Articles and News

Industrial Skills Training Catalogue contains 600 pages of e-learning training solutions.

Pajonas, formerly senior vice president and president of the Flow Control Division, assumes the role of COO responsible for both the Flow Control Division and the Flow Solutions Group.

ÅF AB will use AVEVA Plant across all new large and medium sized design projects, including new paper machines, biomass power plants, nuclear, thermal and renewables.

Wolf is Business Development Manager for the company’s Global Packaging Solutions Group.

Coast Automation will distribute Secomea Remote Device Management solution in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states in the US.

International Innovative Technologies is using in-line particle size distribution analysis systems in its low energy milling equipment.

Impuls in Russia reports that projects that typically took three months or more are now being completed in 5-6 weeks.

Three new U.S. Section participants, including Keith Nosbusch of Rockwell, were named to a two-year term ending on August 12, 2013.

Website contains information on monitoring systems, fault detection & diagnostics systems, wind farm management information systems, process control systems and project management services.

“World’s Greatest!” is a thirty-minute show dedicated to highlighting the world’s greatest companies, products, places, and people.

The Handbook is a technical reference guide for the control systems professional, as well as a study aid for the Control Systems Engineering (CSE) Professional Engineer (PE) Exam.

NTMOS H2S detector has earned approval for use in locations that require an ingress protection rating of IP66/67, ideal for petrochemical, oil and gas applications.

Metso will supply MetsoDNA Automation System, Process Info Management System, Control and On/off-valves as well as Consistency transmitters and Field Instruments.

Honeywell will integrate its Experion control system with Statoil’s existing Kvitebjørn platform to enable remote command of the facility.

Geometric is an exclusive provider of technical support for PROSTEP’s PLM software.

Overseeing the new office are Marc Goulet and Dan Foster.

ABB will supply AC subsea power cables to the world's largest offshore gas platform, Troll A, about 70 kilometers off the west coast of Norway.

Automation.com, January 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor The 17th Annual PI North America General Assembly Meeting was held October 4-6, 2011 in Phoenix, AZ and included vendors and users who provided updates on PROFIBUS and PROFINET technologies. Topics included PROFINET survey, GE IP, Chrysler-Fiat, Wireless and PROFIenergy.

Frost & Sullivan estimates that the market value of PAM and PLM will reach €506.6 and €4331.4 million, respectively, in 2017.

Orders were down 6.9% from October but up 26.6% when compared with the total of $339.68 million reported for November 2010.

Since 1912, Davis Instruments has supplied customers with brand-name technologies in test, measurement, control, and calibration.

Automation.com, January 2012 By Bill Lydon At the recent PI North America General Assembly Meeting, Bernie Anger of GE Intelligent Platforms discussed why they chose PROFINET as the backbone for their Programmable Automation Controller portfolio. The PROFINET philosophy fits with GE's evolving legacy of high performance distributed systems.

Flow Research says the worldwide market for liquid analytical instruments is projected to grow substantially and exceed $981 million by 2014.

Brochure highlights updates to ProServe Design, Assembly and Marking suite.

Endress+Hauser Arabia is a joint venture between the Endress+Hauser Group and Anasia, sister company to the Abudawood Group.

QA Graphics is an Iowa-based interactive design company specializing in Flash development, touchscreen applications, 3D design/animation, mobile apps and other multimedia.

The websites focus on the USA, the UK and Germany.

Revere Control Systems, Birmingham, Ala., recently became recertified as a CSIA Certified member.

Communications Systems selected IFS Applications ERP solution to replace its legacy enterprise systems.

The project is part of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) program, aimed at increasing the contribution of renewable energy in Texas by up to 18 gigawatts.

Alpha Wire announced a German version of its website for wire, cable, and tubing products.

Niagara Supervisor, Version 3.6 received BACnet Testing Laboratory's (BTL) Advanced Workstation Software listing (B-AWS) and BACnet Operator Workstation Software (B-OWS) listing.

