
smart manufacturing it's such acritical role of the industrial
Ethernet network and we're goingto spend some more time helping
(04:24):
you understand how you buildthat network to be as robust as
possible, because your networklet's think about this it's more
than just infrastructure.
Your network is your lifeline.
It is absolutely the lifelineof your business and if you
properly design it and installit the correct way, an
(04:46):
industrial Ethernet network canbe such a key to unlocking the
smart manufacturing capabilities.
Because the capabilities areout there.
Think about predictivemaintenance, to data flow, to
real-time monitoring.
That stuff is out there.
But if you don't have the rightdesign and it's not installed
correctly, you're just going tocripple productivity.
(05:09):
You're going to have a lot ofdowntime that you're going to be
frustrated about and, moreprobably not, probably
definitely.
Most importantly, you'repotentially jeopardizing the
safety of the people that areworking in your facility, and
that has to be at the forefront.
So at EECO we put a lot of timeand investment in helping
(05:31):
manufacturers out there build,assess and maintain these
high-performing networks toensure that they can deliver
reliable, secure and scalableresults.
Okay, so we're going to belooking at the idea around the
critical factors behindindustrial Ethernet success and
why this is just not yourtypical office Ethernet, why it
(05:53):
has to be treated differently.
Because the environment on theplant floor differs dramatically
from an office environment.
It just does.
If you've never been in anindustrial setting, it's just.
It's somehow depending on whereyou go.
It's night and day.
It's also a lot of fun.
But office grade ethernetcomponents, if they're exposed
(06:14):
to what happens on the plantfloor we're talking about
vibration, contaminants, high,high temperatures, maybe even
electromagnetic noise, high,high temperatures, maybe even
electromagnetic noise All theseare very common in industrial
settings.
But when you put an office gradeserver, for instance, right out
there or switch out in anindustrial facility, you're just
(06:36):
setting yourself up for failure.
And we've seen it all.
I mean I've seen it all goingfrom the paper industry to
chemical industry, foodprocessing.
It's all out there, right?
I mean I've seen patch panels,duct taped to beans.
I mean, it doesn't make anysense and at the end of the day,
it's almost like we'll put alot of focus and attention in
certain areas when it comes toequipment and reliability, but
(07:01):
often the network is just throwthe cheapest switch we can,
let's just get it up and runningright.
We network is just throw thecheapest switch we can, let's
just get it up and running right.
We're going to have theselittle hubs set up anywhere.
We'll just just give me a portand look, we can't afford to
risk uptime.
So investing in an industrialgrade assessment I'm telling you
(07:23):
down to the design level is agreat first step to your network
and ensuring that you have anexcellent network in place
that's going to be reliable.
So the last thing you have tothink about at night is is my
network going to go down?
So now, before you startdesigning or upgrading, we don't
want to go to that step first,we want to go to assessment.
(07:44):
You've got to start asking somequestions.
These questions are important.
First question are office gradecomponents being used on the
floor?
You just need to know that.
You can ask your IT department.
Maybe you are an IT department.
You just need to go do a factcheck?
Maybe ask the question arethere inconsistent results or
unexplained allergies?
Maybe ask the question arethere inconsistent results or
(08:05):
unexplained allergies?
Are the people in themanagement or people in
production?
Are they coming to youregularly?
Are you hearing regularfeedback?
Well, we can't run networks now.
The network won't keep up Tooslow.
Are you hearing those things?
Maybe you just do a physicallook.
Are the cables that are beingutilized properly shielded and
routed away from the powersources?
(08:25):
Again, this is simple,fundamental things, but people
get busy, they just do.
And next thing you know, we runan Ethernet cable in with a
bunch of power cables.
That causes problems.
And then, as a more technicallevel, are determinations and
connections properly secured?
Are they just barely danglingin?
(08:46):
Are they actually legitimatelyconnected?
And then, where is all thedocumentation of the network?
And how do I know that it'saccurate?
Because the documentation thatwas done when the plant was
originally designed.
I'm not going to say it's notworth anything at all, but it
has definitely got a lot of gapsbecause of the enhancements and
(09:06):
the changes and the upgrades.
Things happen.
So we need to have gooddocumentation.
