Articles and News

The initial mission will measure challenging portions of the Dutch Wadden Sea.

He will work directly with Graham Harris, East Region Manager, and a team of sales and applications engineers in the area to drive further growth in Beckhoff sales and market share.

An experienced engineer compares the process of solving a pipeline problem in his neighborhood with similar situations in industrial settings.

Tom Finan shares his experience with the Dept. of Homeland Security to improve cyber risk modeling and controls.

Nozomi Networks Inc. announced it has earned a 4.9 out of 5 star overall ranking from dozens of real-world users who have completed Gartner’s Peer Insight reviews.

The new Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence service delivers instant customer updates on weak points within an organization.

The RAIN RFID alliance aims for the advancement of IoT technologies, with specific focus on promotion of the UHF RFID standard (ISO/IEC 18000-63 and GS1’s EPC “Gen2”) through the testing, support and education of service providers and end users.

Kash Behdinan, president of Pointfar Automation, talks about Pointfar's ventilator digital twin 3D platform offered to companies building ventilators.

By Bill Lydon More than 120 industry professionals from more than 50 companies attended to focus on supporting industrial digitalization through the association’s device connectivity technologies, which include the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and the network adaptations of CIP: EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet and CompoNet.

The EPLAN-Revere partnership is intended to bring together decades of acute business strategy, product development and technological advancement and deployment to support digital transformations.

We interview Kash Behdinan, president of Pointfar Automation, about his company's efforts to create digital twin models of ventilators.

From the perspective of a member company, the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance reviews its areas of focus for 2020.

The University of Colorado (CU) will be using e-Magic TwinWorX software on Microsoft Azure IoT to implement a scalable cloud-based solution to manage real-time energy usage data.

The technology partnership will work to simplify the deployment of deep learning-based classification, segmentation, and object detection capabilities for visual inspection applications.

By Arlen Nipper This article will look at the problems with proprietary manufacturing protocols and discuss how the open-standard MQTT can enable Digital Transformation.

Festo has entered into a strategic partnership with MassRobotics, based in Boston, to further global market growth and innovation initiatives dedicated to the development of the next generation of robotics.

To meet challenges, LSPT sought technologies that were reliable, accurate and fast. The system’s complex requirements made Beckhoff Automation a fit for LSPT.

By Simone Bruckner With global data traffic more than doubling every four years, it’s no surprise that the environmental impact of data centres is coming under scrutiny.

To participate in the challenge, students must register before May 15th, 2020 and submit their projects by June 15th, 2020.

This list, and related stories, appeared in a Special National Report on Friday April 17, 2020 in Canada’s National Newspaper, The Globe and Mail.

Newly elected to the board were Glynn Fletcher and Blake Consdorf for three-year terms effective April 2.

The video shows manufacturers, distributors and others how to build an overhead conveyor system that takes advantage of generally unused vertical space above the working area.

Organizations can easily improve their corporate image, strengthen business relationships, and cut costs by making a commitment to go green.

After 45 years of holding the position, former CEO and Founder Jim Tompkins has decided to shift his focus and continue to actively support the firm by remaining in the role of chairman of Tompkins International.

The partners in this group are pursuing the goal of driving the development of SPE further forward for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and may branch out to other areas as well. The System Alliance has now also been joined by Datwyler, Kyland, Microchip Technology, Rosenberger, SICK, O-Ring, Draka/Prysmian Group, and University 4 Industry.

Mr. Wærn holds a M. Sc. in Finance and Business Administration from the University of Stockholm and a M. Sc. in International Marketing Management from École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) in Paris.

The latest enhancements to The EtherNet/IP Specification provide network diagnostics, methods to lower bandwidth and resource requirements for devices, and the addition of IIoT building block infrastructure.

The ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance (ISAGCA) reflects on the operational challenges of the COVID-19 crisis in the automation cybersecurity industry.

As a European supplier of electronic components, the Waldenburg based company thus wants to ensure that the production of urgently needed medical technology can be further expanded worldwide.