Kenesto is seeking companies whose work processes can be completed successfully in the beta version of Kenesto, a cloud-based system that allows users to create processes and manage work easily.

UL-approved NEMA 23 (60 mm) step motors are available in half, single and two stack configurations, and provide holding torques from 42 to 253 oz-in.

ABB will rovide a high-voltage underground cable system for the South-West Link power transmission project in southern Sweden.

The application, accessible through the MISUMI Web site, provides design engineers with a visual index to all of the company’s Factory Automation components.

Klaver most recently served as the manufacturing manager for Roush Yates Racing Enterprises.

Pace Global is an energy consulting and management company that helps organizations maximize value and manage risk in today’s complex energy and environmental markets.

Operator effectiveness is often overlooked but is an area that can improve the performance and safety of your control system or plant.

The approval certificate covers the full 1” to 10” size range and ASME #150 and #300 pressure classes.

The ten-page brochure, complete with application examples, highlights Spring-Engaged Brakes for Rotary and Linear Applications.

CVA electric actuator has been specified for critical valve control duty on high temperature gas turbine pre-heater equipment supplied to the power generation industry.

Rev C involves a very rigorous audit process heavily influenced by major aerospace and defense companies.

Dynospindles.com website streamlines the ordering of custom and standard machine tool spindles and related accessories.

Video series details how to install industrial rotary encoders.

Curie rejoined the company as a business unit leader for the feeder product line. Curie previously served as product manager.

Pathamavong will primarily be involved in creating BAS graphics for one of the company’s largest clients, Johnson Controls, Inc.

Avid Solutions is a system integration firm with fifty employees and two offices in North Carolina.

Donaldson joined ICONICS in 2003, and was promoted to Director of Marketing in 2004 where he oversaw day to day marketing activities and events for ICONICS.

Brochure explains how the precision metering of flare gases and feed lines optimizes the disposal of waste gases in oil/gas land-based and offshore production fields as well as refineries.

Aumat is using high precision laser displacement sensors from Micro-Epsilon to measure the surface profile of key blanks prior to the production process.

The market will exceed $750 million in 2011 and is expected to reach more than $1.4 billion by 2016, according to ARC.

CCH supplied 240 explosion-protected eXLink connectors to Weatherford Production Optimisation for use on two wellhead control panels for the West Chirag Oil Platform.

The Building Automation Systems Division is for building automation professionals who design, build, install, troubleshoot, operate and manage building automation systems.

ARC says the current SCADA T&D market is $2.4 billion, and it is expected to grow to $3.8 billion at a CAGR of 8.9 percent--especially in China.

Meggitt will implement IFS Business Performance, Financials, Distribution, Manufacturing, Engineering/Product Design, Maintenance, Sales and Support, and Human Resources.

Aegis iLaunch and iView Manufacturing Operation Software modules provide SAI with a distributed, paperless environment to replace paper-based manufacturing process instructions.

Catalog contains 100 full color pages of products from Omega’s automation line: PLCs, smart relays, enclosures, process measurement and control devices, motion control sensors, HMIs and more.

Rockwell will replace the DCS, installed in 1994, with a PlantPAx process automation system.

For the seventh consecutive year, the company has signed on as a diamond supplier for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

ARC says the market for physical security and access control in North America and Europe is low growth but Asian countries are growing at a scorching pace,

Catching FluidPower is a distributor of fluid power products based in Bolingbrook, IL. Founded in 1954, Catching it has sales of $43 million and approximately 90 employees.

Honeywell will allow the city to link its four main treatment plants with geographically dispersed pumping stations to give operators the ability to control the entire system from a central location.

Rockwell's free Safety Return on Investment (ROI) Tool relies on a basic calculation: benefits divided by costs equals ROI.

Wet Gas Test Stand advances the physical understanding of wet gas flows without the constraints of traditional third party testing.

SERVOFLEX MiniMP 5200 Multipurpose gas analyser has been awarded MCERTS certification, making it suitable for source testers that require reference oxygen (O2) analysis.