So we need to have gooddocumentation.
Again, a network assessmentprevents so many of these
problems before they canescalate into expensive failures
.
So, as we think through thistoday, if some of this is
resonating with you, I highlyencourage you to check out the
(09:28):
show notes because there'll belinks there where you can
connect with ECO's team directly, particularly if you're in our
service area.
Obviously, if you're listeningto this outside of our service
area, we can't help you.
We definitely encourage you tostill get this done, but if
you're within our service area,we would love to connect and
have a conversation about whatthis looks like, why this type
(09:49):
of planning is such a reallycrucial investment that you can
make into reliability, securityand just giving you a peace of
mind.
So when you look at a couple ofcomponents or a couple of
considerations, rather when welook at industrial Ethernet
design, the very first one isthe component selection.
We have to make sure that we'reselecting the right components,
(10:10):
the right cables, the rightconnectors, the right switches
on the application.
So you have your Cat5e cable,which is general use cable,
typically limited to lowerspeeds.
Then you have your Cat6, whichis more high performance, end of
cable, a lot of better.
It's more better noise immunityCan get up to those gigabit
(10:31):
type speeds.
If you need.
Then you have fiber.
Everybody knows about fiberVery long distance EMI immunity.
But fiber, you know you have toconsider it's a higher cost
point.
Okay, it's exceptionallydurable, but you got to budget
for it.
Then you have shielded type ofcables in the well for high
noise environments.
Then, for these connector typeoptions, you have your M12D
(10:55):
connectors and you have yourIP6567 sealed the modular
connectors, and this is reallygood for vibration resistance
and contamination.
So if you're trying to keep thedirt and the grime and the
water and all this stuff out,there are different types of
connectors to give you that typeof reliability and assurance.
So we need to understand thecomponent selection.
(11:16):
That's a big part of it.
The second part of really goingthrough and understanding the
network assessment is theperformance requirements,
because there are differentlevels of performance
requirements and there are twoprimary areas that you want to
think about when it comes downto your network.
You have latency, which is themessage transmission time.
(11:38):
How long does it take for me tosend a message out to where
it's received?
Then you have jitter.
Okay, so that's your variancein message delivery time and,
depending on what you're doing,matters a lot.
So if you're doing basicinformation or process,
typically you're less than asecond, like it's not super high
speed.
(11:58):
Hmi applications are very commonhere.
Or you may have time criticalthings where you have a PLC or
an IO network and you're gettingdown to the 30 to 50
millisecond time point.
At that point you need tounderstand this is a crucial
area.
Or safety, maybe that's a 10 ora 30 millisecond type of
requirement, where you have youre-stop circuits and you want to
(12:19):
make sure that when you hitthat button, slam it, that
things are going to stopimmediately.
And the most precise are theprecision type of applications
where you get into the 500microsecond type of requirements
Motion control systems that'sit.
You get into the 500microsecond type of requirements
motion control systems that'sit.
So designing the networkcorrectly minimizes the latency
(12:40):
and jitter for these differentcritical applications.
So it's not a one size fit all.
So that's where we have to makesure we're very clear.
We can't just say you know what, this is, what we're going to
go with.
This is the type of cableacross the board it's not going
to deliver what you want or,more specifically, what you need
to really move the ball downthe field.
Then you need to be thinkingabout, from a network standpoint
(13:01):
, assurance and security, such abig deal.
In the world we live in today,security is a growing concern.
It has to be.
Cisco put a thing out calledCPWE and that defines an
architecture that outlinesprotection at the machine, the
cell, the plant and theenterprise level.
(13:23):
This helps you minimizecybersecurity risk while
maintaining uptime.
If you go back and ECO-SY wehad several network experts who
came on talking about CPWE go inour archive, look.
If that's something that youwant to dig into, just start
searching for a networkassessment, network help,
(13:45):
network support and eco ask whyTons and tons and tons of
conversations around that?
Because we recognize this is abig deal and it hasn't changed
and it needs to be on your radarbecause there's so much that
can go wrong if you don't designcorrectly.
Okay, consider this you have amotor that's running.
(14:07):
You have a cable running besideit.
Maybe there's a little hub witha switch and that motor it's
turning a big agitator orwhatever it may be, and there's
a lot of vibration in the area.
