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Digital Transformation
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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.
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Case Study
Case Study: L’Oréal Achieves Big Results Applying OPC UA
With the help of OPC UA, L’Oréal is implementing Industry 4.0 concepts, transforming from mass production to personalized production to meet customer preferences.By: Bill Lydon31 May, 2022 | 3 minutes -
Feature
OPC Days 2022: Manufacturing Information Integration from Field Devices to Enterprise and Cloud
The OPC Day International 2022, held as a virtual event from April 25-29, 2022, illustrated the broad and growing scope of OPC Foundation standards to achieve manufacturing information integration from field devices to enterprise and cloud.By: Bill Lydon31 May, 2022 | 4 minutes -
Opinion
Continuous Improvement Is Not Digital Transformation
To be competitive in your industry, it is important to understand the difference between continuous improvements that leverage new technology and manufacturing digital transformation. This feature originally appeared in the April issue of InTech magazine.By: Bill Lydon03 May, 2022 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Professionals4Ukraine: Global Automation Associations Unite to Support Ukrainian Industrial System Integrators
The 1H4U and Professionals4Ukraine initiatives, engineered by Luigi De Bernardini, support Ukrainian industrial system integrators by encouraging donations of time and money.By: Bill Lydon02 May, 2022 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Hannover Messe 2022: German Industrial Trade Fair Plans Focus on Industrial Transformation and Partner Country Portugal
Hannover Messe 2022 will feature around 2,500 companies demonstrating their technologies for factories and energy systems of the future and exhibiting how connected production facilities can operate more efficiently and conserve resources.By: Bill Lydon24 March, 2022 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Open Process Automation Forum Modernizing Manufacturing
Members of the Open Group Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) provided a progress update Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 discussing progress and planned developments to achieve the goal of greater interoperability and portability in manufacturing control systems.By: Bill Lydon15 March, 2022 | 7 minutes -
Feature
Deutsche Messe Converts Hall 27 on Hannover Fair Grounds to House Ukrainian Refugees
Supporting Germany's policy to accept Ukrainian refugees, Deutsche Messe, producer of dozens of trade fairs including the Hannover Messe focused on industrial automation and technology, is dedicating one of its halls to accommodate more than 1,000.By: Bill Lydon09 March, 2022 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Transforming Life Science Lab Automation Standardization & Modularization
Life science laboratory standardization and modularization support automation and are increasing the efficiency and number of practical applications in life sciences, including drug discovery and small-batch, single-use pharmaceutical applications.By: Bill Lydon03 March, 2022 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Biomanufacturers' MES Manifesto Specifies Requirements
The goal of the MES of the Future workstream is to create and implement a manifesto for the MES of the future that clarifies industry objectives and leads to detailed industry/MES vendor collaboration on solutions to overcome current challenges and limitations.By: Bill Lydon02 March, 2022 | 6 minutes -
Feature
No-Code Industrial Control Programming Basics
A brief overview of PLCopen and the IEC 61131-3 industrial control software standard.By: Bill Lydon28 February, 2022 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Control Remains Fundamental
Automation professionals need to take the lead in guiding management to adopt new technology or the organization will become noncompetitive. This feature originally appeared in the February 2022 issue of InTech magazine.By: Bill Lydon17 February, 2022 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Mary Ramsey Has Advanced ISA, Creating a Better Organization
Mary Ramsey understood that organizations need to periodically recalibrate based on member and industry needs, and she has done a great job of collaborating with staff and member volunteers to craft clear definitions of ISA guiding principles. This article was originally published in the December 2021 issue of InTech magazine.By: Bill Lydon02 February, 2022 | 2 minutesSponsored By International Society of Automation (ISA) -
Feature
Automation Standards Still Need Work
Has the industrial automation industry matured enough to avoid a standards war like the 1990s “Fieldbus wars?"By: Bill Lydon27 January, 2022 | 3 minutes -
Feature
AWS IoT TwinMaker Simplifies Digital Twin Implementations
The AWS IoT TwinMaker provides a comprehensive set of tools and services to federate, model and make use of data from any source including sensors, controllers, video, drawings, 3-D models, ERP, logistics and energy to create digital twins leveraging existing and new data sources.By: Bill Lydon26 January, 2022 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Industrial Automation Standards Convergence or Divergence?