ISI Solutions is a Latin American provider of automation and control engineering and consulting services to the oil & gas, power and pipeline industries.

Products include DC brush and brushless motors, linear actuators, precision lead screws, motorized and non-motorized linear rail and guide systems, drives, and controllers.

ARC says with an average compounded annual growth rate over 24 percent, Asia will be the fieldbus growth engine. The U.S. is way behind.

ARC says the total control valve, actuator, and positioner market in India will exceed $107 million in 2015.

TOP Server Version 5.7 passed the OPC Server Certification tests administered by the OPC Foundation’s Independent Certification Test Lab.

Software program enables multiple users in different locations to simultaneously view Current Readings data from the data loggers in list and/or graph form.

Automation.com, December 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Companies are looking for ways to improve efficiency and profits but the use of and Real-Time Optimization (RTO) including Advanced Process Control (APC) is still limited. Why?

Fiatech has published "Harmonization of Pump Schemas with the ISO 15926 Reference Data Library." The report provides an exploratory analysis of the work required to harmonize three technical activities.

ARC says the global automation markets are on track to return to pre-recession shipment levels in 2011.

ABB will build two high- and medium-voltage air- and gas-insulated switchgear substations that will supply power to a datacenter being built in Luleå, a coastal town in northern Sweden.

Metso supplied two DNA automation systems with HART for the Neste Oil renewable diesel plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

igus provides device data and linking CAE and production configurations on EPLAN.

Invensys will provide SimSci-Esscor simulation solutions to improve Shell’s global upstream, downstream and petrochemicals production.

MEMS development stems from microelectronics industry and combines conventional techniques developed for IC processing with MEMS-specific processes

Prior to joining ARC, Kok served in roles at GE, Intellution, VenturCom, and Kepware in marketing, sales, and product management.

LatinIFS was established in 2004 and is an IFS Applications distributor in Latin America. The company is headquartered in São Paulo and has a site in Rio de Janeiro.

ABB will invest $20 million for a minority stake in California-based GreenVolts, a provider of turnkey concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems

Guidelines for the tuning and the evaluation of decentralized and decoupling controllers for processes with recirculation

The system will allow owner-operators and EPCs to rapidly capture as-built plant environments and create intelligent 3D models that improve the efficiency and safety of plant operations.

The drop-in module eliminates stand-alone monitoring components, cost-effectively supplying UL 508A industrial control panels with energy consumption and machine health data.

Paradox Engineering and NEC Italia will develop Smart Energy solutions for utilities, multi-utilities and municipalities.

Test time for tuning temperature control can be reduced by using the near-integrating method. It identifies the deadtime and initial ramp rate.

Fieldbus Foundation registered devices based on its H1 Interoperability Test Kit (ITK) Version 6.o from Emerson Process Management and Yokogawa.

Website informs users about surge characteristics, how surge protective devices (SPDs) work, and how to specify and apply surge protection.

Alexandria Moseley, a student at Oregon State University, was recognized by National Engineers Week as one of 15 most promising engineering students in the U.S. and across the world.

Brochure covers industrial pneumatic directional control valves, cylinders and actuators, automation/handling devices, vacuum devices, electro-pneumatic pressure control devices, and more.

Caliel is taking over from Sudipta Bhattacharya who has decided to leave next year to take up a new role outside Invensys.

RuggedCom provided a communications network for the 200MW Golmud Photovoltaic Plant, the largest photovoltaic plant in China.

A 1.4 megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) array will generate enough electricity to power Merced County’s correctional facilities.

Security standards committee completes ballot

Automation.com, December 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor An enthusiastic OMAC Packaging Working Group recently presented plans for packaging machine standards. Bryan Griffen from Nestle explained their packaging philosophy and current vision centered on OMAC standards and how they want to optimize control systems in three ways.

Orders were down 22.4% from September but up 20.3% when compared with the total of $385.21 million reported for October 2010.

Newave develops, manufactures, and markets technologically advanced UPS systems for critical electronic devices and systems.

