Top data management insights from Lion's Den Podcasts, which were published in 2023.

Marcel van Helten explains Red Lion's focus on providing customers with the right data to leverage artificial intelligence and make informed decisions.

Red Lion’s Technical Business Development Manager, Barry Turner, talks about the benefits of having the right tools to resolve multicast issues.

Red Lion’s Technical Business Development Manager, Barry Turner, talks about the benefits of having the right tools to resolve multicast issues.

In this episode of The Lion’s Den, Tyler Kern spoke with returning guest Barry Turner, Technical Business Development Manager, and first-time guest Megha Agrawal, Technical Project Manager at Red Lion Controls about the importance of utilizing managed ethernet switches in network operations. This is an important aspect of Agrawal’s work. “At Red Lion, I work with strategic customers to make sure their industrial automation and networking needs are met,” stated Agrawal. Designing and implementing a robust security strategy to protect automation and networking is essential in today’s world. Turner also discussed the importance of this by first revisiting his early days in the industry. He spoke about the 1990s when the focus was rapid deployment to connect devices (servers, printers, pcs) as quickly as possible leaving little room for robust security strategies. Of course, in the 1990s, who could have predicted the threats that would come with the growth of the internet? It didn’t take long before attackers and hackers illustrated just how important security was. Attacks on these quickly built networks could shut them down and even wipe them out completely. “To combat this, IT administrators everywhere started using robust strategies to protect their networks using layers of protection to help mitigate an attack. Many times, this meant replacing inexpensive unmanaged ethernet switches with managed switches that offer the security features needed to provide a layered approach to security,” explained Turner. In today’s world, security is more important than ever. As technology continues to rapidly change, hackers continue to find ways to breach networks and compromise data. Listen in to learn how the industry is using managed ethernet switches to provide robust security to networks.

Many plant floors have data issues caused by the sheer fact that they do not have up-to-date panel meters. Red Lion is here to change that. Jeff Thornton, Red Lion Product Manager, knows the importance of managing data. Thornton sits down with host Tyler Kern to discuss the future-forward automation and data processing systems, including the PM50. On many plant floors, there are panel meters that are installed but do not offer communication. The PM50 changes that by allowing the customer to pull data back to their business immediately. “Being able to replace that meter and actually address that data gap at the same time is really a homerun for manufacturers and factory floors,” Thornton said. A PM50 can replace a typical panel meter and “use the plant network to leverage that communication and now you can gather that information without all that overhead,” Thornton highlighted. The newly advanced graphic display allows the operator, “the ability to make quick decisions and provide them more screens - more data so that they can make better decisions as they run their machines,” Thornton said. Not to mention that the PM50 is smart-device friendly and can connect via an app. This gives customers and clients, “the ability to monitor a machine and not necessarily stand in front of it.” Installation with the PM50 is no problem due to its ease of design which can be used by just about anyone, not just a systems integrator or engineer. The PM50 can provide data and is not limited to just plant floors, it can go where you need it and provide real insight. As Thornton put it, “The better data they have, the better decisions they can make.”

With over 45 years of experience, Red Lion Product Manager Jeff Thornton has extensive knowledge about the company and its products. Thornton sits down with host Tyler Kern to discuss the benefits of working with an OEM and Red Lion’s new product, the PM50. While traditional OEM’s come in many shapes and sizes, there’s always a lot of communication involved. “We’re looking right underneath that…machines that have used a simple panel meter or have no communication at all, that is kind of the layer we’re looking for,” Thornton said, addressing that this market is perfect for Red Lion’s new PM50 offering. The PM50 provides high tech benefits but does not require a high tech expert, “We’re looking at a tech level, something that you and I could program and put it on the machine without going through those big expenses,” highlighted Thornton. Additionally, the PM50 comes with a mobile app. Workers can also change the PM50 via a web browser or the screen itself. But what’s most exciting is the display, “Simple panel meters today typically provide just a number, especially for the OEM focus, we have introduced a new graphic display,” said Thornton. For the OEM customer, this means, “They’re going to get a much better appearance on their machine,” continued Thornton. The OEM name logo can also be added to the machine with customized widgets or specialized orders in addition to providing a zero-wires, zero labor, and easy connection for customers. “With the PM50, we actually give you the ability to use Wi-Fi communication to collect your data…you can use the SD card, which would copy the program and simply install the SD program into the new machine,” said Thornton. The “PM50 is driven to help collect data” and offers the benefits of improved machine appearance, saved programming time, OEM market support, smart device connectivity, and reduced downtime.

With over 45 years of experience, Red Lion Product Manager Jeff Thornton has extensive knowledge about the company and its products. Thornton sits down with host Tyler Kern to discuss the benefits of working with an OEM and Red Lion’s new product, the PM50. While traditional OEM’s come in many shapes and sizes, there’s always a lot of communication involved. “We’re looking right underneath that…machines that have used a simple panel meter or have no communication at all, that is kind of the layer we’re looking for,” Thornton said, addressing that this market is perfect for Red Lion’s new PM50 offering. The PM50 provides high tech benefits but does not require a high tech expert, “We’re looking at a tech level, something that you and I could program and put it on the machine without going through those big expenses,” highlighted Thornton. Additionally, the PM50 comes with a mobile app. Workers can also change the PM50 via a web browser or the screen itself. But what’s most exciting is the display, “Simple panel meters today typically provide just a number, especially for the OEM focus, we have introduced a new graphic display,” said Thornton. For the OEM customer, this means, “They’re going to get a much better appearance on their machine,” continued Thornton. The OEM name logo can also be added to the machine with customized widgets or specialized orders in addition to providing a zero-wires, zero labor, and easy connection for customers. “With the PM50, we actually give you the ability to use Wi-Fi communication to collect your data…you can use the SD card, which would copy the program and simply install the SD program into the new machine,” said Thornton. The “PM50 is driven to help collect data” and offers the benefits of improved machine appearance, saved programming time, OEM market support, smart device connectivity, and reduced downtime.

5G may still be in its infancy, but the industrial space is excited about the possibilities this technology may bring in terms of improvements in factory automation. Barry Turner, Technical Business Development Manager at Red Lion Controls, walked Tyler Kern through the current state of 5G and the future advantages of factory automation as adoption progresses. Today, many applications in the industrial sector utilize wireless communications. Thus far, though, the most expansive use cases require low bandwidths over a long communication path. 900 MHz frequencies are what these applications use. 5G allows for higher frequencies. Higher frequencies mean more power, and more muscle equates to more data flow. But more power and data means less distance that data can travel before it dissipates. Remote access is a way of life for most technical applications, and this requires access to more bandwidth. “You need a way to be able to communicate with a system over a secure tunnel,” Turner said. “So, you’re going to need more bandwidth to make that happen. 900 MHz is going to make that very difficult. You need higher bandwidth for that, as well as pulling data out of these remote applications, too.” Additional radio antennae need to be installed throughout a business’s telemetry system to account for the distance issues created by greater frequencies. “Instead of having one every couple of miles, now you’re talking about maybe four a mile,” Turner said. Although 5G may require some additional infrastructure to gain the maximum benefits of its low-latency and high data speed capabilities, Turner said he believed it would eventually replace Wi-Fi in many instances.