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Jack Smith
Jack Smith is senior contributing editor for Automation.com and Automation.com Monthly digital magazine, publications of ISA, the International Society of Automation. Jack is a senior member of ISA, as well as a member of IEEE. He has an AAS in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and experience in instrumentation, closed loop control, PLCs, complex automated test systems and test system design. Jack also has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist covering process, discrete and hybrid technologies.
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Feature
Educating the Next Generation of Process Control Engineers
Which subjects should be included in the curriculum of an undergraduate process control course, and which should not?By: Jack Smith24 April, 2026 | 5 minutes -
Feature
Bridging the Visibility Gap in Industrial Operations
Making data universally accessible and actionable is a good starting point toward digital transformation.By: Jack Smith03 December, 2025 | 4 minutes -
Case Study
Case Study: AI-Driven Data Reduces Refinery Maintenance Costs
A large petrochemical producer deploys an asset performance management solution with AI-driven diagnostics.By: Jack Smith03 December, 2025 | 4 minutes -
Feature
ISA100 Wireless: Mature Technology Expands Its Application Portfolio
Although the ISA100 Wireless standard has remained largely unchanged since its final version, recent advances have focused on safety-critical applications.By: Jack Smith04 September, 2025 | 6 minutes -
Feature
How AI Enhances Smart Manufacturing
Manufacturing business systems and ISA-95 support the digital transformation of manufacturing.By: Jack Smith30 June, 2025 | 7 minutes -
Feature
Manufacturing Business Leaders Embrace AI
A majority report using AI weekly, making it a regular part of business operations.By: Jack Smith27 May, 2025 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Ensuring Cybersecurity for Remote Operations
Effective cybersecurity for remote industrial operations combines several complementary technologies and practices.By: Jack Smith11 April, 2025 | 9 minutes -
Feature
Using AI to Capture Industrial Expertise
Specific AI algorithms can help manufacturers extend OT knowledge.By: Jack Smith06 March, 2025 | 8 minutes -
Feature
Industrial DevOps Is Redefining PLC Engineering Process
PLC management and development can be simple, secure and efficient, so that factories can maximize the productivity of their assets.By: Jack Smith07 November, 2024 | 5 minutes -
Feature
Total Automation: The Next Frontier Is Sensor to Cloud
Users need guidance to deploy sensors appropriately. A new standard may be the answer.By: Jack Smith06 November, 2024 | 7 minutes -
Feature
Understanding the ISA/IEC 62443 Series of Standards
This cybersecurity toolset defines requirements and processes for securing industrial automation and control systems.By: Jack Smith16 October, 2024 | 7 minutes -
Feature
Association News: A Conversation with Kevin Klein, ISA Fellow 2024
Klein, currently with Chevron Technical Center, was recognized for contributions to the process industries in the areas of safety instrumented systems (SIS) design, operations, maintenance, functional safety and process safety.By: Jack Smith01 October, 2024 | 6 minutes -
News
Armexa Delivers New Tool for OT Cyber Resilience
Armexa launches a cyber resiliency solution designed for OT; it includes security, resilient network management, and reliable backup and recovery.By: Jack Smith09 August, 2024 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Designing Joint Seals for Cobots and More
Automation.com had the opportunity to talk with subject matter experts at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies about how the company developed a Z-shaped cobot joint seal as well as other robotics-related topics.By: Jack Smith09 August, 2024 | 8 minutes -
Opinion
The Last Word: Increasing Manufacturing Capacity with OEE
By measuring OEE and the underlying losses, important insights can be gained into how to systematically improve the manufacturing process.By: Jack Smith05 July, 2024 | 3 minutes -
Feature
ISA100 Wireless Moves Forward
Wireless communication facilitates better data analytics, decreased downtime and more autonomous operations, with ISA100 often the best option for industrial applications.By: Jack Smith03 July, 2024 | 6 minutes -
Feature
Sustainability Beyond Disclosure and Regulation
How mandatory ESG reporting, and automation, can improve manufacturing operations and increase the bottom line.By: Jack Smith29 May, 2024 | 5 minutes -
Feature
Software Programmable Controller Advances Machine Safety
Software-programmable safety controller with modular hardware platform uses forward-looking technologies and end-to-end data availability.By: Jack Smith14 May, 2024 | 7 minutesSponsored By SICK, Inc. -
Opinion
The Last Word: Making Ethernet Deterministic
For straight-ahead IT data processing, it is more important to deliver data reliably than to be constrained by time.By: Jack Smith03 May, 2024 | 3 minutes -
News
A Conversation with Deji Chen, ISA Fellow 2024
Deji Chen, chief scientist at Wuxi University in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, is one of four individuals recognized in 2024 by the International Society of Automation as an ISA Fellow.By: Jack Smith02 May, 2024 | 3 minutes -
News
ISA Publishes New Book on Nonlinear Model-Based Control
Nonlinear Model-Based Control: Using First-Principles Models in Process Control has just been made available by ISA.By: Jack Smith01 May, 2024 | 2 minutes -
Feature
Ensuring Cyber Resiliency for OT Systems
Awareness is a pathway toward cyber resilience. But organizations must take the necessary steps.By: Jack Smith30 April, 2024 | 8 minutes -
Opinion
A Conversation with Jonas Berge, 2024 ISA Fellow
Jonas Berge, a newly recognized ISA Fellow, speaks from the Emerson Solutions Center in Singapore where he works to help plant operators and others understand automation solutions for digital transformation, IIoT and the energy transition. This column originally appeared in the February 2024 issue of InTech digital magazine.By: Jack Smith07 March, 2024 | 4 minutes -
Opinion
The Last Word: Putting Generative AI into Perspective
Automation.com is increasing its reporting on the industrial uses of artificial intelligence of all types, including generative AI. This column originally appeared in the February 2024 issue of InTech digital magazine.By: Jack Smith05 March, 2024 | 3 minutes -
Opinion
IIoT Insights: Remote Monitoring Key to Chilean Gold Mine Operation
Salares Norte is a gold and silver mining project owned by Gold Fields, in the Atacama region of Northern Chile. This column originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of InTech digital magazine.By: Jack Smith02 January, 2024 | 2 minutes -
Opinion
The Last Word: Enabling Kubernetes at the Edge
Kubernetes was a big topic at the recent Ignition Community Conference (ICC) 2023 put on by Inductive Automation in September. This column originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of InTech digital magazine.By: Jack Smith02 January, 2024 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Emerson Delivers Software-Defined DeltaV Automation Strategy
Emerson presented its annual DeltaV Roadmap and latest technology releases with a focus on a more modular and flexible software-defined automation platform.By: Jack Smith29 November, 2023 | 3 minutes -
Feature
Ensure Performance Transparency Through OEE
Performance tracking, OEE and digitalization are necessary for performance transparency.By: Jack Smith08 November, 2023 | 3 minutes -
Opinion
The Last Word: The Evolving Language of Automation Engineering
Which programming languages do automation/control engineers use? The classic engineering answer is, “It depends.” The deeper response is, “It depends on the application or use case.” This feature originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of InTech digital magazine.By: Jack Smith02 November, 2023 | 3 minutesSponsored By International Society of Automation (ISA) -
Feature
CNC Machine Resource Management: Perfect World Versus Reality
Program management, tool wear, breakage monitoring and more are optimized through machine tool digitalization.By: Jack Smith27 September, 2023 | 4 minutes
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