Can another standards war be avoided with exciting new industrial multivendor interoperability and plug and play standards?By: Bill Lydon19 January, 2022 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Experts Discuss Open Process Automation Issues
The Coalition for Open Process Automation (COPA) hosted a 90-minute virtual broadcast discussion and first public demonstration of the COPA QuickStart system illustrating the benefits and value of Open Process Automation based on the O-PAS standard.By: Bill Lydon10 January, 2022 | 8 minutes -
Feature
Enhancing Virtual Events
Informal interactions at events foster greater camaraderie in the automation community. You make long-term professional connections and friendships, and these become your personal ecosystem of automation resources. This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue of InTech magazine.By: Bill Lydon07 January, 2022 | 2 minutes -
Feature
UniversalAutomation.org Launched to Achieve Multivendor Industrial Control Program Portability
This shared-source, not open-source, code is based on the nxtControl IEC 61499 runtime engine code donated by Schneider Electric.By: Bill Lydon14 December, 2021 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Koch Ag & Energy High Value Digitalization Deployments Leverages AWS
Dave Kroening, IT leader, and Martin Miller, data analytics leader with Koch Ag & Energy, discussed two high value digitalization applications using AWS (Amazon Web Services) including Monitron and SeeQ software in a re:Invent session.By: Bill Lydon07 December, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Rockwell Automation Expands Industrial Digitalization Scope
At the 2021 Rockwell Automation Fair, the company discussed the expansion of its scope to provide a full set of products and services for manufacturing business digitalization. Rockwell Automation has put together resources, creating a new business model and positioning them as the primary resource for manufacturers industrial digitalization journey, including the conceptual stage, design, deployment and operations.By: Bill Lydon01 December, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Hannover Messe 2022 Plans Focus on Digitalization and Sustainability
After two years without a physical trade fair, the organizers of Germany’s Hannover Messe 2022 focused on transformation and their next event’s themes of digitalization and sustainability.By: Bill Lydon16 November, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Rockwell Automation's OEE Approach to Achieve Industry 4.0
In a conversation with Rockwell Automation’s Matthew Giordano (pictured above), IS Solutions, partner manager, he described the companies scalable OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) solutions to achieve Industry 4.0 to understand “what is happening on the shop floor."By: Bill Lydon03 November, 2021 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Automation Industry Expert Insights: CODESYS Tech Talk Fall 2021
Bill Lydon moderates an insightful roundtable discussion about industrial automation future trends and challenges during the Fall 2021 CODESYS Tech Talk and Users Conference with industry leaders and innovators.By: Bill Lydon14 October, 2021 | 10 minutes -
News
Event Review: Ignition Community Conference 2021
The 2021 Ignition Community Conference (ICC) was another high-energy and informative event, with the theme "Evolve to be Smarter, Faster and Stronger" supporting the Inductive Automation mission statement to create industrial software that empowers users to swiftly turn great ideas into reality by removing all technological and economic obstacles.By: Bill Lydon01 October, 2021 | 4 minutes -
News
SynSaber Launches Industrial Cybersecurity Edge-to-Enterprise Detection Software
With a focus on visibility, the company’s cyber detection software resides on embedded computer platforms named "Sabers" that function as “software sensors” monitoring cybersecurity activity.By: Bill Lydon29 September, 2021 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Rockwell Automation Embraces Cloud Based Manufacturing Business Digitalization
Rockwell Automation embraces cloud-based digitalization of entire manufacturing businesses with the acquisition of Plex Systems for $2.22 billion.By: Bill Lydon01 September, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Cybersecurity Investment Tax Credits
The government should create cybersecurity investment tax credits for industry to stimulate more protection. This article was originally published in InTech's July/August issue.By: Bill Lydon30 August, 2021 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Building OPC UA IIoT Applications with MQTT for Bandwidth Constrained Applications
OPC UA and MQTT are open-source technologies representative of the industrial automation architectural shift toward greater flexibility and interoperability. The OPC UA IIoT Starter Kit combines them so users can create solutions for bandwidth-constrained applications.By: Bill Lydon09 August, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
The Modular Production Evolution Continues with Bright Machines
Bright Machines Modular Production Approach reflects growing trend of standardized machine modules to improve efficiency and profitability.By: Bill Lydon06 August, 2021 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Open Integration, ‘Digital Chain’ May Solve IIoT Device Management Challenges
The Open Integration Partner program, initiated by Endress+Hauser, seeks on simple, fast, and manufacturer-independent integration of components and devices.By: Bill Lydon13 July, 2021 | 2 minutes -
Feature
COPA Accelerates Process Manufacturing Competitiveness
The Coalition for Open Process Automation (COPA) launched the COPA QuickStart for companies to leverage the Open Process Automation System (O-PAS) standard to be more competitive and profitable. The move to open industrial and process automation systems is analogous to the shifts that occurred when PC technology displaced minicomputer and mainframes.By: Bill Lydon12 July, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Ethernet-APL: Closing Industrial Digitalization Gap
The ACHEMA Pulse Live Days the Ethernet-APL organization, with members FieldComm Group, OPC Foundation, ODVA and Profibus & Profinet International showcased Ethernet-APL joint activity demonstrating, “IT-centric Instrumentation,” for process control, including hazardous areas.By: Bill Lydon30 June, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Endress+Hauser Showcases its Digitalization Innovations
In the world of increasing interest in open systems, Endress & Hauser showed its technological openness and innovation in the areas of sensors, edge devices and smart instrumentation.By: Bill Lydon27 May, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
BioPhorum MTP Testing Plugfest
Bill shares his observations of the recent BioPhorum MTP (Module Type Package) standard Plugfest days, where users and vendors collaborated moving towards the goal of achieving plug-and-play equipment interoperability for the biopharmaceutical and other industries. The user and vendor participants in the PlugFest were highly professional and focused on positive outcomes.By: Bill Lydon14 May, 2021 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Microsoft Industrial Digitalization Platform Leverages OPC UA
Azure IoT leverages OPC UA so industrial operations personnel get support for open systems and “don’t forget what [they] already know” when connecting OT systems to the cloud.By: Bill Lydon05 May, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Industrial Digitalization: How an Edge Embedded Time Series SQL Database Delivers Performance
SQL features not typically available on an embedded device greatly simplify data management for software developers. In an interview with the founder of ITTIA LLC, Bill Lydon discusses industrial IoT edge devices and facilitation of OT data analytics.By: Bill Lydon29 April, 2021 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Welders on Demand: Collaborative Robots Solving Skills Gap & Increasing Business
Collaborative robots are being used to address the shortage of welders, which, according to the American Welding Society, will reach a deficit of 400,000 workers by 2024.By: Bill Lydon26 April, 2021 | 7 minutes -
Feature
IEC 61499 Programming Standard: Will it Become Mainstream?
