ed service. Among the reports the manufacturer now receives from the utility are statistical energy-usage reports, totalized flow analysis, costs by energy source, aggregation of multiple meters, and a monthly report on total energy costs per facility. eManufacturing calls relentless attention to connectivity challenges and it should come as no surprise that automation vendors translate this into opportunity. Two vendors, GE Industrial Systems and Cisco Systems Inc., were inspired by their respective factory-automation and Internet-networking prowess to form GE Cisco Industrial Networks. Their rationale was neatly captured in the June announcement by Lloyd G. Trotter, president and CEO, GE Industrial Systems: "While companies have connected their office systems, partners, and customers, the factory floor-the heart of manufacturing -is disconnected from the rest of the enterprise." GE Cisco's operating presumption is that "all the proprietary protocols that are out there will ultimately one day be gone and be replaced with Ethernet-based, open standards architecture based on TapNet that will enable everything to talk to everything else." 2.3.1.4 Culture changeSuccess in Web enabling the factory also hinges on the work culture's familiarity with e-business, adds Metcalf. A company that isn't using the Web for purchasing, for example, is unlikely to embrace the idea of e-enabling its plants. Manufacturers should start small and build the success that will bring support. GE Cisco thinks the greatest culture challenge will be in closing the cultural chasm between IT and the production floor. Don't downplay this challenge, advises Norrington. "They don't speak the same language, they've got different budget dollars, and they have different agendas." Metcalf suggests building the strategy on IT's need to demonstrate that what they do supports the corporation's business objectives. Security is the issue highlighted by ARC's Hill: "Many plan...
