Articles and News

Honeywell is showcasing its newest products for the pulp and paper industry at EXFOR 2006, the world’s largest annual exhibition of technology for the manufacturing of pulp and paper products.

National Instruments is joining more than 20 leading test, measurement and technology companies to host the PXI Technology and Applications Conference (PXI TAC). The PXI TAC is a series of free, full-day events in 15 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico featuring in-depth informational sessions on the latest PXI platform technologies and roadmaps, case study presentations, hands-on technical training and networking with industry experts.

C.M.H. Manufacturing is a manufacturer of foundry equipment providing a full line of casting equipment to its die casting customers. Waltonen Engineering is a service, integration, design and resource provider to its customers that include major automotive manufacturers, tier one automotive suppliers, defense contract suppliers, appliance manufacturers and product manufacturers.

Intergraph has acquired Alias Ltd., a leading global provider of piping design automation software, based outside of Manchester, England. Alias provides piping software automation solutions, including the popular ISOGEN® product, to Intergraph and other vendors of 3D design software.

Emerson Process Management announced today that it had won a major contract from Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. to supply PlantWeb® digital automation architecture and solution services to their new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in India. Reliance Life Sciences is a member of the Reliance Group of Companies, India’s largest private sector enterprise.

the CONTROL SYSTEM INTEGRATORS ASSOCIATION (CSIA) announced today that the annual meeting of its members will take place May 11-14 at the Marriott Bay Point Resort in Panama City, FL.

ÅF-Process AB has signed a five-year, multi-million-dollar Software License Agreement to standardize on Intergraph software. Under the agreement, ÅF-Process AB is migrating from existing legacy systems and standardizing on Intergraph’s integrated engineering environment, SmartPlant® Enterprise, through an engineering portal solution to be deployed across the entire ÅF Process division.

The EC21 Embedded Controller is a stand-alone CPU for switching cabinet installation. With an interface for the B&R X2X backplane already on board, the EC21 can be connected to 3 different B&R I/O systems (X67 I/O, compact I/O and the new X20 system) thus allowing for maximum machine flexibility.

Providing operators with enough information to prevent abnormal situations and to diminish the impact of unpreventable abnormal situations is the key to an effective alarm management process. The phased alarm management approach offers a proven, measurable and easily implemented methodology that will guide a plant to a higher level of safety, environmental and production standards.

Nearly 50 leaders of ISA held a three-day meeting at ISA offices in Research Triangle Park, NC at the end of January to discuss how the Society can set the standard for automation in the future. The automation professionals from around the world serve in the senior leadership positions in ISA.

Revenues were $13.0 million, an increase of $1.2 million or 10.1% over the comparable period in fiscal 2005. Gross margin for the second quarter 2006 was $6.8 million, an increase of $1.5 million or 28.5% from the same period of the prior year. Adept reported net loss of $10,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2005, versus net income of $60,000 for the same period a year ago.

Emerson Process Management announces that it has recently completed a $500,000 PlantWeb® digital plant architecture project at the Gedeon Richter tank farm in Budapest, Hungary. The project is an extension to the company’s central tank farm installation which supplies four plants with solvents.

Honeywell (NYSE:HON) announced today it has won a significant contract worth $1.2 million to install a new Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) into UPM-Kymmene’s pulp mill in Tervasaari, Finland and to upgrade existing Alcont systems to Experion technology. A major benefit of the project is that UPM-Kymmene will be able to consolidate its control operations into a single central control room, allowing them to enhance the efficiency of process control at the plant.

Tricon TMR systems will be implemented for emergency shutdown and fire and gas applications at the El Gassi, Zotti, Al Agreb and Al Agreb West gas compression and re-injection lift facilities. Invensys will also provide project management, hardware integration, testing, and training services for SonaHess engineers and operators.

Schneider Electric has signed an agreement through its subsidiary Schneider Electric España to acquire AEM S.A., a Spanish firm that designs, manufactures and markets low voltage electrical distribution installation systems and equipment for the Residential and Building markets. AEM S.A. generated revenue of nearly €20 million in 2005.

