Articles and News

This agreement allows Innovation Matrix to sell and support Precise’s products in Asian markets through their branch offices and alliance partners in Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan. These products include PrecisePlace robots, Guidance motion controllers and PreciseVision software.

This contract covers 15 refineries in Europe and Asia and 10 Chemical plants worldwide. The work supports a global Shell program aimed at improving their asset management and ensuring safe production.

FKI Logistex, a premier provider of automated, self-service sorting and conveying systems, and 3M, a trusted supplier of library solutions, will leverage their strengths to offer efficiency improvements to libraries. This alliance makes it possible for libraries to design a complete collection management system that fully meets their individual needs.

The company decided to invest over US$17 million in Greenwood, Indiana within the next two years. With this, a substantial amount of new jobs will be created. Groundbreaking for the new facility will take place in the first half of April 2006. The Endress+Hauser Flowtec company based in Reinach, Switzerland is responsible for flow measurement technology within the Endress+Hauser Group. The new expansion of its U.S. division will consist of 74,000 square feet for manufacturing, including a new state of the art calibration laboratory, and 16,000 square feet offices and training facilities.

The online shop is extremely user friendly and allows customers to quickly and conveniently order analog ICs from austriamicrosystems 24 hours, 365 days of the year. A broad range of Standard Linear and analog standard products for a wide variety of applications are now available around the clock. This new sales channel is particularly suited for small, urgent quantities, as orders are processed within 24 hours and dispatched by parcel service. Additionally, an easy-to-use order tracking feature allows customers to quickly track the position of their ordered parts.

With initial pulp production capacity of one million tons per year (TPY) starting up in the second half of 2007, the Mucuri project will be one of the largest single-line pulp plants in the world. The multi-million dollar Invensys contract will cover automation for all of the major processes in the new plant – cooking and washing, fiber line, pulp drying, recovery boiler, causticizing, lime kiln, and evaporators. The Invensys systems will also interface with the plant’s turbo generator systems.

Wavetrend is a platinum sponsor of the 4th Annual RFID Journal Live Conference and Exhibition at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, May 1-3rd, and will be exhibiting at booth 207.

EDDL is a text-based language for describing the digital communication characteristics of intelligent devices and equipment parameters in an Operating System (OS) and Human Machine Interface (HMI)-neutral environment. EDDL enables a host system manufacturer to create a single engineering environment that eliminates the need for custom software drivers for each device type.

Invensys will implement four Tricon TMR high-availability systems for burner management systems (BMS) applications at the power plant’s steam generators (boilers). These will protect new burners being installed as part of the modernization. The new systems will increase control reliability and availability, increase boiler safety, and help bring the refinery into compliance with the Safety Integrity Level and Safety Instrumented Systems provisions of international standards, such as represented by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Continued innovation and technologically advanced systems have made it possible for B&R to double revenue over the last five years. B&R is currently second place in Europe when it comes to integrated automated solutions for manufacturing series machines. We are certainly pleased to announce that this positive trend is continuing. An increase in revenue of about 15% is also expected for each of the next few years.

Free training courses are now available in Chinese and Spanish language. Both language versions offer a user-friendly interface and access to 46 courses and five white papers on the most current automation technology and business topics.

The plant expansion site, formerly known as Robicon, was acquired by SE&A in July 2005. Siemens plans to create 145 new full-time positions upon completion of the expansion for a total of 480 positions in New Kensington. The 30,000 square foot facility is expected to be completed in March 2007.

The company also announced that it will be exhibiting their new MultiComponent™ Analyzers based on their EP-IR technology at the ACHEMA conference in Frankfurt am Main, May 15-19th, 2006. Their booth will be in the process analyzer section, Hall 10.1, Booth number A33. On display will be the company’s two MIR units in the 2.5 – 5.0 and 2.85 – 5.75 um spectral ranges.

