Articles and News

The Manufacturing Interoperability Guideline Working Group has established a set of principles for converging the OAGi, ISA-95, and B2MML activities. "It's an important milestone in our development process, because we've been able to come together and agree on the main points of our process and how we want to drive our activities in the future," said Gary Sullivan of BWXT and chairman of the Working Group.

ISA appointed Shari L.S. Worthington as Director-Elect of the Management Division. She will serve in this role through the end of 2007, supporting members who are involved in management as it relates to instrumentation, systems, and automation assets, such as marketing and sales, supply chain management, industry standards, education and training, project management, and personnel management.

Stonewater Control Systems announced that it will provide its Field Instrument Management System (FIMS) solution to systems integrator Sanchez Industrial Design, Inc. (SID) to monitor gases, liquids and alarm remotely in real time.

American Welding Society (AWS) announced their newly published standard on plastic welding, AWS G1.1M/G1.1:2006, Guide to Ultrasonic Assembly of Thermoplastics. This ANSI-approved standard details the ultrasonic equipment and processes used in fabricating thermoplastic parts.

CHS Inc. has selected Invensys to implement an InFusion-based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for Front Range Pipeline, LLC and Cenex Pipeline, LLC. These pipelines provide transportation of crude oil to the CHS refinery in Laurel, Montana, and transportation of refined products to markets east, including eastern Montana and North Dakota.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has succeeded in verification testing of a combined-cycle power generation system incorporating two different types of power generation system: solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and a micro gas turbine (MGT). The feat is unprecedented in Japan.

Invensys Process Systems will be presenting the unique benefits of the company's recently introduced InFusion enterprise control system (ECS) technology and unique asset performance management approach in 25 cities around the world. Includes schedule.

Altech UL489 AC and DC miniature molded case circuit breakers offer the highest rating in the industry for their type and can deliver reliable performance in a wide range of applications, including low inrush motors, appliances, lighting, wiring protection, transformers, power supplies and industrial controls, among others.

Michael Mikolajczak has been named a product line manager for ABB Automation Products, Low Voltage Drives, according to Cliff Cole, director of marketing, ABB Low Voltage Drives.

ExperTune is offering free web-based training to improve plant performance. ”The 6 Myths of Process Performance” identifies the “right things” to focus on for improved process performance. The myths represent outdated methods of plant performance improvement. Each myth is debunked in a short 5-minute video.

Ice Qube has contracted with Siemens Building Technologies to provide in-field support for our cooling systems. This service option will be included on all Ice Qube cooling systems at no additional charge during the warranty period.

Frost & Sullivan has conferred the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Award for Excellence in Technology upon Hitachi America Ltd in recognition of its achievement in developing a revolutionary new intelligent sensorless vector (SLV) control technology. Incorporated in the company’s SJ200 iSLV drive series, this technology stands poised to transform modern vector control technology by eliminating many of its key challenges.

ISA has announced the donation of 4 Nullmatic controls Model 55M (M43) with integral setting and transfer switch from Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., to its training program. Valued at over $11,600, the donation will be used in ISA's technical training program.

Ship2Save and AAID Security Solutions have teamed up to provide the first step in an elaborate roll-out plan for a Canadian Crown Corporation. The unidentified company has been using the system over the course of the last several months to help address a variety of logistical inefficiencies related to their cross-docking operations.

Well known elevator company, OTIS, has been awarded the distinction of becoming member number 300 of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG). OTIS is the world’s largest company involved in the manufacture, installation and service of elevators, escalators and moving walkways. OTIS Elevator Korea officially joined in the ETG in April and was honored at an EtherCAT training class in Seoul.

Yashpaul joins InSync with senior management experience in Operations, Applications, and Supply Chain Management in the healthcare, aerospace, and high technology industry verticals.

PlantData Technologies announced it has completed more than 50 SCADA, EMS, and DCS Security assessments in the past five years. A division of Verano, Inc., the leading provider of security and SCADA solutions for mission-critical industries, PlantData continues its commitment to serving energy, utility, transmission and distribution, transportation and other critical infrastructure industries.

Bud Industries, Inc., the leading manufacturer of electronic enclosures, has hired Josiah Haas for the position of National Sales Manager – the fourth generation of the Haas family to work in Bud Industries management. According to the Family Business Institute, only 30 percent of businesses survive into the second generation, 12 percent into the third, and fewer than three percent into the fourth.

Honeywell (NYSE:HON) has been awarded a $17.5 million contract to supply process controls for Vietnam ’s first oil refinery. The Technip Consortium – which will build the refinery in Dung Quat for state-owned company PetroVietnam – selected Honeywell to supply its award-winning process automation system, the Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS). The refinery will begin production in central Vietnam in early 2009.

Donald E. Labbe, P.E., of Invensys Process Systems has been presented the 2006 ISA POWID Achievement Award at the 16th Annual Joint ISA Power Industry Division/EPRI Controls and Instrumentation Conference. This is the highest award of the Power Industry Division (POWID), a group within the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society (ISA). The conference, co-sponsored since 1991 by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is regarded as the key automation forum in the power industry.

Keithley Instruments, Inc. ( NYSE:KEI), announces that Research & Development Magazine has named Keithley Instruments, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, as one of the recipients of the 2006 R&D 100 Award for the Series 2600 System SourceMeter Instruments. Winners of this prestigious award are chosen each year by a panel of industry experts who review hundreds of entries from universities, private corporations, and labs around the world to select the 100 most technologically significant products and processes introduced during the previous year.

Featuring the R-, G-, and E-Series sensors, the catalog highlights the company’s significant capabilities for the wood, plastic, paper, machine tool, and other industrial markets. This includes a wide range of accessories to aid the application of Temposonics magnetostrictive sensors, as well as new programming and diagnostic tools created especially for the latest R- and G-Series sensors.

FlowSense has been awarded a contract from the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) for a design-build project in the replacement of existing HVAC systems in Minneapolis.

KUKA Robotics has been selected by Encobotics, Inc. of Derby, Kansas to provide 6 axis robots for a new plastics routering cell.

National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) today reported record revenue in Q2 2006 of $160 million, a 14 percent USD increase over Q2 2005 and an equivalent 16 percent increase in local currency.

In a 10-day mini-Roadshow blitz across the state of New York, June 5 - 16, ABB Low Voltage Products, manufacturers' reps Lachut Electrical Sales and RPM Controls, along with distributor KOM Lamb, visited 10 locations in five major markets -- and introduced 327 customers and prospects from 62 different companies to ABB controls and drives products.

Meeting on July 27, 2006, the Supervisory Board reviewed the financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2006 established by the Management Board on July 25, 2006.