Articles and News

One of Empire's custom motor gearbox assemblies made it into show business as an unnoticed yet essential co-star in “O” by Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To help reduce the shortage of qualified entry-level workers in Manufacturing, Bison is starting a training program consisting of applied math and manufacturing principles.

Compare the products & services offered by Remke with other electrical connector suppliers.

Free downloadable short form catalog contains ac/dc switchmode power supplies, battery chargers, dc/dc converters, dc/ac inverters and ac/ac frequency inverters.

Siemens will supply a direct drive for a gas compressor to Rolls-Royce Power Generation for a power plant in Felindre, South Wales. The drive can be adjusted to different requirements with a variable speed controller.

Siemens will supply process automation and drive systems valued at EUR 18 million for a continuous-annealing line and two hot-dip-galvanizing lines at Shougang Jingtang United Iron and Steel Co.

Kübler two-inch encoders are now assembled in Minneapolis.

Bristol uses ATI's Q45H/64 Dissolved Ozone Analyzer for on-line monitoring and control of ozone levels in drinking water.

June 5 and June 28, 2007 Sage Designs and Westin Engineering are hosting two free SCADA Seminars, one in Sacramento, CA on June 5, and one in Anaheim, CA on June 28, 2007.

Varian is using RTI's middleware to connect sensors, user display systems and control computers with NMR and MRI instruments.

Explosion proof, dual channel X-STREAM infrared analyzers are being used to measure carbon monoxide and butane, monitoring the effectiveness of the VRU in removing all the hydrocarbons.

Moxa received the Engineers’ Choice Award for the ioLogik E2210 Active Ethernet I/O server.

Enhancements include a CANbus configuration tool, a CANbus emulator, and a runtime bus driver.

Klubnik will serve as the primary technical representative for Wilcoxon, include customer visits, peer presentations at conferences, and technical writing.

ABB's first-quarter net income rose 163 percent to $537 million from $204 million in the same period of 2006, driven primarily by continued strong market demand and further operational improvements.

The ZigBee Telecom Profile provides information delivery, monitoring, and peer-to-peer small data sharing for mobile phone users.

BMA Coal has standardized on ProcessMORe software for its production and dispatch system. BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is Australia's largest coal miner and exporter, and the world's largest supplier to the seaborne coking coal market.

National Instruments reported revenue in the first quarter of $172 million, up 11 percent from Q1 2006. Earnings were up 51 percent compared to Q1 2006.

Free catalog introduces UEIPAC Programmable Automation Controller Cubes and UEIModbus Cubes with Modbus TCP support.

Infor EAM Datastream 7i, a Web-based enterprise asset management (EAM) system, was installed in China's Huolinhe Coal Industry Co Ltd, located in Inner Mongolia. The mine produces 20 million tons of coal annually.

Harbour Group acquired Tritex, the parent company of Haydon, which makes fractional horsepower linear actuators, lead screw assemblies, rotary stepper motors and hermetically sealed switches.

MTS is supplying its E- and C-Series Temposonics magnetostrictive sensors to the pharmaceutical industry for processing and packaging applications.

Since automation is such a fragmented business, all the larger (multi-billion $) companies are mostly a conglomeration of products and services; each product segment generates relatively small volume, but lumped together they form sizeable businesses.

AutoManager Meridian & AutoManager TeamWork are now InnoCielo Meridian Enterprise & InnoCielo TeamWork.

Invensys was recognized by RasGas (RasGas) as one of three key vendors contributing to the successful completion of the RasGas Phase 1 Expansion Project in Qatar.

The portal site is a 'one-stop-shop' for the latest information in English on OMRON's industrial automation products and services

Website offers Bosch Rexroth drive and control expertise and application experience to help with automotive production challenges.

Honeywell will supply a $7.7 million Experion Process Knowledge System to the $1.2-billion Sohar Aromatics plant in Oman.

Tespa Tools will sell, install and provide support Oxford's vision systems in India. Tespa Tools is one of India's leading metrology, inspection and engineering companies.

Officials from the Pennsylvania governor's office and journalists from Western Europe recently gathered at the Bosch Rexroth hydraulics facility in Bethlehem, PA, to discuss manufacturing for the renewable energy market.

"Wireless Solutions for Manufacturing Automation: Insights for Technology and Business Success," will be held 23-24 July 2007 at the Marriott Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Emerson Process Management will install PlantWeb and an Ovation expert control system in Units 1 and 2 of the new Vietnam Haiphong Power Plant.

The Feedback Business Unit within Danaher Industrial Controls Group has changed its name to Dynapar, effectively combining the brands of Dynapar, NorthStar, Harowe, Hengstler, and Acuro.

Bart Reitter, GE Fanuc Global Industry Manager Life Sciences, will present “PAT: A Real World Successful Drying Application,” at INTERPHEX 2007, being held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, April 24-26.

MCC supports Windows Vista across its USB- and PCI-based product lines.

PSI Engineering has been granted a patent for its Automated packaging solution.

Schneider Electric sales for the first quarter of 2007 totaled €3,893 million, up 22.4% from the year earlier period.

From May 14 to 16, Thermo Fisher Scientific will host its annual software user group meeting and laboratory informatics conference for the Middle East at the Jumeriah Emirates Hotel in Dubai.

ISA approved ISA-RP77.60.05, "Fossil Fuel Power Plant Human-Machine Interface: Task Analysis," as an ISA recommended practice.

ABB will install a CPM (Collaborative Production Management) solution for Wander AG, Switzerland. Wander makes Ovomaltine and other brand-name drinks throughout Europe.

Thomas E. Ferguson has been chosen as Chairman of the Board for the Hydraulic Institute (HI) for 2007-2008.

Jon Pilkington has joined Infor as vice president of corporate operations for its Performance Management (PM) solutions group.

