Supply chain software grows

Analysts are expecting the supply chain execution (SCE) market to grow 10% annually, reports Modern Materials Handling.

According to the report, the worldwide market for SCE reached $4.6 billion in 2006 and is expected to be $7.4 billion in 2011, a compound annual growth rate of nearly 10%.

The market for supply chain execution software is growing and so, it seems, is the number of software suppliers. That's according to Steve Banker of ARC Advisory Group, who helped author a report on the SCE market released this week.

Lancom Systems has launched a portfolio of Wireless LAN (WLAN) industrial Ethernet networking products, reports Manufacturing Talk.

The range has been specifically developed for production, manufacturing, utility, transportation, and logistics companies.

Designed with a hardened metal casing for industrial environments, the products offer 'off-the-shelf' wireless Ethernet connectivity for specialist real-time applications, such as remote-controlled vehicles and robotic plants, measurement and control systems, production line data capture and remote monitoring.

Factories have much to gain from wireless technology, such as robot control, RFID tag monitoring, and local-area network (LAN) communications, reports Linux Electrons.

Wireless systems can cost less and offer more flexibility than cabled systems. But factories, such as auto-production plants, are challenging environments for wireless systems, as verified by tests conducted recently by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Heavy industrial plants can be highly reflective environments, scattering radio waves erratically, and interfering with or blocking wireless transmissions. Electromagnetic interference may hinder the auto industry and other manufacturing sectors in trying to take full advantage of wireless networking.