Articles and News

Scheduled for start-up in the third quarter of 2017, the Ichthys joint venture megaproject is forecasted to produce 8.9 million tons of LNG yearly.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Embedding intelligence in devices at the network “edge”, where sensing and control is performed, is fundamental for the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet. This article discusses the role of IEC-61131 in helping organizations move forward with IIoT

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation With technology racing ahead, it’s unsurprising that obsolescence management in the industry is complicated. This article discusses how the oil and gas industry can manage the spiralling issue of equipment obsolescence.

Automation.com partners with Integration Objects to present this free webinar to help you find out how you can use your data to gain a deep understanding of your dynamic processes quickly, maximize your operations reliability and efficiency, and your asset availability.

Dream Report version 4.72 has been released and is ready for download from www.DreamReport.net. Dream Report delivers KPIs and gives users the flexibility to drill down, review and analyze the root cause of trends.

With this agreement, the two companies are able to provide bi-directional access of the sensor/actuator level, via the netIOT Edge Gateway from Hilscher, to the SAP HANA Cloud Platform and the SAP Asset Intelligence Network.

Smart motors market is driven with increasing requirement of adjustable speed in applications such as pumping systems,smart motors market grows with the integration of internet of things in industrial processes.

By providing SIL 4-certified programmable logic controllers, HIMA just became part of the legendary success story of the Mariazellerbahn (Mariazell Railway) in Austria. The operations of the rail lane date back to 1898.

At this year’s PowerGen Europe HIMA is showcasing how simple safe and cost-effective turbomachinery operations can be. The FlexSILon® TMC solution will demonstrate how all turbomachinery functions can be combined in one single system.

Process equipment and plants are being built off-site as modules and delivered to sites as complete units to save costs and solve staffing issues.

The use of robotics in industrial control is an already established trend,it has paved the path for the greater adoption of industrial automation and industrial control equipment.

AutoQuiz: Change DCS from single loop control of a process variable to cascade, ratio, feedforward, adaptive, or multi-variable control

By Glen Whitley, Georgia Department of Economic Development Protecting digital information has never been more of a priority for governments, businesses, families and individuals. This article discusses the arms race between those who are seeking to illegally access cyber information and those attempting to safeguard it

The show as a whole addressed a wide range of topics, including renewables and energy efficiency, infrastructure for low-emission urban mobility, resource sustainability, and new approaches to public buildings and the design of public spaces.

By Robert Waugh, HighJump An ERP system is a significant investment, yet many manufacturing operations don’t take full advantage of its capabilities. This article discusses the benefits of ERP systems in manufacturing

motion sensor market is driven by increasing application of motion sensors in smartphones, Europe held major share of motion sensor market in 2014 and is expected to retain its position during estimated period, motion sensor market grows with demand for these sensors in gaming industry

The Exar Board of Directors has appointed Ryan A. Benton as Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Keith Tainsky, Sr. Director of Finance, will immediately assume the position of Chief Financial Officer.

To get access to their drives systems remotely, Newton Tesla had been looking for a remote management system for some time. They turned to Netbiter to establish a secure data tunnel to their PLCs

The new Head of Development is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) of the PMI, and Certified Automation Professional (CAP®) of the ISA.

Automated Test Equipment Market is driven by rising system on chip products, automated test equipment market will grow at a rapid pace, ATE Market rises with demand for Electronics and Communication Equipments

The acquisition is expected to strengthen the Epicor sales, services and support team globally, and brings cloud-based, add-on solutions that extend the company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) portfolio.

By Bob McIlvride, Skkynet For decades, the world of Information Technology (IT) has been evolving separately from the Operational Technology (OT) world. Yet now, increasing demands within the enterprise are starting to force them to cooperate, and possibly even live under one roof.

Industrial executives say that although they believe automation should add business value to their operations, they are not convinced that it really does.

By Howard Williams, Parker Software There's currently a rumor doing the rounds that suggests robots are going to take our jobs. This article looks at the future of business automation and the vital role people will still have to play.