By Neil Miles Whether it’s increased flexibility, scalability or cost efficiency - the advantages of a hybrid cloud approach are many. However, companies can only benefit from a truly hybrid IT approach, if they prepare for the inherent complexity.

The integration provides manufacturers with a complete certificate management solution, including issuance and renewal, starting right on the factory floor, with secure certificate creation and insertion using the OPTIGA TPM for private key storage.

The merit-based scholarships are awarded on the candidate's potential for leadership and for making a significant contribution to the engineering, instrumentation, systems, and automation professions. Recipients may also be eligible for an Emerson internship.

Moxa joins an array of companies that have already become Platinum members of the OpenChain Project, including ARM Holdings, Bosch, Cisco, Comcast, Facebook, Fujitsu, Google, Hitachi, Microsoft, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Siemens, Sony, Toshiba, Toyota, Uber, and Western Digital.

The solution is a non-contact, long range identification system that measures the flow of physical items on the conveyor belts, throughout the manufacturing facility.

US-based JMP Solutions, Iris Custom Solutions, Flex-Line Automation, Advanced Handling Systems, as well as Nordika Brazil in Sao Paulo, Brazil, all have specific MiR robot, software and application expertise to support end users with large and complex implementations.

As the winner, Contilio was awarded €25,000 and the opportunity to deliver a live proof of concept (POC) at the TÜV SÜD International Business Park in Singapore.

Internationally recognized functional safety standards have been widely adopted to increase equipment/process safety. Compliance needs continuous focus.

Ineffective ICS cybersecurity risk management can lead to disastrous consequences. Cybersecurity risks are safety risks.

Moxa is first Taiwan-based company to join the OpenChain board.

Dr. Stoica will lead the company’s global technology and product development operations, reporting to Joseph H. Capper, President and Chief Executive Officer.

The first batch of face shields made at Eaton’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Southfield, Michigan were donated to hospitals in Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Michigan.

Grazper has developed artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for analyzing images, and Yokogawa aims to leverage these technologies within its various existing businesses and to develop new industrial AI solutions.

By Nigel Smith This article explains why counterfeit industrial equipment could present a ticking time bomb for manufacturers.

Matrox Imaging is offering provisional software licenses to support existing users, allowing them to continue development efforts while away from the workplace.

While designing upgrades to the vacuum, the TAE Technologies team determined simulation wasn’t necessary, although they did need an understanding of the system limits to know what’s possible. They chose a solution they’re familiar with and turned to their partners at Rockwell Automation.

NiceLabel has launched the non-commercial and non-profit-based initiative in order to help these organizations get much needed deliveries of medical equipment and supplies; respirators, disinfectants, masks or other critical supplies to those in need as quickly as possible.

Functional safety requires automatic protection or correction. Every specified safety function must be carried out and meet the set level of performance.

MachineMetrics is offering Free Access of MachineMetrics IoT Platform and remote monitoring applications for any manufacturer involved with the production of Ventilator parts, test equipment, protective equipment, or any COVID-19 related manufacturing support, as well as to help companies produce products, increase production volumes, and bring therapies faster to market.

The company had previously purchased the masks in support of its operations in Changshu, China, which was subject to a government-mandated shutdown in January as a precaution to slow the spread of the virus.

ABB is working with customers to ensure the access to field operators and service engineers who cannot be on-site at this time, by delivering control room livestreams, operational insights, process data and plant key performance indicators to users sheltering at home.

This is to help companies address the growing workforce and supply chain disruption created by the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

By Sean Beeker This article discusses the top ten reasons most often cited for ordering online and it will also present specific examples of how industrial end user purchasers are benefiting from online ordering.

Hospitals and medical facilities are experiencing shortages of N95 masks due to COVID-19. Companies are boosting production in unprecedented ways.

Emerson announced that it has completed the purchase of American Governor Company, maker of technologies and services for hydroelectric turbine controls.

