Articles and News

The FDT Group will develop an annex to the FDT2 specification for users of EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet.

Based on ODVA’s industrial EtherNet/IP, the results of this initiative will provide end users with more choices to deploy a complete Ethernet solution for process automation starting with connectivity down to the field level.

The SIG will develop standards for the exchange of information between machines, and between machines and supervisory systems using EtherNet/IP and CIP, sercos III and/or OPC UA, whenever possible.

Orders totaled $385.89 million, up 5.7% from January but down 10.6% when compared with the total of $431.63 million reported for February 2012.

MDIS selected OPC UA as the Master Control System (MCS) and Distributed Control System (DCS) protocol standard for offshore oil and gas production.

The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) announces that seven control system integration firms recently joined the association.

NANOFLEX hygienic control, power and data cables can be used in U.S. and Canadian industries that require machinery and their component parts to resist the growth of micro-organisms.

Honeywell's Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) will be deployed throughout the Azzour Water Distribution Scheme so that operators at a central location can control a network of six different treatment plants.

Bosch Rexroth won the award for its Open Core Engineering project, which unites the previously separate worlds of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and information technology (IT).

The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) adopted GrammaTech’s static analysis tool, CodeSonar, to analyze, review and test the robustness of code-based benchmark suites.

Burns Controls is now an Authorized Epson Distributor for the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

A simple method to find a robust output feedback controller by random search approach

PLCopen and its members published PLCopen Safety Part 4 safety specification, specific to the application of presses.

At the request of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), representatives from the Automation Federation participated in the first NIST meeting for developing a national cybersecurity program called for by President Barack Obama.

The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) will display a live demonstration at the upcoming Hannover Messe Industrial Fair 2013, (8-12 April), Hannover, Germany.

Website helps to explain Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and how to automate OEE reporting.

Flowserve will provide a pump package and energy recovery devices (ERDs) to be used at Larnaca, a 15.9 million gallons/day seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant located in the Republic of Cyprus.

Field analyzers enable a higher level of control, such as model predictive control, to improve product quality and process efficiency and capacity.

IMS says machinery production in China will rebound 11 percent to $426 billion after suffering from overcapacity in 2012 that limited industry growth.

PAC will supply laboratory analytical instruments for Petroleum Testing application to JAC, including instruments for gas chromatography, sulfur, nitrogen, halides, and elemental and physical properties.

The exploration of new oil and gas fields, with the corresponding increase in investments in refineries and pipelines in key growth regions, is likely to have a high impact on market prospects.

Oldham specializes in providing safety, gas and fire detection systems.

SubDivFormer for Android devices is available free of charge through the Google play store.

Wibu-Systems, a supplier of security solutions, joined the OPC Foundation as a new active member.

Banda now manages the Beckhoff Central Region direct sales team as it delivers advanced automation and controls solutions to machine builders and manufacturers.

16 Rotork IQ40 actuators, one Pakscan P3 wireless master station and three network repeaters are used to control six 100,000 barrel tanks and four booster pumps at Martin Midstream Partners tank farm in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Metso will provide automation systems for two greenfield 1000 MW power plant units located in Xiashu Town, Jurong City, Jiangsu Province, China.

ABB will supply mechanical hoists, skips, cages, and four feeding conveyors to Uralkali, one of the world’s largest potash producers.

ARC says India’s water & wastewater SCADA systems market is spurred by the need to improve the sustainability of its water utility infrastructure.

VYCON will supply environmentally friendly VDC-XE flywheel systems to EasyStreet Online Services to protect their data center, deploying a total of approximately 800kW of clean energy storage.

IPA selected Rootstock Software to support their design, engineering, assembly and service operations.

By Bill Lydon, Editor John Carey of BP Castrol challenged capital intensive industries that generally think they are impervious to change. Carey suggests that there is a great of chance for change and emphasized that it is important to consider how we need to adapt, change our behaviors, and organizations to compete.

By Robert Myles Given the issues present in large-scale PLC/DCS systems and the advantages offered by Dedicated Alarm Annunciators, the additional cost to include one as a redundant system is well outweighed; particularly when the system or the process they are protecting and the cost of a shutdown (or worse) is taken into account.

Yokogawa will supply the integrated automation and safety system for the new liquefaction trains at Cheniere’s LNG facility in Sabine Pass, LA.

Water World will deploy the financial, logistics and manufacturing modules of Epicor ERP in its offices in Egypt and the USA.

Development of a Virtual Linearizer for Correcting Transducer Static Nonlinearity

ARC says globalization drives manufacturers to address initiatives for energy cost savings and reducing energy consumption, as well as for safety and sustainability needs.

sercos international participated in four events in four countries in four weeks world-wide in March 2013.

Valvekits is supplying 250 valve mounting kits and spool pieces for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility under construction for Cheniere Energy Inc. on the Sabine River in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

ABB will provide electrical equipment, including gearless conveyor drives, for Codelco’s El Teniente copper mine at 2,300 meters above sea level.

EFD was founded in 1963 and after years of steady growth was acquired by the Nordson Corporation.

Pradeep Metals manufactures closed-die forgings for the oil & gas, valve, instrumentation, petrochemical, and general engineering industries around the world.

Fast Track simplifies the ordering process by turning job estimates into orders and it ensures that Honeywell assembles the exact valve/actuator combination for accurate order delivery and easier installation.

The Copper Development Association created a comprehensive three-part Motor Management Program. Part 1 involves creating a motor inventory and developing repair and replacement guidelines.

Stewart was formerly President and Co-CEO of Daifuku Webb. He joined the Jervis B. Webb Company in 1981 as a Junior Engineer and has held numerous positions, including COO, Vice President of Engineering and Senior Vice President of Operations.

ARC says automation expenditures in the water & wastewater industry will grow at a rate of 7.8 percent over the next five years.

ISA Training and Education in April: Learn, Advance, Succeed

By Bill Lydon, Editor For a new project or existing systems replacement/migration, life cycles should be part of the analysis when making a decision to purchase a control & automation systems. Your company’s manufacturing competitiveness and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) are directly impacted by the supplier’s lifecycles of the automation products that you purchase.

DeLaura was named ISA’s Water and Wastewater Industry Division Member of the Year for his work to promote collaboration between WEF’s Automation and Information Technology Committee and the ISA Water and Wastewater Division.

By Bill Lydon, Editor At the recent opening ceremony for Eaton’s new building in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, I gained a better understanding of Eaton as a company and their commitment to developing products that meet world needs. The company has a very rational approach to applied research and development.