I chose the title for this blog based on the dual meanings of 2020. First of all the year 2020 isn't all that far away yet there is doubt that many manufacturers, particularly in the developed world, will survive to see 2020. This blog is about providing the insight to help manufacturers operate efficiently, sustainably and most important, profitably so they can survive into the next decade. The second meaning of 2020 is associated with visual acuity. 20/20 implies clear vision, which is the primary objective I'll keep in mind as I post to the blog.

Messing around in the social media corner of the Internet today (specifically Twitter) and found this item thanks to Jason Hiner, The editor in chief at TechRepublic.  Proverbs about programming and other technical adventures. Worth a few minutes of your time.

This release came over the transom this morning. Some thought-provoking ideas on the economy and manufacturing's piece of the recovery. It's commentary from Dr. Chris Kuehl, Economic Analyst, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International.

His three reasons:  Better Management, Emphasis on Strategy and Marketing, and Adaptation

Agree or disagree?

The Mobile Automation Revolution

The mobile automation revolution isn’t coming, it is already here. It is no longer a question of banning cellphones and laptops in the plant, it is rather a question of how to handle the deluge of mobile devices and smart applications that end-user employees will be bringing into the plant whether you want them to or not.

Apparently things are quite sunny in Munich as well as Milwaukee. (FWIW, it's  46 deg F. and sunny there today.) But even if it had been raining buckets, I think the folks at Siemens would be smiling. This news came over the wires this morning:

It's been a lovely fall here in the Midwest. Lots of sunshine. And today the sun was shining just a bit brighter up the road in Milwaukee. This morning, Rockwell Automation released it's 2010 fourth-quarter earnings report, which gave CEO Keith Nosbusch and the rest of the Rockwell gang a lot of reasons to smile.

The money quotes -- to coin a phrase -- are these:

We're about to acquire a significant new cybervulnerability. The world's energy utilities are starting to install hundreds of millions of 'smart meters' which contain a remote off switch. Its main purpose is to ensure that customers who default on their payments can be switched remotely to a prepay tariff

A quick update to my last post. A couple of Congressmen from my own state have also discovered manufacturing. 

I'm not dissing their efforts. The government, like it or not, is going to have to play some part in getting a sensible manufacturing policy going. But we need to watch these guys and give them input and point them in the right direction. Just sayin'.

Have spent most of the day on the phone interviewing folks on various subjects. The morning began with a conference call announcing Rockwell Automation's 3Q 2010 results. Things are looking good for the Milwaukee-based company. The short take is this:

    * Revenue up 25 percent year over year and up 9 percent sequentially
    * Diluted EPS from continuing operations of $0.83
    * Company raises fiscal 2010 EPS guidance to $2.95 to $3.05 

Here's a link to a page on the Siemens site containing information on the Trojan that has affected Siemens software. The good news is that so far, apparently only one site has actually been hit. We will provide more updates as they become available.