Enabling Digital Manufacturing means not just embracingthe Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) but also taking the time to get smart on the latest best practices, technologies and solutions.There's no better place to do that than the upcomingAutomation Fair#AutoFair15. As always, this event is a 'can't miss' conference for all of you who are in controls, operations or IT for industrial companies.  This year, Automation Fair will be held in the MidWest, in Chicago's McCormick Convention Center from November 18^ththru 19^th.

As part of our strong strategic relationship with Rockwell Automation, Cisco will once again have a significant presence at this event including speaker presentations, participation in industry forums and our own booth (#1045) as well as participation in the Industrial IP Advantage booth (#1340).

Our goal is to help customers start their own digital manufacturing transformation and to showcase how they can-connect thefactory to the enterprise,protectcompany assets,collectthe right data andeffectperformance. Here's a quick snapshot of the exciting solutions that enable digital manufacturing which we will be demonstrating in the Cisco booth:

• Connected Machines:This week at Discover 2015, we are struck by how well received by customers our joint SmartBox offering with machine builder Mazak has been. Literally every machine shop customer, big and small, with whom I spoke with is struggling with visibility on utilization and actual quality throughput. Enabling OEE dashboards on every machine tool is going to be a huge hit. Mazak themselves achieved +17-pts improvement in utilization across their 800,000 sq-ft production operations by deploying the SmartBox beta within their own facilities over the last several months. This Connected Machines demo leverages our work with Mazak and leading robotics manufacturer Fanuc to showcase several leading edge manufacturing solutions such as predictive maintenance, plant PC virtualization, remote and mobile access, energy management, video collaboration and security.
• Connected Assets for Location:Inventory control and WIP management are critical to driving production efficiency. Missing or misplaced material can bring a plant to its knees. With factory wireless and real-time location services, your assets are tracked and location immediately known. Historic views of paths taken by assets can reveal opportunities for efficiency.
• Training Certification:Operational and informational technologies are converging into a united industrial infrastructure. While these technologies are evolving at a rapid pace, there is a growing skills gap, creating a need for individuals equipped to manage and operate the manufacturing facilities of the future. Learn more about the Cisco Certified Network Associate Industrial (CCNA Industrial) certification which is for plant administrators, control system engineers and traditional network engineers in the manufacturing.
• Security for Manufacturing:Manufacturing is the number one targeted Industry for cyberattacks and security breaches. Combined with an aging industrial machinery infrastructure, there are significant security risks and challenges. The security for manufacturing demo showcases an effective before/during/after solution. This holistic security solution addresses the critical needs of securing manufacturing operation while improving productivity and reducing operation downtime.

Get more details on Cisco's presence at Automation Fair and find out how to connect with Cisco subject matter experts on IIoT, security, Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) and Connected Machines. Watch this blog channel as we post more details on the Cisco sessions at Automation Fair and the announcement of exciting new thought leadership on Digital Transformation in Manufacturing. And if you can't join us in Chicago, be sure follow us onTwitterto keep up with the action. Hope to see you in Chicago!