The Record - Issue 21: Summer 2021

128 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om V I EWPO I NT Choosing a new normal ME L I S S A TOP P : I CON I C S ICONICS can provide manufacturing organisations with the data analytics and remote operations solutions they need to determine their future operational models I t’s been well over a year since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pan- demic. Since that time, organisations around the world have instituted their own varied poli- cies of social distancing and remote work. These efforts, in addition to advances in vaccine devel- opment and deployment, have provided some organisations with much-needed optimism for the remainder of 2021 and beyond. However, many are still trying to determine what their “new normal” should look like. Some organisations have begun the decision-making process to determine what normal operations will consist of going forward. Some employees will return to their factories and offices. Others will continue to work remotely. There will certainly be hybrid options for many. ICONICS, a group company of Mitsubishi ElectricCorporation and global developer of auto- mation software, can provide organisations with the necessary data to help their decision-making processes. ICONICS AnalytiX tools can provide information related to energy use as well as other building operational data and workspace book- ing apps, from room-level to floor to building to entire campus. This provides a baseline for occu- pant monitoring and contact tracing. Of course, employee safety should be of utmost concern and with these additional important details in hand, organisations can decide which route is best to take going forward, at their own pace. Some may continue to institute remote work- ing and ICONICS technology can reinforce those efforts, as well.The company’s flagship GENESIS64 HMI/SCADA suite and integrated MobileHMI app and tools provide multiple remote monitoring and control capabilities in both manufacturing processes and building automation. In response to the pandemic, ICONICS made its CFSWorX connected field service solution available for a free trial to help organisations understand its potential when they needed it most. In addition to being able to guide field technicians and customers with live annotations for enhanced collaboration, CFSWorX also allows users to stream live video and audio to remote experts to improve issue resolution and remote knowledge sharing. It is very likely that the new normal will look different in the remainder of 2021 and the year to come, not only for individual companies, but also for employees throughout manufacturing and other industries. ICONICS aims to help its customers and partners find their way to deci- sions that work best for them. Melissa Topp is senior director of global marketing at ICONICS