Author Profile

View our top 10 most-viewed articles for 2022! Special thanks to Digi-Key for contributing our top two byline articles of the year.

18,000 people signed up online, and a record 11,000 people showed up to the first in-person Rockwell Automation Fair in three years.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) offers training for automation professionals around the world; at headquarters in Durham, N.C.; and remotely.

Manufacturing Day will fall on Friday, Oct. 7 this year and will celebrate the manufacturing industry and highlight opportunities for students and young professionals.

ISA member Srinath Krishnamoorthi was in just 10th grade when he completed his first automation project—building an electric fence for his father. Read more about his story and the stories of other automation stars celebrated on Automation Professionals Day.

Schneider’s decarbonization pathway espouses four basic steps: Define success, set targets, deploy programs and sustain results. Though each plant will need to apply the steps differently, some general principles for successful application apply in every case.

COVID-19 is still affecting the workplace, but the survey results show signs of recovery.

While most of the Automation Salary Survey 2020-21 results focus on variations in salary, we also surveyed participants about other effects of the pandemic on the workplace, like changes in job functions, opportunities for remote work, and laid off or furloughed employees. COVID-19 is still affecting the workplace, but the survey results show signs of recovery.

Automation.com published 2,600 industrial automation feature, news and new product articles in 2021. Here are the best-read ones that you might have missed.

“In the past few years, open process automation and industry initiatives have focused on open modular, interoperable and portable solutions,” Bridget Fitzpatrick, Process Automation Authority for Wood Applied Intelligence, said during her keynote speech at the International Society of Automation (ISA) Process Industry Virtual Conference (PIC).

“Obtaining value from digital transformation is only possible if culture change is achieved,” said Dow Global Process Automation Technology Leader Paul Tomlin, during the ISA's Digital Transformation Virtual Conference.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) presented the two-track Cybersecurity Standards Implementation Conference (CSIC) virtually on the 19th of October, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

The IoT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC) 2022, scheduled for May 10-12, 2022 in Barcelona, is now accepting proposals from speakers and for testbeds, as well as requests for awards.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) announced the availability of new professional certificate program covering the unique challenges of project management in the automation industry.

David Strobhar, one of three ISA Fellows named in 2021, is being honored for applying human factors in control system human machine interfaces and alarm management to improve safety and productivity.

While an ISA committee searches for a successor, we wish Mary Ramsey the best in all her future endeavors.

As an ISA Fellow, Donald Dunn is being honored for many years of work on the education and standardization of terminology, as well as requirements and guidance related to alarm management and process industry safety. This article was originally published in InTech's July/August issue.

Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory recently acquired industrial cybersecurity business aeCyberSolutions, marking Deloitte’s fifth cyber acquisition of 2021.

The paper “Controlling industrial dead-time systems: When to use a PID or an advanced controller” won the nomination from the editorial advisory board as the best paper published in ISA Transactions in 2020.

Jeff Winter, Sr. Director, Strategy & Marketing at Grantek, has been named one of Onalytica’s “Top Industry 4.0 Influencers 2021.”

ServiceNow recently debuted its first product designed for the manufacturing sector. The company is partnering with Siemens Energy to provide a software service that allows energy companies to monitor, identify and respond to cyber threats intended to attack critical infrastructure.

The global instability and increase in remote work caused by the pandemic have played a role in raising the salience of ICS cybersecurity issues. In particular, phishing attacks and spam campaigns are becoming more common. Here's how to stop them.

The International Society of Automation’s (ISA) Executive Director, Mary Ramsey, has decided to retire at the end of 2021.

Dr. JD Tate kicked off the ISA Analysis Division Virtual Conference with a presentation containing classic truisms, current challenges, and the continuing evolution of process analyzers that he dubbed an “unfinished revolution.” The virtual event, part of ISA’s Process Control & Instrumentation Series, was a pandemic-era extension of what had been a successful live conference and tradeshow in years past.

Accenture hosted the virtual event on March 24, 2021. It featured conversations with leaders in the operational technology (OT) cybersecurity field, who shared how industrial organizations are conceptualizing risk, maximizing budget and implementing programs to overcome OT security challenges.

The multi-session event presented a series of subject matter experts who spoke about how operators can harness today’s unprecedented influx of data to reduce cost, improve safety and increase production over the life of a field.

The economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic affected nearly every industry around the globe, driving many people to work from home. But those working in manufacturing faced unique challenges. How do we maintain the same level of success in the workplace when some people can’t be on site?

This excerpt of the 28-page Automation.com 2020 Salary Survey report reflects the early effects of pandemic-related economic upheavals for engineering, business and technical professionals in manufacturing and industry.

At this year’s ARC Industry Forum, held virtually, discussions covered how pandemic-related disruptions have pushed digitalization efforts, enhancing what can be delivered. Insights came from 200 speakers, including ExxonMobil, ADNOC and many others.

In a presentation during the International Society of Automation’s (ISA) Virtual Process Industry Conference (PIC) on Nov. 17, 2020, Don Bartusiak, president of Collaborative Systems Integration and co-chair of the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF), gave an overview of OPAF’s published standards and the planned future work of the forum.

Honeywell announced the creation of the Immersive Field Simulator, a virtual reality training tool designed to produce a detailed facsimile of an industrial plant’s facility down to each pump, valve and touch screen.

Leaders from Schneider Electric discussed the company’s vision for an all-electric, all-digital future and what this means for the environment, the economy and, of course, people.

Universal Robots hosted its Cobot Expo 2.0 virtually on Nov. 16-17, 2020, bringing together collaborative robot experts to deliver live product demos and insightful keynotes about cobot ROI, production, upgrades and applications.

The International Society of Automation’s (ISA) Virtual Events Program debuted its IIoT & Smart Manufacturing Conference on Oct. 27, 2020. Speakers at this eight-session virtual event presented advances in connectivity, automation and security in the context of hybrid manufacturing.

Siemens industry experts describe how to use digital solutions to increase manufacturing productivity in the machine tool industry and introduce SINUMERIK ONE, what they’re calling the first “digital native CNC.”

During a virtual press conference, mobile robotic equipment company ROEQ discussed the rise of mobile robotics equipment (MRE) and unveiled six new products that bridge the gap between the warehouse and production.

AspenTech is working toward what is called an SOP, or Self-Optimizing Plant.

The International Society for Automation’s (ISA) 75th Anniversary has inspired a look into the future at the megatrends that will drive the automation industry during the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Women in Manufacturing (WiM) has inducted 15 women into its inaugural Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame.