In the information age, companies must learn to cut costs, innovate constantly, and make the most of human capital -- all while providing the necessary information to the right people, at the right time. It's not an easy trick.

Factories and facilities, as we know them, are changing at a rapid rate, driven by forces such as new technologies, an evolving workforce, and an economy leaving thinner margins for error.

But according to several industry analysts and consultants, factories and facilities in the future will be shaped by creating a better-trained, more informed workforce that uses new technology to understand the consequences of every action.

"There's too much raw data in plants right now," says Dave Woll, vice president of consulting at ARC Advisory Group. "It needs to be converted into actionable context. I personally believe the definition of operational excellence is the ability to have more people making more of the right decisions."

Just who is making what decisions will become a greater point of concern going forward, says Woll, because the demographics of industry suggest large-scale turnover in the coming years.

"What separates expert operators from others is their experience and judgment," says Woll. "And it takes a long time for younger operators to develop that."

Process simulation technologies combined with virtual reality technologies permit new ways to train employees. Trainees can place themselves in the process virtually, while studying the design and actual layout of a plant.

For this reason, simulation is becoming a more critical tool to how plants and factories are operated. Invensys Process Systems' SimSci, for instance, enables the modeling of an entire plant lifecycle, from conceptual design, to construction, to maintenance, to how to handle potential bottlenecks that might arise.

"Virtual reality is not new," says Tobias Scheele, vice president for advanced applications for Invensys. "It's been used in car manufacturing for years. But it has reached a point now where due to gaming technology, the equipment is affordable, and we can use it to teach operators how to make informed decisions."

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