AlarmAnalyst presents graphical on-line representations of the state of a process plant using alarms, events and operator actions. Time stamps on all values are obtained from the control systems, as part of the acquired data, for a true sequence of events analysis. Plant stability can be assessed using real-time displays of trends in alarm behaviour.

Opto 22, along with business partners Advanced Control Solutions, RCK Controls and Cognex/DVT, is sponsoring a Machine Vision Show at the newly opened Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, February 21st, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Mike Kelly, currently the CEO of Kinsale Associates, LLC, a Silicon Valley merchant banking firm and previously the Vice Chairman of Broadview Jefferies, a leading middle market investment bank, has nearly 25 years of experience with high technology businesses, guiding their development and profitable growth into both Japan and emerging Asia markets.

Invensys Process Systems Austria has won a contract to supply a SCADA system based on its I/A Series hardware for a major site revamp being carried out by OMV Austria Exploration and Production GmbH.

PAS, a leading global supplier of software products and consulting services for the process industries, announced its 12th straight year of year-on-year revenue growth, with a 39% increase over 2004. PAS, a privately-held company based in Houston, Texas, capped a year slowed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with a strong increase in revenues.

PAS, a supplier of software products and consulting services for the process industries, announced its Inaugural Users Conference to be held on April 18-19 at South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in Houston, Texas.

Invensys will supply new controls for a GE 62-megawatt captive steam turbine generator, which is a critical power generation source for the pulping and papermaking processes at the mill. Located in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, the DeRidder mill produces approximately 555,000 tons of linerboard and 448,000 tons or newsprint annually.

The new user-friendly courses provide fundamentals and practical tips for SIS planning, selection and implementation. The courses include concise information on basic SIS concepts, design and installation, operation and maintenance, safety standard compliance, and new “smart” SIS technologies.

Honeywell will replace OMNOVA’s aging legacy systems at its performance chemicals facilities with Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS). OMNOVA’s Green Bay, Wis., plant is the first of five sites to undergo the upgrade.

This award recognizes top engineering companies for excellence in business practices, breakthrough innovations and contributions to the community.

The large order from Xyratex International represents a key design win and signifies a strong endorsement of Adept's new MotionBlox-10 controls platform.

Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1976 by Jeff Kodosky, Bill Nowlin and James Truchard, National Instruments pioneered the concept of virtual instrumentation – combining open, flexible software and modular hardware with commercial off-the-shelf technologies – to offer engineers and scientists a user-defined approach to creating more efficient and customizable solutions.

Danaher Motion products are utilized in various medical devices such as surgical hand tools, dental hand tools, respirators, insulin, infusion and volumetric pumps, and analyzers, among others. In addition, Danaher Motion products serve the packaging, semiconductor and electronic assembly industries.

This transaction fits in with Schneider Electric’s ongoing strategy to focus on core businesses in which it has critical mass. For Verdoso, the acquisition of Num represents an opportunity to invest over the long term in a European company that is a leader in highly complex niche markets.

The E!CEMS real-time environmental data management system provides a robust automated, secure and certifiable system for capturing, calculating, historizing and reporting regulatory emissions data. It allows Title V, NOx, SOx, MACT, VOC, HRVOC and Flex Air permit efforts to be managed at a facility’s operational level.

This addition to Banner's highly-informative iKnow Online Training site allows learners to understand the mechanics and applications behind machine safety systems through short, interactive lessons they can do at their own pace. iKnow Machine Safety features simple navigation, interactions, expanded glossary and new downloadable resources for on-the-job reference.

Contemporary Controls (Suzhou) Co. Ltd (CCC) has eliminated the use of lead in their equipment, well before the time the directive goes into effect in July 1, 2006. Plant Manager Basile Waite says significant changes in materials and processes were accomplished to offer products and solutions to meet their customers’ requirements.

The Group's net sales totaled JPY 442,755 million, a 1.5 percent decrease from the same period in the previous fiscal year. The decrease reflected the substantial effect of the transfer of the ATM and other information equipment business to an equity affiliate in October 2004.

