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Author Profile

Feature Image for Bill Lydon

Bill Lydon

Bill Lydon, an experienced industrial automation technical and business professional, is currently a consultant providing insights, facilitating thinking and coaching for digital manufacturing transformation. Lydon has 35 years of experience, including industrial, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), process control/DCS, electrical power/utility and building automation with technology and business experience ranging from design, application engineering, corporate experience, co-founder & president of a start-up company. He started his career as a designer of computer-based machine tool controls; in other positions, he applied programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and process control technology. He's trained and experienced as a group Creative Problem Solving & Value Engineering facilitator.

Working at a large company, Lydon served a two-year stint as part of a five-person task group, that designed a new generation automation system including controllers, networking and supervisory and control software. He also designed software for chiller and boiler plant optimization. Bill was the product manager for a multimillion-dollar controls and automation product line and later cofounder and president of an industrial control software company with solutions for factory and process control and automation.

208 Results Found
  • Envisioning the Future: Ignition Community Conference 2020

    Envisioning the Future: Ignition Community Conference 2020

    The Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference 2020 (ICC2020) has become an important event for automation professionals, and this year’s virtual event due to the pandemic was no exception.
    By: Bill Lydon
    14 October, 2020 | 4 minutes
  • Industrial Automation in the Maker Era: Raspberry Pi Industrial Edge Platform

    Industrial Automation in the Maker Era: Raspberry Pi Industrial Edge Platform

    Sfera Labs has a vision to provide innovative technology bridging the best of the Maker World with the industrial automation market with the introduction of the Iono Pi Max.
    By: Bill Lydon
    13 October, 2020 | 4 minutes
  • Edge Computing: Chip Delivers High Performance Artificial Intelligence

    Edge Computing: Chip Delivers High Performance Artificial Intelligence

    The Hailo-8TM inference chip expands the number of industrial Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications possible for a wide range of industrial applications including optimization of production, processes, track & trace, logistics, quality, machine functions, and predictive maintenance by eliminating inherent limitations of server and cloud solutions with processing at the edge.
    By: Bill Lydon
    12 October, 2020 | 4 minutes
  • Pandemic Accelerates Manufacturing Digitalization

    Pandemic Accelerates Manufacturing Digitalization

    Attending the AVEVA World Digital Virtual Press Roundtable provided thoughts and insights about the impacts of the pandemic and recovery.
    By: Bill Lydon
    14 September, 2020 | 4 minutes
  • AVEVA Roundtable Insights: Digitalization Reenergizing Industry

    AVEVA Roundtable Insights: Digitalization Reenergizing Industry

    AVEVA hosted a virtual roundtable panel discussion Aug. 26, 2020 with key people from the world’s largest oil & gas organizations to understand how technology is reenergizing industry.
    By: Bill Lydon
    03 September, 2020 | 7 minutes
  • Rockwell Automation Advances Digital Edge Architecture with ASEM Acquisition

    Rockwell Automation Advances Digital Edge Architecture with ASEM Acquisition

    “Seamlessly connecting all levels of a business and turning raw data into powerful insights happens when devices are integrated and data is standardized. No one vendor can do this alone," said Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret.
    By: Bill Lydon
    12 August, 2020 | 3 minutes
  • ROKLive DX Strategists Conference: Manufacturing Digitalization Keys to Success

    ROKLive DX Strategists Conference: Manufacturing Digitalization Keys to Success

    Retired Procter & Gamble VP Tony Saldana highlights the opportunities successful digitalization offers and outlines the skills, actions and mindsets manufacturing companies need to thrive during the pandemic and the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era.
    By: Bill Lydon
    06 August, 2020 | 8 minutes
  • OPC Foundation Empowers Sensor-to-Cloud Digitalization

    OPC Foundation Empowers Sensor-to-Cloud Digitalization

    OPC Days 2020, a virtual event held June 22- 25, provided the latest information about OPC UA (Open Platform Communications United Architecture), the protocol-agnostic framework for the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
    By: Bill Lydon
    28 July, 2020 | 6 minutes
  • Era of Empowerment for Automation Professionals

    Era of Empowerment for Automation Professionals

    Automation professionals are critical to successfully selecting and applying these technologies and guiding management to maximize their productivity. This role will continue and expand, as more companies look to make informed productive technological investments and implementation decisions to yield profitable results.
    By: Bill Lydon
    15 July, 2020 | 2 minutes
  • Open Standards Mean More Options for Industrial Automation

    Open Standards Mean More Options for Industrial Automation

    By Bill Lydon Open system options continue to emerge from nontraditional suppliers and standards groups, and this is a trend that I expect will accelerate and enable multivendor interoperability at all levels of the system architecture.
    By: Bill Lydon
    15 July, 2020 | 3 minutes
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