The CoVent-19 Challenge is open to teams and individuals anywhere, and finalists will work directly with Stratasys 3D printing experts and the CoVent-19 Challenge team to turn their designs into prototypes for testing.

The collaboration between ODVA and the OPC Foundation will result in secure communications between devices that are a part of a CIP-enabled Industrial Control System (ICS) and other OPC UA enabled applications allowing communication between CIP devices and OPC UA devices as well as with cloud and enterprise level services.

The latest issue delves into the topic of intelligent transport systems (ITS). In this edition, experts discuss important issues for ITS, including over-the-air updates, security and logistics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a delay in the crucial standardization work that would make 5G available for enterprise use cases. The relevant standardization body, 3GPP, has formally announced a deferral of this standardization until at least June 2020, which would delay commercial rollout of industrial 5G until at least 2022.

By Bill Lydon While the April Hannover Messe event is cancelled, industrial companies remain focused on digital transformation techniques, methods and ideas.

The model will cover several intersecting dimensions including business intelligence, product lifecycle management, value chain management, manufacturing operations, the Industrial Internet of Things, asset management, workforce and cybersecurity.

The three-volume set focuses on developing a strong understanding of the basics of MicroStation and follows a step-by-step approach that includes exercises and real-world examples complete with illustrations.

From Friday March 27, ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business will make key software services available free of charge to its customers until December 31st, 2020.

All the partners are suppliers of control technology, fieldbus infrastructures, measurement technology or actuator technology: Auma Riester, Bürkert, Festo, Flowserve, Hima Paul Hildebrandt, Honeywell Process Solutions, Mitsubishi Electric, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Turck and recently Softing Industrial Automation.

The annual ARC European Industry Forum, “Driving Digital Transformation in Industry,” May 18-20, 2020, will move online as ARC’s first-ever virtual forum. The event will use virtual event tools to offer live streaming of user presentations, expert panel discussions, and audience interaction.

The ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance's "Quick Start Guide: An Overview of the ISA/IEC 62443 Standards" is now available for download.

The Siemens AM network is available globally and covers the entire value chain – from upload and simulation to checking the design up to the printing process and associated services.

It is the first time in HANNOVER MESSE’s 73-year history that the event will not take place. However, the organizers will not let the show completely vanish.

While bottlenecks still exist in today’s manufacturing environment, the good news is that the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) is providing new ways to solve them.

The company has been driving the creation of a Single Pair Ethernet standard for the Industrial marketplace since 2015 along with other industrial companies and global standards bodies, such IEC and IEEE.

Opto 22 supports the manufacture of materials and products needed for essential medical supply chains, transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture, chemical manufacturing, nuclear facilities, the operation of dams, water and wastewater treatment, emergency services, and the defense industrial base, all deemed vital by CISA

The guide explores how and why IT and OT/ICS need unique types of protection against cyber threats and offers recommendations on patch management.

As more experienced workers retire from the manufacturing workforce, the sector faces a future with a growing skills gap and a greater number of unfilled jobs.

Richard “Rich” Jesse Merritt died Saturday, February 8, 2020, at his home in Cedar Rapids. He was 76. He was a giant of industrial automation and control technical communications, serving countless publications and clients over his long career, including Automation.com and ISA’s InTech magazine.

By Bill Lydon, Automation.com One of the last automation events to occur before the coronavirus shut down business gatherings around the world was the ODVA 20th Annual Meeting of Members in Palm Harbor, Florida, USA on March 5, 2020. More than 120 industry professionals attended to focus on supporting industrial digitalization through the association’s device connectivity technologies, which include the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and the network adaptations of CIP: EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet and CompoNet.

By Bill Lydon, Automation.com One of the last automation events to occur before the coronavirus shut down business gatherings around the world was the ODVA 20th Annual Meeting of Members in Palm Harbor, Florida, USA on March 5, 2020. More than 120 industry professionals attended to focus on supporting industrial digitalization through the association’s device connectivity technologies, which include the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and the network adaptations of CIP: EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet and CompoNet.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) recently provided guidance to a Newsweek Vantage report on cyber risks to critical infrastructure.