Eleven flat screen computer monitors were donated by Endevco to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley (BGCCV) for its technology program. The technology program helps young people with web design skills, internet research, graphics, presentations and other creative pursuits.

The Fieldbus Foundation named Dr. Gunther Kegel, chief executive officer of Pepperl+Fuchs, to its board of directors.

The Fieldbus Foundation praised an agreement by the EDDL Cooperation Team (ECT) and FDT Group to combine efforts and work towards a single, unified solution for device integration compatible with both technologies.

ISA's Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) standards committee, ISA-SP104, has launched a new website that gives information about the standard and offers resources for learning more about EDDL technology.

ISA submitted ISA-12.12.01, "Nonincendive Electrical Equipment for Use in Class I and II, Division 2 and Class III, Divisions 1 and 2 Hazardous (Classified) Locations," for ANSI approval.

The WBF North American Conference will have 25 technical presentations on automation topics including industrial wireless, mining in batch alarm records and the quest for the perfect batch.

The 34 page catalog lists 70 different models of DIN rail mounted power supplies and accessories, such as modules for parallel and battery charging applications.

The plant will provide pumps for the oil and gas, power and chemical industries. The 100,000 square foot pump facility was built on 14 acres at an investment of approximately $8.5 million.

The company makes Engineering Content Management (ECM) software.

"Alarm Management: Seven Effective Methods for Optimum Performance," by Bill R. Hollifield and Eddie Habibi, describes how properly designed and maintained alarm systems can drastically help to improve plant safety, reliability, and profitability.

ISA submitted three control valve standards to ANSI for approval as American National Standards. All three concern Face-to-Face Dimensions for Globe-Style Control Valves.

The ABB Automation World 2007 Users Conference and Exhibition, held in Orlando, Florida last month (March 20-22, 2007) exceeded event attendance expectations and attracted a record number of participants, totalling more than 2,500 attendees.

FKI Logistex Canada brings together three existing FKI Logistex Canadian divisions — Airport, Post & Parcel, Warehouse & Distribution, and Manufacturing Systems — to create a single entity in Canada.

Schneider Electric received the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation for North America in the field of power quality (PQ) and energy management solutions.

KUKA will provide robots for the master of science in Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSMSE) degree program at Lawrence Technological University of Southfield, Michigan, the first program of its kind in the United States.

This grant will part fund a project which will be important in the field of low-cost organic electronic devices, and especially in the development of low-cost flexible displays. The total value of project is around $500k.

Australian cable manufacturer Tycab replaced three disparate, aging and paper-intensive systems with Infor ERP SyteLine. The centralized solution provided Tycab with single barcode scan functionality for picking and shipping and a paperless shop floor for manufacturing.

Second quarter revenue was $17.25 million compared to $17.89 million in the second quarter of 2006. Net income in the second quarter was $0.31 million, or $0.01 per share, compared to $1.23 million, or $0.04 per share in the comparable period of fiscal year 2006.

The study, "The World Market for Differential Pressure (DP) Flowmeters and Primary Elements," says the worldwide DP flowmeter market totaled $996 million in 2006, and will exceed one billion dollars in 2007.

Radley, a supplier of automated data collection and e-commerce solutions, has joined the global IFS Software Partner program. The two companies will cooperate on barcode/RFID data collection, warehouse automation, business activity monitoring, EDI, and supplier collaboration.

The goal is to define a test bed and a set of routines, implementing a set of software tools and scripts to perform these test, and making this available to the public in order to be able prove a level of networking security within a broad set of control systems.

Baumüller's servo axes are used in the EDM 200 developed by Sondermaschinen Oschersleben GmbH (SMO). With a straight width of just two meters, this machine can complete small and rapid print jobs with high cost-efficiency.

Ethernet Direct signed a distribution contract with Vixa as a new channel partner in Greater China covering Shanghai, Wuhan and Cheng Du regions.

Flowserve was honored as the recipient of the Indo-American Chamber-Sanmar Indo-U.S. Business Cooperation Award.

Intermec's Web site now has search capabilities, faster navigation and dynamic product information. Intermec makes RFID, mobile computing and data collection systems, bar code printers and label media.

Paul Schentag, formerly Engineering Manager at Hiram Walker and Sons, is joining JMP Engineering as Branch Manager for the Windsor area. At Hiram Walker he led numerous factory control, engineering, and instrumentation projects across three facilities.

At the Embedded Systems Conference, Lantronix announced the winners of its annual Wireless Design Contest. First Place for $6,000 was awarded to Damien Hubaux and his engineering team from CETIC in Belgium. Their SAND (Smart Adaptable Network Device) System acquires data about driver behavior to train workers and decrease fuel consumption.

Northwire has relationships with more than 250 assemblers to produce made-to-order assemblies of cord sets and power cords for volumes of one to 1,000 pieces or more.

Aspectrics will integrate Thermo Scientific GRAMS spectroscopy software into its Encoded Photometric Near Infrared (EP-NIR) process analyzers.

Green Hills will supply Saab Bofors Dynamics AB with INTEGRITY RTOS, networking middleware and AdaMULTI integrated development environment (IDE) for the next phase of its RBS15 project. The RBS15 is a next-generation fire-and-forget, multi-purpose surface-to-surface missile system.

Invensys will implement the Operator Training Simulation (OTS) system for Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG receiving terminal being built in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The OTS will train control room operators, operating supervisors and other plant equipment operators.

Korenix JetNet 5010G/3010G/4508 industrial Ethernet switches and JetCon 1301 industrial media converters passed IEC 61000-2-6 life vibration tests.

Intertek has selected SampleManager LIMS as its corporate standard to manage laboratory data in the laboratories of the Intertek Oil Chemical and Agri Division (Caleb Brett).