Wizcon Systems markets the Wizcon Supervisor (formerly Axeda Supervisor) line of products into the Utilities, Building Automation, Transportation & Infrastructure, Power & Energy and Industrial Automation markets.

After rounds of audits in all world areas, the TÜV organization has certified that all of the engineering work done by safety instrumented systems engineers from Emerson Process Management consistently meets the requirements of the IEC 61511 global standard for functional safety in the process industries. The certificates were presented to Phill Turner, SIS project operations manager of Emerson by Josef Neuman of TÜV on September 25th, 2005.

The contract is for a period of just over four years, from November 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009. Yokogawa will provide round-the-clock support for the Yokogawa products installed throughout the plant, ranging from central control monitoring facilities such as information management systems and FOUNDATION fieldbusÔ compatible integrated production control systems to field devices.

Winners for the 19th annual awards were chosen based on service to the industry, technological advancement, and market impact within eight categories, including among others machine control. The X20 system was the only slice I/O system to win the award in its category.

The popular Understanding and Applying Machine Vision Sensors half-day events show how vision sensors can perform automated inspection tasks in the automotive, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, medical, and electronics industries.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2006, subject to the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement, approval by Innova Holdings’ Board of Directors, and customary regulatory approvals. Under terms of the agreement, CoroWare and its CoroWare Test Labs subsidiary will operate as wholly owned subsidiaries of Innova Holdings.

Control Engineering selected this year’s Editors’ Choice Award winners from among all of the new products featured in the 2005 issues of Control Engineering, Control Engineering Online or one of Control Engineering’s topical e-mail newsletters.

Under this revised proposal, the consideration payable to Citect shareholders will be increased to AU$1.85 per share plus the special dividend of AU$0.05, subject to the Share scheme becoming effective, as set out in the transaction details...

The KUKA KR 15 SL robot is a six-axis articulated robot is made of stainless steel. The use of stainless steel and the robot’s high IP rating makes it suitable for all applications with stringent requirements for hygiene, sterility and absence of particles such as required in the food and beverage or medical industries.

Appropriately named, SmartPlant Foundation serves as the foundation for Intergraph’s highly successful SmartPlant Enterprise, providing critical integration capabilities for asset creation, maintenance and operations-related work processes.

The new system will monitor, control and manage vital information from ONGC's production and drilling facilities, linking oil basins, processing plants, forward base and other assets to the corporate data center.

GE Fanuc awards the Premier Solution Provider designation to industry-leading systems integrators who have proven capabilities with GE Fanuc products and solutions. Integrators must meet technical, operational and quality evaluations, and pass a rigorous audit process that includes an assessment of customer references and knowledge of automation system design and optimization.

SICK, Inc. will mark 30 years of innovation, leadership, strong growth, and delivering consistent high-quality solutions for its customers by holding a special celebration at its North American headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota, February 3, 2006 at Noon.

Remaining an independent subsidiary of Verano, PlantData Technologies compliments all aspects of Verano's business from its market-leading security solution, Industrial Defender, to its mission-critical SCADA platform and integration services, offering customers a one-stop-shop for all their real-time control and security needs.

UET, the process engineering division of CHOREN Industries, based in Freiberg, Germany, has awarded Invensys Process Systems a five-year simulation software contract. UET's activities include technology development, process optimization, engineering, materials testing and customer advisory services.

Matrikon Inc. (TSX:MTK) today announced that executive vice president of operations Shafin U. Kanji has resigned effective January 31, 2006 to accept the president and chief executive officer position at JER Envirotech International Corp. (TSX-V: JER).

Intergraph Corporation today announced that Chinergy, the organization commissioned to build the world’s first commercial, modular high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor in China’s Shandong Province, has selected SmartPlant® 3D and SmartPlant Enterprise as the core technology for project design and implementation requirements.

Matrikon Inc. (TSX:MTK) today announced a new Partner Growth Program designed to expand Matrikon's distribution channels, market reach and global brand awareness through the formalization and extension of its existing distributor program.

