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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
  • New Gigabyte Industrial Ethernet Open Protocol - CC-Link IE

    New Gigabyte Industrial Ethernet Open Protocol - CC-Link IE

    The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) announced the release of the open architecture gigabit (GB) CC-Link IE Field Network. I recently met with two members of CLPA Americas to get an update on the latest CC-Link IE standard.
    By: Bill Lydon
    24 February, 2020 | 3 minutes
  • Product Spotlight: Micro DCS - Small to Midrange Process Control

    Product Spotlight: Micro DCS - Small to Midrange Process Control

    The Freelance system combines easy engineering with open system architecture. ABB describes Freelance as a small footprint DCS for small to medium sized plants in the process industry and for applications requiring DCS functionality in a compact system with intuitive and efficient engineering tools.
    By: Bill Lydon
    22 February, 2020 | 3 minutes
  • World Economic Forum 2020 - Fourth Industrial Revolution or Evolution?

    World Economic Forum 2020 - Fourth Industrial Revolution or Evolution?

    By Bill Lydon, Contributing Editor Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies are disrupting the manufacturing industry, and that disruption has risen to the highest levels: a topic for discussion at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in late January
    By: Bill Lydon
    07 February, 2020 | 5 minutes
  • Single Pair Ethernet Industrial Automation Joins IoT Revolution

    Single Pair Ethernet Industrial Automation Joins IoT Revolution

    By Bill Lydon, Contributing Editor Attending the Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) Symposium hosted by Harting Electronics and the SPE Partner Network organization, I learned more about the 10BASE-T1 Single Pair Ethernet. SPE is an exciting development enabling seamless ethernet connectivity from sensor to enterprise, connecting the IoT universe.
    By: Bill Lydon
    03 February, 2020 | 3 minutes
  • ISA95 In the IoT & Digitalization Era

    ISA95 In the IoT & Digitalization Era

    The ANSI/ISA95 standard, generally referred to as ISA95, is an important tool for digitalization. It provides the framework, modeling, and vendor independent common information models which can be applied in any manufacturing or process industry production architecture.
    By: Bill Lydon
    06 January, 2020 | 3 minutes
  • Inside the Rise of 5G Industrial Automation Networking

    Inside the Rise of 5G Industrial Automation Networking

    Hannover Messe 2019 created a buzz with the 5G Arena showcasing the latest 5G developments, products and solutions for the industry. 5G is starting to make the goal of wireless industrial automation a reality. Companies are already starting to deploy private 5G networks within plants and are seeing increases in performance, determinism, low latency, and reliability.
    By: Bill Lydon
    10 December, 2019 | 4 minutes
  • Fabtech 2019: Edge Computer Integrates Machine Work Cell Control & Automation

    Fabtech 2019: Edge Computer Integrates Machine Work Cell Control & Automation

    Siemens introduced the Sinumerik Motion Control (MC) open, industrial PC-based CNC for fabrication and metal-processing machines at Fabtech 2019. The introduction is an affirmation of the growing trend to use Edge Computer platforms to integrate all control & automation functions in a machining work cell including CNC, PLC, Drives, motors, safety and other production related functions to achieve higher levels of productivity and profits.
    By: Bill Lydon
    10 December, 2019 | 2 minutes
  • PLC Programming Preference Survey - Insights and User Comments

    PLC Programming Preference Survey - Insights and User Comments

    The PLCopen organization and Automation.com conducted a joint survey of PLC programming preferences. Here are some of the results to inform you of current trends in PLC programming and users thoughts on vendors.
    By: Bill Lydon
    03 December, 2019 | 3 minutes
  • Industry 4.0 Concepts for Discrete Manufacturing Applied to Process Automation

    Industry 4.0 Concepts for Discrete Manufacturing Applied to Process Automation

    Industry 4.0 initially focused on discrete manufacturing, and now there is an additional focus on process automation
    By: Bill Lydon
    02 December, 2019 | 11 minutes
  • The Industrial Automation Transformation Change Agent - Inside Inductive Automation's ICC 2019 Conference

    The Industrial Automation Transformation Change Agent - Inside Inductive Automation's ICC 2019 Conference

    By Bill Lydon, Automation.com The 2019 Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference was another high energy, creative, and stimulating leadership event. With the company illustrating the power of the next level of software technology and leveraging this with a new business model, Inductive Automation illuminated their progression to be more responsive to industry and customer requirements.
    By: Bill Lydon
    19 November, 2019 | 6 minutes
    Sponsored By Inductive Automation
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