Tracer XT is based on Proficy, GE’s software platform, to integrate data from a variety of systems for HVAC, power, lighting, safety and more into a common interface.

IEC 6-1131-3

Agatos is a Singapore-based Wonderware systems integrator.

Teledyne DALSA will develop a new multispectral sensor for an advanced earth observation application.

Available as an app for Android phones, the Sensor Wiring Guide covers all Yokogawa liquid measurement sensors and analyzers.

The guide provides alternative approaches and best practices for deployment of Distributed Resource Island systems or Micro-Grids in India.

Silicom’s Ethernet bypass technology allows for bypass of Ethernet ports on a host system after a software failure, loss of power, or upon software request.

DRB Group selected the Epicor enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to replace its 20-year old business systems.

EuroChem will use UniSim to create simulated process scenarios as part of its training program for plant operators.

"Make: An American Manufacturing Movement" maps how the United States can lead the world in 21st Century advanced manufacturing that will be at the heart of our nation's long-term productivity and prosperity.

ABB will supply two GMD systems for 23 megawatt SAG mills comprising transformers, ring motors and complete containerized electrical houses.

This will allow ADLINK to offer modular solutions far below the $100 level, a price point requested for many years in the embedded market, but was not achievable with x86 based platforms.

The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) announces that six companies joined the association.

Maven Systems will distribute AirLive's wireless transmission devices and IP surveillance solutions in India.

The initiative integrates ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART, and wired H1 protocols into a single standard environment.

HMS Industrial Networks joined Mitsubishi Electric Europe’s e-F@ctory Alliance as a new partner.

Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill, became the first high school in America to be certified LEED Gold for Existing Buildings (EB).

Machine vision sales in North America rose 15% through the third quarter of 2011, according to the Automated Imaging Association (AIA).

EverRun is a fault tolerant, high availability and disaster recovery software suite that creates a highly resilient application environment for Windows products.

Leaders in the subcontracting business will be presenting their latest product developments in industrial materials to a vast audience attending HANNOVER MESSE.

Pressure transmitters were $2.40 billion in 2010, and will reach $3.22 billion in worldwide revenues in 2015.

The program will implement a globally standardized ERP/MES solution on the basis of SAP and Werum’s PAS-X.

The valve meets the functional safety requirements for Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 capable per IEC 61508.

PSCo Technical Distribution will build turnkey video wall solutions that complement their existing line of high-performance displays.

If on a trend recording a change in an input flow or speed (load) associated with a primary process loop causes a significant change in the primary process variable, there is an opportunity for feedfo

Automation.com, December 2011 By Jerry Belanger, Honeywell Process Solutions Industrial plants need solutions guaranteeing their controls system investments are safeguarded. They want to increase the efficiency of production process, but also reduce the long-term total cost of ownership (TCO) of automation assets.

Omnitron has produced three online videos on connectivity and cabling that provide BICSI Continuing Education Credits (CECs).

Lenze plans to open a Mechanical Product Assembly & Logistics Center in Glendale Heights, Illinois, and hire 40 people.

This brings the total number of certified companies to 27 and of certified products to 39.

Honeywell’s second office to open in Iraq since 2010 is in Basra.

ISaGRAF will integrate its SIL 3 FlexiSafe solution to Wind River’s VxWorks RTOS Cert Platform.

ClearView is a supplier of imaging components and services to OEMs and System Integrators in the machine vision, image analysis, medical imaging and video surveillance industries.

IXXAT opened a sales office in northern Italy to expand its activities in the embedded system solutions, data communication and safety areas.

In a second phase of this project, MPEI will be implementing Advanced Distribution Management System functionalities, including Electronic Mapping, Distribution Power Flow and Volt/VAR Control.

QA Graphics’ interactive team can create custom mobile applications for Apple iOS (iPhone/iPad/iTouch), Android and BlackBerry devices.

ACE is an independent systems integration firm with seven offices throughout the northeast USA and Texas.