Under the terms of the agreement, Raser will acquire Amp and its portfolio of technologies for heat transfer and renewable power generation. Raser will also assume ownership of multiple, long-term geothermal energy sales contracts with public and private utilities. These contracts call for an aggregate of $966 million from gross energy sales over 20 years.

EZ FX, a company that provides versatile, user-friendly and cost-effective camera jibs to the film and video production industries, is using iglide G300 and iglide M250 on its entire line of products.

In order to better serve their rapidly growing customer base, JMP Engineering has recently moved strategic resources to the Barrie area with plans to formalize a new branch office in early 2006. The company, headquartered in London, Ontario and specializing in automation, control and information solutions, sees Barrie as an ideal location for its sixth Canadian branch office.

Emerson Process Management’s AMS™ Suite: Real-Time Optimizer has been cited as a key enabler toward Eastman Chemical Company earning an award from the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

Since 2000, Wonderware has received five Editors' Choice Awards for a variety of industry-leading products and technology innovations. Award winners are selected from among new products and solutions featured in issues of Control Engineering, Control Engineering Online or one of Control Engineering's topical e-newsletters.

The EZ-LIGHT 7-function model was recognized among 45 of the most significant innovations featured in the magazine during the past year. Editors selected winners based on the product’s service to the industry, technological advancement and market impact.

In business, just like in life, there is nothing more constant than change. The fact that change is inevitable makes "control" critical, especially in FDA and ISO-environments, where inappropriate or "uncontrolled" changes could affect the safety and reliability of products and directly impact public health and safety.

The award was announced in the January 2006 issue of PC Achat Magazine, one of the best 3C’s magazines in France. ExBoot was honored by PC Achat with a 2006 Best Product in the storage category for its easy-to-use data backup and disaster recovery solution. ExBoot received the honor in a comparative review of other backup solutions such as Seagate Pushbutton Backup, Synology DS-101G, Lacie’s Bigger Disk Extreme.

Version 5.0 is the first commercially available software product to offer an IEC 61499 and IEC 61131 compliant programming environment that allows users to rapidly prototype and create high quality control products.

Held in Neckartenzlingen, Germany, in November, the event saw over 20 participating companies exploring product design recommendations and validation tests to ensure EtherNet/IP device interoperability.

The contracts let organizations fix their service and maintenance costs at a set annual amount while receiving complete coverage for everyday maintenance, predictive maintenance, normal use parts, and emergency breakdown repairs.

Founded in 1946, Keithley today has expanded its measurement portfolio far beyond its patented sensitive DC measurement capabilities to now include additions to its product line with RF (radio frequency) and pulse measurement technologies.

A series of on-stand demonstrations, centered around the METRO Group's use of RFID in its supply chain, brings together five RFID pioneers, each of which has played a leading role in applying RFID technology in real-world applications.

Over the last five years, Siemens has donated equipment to benefit the Automation Systems, the Industrial Maintenance Technician, the Electrician (ABC) Apprenticeship and the Industrial Electrician Apprenticeship programs.

This year's event, themed, "Compliance, Confidence, Credibility," will include presentations by Huang BuYu, deputy chief engineer, SINOPEC Engineering Incorporated; and Seah Ooi Kiat, head instrument engineer, CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Company Limited.

The BioMESH System includes wireless MESH radio equipped temperature probes which enable operators of large composting facilities to monitor and then regulate the internal temperature of compost.

To meet stringent industry demands for smooth surfaces of workpieces subject to mechanical stress in miniaturized assemblies, Otec Precision Finish, Inc. is introducing a new type of centrifugal disc finishing machine to the US market. Applying tribology, the study of friction, lubrication and wear on surfaces, OTEC engineers developed a secondary deburring process that preserves the precise measurement tolerances achieved by final grinding and honing processes and that also offers increased protection to delicate work parts.

Leading CAD data translation specialist, Theorem Solutions has teamed up with the University of Sunderland to present a day-long programme of free seminars on 8th February, highlighting the capabilities and implications of new lightweight product data formats, such as: PTC ProductView, UGS JT, Adobe U3D, Latice XVL and Dassault Systemes 3DXML.