Well, that could cause a cableto fail.
It happens all the time.
Or you have electromagneticinterference and that causes
(14:29):
just a little bit of data loss.
And then we see people usinghubs instead of switches, right.
Then you have data collisionsbecause we're not guiding that
data in an organized format, orthis happens a lot unauthorized
(14:53):
access due to the lack ofsecurity zones.
So, basically, open ports hey,I need a port, we'll plug in and
get it going right.
Tell me, these things happen.
You would think 2025, we don'thave to worry about this anymore
, but it's all too common.
It's all too common andmanufacturers have a lot on
their plates.
We're not picking here, we'reserving, we're helping.
We want to help them improve inthese areas and some of this
(15:15):
stuff it's just blind spots andif we can help identify blind
spots and help them move forward, that's such a big deal.
Or even for the guy out thereor girl she's out there trying
to troubleshoot and there tryingto troubleshoot and there's no
good documentation, zerodocumentation in many cases.
But the documentation that doesexist, how reliable is it?
(15:38):
So these are pitfalls thatcompletely are avoidable, but it
takes action.
It means you have to dosomething with it and the eco is
here to help you with it.
We're going to get down I mean,we'll help you get down to the
component level and understandthe right cabling.
Okay, let's figure it out.
Okay, is this Cat 5-6application or is this a fiber
(16:01):
application?
Do we need to have ruggedizedjackets here to help you prevent
any type of environment that isgoing to be subjected to an
industrial environment?
Or maybe we need to considershielded cable for a high-noise
environment?
We're going to look at thoseconnectors.
(16:21):
We're going to get down tobrass tacks.
Okay, this connector you havehere, I don't know about this.
Then we're going to also lookat the switches and we're going
to help you understand and seethe potential of what happens
with modern switches and howthat can simultaneously move
data at full speed betweenmultiple ports and minimize
those collisions and completelyjust start optimizing your
(16:44):
network performance.
All this is possible becausewhat we're trying to do is help
you achieve reliability at scale, because your network is good.
Whatever size it is today, it'sthe smallest it will ever be.
Consider that it will never beany smaller than it is today.
Is your plan getting smaller?
(17:05):
No, are you hiring a few people?
No, everything's aboutexpansion.
So the amount of data you'removing today will never be that
small again either.
It's always growing and that'sokay.
But as your network grows, yoursystem determinism becomes
critical because latency andjitter can make or break a
(17:27):
control application and we don'twant that for you.
And real-time applications likemotion control.
These items demand ultra-lowlatency.
I'm talking microseconds, buddy.
We have to get extremelyprecise.
Some of your other applicationscan have a longer delay, but
(17:49):
you need to know it.
You need to determine and thisis where we can come in and help
you what the optimum cycletimes are.
You need to determine what doesthat balanced bandwidth look
like?
And how do we determine anddesign the proper segmentation
for performance and security,because you don't want to be so
secure that nothing ever workseither.
(18:09):
Right, it has to be a balance.
That again, cpw helps.
This gives you some bestpractices to help you bridge the
plant floor with your ERP-levelnetwork design in a safe and
effective manner.
But eco is the difference.
We can come in and we can help,we can serve in such a great
way.
We can help you verify, we canhelp you go through and perform
(18:30):
these different verificationsand look at determination and
look at the cable links and lookat the band radius and look at
the shield integrity.
We gather all that data for youand start really working
through a certification process.
Okay, hey, after stuff's beeninstalled, let's walk through
with our equipment and with ourteam of experts and do a
(18:51):
baseline network performanceassessment for you.
Hey, here's where it's at rightnow and then we can show, okay,
your applications here.
This particular party networkcan definitely, or cannot
definitely, supporthigh-performance applications.
You see how all this stuffworks.
We have some very extremelytalented technicians and testers
(19:13):
and equipment.
All that stuff gets into theweeds.
But the bottom line we're hereto serve and we have the ability
to come in and help you assessyour network and build robust
enhancements around it.
There's a lot of value inpartnering with someone like ECO
, because we can bring thetechnical knowledge through our
network, through our industrypartnerships like Cisco,
(19:36):
rockwell, odva, all thesedifferent types of connections,
and to really deliver you acomprehensive network solution.