There is too much hype about the smart grid without looking at the core problems from an engineering and business point of view.

Roesys. a manufacturer of digital X-ray systems, is using draw-wire sensors from Micro-Epsilon to position the mechanical moving parts on its machines.

eWON Ethernet routers allow Thames Water to remotely monitor and control critical assets located at its water pumping stations and sewage treatment works across the UK.

The Automated Imaging Association (AIA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Machine Vision Industrial Association (KMVIA).

Three companies--3S, logi.CAD and KW-Software--have incorporated the PLCopen XML specification into their products.

ABB successfully commissioned an ACS 6000 drive, installed at the Ma JiaLiang coal mine main shaft hoist in Shanxi Province, China.

ABB provided 15 motor drives and PLCs to the Milwaukee Area Technical College.

PPT Vision develops products and solutions based on smart camera, as well as industrial multi-camera vision systems used in quality control and inspection in the manufacturing industry.

PowerEdge mobile application provides real-time access from an Apple iPhone or iPad to Eaton’s electrical catalogs, videos, and training.

Emerson will provide a DeltaV automation system, AMS Suite asset management software, and smart field devices using Foundation fieldbus and WirelessHART.

Holcim is using an Insitec on-line particle size analyzer from Malvern Instruments to optimize the grinding circuits that mill finished cement.

Prokits, based in Mansfield, UK, is a designer and manufacturer of valve adaptor kits and accessories for the valve industry.

Eliminating Difficult Start-ups with State Based Controls

PLCopen Motion Control Specifications have been extended with the release of Part 5 and Part 6, adding fluid power to the spec.

New orders for motion control products are up 19% through the third quarter of 2011, but are slowing down says MCA.

Coastal Flow added a Calibron S50 portable flow prover to its proving fleet.

The three Strategic Member companies appointed directors for next year, and the 16 Participating Member companies elected two directors for the Board.

Catalog includes technical data related to flammability, impact resistance, temperature control, EMI/RFI Shielding, and modifications of enclosures.

The program helps automation vendors get started with FOUNDATION product development by making it faster and easier to bring fieldbus equipment to market.

The catalogs list more than 25,000 different products.

The project involves installing an electric-mechanical system on 900 dump bins to monitor the input of waste and optimize its collection.

Linear programs and real-time optimization need the prediction to violation of constraints inherent in MPC.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor I was recently introduced to a new HMI software offering, Tatsoft FactoryStudio. My first reaction was - Why does the industry need another HMI software product? I interviewed Tatsoft CEO and founder, Marcos Taccolini to learn more.

Catalog contains product information and installation assistance for Parker hydraulic hoses, fittings, equipment, accessories and technical information.

eWON is a Belgian manufacturer of hardware products for industrial communication.

Honeywell will provide automation, safety and security solutions for a new multi-train liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Queensland.

There’s nothing worse in one’s work life than when the relationship with one’s manager is not working correctly.

Automation.com, December 2011 By Gregory Wilcox, Mike Hannah and Mark Devonshire, Rockwell Automation The rise of Ethernet and emerging technologies such as integrated plantwide architecture and Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) have lead to the increased popularity of converged network infrastructures . These infrastructures allow innovative designs, specifically layer switches, that allow manufacturers to combine the simplicity and maintainability of many individual networks with the power and flexibility of a single network design.

Automation.com, December 2011 Gram Equipment in Denmark is a manufacturer of equipment for industrial ice cream production. To simplify system complexity, it based its control topology on an Allen-Bradley GuardLogix platform and EtherNet/IP.

Automation.com, December 2011 Askim Mek Verksted in Norway builds Battpacker wool production machinery. It upgraded to Control Logix PLCs, PanelView Plus HMIs, Festo plug-in pneumatic valves, and EtherNet/IP communications.

The program targets system integrators, machine builders and other companies wishing to include Anybus gateways and Netbiter remote management solutions in their offering.

SME selects Francis Tuttle Technology Center as one of six exemplary schools for community-based manufacturing education.