More than two dozen patents have been awarded for this product line to date, and sales of FIELDVUE instruments exceed the total combined sales of several Emerson competitors in this market.

The plant is located near the western boundary of Labrador, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Connecting with several existing Foxboro systems, the new control system, when completed, will put all plant processes under I/A Series control.

In addition to delivering high-speed packaging solutions with robotic precision, the VersaPak Gantry Robot series and VersaTrak Collation Conveyors from AMF Automation Technologies provide a high level of flexibility for quick changeovers. Incorporating Allen-Bradley ControlLogix controllers and Ultra Series servo drives, the VersaPak loader and VersaTrak Collation Conveyor make it possible

Clipsal Asia was formed in 2003 concurrently with the acquisition of Clipsal Australia and is covering 14 countries of Asia, with sales of more than €115 million. Clipsal Asia is developing, manufacturing and distributing a unique offer in Wiring Devices, Voice Data Image and Home Automation, under the Clipsal brand.

KUKA Robotics recently partnered with SEIS to expand its robotic integration services across the western United States and will be debuting the new palletizing cell and robotics capabilities at the upcoming ATX West Show in Anaheim, California January 31-February 2.

The new course catalog from Emerson’s Educational Services, available in print or CD, describes more than 300 training courses designed to facilitate the engineering, operation, maintenance, and optimization of industrial process automation systems and devices. Engineers and technicians who take these courses are better able to optimize the performance of their processes and enhance productivity in their plants.

Voted on by the 100,000 Plant Engineering subscribers, the award is a highly prized recognition of design excellence in the field of instrumentation. HotShot combines superior performance and best in class ergonomic design in a low-cost and highly featured package. Electrophysics is honored to be a part of this award that not only encompasses prestige, but is a symbol of quality and innovation in the industry.

One of the project’s first centralized water reclamation facilities, the Changi plant, is configured with approximately 500,000 tags across an architecture of 50 nodes running the newly-announced Proficy™ iFIX 4.0.

Asia-Pacific’s largest oil company, PetroChina Co., has selected Honeywell (NYSE: HON) to implement a planning system project at 11 of its refining and petrochemical facilities throughout northern China. Honeywell will install an Advanced Planning System (APS) to help PetroChina optimize crude oil selection, production distribution and plant production.

InterTech Development Company is arguably the world leader in the functional and leak testing technology that underpins the automotive industry’s ability to meet Clean Air Regulations requirements and achieve higher fuel efficiency standards. InterTech’s new Detroit office is expected to help many OEMs and their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers cut time-to-market by up to 15%.

FORTUNE magazine yesterday released its annual rankings of the nation’s top 100 companies to work for, listing Austin-based National Instruments as number 77. This is the seventh consecutive year National Instruments has been listed on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” annual survey that polls employees nationwide about the quality of their corporate cultures.

National Instruments today announced that more than 250 of its current NI Alliance Partners have achieved NI developer certification in LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, NI TestStand, or certification of products in applicable areas. These Certified Alliance Partners provide integration and consulting services or offer products, such as sensors, cameras or instrument drivers, that NI has certified as compatible with National Instruments software and hardware.

Unlike traditional oscilloscopes and PC-based digitizers that have a fixed resolution for all sample rates, the NI PXI-5922 is a flexible-resolution digitizer with which engineers can trade sample rate for resolution through software. For example, at 15 MS/s, the module delivers 16 bits of resolution; by reducing the sample rate to 500 kS/s or less through a software call, the same module (without any hardware changes) delivers 24 bits of resolution.

TURCK's Sensors and Connectivity CD (B0010) combines their two largest catalogs in one convenient CD. The CD has many advantages over the printed Sensors and Connectivity catalogs, making over 1200 pages accessible through one easy to use, navigate and transport CD.

The first implementation at Atlas’ Sikeston, Missouri facility was driven by a request from one of Atlas’ largest ice cream customers to service Wal-Mart’s Texas D.C.’s. Atlas is currently working with another customer on a second RFID implementation in the Midwest and has more planned for the future as demand develops.