With digitalization, OT, IT, and wireless communications are intertwining, increasing the complexity of effective cybersecurity and management.

The virtual event for PTC’s products and strategy will include some examples of how customers are using PTC technologies in the war against COVID-19.

By Louis Columbus To stay competitive, manufacturers must continually reinvent themselves and find new ways to improve—whether by delivering differentiated products, controlling costs, or improving quality.

By Bill Lydon The current state of pharma manufacturing maturity and the future of automation in the sector were important topics at the annual Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR) held October 2019 at a Novo Nordisk facility.

Members of the annual Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR) held October 2019 reflect on workforce skills, training, certification and development.

In his new role, Lyles will use his extensive experience in process control applications to assist customers in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

The IQ part-turn actuators provided are used on two fireboats, ‘Firefighter 2’ and ‘Firefighter 343’. The actuators have the important duty of controlling the flow of water to the fire nozzles on deck, meaning that they are vital in the event of an emergency.

To meet customer quality expectations, ARANIA was looking to implement an automated inspection system, with the goal of assuring its customers in the automotive industry that the delivered material met top quality requirements.

With the invention of smart field instruments, device drivers associated with them have become crucially important to fetch valuable diagnostic information to improve operations and performance saving valuable time and money.

Despite the current social and economic turmoil surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, ARC Advisory Group remains optimistic that the global market for industrial asset performance management (APM)-related solutions will rebound strongly over the long term.

The author of 'Quick Start Guide: An Overview of the ISA/IEC 62443 Series of Standards' hosts a webinar to review these automation cybersecurity standards.

The web-based solution gives plant operators and management teams real-time monitoring and control access to plant operations and performance over a secure-by-design connection such as VPN. This allows critical infrastructure to operate with a reduced crew on site, while being able to coordinate with their wider teams remotely.

The competition finals, held at the Hyatt Regency Washington in Washington, D.C., is organized by DiscoverE and sponsored in part by Bentley. Sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students from 1,500 schools in more than 40 regions, as well as teams from Canada, have imagined, designed, and built cities for the 2019-2020 Future City Competition.

Auto manufacturers may soon produce medical equipment for COVID-19 patients. Standards will be crucial to ensure that products are made safely and quickly.

The merit-based scholarships are awarded on the candidate's potential for leadership and for making a significant contribution to the engineering, instrumentation, systems, and automation professions. Recipients may also be eligible for an Emerson internship.

TMHNA announced the recipients of grant funding during a joint press conference at MODEX 2020 held in conjunction with Material Handling Institute (MHI).

The CMMC 1.0 Reference Guide is intended to help defense suppliers understand the U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity compliance program. The online guide is available to members of the Academy.

As all industries figure out how to carry on while limiting the spread of COVID-19, new technologies like smart glasses present timely solutions.

Milton succeeds Steven Wyatt (ABB, Switzerland), who is leaving ABB. Steven held the rotating post of President since December 2019 and prior to that served on a two-year term as IFR´s Vice President.

Bentley’s SVP for asset and network performance, has been elected to the board of MIMOSA, the not-for-profit industry trade association dedicated to developing and encouraging the adoption of open standards for physical asset lifecycle management.

COVID-19 has significantly affected manufacturing plant activity in China. Full manufacturing capabilities will likely not return for several months.

By Bill Lydon Focused on the theme, Driving Digital Transformation in Industry and Cities, the February 3-6 event had over 800 attendees from 20 countries representing more than 300 companies, along with many breakout sessions and workshops.

The partnership establishes AAE as an official Authorized Epson Service Center and will expand beyond selling Epson Robots, automation products and integrated solutions to include maintenance and repair of the installed base of Epson robots.

The definition of Digital Twin has been well vetted over the last few years, yet it seems when it’s time to pilot projects, it is forgotten. By working out these kinks, everything else―including performance monitoring, IIoT, predictive analytics and operational simulation―will fall into place.