The instrument will monitor weather and climate changes throughout the Arctic region.

Industrial networks play a major role in the implementation of control strategies for energy optimization on the plant floor.

Accu-Sort produces Automatic Identification (Auto-ID) systems, with revenues of approximately $92 million in 2010.

Kowal is the first Supplier Member to be elected to the PMMI board, a recognition of the key role suppliers play in the advancement of packaging technology.

Vector award competition rewards challenging and innovative applications using cable carrier systems.

Many of the real costs of plant or facility downtime are hidden in other cost areas and do not show up unless you account for them properly.

Andy Chatha Awarded ISA Honorary Membership

Automation.com, November 2011 By Nuris Ismail, Aberdeen Group In today's economic environment, manufacturers are under immense pressure to contribute value to the organization's bottom line by cutting costs and improving productivity wherever possible. In fact, in the Aberdeen Business Review study of over 170 manufacturers revealed that their primary goals for 2011 were profitability and cost reduction.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Bill Lydon for Automation.com Rockwell Automation introduced the new low-cost Micro800 PLC product line suited for standalone machine applications - a completely new architecture and not based on or compatible with the Logix Platform and Integrated Architecture.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Mikko Ristolaine, ABB Offerings from safe stopping to more elaborate monitoring functions are being introduced and are heralding new opportunities in machine safety.

Automation.com, December 2011 By ABB Describes the thinking that went into developing the ABB Process Automation Decision Tool.

The indoor AXIS Q1602 and the outdoor-ready AXIS Q1602-E can deliver multiple, individually configurable H.264 and Motion JPEG video streams simultaneously.

By adopting "greentelligence" as its keynote theme, HANNOVER MESSE 2012 has put the spotlight squarely on green technologies as a central growth driver for industry.

Escalating energy prices across Europe are underlining the need to implement electric drives to minimise energy bills and achieve better efficiency.

ARC says the highest percentage of all industry Ethernet nodes shipped worldwide is for EtherNet/IP devices.

ABB will design, supply and commission all the electrical and mechanical equipment for a new ground-mounted mine ore hoist system.

Automation.com, November 2011 By Hongyu Pei Breivold, et al, ABB Here’s how ABB's System 800xA helps improve operator effectiveness through improved situational awareness and better handling of abnormal conditions.

App lets users compare conventional methods, such as valves for pump control and dampers for fan control, to variable frequency drives, to see estimated cost savings.

telligrated will add 200 new technical and engineering positions in research and development, system design and customer service.

The expansion more than doubles ATI's current manufacturing and inventory capacity while allowing 50 new employees to be hired.

Updates in Version 6.2.0 of the motion system sizing and selection software include the company’s AKM, AKM8, and VLM servomotors.

Blog helps network professionals stay up-to-date on the latest advances, global standards updates, market intelligence and strategies in network infrastructure.

Fairchild is a manufacturer of high-precision pneumatic controls and power transmission products based in North Carolina, USA.

ISA is accepting applications for the 2012-2013 academic year for students who demonstrate potential in the fields of automation, instrumentation and control.

Roche holds a B. Sc from Trinity College, a Dip. Eng. from Dublin Institute of Technology, an MBA from Rutgers and Executive Education' Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Updates to EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet specs include an energy object that will be used to report energy for all energy and resource types.

Bosch Rexroth AG is doubling the production area at the Fountain Inn plant in South Carolina, USA.

National Instruments has helped many physicists streamline project development and simplify advanced control solutions that otherwise would be cost-prohibitive.

Korsnäs Gävle is using Emerson’s wireless conductivity and temperature transmitters to collect leak-detection data at its board and paper production unit at Gävlebukten, Sweden.

Joyner’s Mechanical has offices in both Richmond and Chesapeake, Virginia.

Paralan will distribute ACS industrial and process control instrumentation in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Site offers image sensors, frame grabbers, cameras, lenses, industrial computers, cables and enclosures.

Simionato is a manufacturer of integrated flexible packaging systems based in Mestrino, Italy.