Yonghung, which is owned by Korea South East Power Co. (KOSEP), serves the Seoul metropolitan area and surrounding cities and is the largest coal-fired plant in Korea, with a current generating capacity of 1,600 megawatts. The facility is classified as a “supercritical” plant, meaning that it uses new clean coal technology enabling operation at elevated steam temperature and pressure for increased efficiency and reduced fuel-related emissions.

KOC’s goals for the modernization project are to increase production capacity, improve safety and environmental practices, enhance water treatment and decrease gas-flaring. The overall project also includes gathering centers at several other oil fields.

The Board of Directors of Schneider Electric that met on 6 January 2006 decided, on the proposal of its Chairman and the recommendation of its Nominations, Remuneration and Corporate Governance Committee to propose to the Shareholders’ assembled for the General Meeting on 3 May 2006, to modify the governance structure of the company in order to set up a Supervisory Board and a Management Board. This proposal results from work undertaken by this committee since 2003.

Verano, Inc., the leading provider of security and SCADA solutions for mission-critical industries, and Counterpane Internet Security, a leading managed security company and authority on enterprise security systems, today announced a strategic alliance to deliver a cybersecurity monitoring service to protect against vulnerabilities in the control environment.

The event will have a national scope, addressing key issues in technology training and development for instrumentation personnel at all levels. The first annual meeting of its kind, the IETDC will discuss the impact of training across the entire plant automation field from new digital technologies such as fieldbus, to conventional instrumentation and process control systems.

Citect has today entered into a Takeover Agreement with Thoma Cressey Equity Partners (TCEP), a US based private equity firm, under which a subsidiary of TCEP will make an off-market takeover offer for all the shares in Citect for $1.70 per share in cash.

The company manufactures and distributes custom-designed routers for a slew of different cutting applications. One of DMS’ main product lines is a five-axis CNC router that is available in four main styles.

Under terms of the proposed agreement, NEC Solutions America and GiveMePower will jointly market and cross-sell special “turn-on-and-go” mobile and wireless hardware and software solutions, initially featuring GiveMePower’s new PowerCAD® SiteMaster™ 2 laser-based building surveying and information management software running on NEC’s sixth-generation Panel-i® 6 mobile and wireless computing terminal.

Igus donated a wide-array of products to be included in 1,150 consumable parts kits, which will aid students from around the world to build a robot to solve an engineering challenge. At for the January 7, 2006 k kick -off , commencing in Manchester, N.H., the birthplace of FIRST , the season’s game will be unveiled and students will receive their common kit of parts.

Invensys Process Systems has been selected by Tripoliven C.A. of Venezuela to implement upgraded replacement controls for all four plants in their manufacturing complex. Tripoliven manufactures phosphoric acid, sodium tripolyphosphate and related products at the Moron Industrial Area in Carabobo Estate, Venezuela.

This desktop reference guide offers details and specifications on Keithley's general-purpose and sensitive sourcing and measurement products, DC switching, RF switching and measurement, data acquisition solutions, semiconductor test systems, and optoelectronics test hardware. Tutorials simplify choosing solutions for specific applications.

To help manufacturers improve their operational efficiency, Rockwell Automation today announced the availability of a new white paper that highlights the primary areas of energy consumption in food production and outlines the steps manufacturers can take to move toward more energy-efficient operations.

The specifications are in compliance with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61508 standard (functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems) requirements up to, and including, Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL 3).

The three-part series is ANSI/ISA-84.00.01-2004 Parts 1-3 (IEC 61511 Modified), "Functional Safety: Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industry Sector." The standards resulted from the adoption and modification of the three-part international standard IEC 61511 by ISA's SP84 standards development committee. Leaders of ISA-SP84 played key roles in the development of IEC 61511.

As part of the transaction, ATS retained the land and building associated with this business and entered into a lease agreement with Autocam. The purchase price is subject to certain post-closing adjustments and ATS indicated that the estimated gain or loss, if any, on this transaction will be reported with its third quarter results(three months ended December 31, 2005). The signing of the sale agreement was announced on December 13, 2005.