Fred Cohn will be Modbus-IDA's second president and plans to lead the organization to capitalize on its growing popularity. Fred Cohn commented, "I am delighted to be able to take over the leadership of Modbus-IDA at this time in the organization's life. I want to thank Ken for his tireless work in forming this organization and leading it through its formative years.

The significance of this transaction is that it provides the basis for study, curriculum development, and training of top-quality students at a superior university in the field of robotics and unmanned aircraft using Innova proprietary software. This is the first step in putting the Innova product in the hands of future users who will become accustomed to the ease and adaptability of Innova robotics software and PC controls technologies.

The new standard provides a detailed definition for batch production records, establishing a reference model for developing applications for the storage and/or exchange of batch production records. Implementations based upon the standard will allow retrieval, analysis, and reporting of selected batch production record data.

This award recognizes NI LabVIEW 8 as premier software for engineers and scientists and makes National Instruments the first four-time recipient of this prestigious award.

Siemens Energy and Automation, Inc. today presented Abbie Taylor, a pre-engineering teacher and FIRST Robotics coach at Northview High School, with the 2005-2006 Siemens Teacher Scholarship of $1,000 for her time and dedication to the FIRST Robotics program.

Matrikon's alarm management solution provides the methodology and technology to systematically integrate and administer an effective alarm management strategy. The results include reducing the number of alarms to a manageable level, increasing productivity and ensuring safe and reliable operation of industrial facilities. These outcomes complement Braskem's aim of positioning among the best and most competitive petrochemical companies in the world through its Braskem+ program.

As a software provider for the cosmetics, ink, paint, and coatings manufacturing industries, the Deacom session will introduce the inventory control, regulatory reporting, accounting, and formula management functionality of the integrated DEACOM accounting & ERP software system. A comprehensive demonstration of the DEACOM ERP system will be provided immediately following the presentation at the Deacom booth.

Automation Change Manager is an electronic database-management and documentation system that allows industrial plant personnel to document and track changes across various Honeywell and third-party automation systems. This information is essential for resolving problems effectively and managing automation platforms.

Following the adoption and successful use of Smartplant 3D, CEAB is moving to standardize on Intergraph’s entire SmartPlant portfolio under a three year global agreement. Once fully deployed CEAB will be able to further cut schedules, boost productivity and increase engineering quality across its world wide engineering enterprise.

Proposal submissions for the event, which will address key issues in technology training and development for the instrumentation industry, are now due by May 31. The first annual meeting of its kind, the IETDC will discuss the impact of training across the entire plant automation field‹from new digital technologies such as fieldbus, to conventional instrumentation and process control systems.

The Fort Worth-based catalog distributor began construction on a new 365,000-square-foot facility that will replace the company’s existing rented space. The new facility will help accommodate the company’s growth, as it expects to create an additional 300 jobs over the next several years.

PLCopen is a non-profit industry organization dedicated to improving the programming efficiency control and automation engineers by providing information, training, and fostering communications between users, vendors, educators and others.

Vanderlande Industries has recently signed a contract with Datalogic for the supply of a large number of fixed position laser scanners. Vanderlande Industries is one of the largest worldwide suppliers of automated material handling systems for the handling of baggage at airports and goods in distribution centres, express parcel sorting facilities and the manufacturing industry.

Second quarter revenue grew by 7% to $17.89 million from $16.72 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2005. Income from operations was $2.64 million in the second quarter of 2006, compared to $2.42 million in the second quarter of 2005. Net income in the second quarter was $1.23 million, or $0.04 per share, compared to $2.35 million, or $0.08 per share, in the second quarter of 2005.

Selected as the most innovative embedded system in 2005, XPort AR is an embedded processor module that goes beyond simple network connectivity and provides manufacturers an unprecedented level of device intelligence to the network. This exclusive award specifically honors outstanding engineering innovation and invention in electronic products and technologies.