The changes are designed to strengthen Servomex’s ability for the center to expand its manufacture from the DF range of high purity analyzers to include manufacture of SERVOPRO safe area analyzers

Industrial Internet of Things Market is driven by advanced cloud technology, IIoT Market is growing due to need for perfect accuracy in industries, North America leads Industrial Internet of Things Market

Intelligent building management systems market is driven by rising construction sector, Power-line communications provide tremendous growth opportunities for the intelligent building management systems market

By Bill Lydon, Editor Industry 4.0 is the change from rigid, preconceived, hierarchical production systems to dynamic, flexible, self-configuring and self-optimizing, integrated and intelligent networked systems and processes. NAMUR’s Process Sensor 4.0 Roadmap is an example of the industry rising to meet the challenge.

Parents do not have accurate information or positive perceptions on the opportunities for a career in manufacturing.

TechED will feature over 170 hands-on labs, technical sessions and discussion forums where attendees can learn about the latest techniques and technology to maximize their manufacturing and production operations, while earning professional development hours.

The catalog covers the scope of PI's magnetic direct drives and air bearing technology solutions, including actuators, linear stages, multi-axis gantry systems, and customized systems.

Automation is the use of several control systems for operating equipment such as boilers and heat treating ovens, machinery, switching in telephone networks, stabilization and steering of aircraft, ships and other applications with reduced or minimal human intervention.

AutoQuiz: Blocked control valves used in a paper-pulp slurry service.

The International Intelligent Manufacturing Conference, on Wednesday, May 11, compared China’s “Made in China 2025”, Germany’s “Industry 4.0” and the United States’ “Industrial Internet” initiatives.

At the hearing of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), ranking Democrat Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and three witnesses outlined the benefits and potential pitfalls of expanded automation and robotics in the workforce.

Demand for Automated Test Equipment appears to be growing in regions with high consumer electronics demand. This facilitates the market to progress rapidly in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries. The Asian market poses the highest potential for growth as India and China are becoming global economies with their focus on the electronics and manufacturing sectors.

By: Brian Arbuckle, IHS Technology The total market for industrial cybersecurity products reached $782 million in 2015 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.8 percent to reach $1.8 billion in 2020

The Color Detection sensor market is crucial for the success of industry automation on a global scale. This market has been witnessing tremendous growth due to increasing industries and new technological advancements. Advanced Economies also maintain a stable growth mainly due to reimbursements offered for specific equipment and health policies of government and private entities.

More than 120 plant, refinery, air quality and emissions professionals attended ISA’s 16th annual Fugitive Emissions-LDAR Symposium 16-20 May 2016 in scenic Denver, Colorado USA.

SensoTech’s business focuses on the development, manufacturing and sales of analytical instrumentation technology for liquid concentration and density measurement in industrial and research applications.

Technological advancements in packaging techniques have led to the introduction of next generation packaging.It is particularly helpful in tracing shipments to distant locations and ensures minimum damage to packaged materials

ST Robotics announced distribution agreements with RobotShop and SuperDroid Robots to deliver its ST R Series articulated and cylindrical robot arm systems across North America.

By Ed Herceg, Alliance Sensors Linear Variable Inductive Transducers (LVITs) are used in many factory automation applications. This article gives an in-depth look at the operational and financial benefits of LVIT technology

By Martyn Williams, COPA-DATA UK This article explains how implementing custom machinery and combining industrial equipment with intelligent automation software can help companies implement fully-flexible manufacturing.

Menzel Elektromotoren GmbH was chosen to replace defective motors after an internet search. The original motors had failed after only two years of operation, because they were unable to withstand the loads and high temperatures in the pumping station.

While manufacturers should remain vigilant about security in building an IIoT strategy, it should not prevent moving forward. Four solution providers who will exhibit at Industrial Automation North America 2016 offered these recommendations

Control valves market report gives very clean insights about the value chain, pricing and market force analysis of control valve market. This market is studied under various end user industries including oil & gas, food processing, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and many more.

Behrman Capital, a private equity investment firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell DDC, to Transdigm Group Incorporated, in a transaction valued at $1 billion. Completion of the transaction is expected before the end of the second quarter of 2016.

