With the rise of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the business marketplace is more agile and intelligent than ever. Companies are taking note. For example, the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) and Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) have announced they will be teaming up for a new Smart Manufacturing initiative.

Smart Manufacturing involves aligning information and communication technologies with U.S. manufacturers across the country to manage their energy, productivity and costs in real-time.

“MESA will contribute through their capabilities around best practices for the real-life deployment of information technology, providing real-time visibility into the production process and in particular on non-technical deliverables,” said Jose Rivera, CEO of the CSIA. “CSIA will offer best practices for successful system integration. We are working together to provide our services towards this great opportunity.”

Much of the CSIA's work revolves around their annual Best Practices Manual, which members review to ensure they remain relevant in the industry. Rivera added that CSIA is committed to encouraging an open, collaborative environment for system integrators to share best practices for the improvement of companies around the country and the world.

“We’re optimistic about CSIA’s future as system integrators increasingly broaden their scope of work,” Rivera says. “This will be driven in part by the Internet of Things, increasing regulation involving physical and cyber security, traceability requirements and more. Additionally, there is an overall need to direct information to those that can act on it, especially the factory floor for manufacturing.”