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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
  • Bill’s Top 10 Automation & Control Trends for 2019 – Accelerating Change & Reaching the Tipping Point

    Bill’s Top 10 Automation & Control Trends for 2019 – Accelerating Change & Reaching the Tipping Point

    The pace of technological change in the automation industry seems to be accelerating as we head into 2019, driven by innovations developed for Internet of Things and general computing.
    By: Bill Lydon
    29 January, 2019 | 23 minutes
  • What is Open Source & Why Should You Care?

    What is Open Source & Why Should You Care?

    Lydon brings more than 10 years of writing and editing expertise to Automation.com, plus more than 25 years of experience designing and applying technology in the automation and controls industry. Lydon 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. In addition to working at various large companies (e.g., Sundstrand, Johnson Controls, and Wago), Lydon served a two-year stint as part of a five-person task group, where he designed controls, automation systems, and software for chiller and boiler plant optimization. He was also a product manager for a multimillion-dollar controls and automation product line and president of an industrial control software company.
    By: Bill Lydon
    10 December, 2018 | 5 minutes
  • How Programming Standards Improve Automation and Controls

    How Programming Standards Improve Automation and Controls

    IEC 61131-3 software standards improve the quality of applications and the efficiency of building applications. Structured modular software improves the reuse of applications.
    By: Bill Lydon
    26 November, 2018 | 7 minutes
  • Redefine and Transform How You Execute Automation Projects

    Redefine and Transform How You Execute Automation Projects

    Improving on what has always been done can only result in incremental improvements at best or continued complications. We have to redefine and transform how we execute automation projects.
    By: Bill Lydon
    03 September, 2018 | 3 minutes
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