Giving a boost to the idea of a multivendor converged IT/OT industrial control system based on open standards, the 4diac open-source IEC 61499 project could dramatically accelerate industrial digitalization.By: Bill Lydon12 April, 2021 | 8 minutes -
Feature
Preview Hannover Messe 2021: Innovative Product Presentations
During the 2021 Hannover Messe Digital Edition Preview event, experts, associations, research organizations and suppliers presented their ideas and technologies for factories, energy systems and supply chains supporting “Industrial Transformation” theme.By: Bill Lydon19 March, 2021 | 11 minutes -
Feature
Preview Hannover Messe 2021: Automation, Globalization and Digitalization Presentations
“Globalization, digitalization and automation are game changers that continue as core themes for Hannover Messe that showcases thought leadership and solutions for industry to be more successful,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO Deutsche Messe AG, during the 2021 Hannover Messe Digital Edition 2021 preview event Feb. 3, 2021.By: Bill Lydon18 March, 2021 | 5 minutes -
Feature
John Deere Digitalization & Automation Increases Farming Productivity
In addition to automation in factories, John Deere has applied a wide range of technologies to the difficult task of automating farming. Leading edge technologies and Industry 4.0 concepts are incorporated in John Deere’s new products, increasing productivity enabling farmers to produce more to feed a growing global population.By: Bill Lydon15 February, 2021 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Moderna Builds Native Digital Process Automation on Amazon Web Services
Moderna’s award-winning cGMP clinical development manufacturing facility—based in Norwood, Mass.—has a native digital process automation design built on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It serves as a great example of the integration of an entire manufacturing business using the latest technological building blocks, architecture and IoT ecosystem.By: Bill Lydon09 February, 2021 | 3 minutes -
News
26 Automation Trailblazers Who Changed the World
The International Society of Automation (ISA) explores the lives and careers of some of those who have made the biggest impact on the world of automation.By: Bill Lydon22 January, 2021 | 11 minutes -
Feature
Amazon Industrial Digitalization Platform
Discrete and process manufacturers constantly struggle to create integrated manufacturing systems using disparate automation systems within a facility. Amazon Web Services now provides a flexible and open solution for achieving effective holistic operations, from sensor to enterprise.By: Bill Lydon06 January, 2021 | 6 minutes -
Feature
OPC UA FLC (Field Level Communication) Enables Integrated Manufacturing Business
The OPC UA FLC (Field Level Communication) initiative revolutionizes industrial communications to achieve integrated manufacturing business operations from sensor to enterprise and cloud.By: Bill Lydon04 January, 2021 | 5 minutes -
Feature
Automation Fair at Home 2020: Rockwell Automation Evolution
The annual Rockwell Automation conference, Automation Fair at Home 2020, included a range of presentations highlighting the company’s Lifecycle Services, support of IT/OT integration and digitalization offerings with partners including Accenture and PTC.By: Bill Lydon11 December, 2020 | 5 minutes -
Feature
ODVA Discusses New Principal Member, Cybersecurity, 2021 Directions
ODVA’s briefing included naming HARTING a new principal member, details on CIP Security enhancements for EtherNet/IP that enable user-level authentication, and the standard organization’s strategic priorities for 2021.By: Bill Lydon10 December, 2020 | 4 minutes -
Feature
SPE Pioneer Summit 2020: Revolutionizing Industrial Automation at the Edge
Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and Advanced Physical Layer (APL) are building blocks for a dramatically new manufacturing and process automation digitalization architecture.By: Bill Lydon02 December, 2020 | 4 minutes -
Feature
Schneider Electric Climate Change & Sustainability Commitment: Innovation Summit World Tour 2020
Attending the Schneider Electric Executive Briefing as part of the Innovation Summit World Tour 2020 provided insight into the company’s leadership values, thinking and direction from Chairman and CEO Jean Pascal Tricoire; Philippe Delorme, executive vice-president, energy management; Peter Herweck, executive vice-president, industry automation; and Chris Leong, chief marketing officer.By: Bill Lydon06 November, 2020 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Industrial Cybersecurity: PAS Optics 2020 Event
The PAS OptICS 2020 virtual event explored the key operational and cybersecurity challenges facing industrial organizations as well as best practices and strategies to address them.By: Bill Lydon05 November, 2020 | 6 minutes
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