Moteiv’s products include the recently introduced Tmote Sky™, its next-generation wireless sensor module and the first wireless sensor device to use the IEEE 802.15.4 personal-area-network wireless radio, and Tmote Invent™, its newest low-cost wireless sensor system. Powered by Boomerang™, Moteiv’s robust distribution of the open-source TinyOS operating system, Moteiv systems achieve long-lived reliable operation. The company’s unique enhancements to TinyOS integrate cutting-edge open-source technology with robust, manageable wireless solutions.

The company announced that RFID inlay manufacturing capacity will be increased to support production of more than 250 million inlays per year at its Minakuchi factory in Shiga, Japan. This factory location was chosen to take advantage of its more than 30 years of experience with semiconductors and class 10000 clean room standards. The inlays produced at Minakuchi are marketed and distributed globally by Omron's RFID division.

This honor acknowledges the considerable engineering effort behind LabVIEW 8 and recognizes the development environment’s significant role as a design tool. To address the growing need for design, control and test systems based on industry trends, LabVIEW 8 introduces distributed intelligence – a powerful suite of capabilities empowering engineers and scientists to easily design, distribute and synchronize intelligent devices and systems through graphical development.

National Instruments recently named one of its long-time R&D contributors, Keith Odom, as an NI R&D fellow. Odom has spent his entire 18-year career in R&D at National Instruments. As director of architecture and technology, he leads a team of highly respected digital engineers that develop important new architectures and key application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and who serve as technical leads on a wide range of projects.

Siemens is a global leader in process instrumentation and factory automation. Controlotron is a leader in non-intrusive ultrasonic flow measurement and is expected to enhance Siemens' position in this key market segment. Siemens intends to operate the company from its Hauppauge location, which it plans to make a center of competence for ultrasonic flow measurement. Controlotron employs approximately 120 people, to whom Siemens will extend formal offers of employment one week prior to the closing.

By joining the ZigBee Alliance, NI will have early access to specifications and input into requirements documents to keep pace with technology and integrate new versions of the standard into NI products to quickly bring them to market. As a ZigBee Alliance member, NI makes it easier for customers to design and test ZigBee products using NI products.

Progress Paint needed Material Requirements Planning (MRP), flexible order entry, integrated inventory control, and efficient environmental reporting to help maximize its productivity and profitability. DEACOM ERP software was selected based on its ability to manage all of these functions with a single, integrated system.

The product management group now includes Robert Hotard, Product Manager for Magnetostrictive and Guided Wave Radar Products; Winston Landymore, Product Manager for Capacitance and Vibrating Fork Products; and Ivo Radanov, Product Manager for Laser and Ultrasonic Products. Each product manager is responsible for managing the entire life cycle of the product line, including strategic planning, specifying market requirements based on industry experience and contact with customers, and tactical product launch activities.

The system, which included the power distribution, transformers, SINAMICS drives, electrical housing, motors and control automation, was installed under a turnkey contract during a short plant shutdown with overall Siemens management and responsibility.

General technical questions about PLCs, operating systems, databases, networking, and other supporting industrial technologies are also welcome. The FactorySQL OPC to SQL data-bridge features point and click configurability to achieve bidirectional data flow with virtually any SQL database.

The new book is written for those who want to design test measurement systems; select appropriate equipment; understand system component characteristics, system and component calibration, and operating principles of transducers; determine overall system accuracy; and formulate basic test procedure design.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sony will make a one-time, up-front royalty payment of $15 million. Intergraph expects to record after-tax intellectual property income from this agreement of approximately $8.6 million, net of all fees, expenses and estimated taxes, in the first quarter of 2006. As a result of the patent license agreement, Sony will obtain a fully paid-up worldwide license to Intergraph’s patent portfolio, and Intergraph will obtain an option to license certain Sony patents on royalty-bearing terms.

The new "Automation IT" special event at HANNOVER MESSE 2006 (the Hannover Fair) from 24 to 28 April offers an insight into the future. Along with Cisco Systems GmbH and HARTING KGaA, Deutsche Messe AG will be presenting integrated Ethernet connectivity.