This productivity tool is designed to reduce engineering overhead for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and speed delivery to laboratory equipment, electronic light assembly, end of line packaging, food and beverage, automotive, and machine tool manufacturers.

ADLINK will actively participate in the organization’s new Open Compute Telecom Project focused on establishing the next generation of open standards for communication architectures.

Tech Folien turned to Emerson official partner RJW, who designed and installed a motor solution which delivered energy savings of over 75%.

Product lifecycle management and automation are being drawn together by a series of technological developments. The driving force is a combination of the elements of hardware, “smart,” and cloud.

The Seoul-based subsidiary evolved from its cooperation with an experienced CAE sales partner, with which Aucotec had started its involvement in Korea. The partner relied completely on Aucotec's modern software platform and was named "Engineering Base Ltd" after the system.

Bluff's management team and Wincove plan to build on Bluff's position in the material handling market and to continue to provide dealers with the same service, products, and delivery.

By Adam Chapman, Fluenta Feedback from the International Conference and Exhibition on Emissions Monitoring (CEM) this year highlighted two perspectives on the necessity of automation for both current and future regulation and monitoring challenges: monitoring fugitive emissions and fine particulate matter.

The ISA program committee calls for process industry leaders, particularly in the chemical and energy processing fields, to submit abstracts for presentation consideration prior to July 22

One of HIMA’s most significant ongoing assignments in Asia Pacific is Ichthys, the massive Australian LNG project operated by INPEX. HIMA is supplying the project’s safety systems.

The partnership is intended to provides shipper, 3PLs and other logistics services providers with a transportation planning and execution solution that will optimize delivery outcomes while controlling freight costs across all delivery modes.

Users of portable metrology systems are invited and encouraged to take the survey, which will address usage scenarios and issues impacting industries, such as automotive, power generation, oil and gas, and any related field that manufactures precision parts that require in-place measurement.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Even in the manufacturing industry, apps are finding a home as one of the best ways to access information. This article examines the use of apps in industrial environments, compared to their browser-based alternatives.

The Manufacturing Association of Nigeria inaugurated its Large Corporation Group, which will come up with policy recommendations that will lead to a conducive economic and social climate for the operation and development for large scale industries in Nigeria.

Industrial Automation North America 2016 , from 12-17 September in Chicago, will focus on companies' need for smart, transportable data and connections to the plant floor.

Bird will initially focus on the launch of the newest product in the Fluenta flare gas meter range, the 160X. He has been managing R&D and product development groups since 1999

The book Industrial Data Communications is designed to help you understand legacy and more advanced systems deployed in industrial automation environments.

Mike Bastian, Global Controls Manager at Ford, shared the motivations behind their cybersecurity strategy, as well as defined 7 systems which are essential for reliable operations and keeping production running smoothly.

This study, conducted at UBC’s Okangan campus, has resulted in an engineering model that could help the companies determine which areas of their pipeline network could be prone to corrosion and should receive priority for integrity testing.

Trading as CMRP Automation Inc., the operation will be based in Makati City, Manila providing design, engineering support, installation and commissioning services to the process industries sector in the Philippines, Singapore and SEA region.

Senior level discussions about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will be the focal point for the Global Automation & Manufacturing Summit held during Industrial Automation North America 2016, from September 12–17, 2016, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

The growing demand for open-network communication network systems and real-time diagnostic information generation systems is driving the demand for iMCCs primarily.

Numbers of mobile devices are rapidly increasing as operators deploy faster networks. Hence, mobile data traffic is expected to explode over the forecast period. The surge in the industry is can be subjected to growing number of wireless devices, smart phones and deployment of sophisticated network such as 3G, 4G and LTE.

This event—focusing on the challenges associated with automation and instrumentation in the water and wastewater sectors—includes an extensive, two-day program of technical presentations; a tour of a local wastewater treatment plant; and a supplier showcase.

Available for free download, the device drivers enable users to develop control interfaces to Alicat instruments, without PLC programming skills.

AutoQuiz: What are the basic components of a programmable logic controller?