So we're talking about acomplete network assessment.
We're talking about mediacomponent selection.
We're talking about helping youget a better handle on
performance optimization.
We're talking about securityconsultation, helping you
understand what does that looklike for your plan specifically
(19:59):
and really getting certified,because this is not something
that you can lead a chance.
It's not something that you canlead a chance.
And if we go back and thinkabout the whole purpose behind
this smart manufacturing, whatis it?
The ability to solve existingand future problems via an open
(20:21):
infrastructure that allowssolutions to be implemented at
the speed of business Soundsgreat, but the speed of business
really you could substitutethat for the speed of your
network and you have to havethat in place and you have to.
It's like control thecontrollables.
So there's many things that areoutside of our control every
(20:42):
day period.
So what can we do for the areasthat we can control?
And the network, the networkperformance, is one of them.
It just often gets overlookedor gets put on the back burner
or someone else.
I'm encouraging you, as we'vegone through this today at Link
go to the ones that know thenetworks the best, lean on their
(21:07):
expertise, gain the data andthe insights that you need, and
then you make that vision,whatever you desire, you turn
that into a reality.
But it starts with that initialpoint of engagement Engagement
with the right people, with theright information at the right
time to help you enable theright decisions.
(21:27):
So that's it.
That's what we're talking about.
So hopefully, if you'reencouraged, or maybe you're
curious right now, highly,highly recommend, hope, implore,
would ask you check out theshow notes, because we're going
to have links there where youcan get connected with us
directly.
So if you're very interested innetwork assessment or just
having a conversation about yournetwork, no need to make any
(21:51):
commitments, let's just talkabout it.
Here's what we're experiencing.
What do you think?
We would welcome thatconversation.
We'd love those conversations.
We have the experts who areprepared and equipped to have
that conversation at the deepestlevel.
You want to go, and we're notgoing to leave you in the dust
and talk over your head with allthese different technology.
We're going to come down andmeet you where you are and serve
(22:12):
the best that we can.
Fair enough.
So, again, check out the shownotes for that.
Thank you for listening.
If you want to share this outwith others, particularly if
maybe there's people within yourfacility who are in charge of
the network or who have beencomplaining or have struggles
with the network, put this infront of them, because this may
be a great way to serve Allright.
So again, check out our shownotes.
(22:33):
Connect with us on LinkedIn.
Ecoonlinecom is the way to getstarted.
You got to get your onlineaccount set up as well, that's
the way we serve the best isthrough our EcoOnline account.
So get that set up so you canchat with our experts directly
there and then you can startsearching these components and
these solutions, and all thatstuff is at your fingertips to
help you get started.
So again, eco onlinecom, getstarted today.
(22:56):
If you need help getting set upwith that account, reach out.
We have experts ready to serve,to jump in and to help you get
going right there.
So, okay, thank you so much forlistening.
Eco-ask-why is so much fun.
We enjoy doing this each andevery month and hopefully you're
encouraged by this.
This is something that you lookforward to when they come out
to see what we're talking aboutfrom month to month.
If you have topics you'd likefor us to cover, reach out to us
(23:18):
.
There's my contact list withinthere.
You can just come to Eco onlinedirectly and send us some
information there.
We're always looking to servein a meaningful way and to talk
about the topics that areimportant to you.
So hopefully you've enjoyedthis journey through smart
manufacturing together andhopefully everybody's having a
good 2025.
So far, we're already into themonth of June, super excited,
(23:41):
looking forward to servingcontinuing in the future.
And again, we're here to serveand to help you with your
network.
So reach out anytime whatsoever.
So have a great day.
Thank you again and rememberwhat's coming next.
Oh yeah, that's right.
Keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to.
Eeco Asks why this show issupported ad-free by Electrical
(24:03):
Equipment Company.
Eeco is redefining theexpectations of an electrical
distributor by placing peopleand ideas before products.
Please subscribe and share withyour colleagues and friends.
Also leave comments, feedbackand any new topics that you
would like to hear.
To learn more or to share yourinsights, visit EECOASYcom.
(24:23):
That's E-E-C-O-A-S-K-S-W-H-Ycom.
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