The Promi-SD is a Bluetooth serial adapter product line designed to replace RS-232 serial cables with wireless connectivity when interconnecting peripheral devices. It enables a serial device to communicate with another serial port adapter or other Bluetooth enabled devices such as mobile phones, handheld computers and laptops.

OMRON Corporation today announced the appointment of Mr. Roberto Maietti as President & CEO of OMRON Europe B.V. Reporting to Mr. Fumio Tateisi, the Japanese-based president of OMRON's Industrial Automation Business, Mr. Maietti will also take over the role of President of the OMRON Management Center Europe. Mr. Maietti will be confirmed as Executive Officer of OMRON Corporation at the shareholder's meeting on June 22nd, 2006.

The gift endows the KUKA Chair of Robotics to be held by international robotics expert Dr. Henrik Christensen. Also donated is a KUKA KR 15SL stainless steel robot to be used to develop automation solutions for various industries including the poultry and fruit industries.

The service which is based on the Skype VoIP service will allow IMAC Users with a Skype handset to make free calls direct to the IMAC Technical Support Team. Internet Voice, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.

The combination of Escort’s premier RFID product offering and ACC’s expertise in MES Systems Integration, offers manufacturing clients the ability to implement highly integrated systems to improve the management of product information in their production operations.

The expansion will add onto the existing Qatargas site. Train No. 4 is scheduled to begin delivery of 7.8 million tons annually in late 2007, and train No. 5 is scheduled to produce an additional 7.8 million tons annually beginning one to two years later. Emerson is the Main Automation Contractor and is supplying its PlantWebR digital plant architecture for the project.

PSI Engineering, a leader in material handling and inline document automation solutions has developed the Laser Mail 5020 which can print high quality customer information directly on to photo bags/envelopes in one pass. The Laser Mail 5020 will print logos, barcodes, customer particulars and pricing information onto various sized photo bags/envelopes.

The Datalogic Group is a leading manufacturer of CCD and laser-based bar code readers, mobile computers and RFID systems. The Intermec Rapid Start program, which concluded Aug. 31, 2005, provides participants access to various portfolios of the intellectual property encompassed within Intermec's 150+ RFID patents. Although the Intermec Rapid Start Program is now closed, Datalogic's acquisition of PSC triggered various provisions within the Rapid Start license agreement. As the parent of PSC, Datalogic now becomes an Intermec RFID licensee.

The user-led board of the Emerson Global Users Exchange has announced that plans are under way for the assembly’s 2006 conference to be held October 2nd – 6th at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The board has set the theme of Learn, Lead, Unleash to convey the promise that this year’s conference will deliver through its continuing focus on educational and leadership sessions for all levels of process manufacturing professionals.

Under terms of the agreement, Honeywell customers will now be able to purchase the Integrity software as an OEM product – to be called “Automation Change Manager™” – directly from Honeywell. The Automation Change Manager product will make use of the Integrity Asset Model plug-ins to manage embedded Intellectual Property (IP) in all types of control systems, real-time databases, advanced controls and other automation and automation-related assets, including those delivered by Honeywell and most other vendors.

These experienced Temposonics® repair centers are also authorized, full-service MTS Sensors distributors for the Temposonics product line, specializing in fluid power and controls and offering comprehensive applications, field support, and products.

Wavetrend has appointed Robin Halliday as its new CFO. An experienced finance professional with an established and successful track record as Chief Finance Officer of both public and private technology growth companies, Robin brings to the group in-depth operational experience of managing the finance and back office support teams of high growth technology businesses.

The committee, ISA SP103, will develop a standard to fully integrate fieldbuses, devices and sub-systems as seamless parts of the automation life-cycle. The main application domains will be industrial process control and manufacturing execution systems.

The integrated engineering environment, including SmartPlant 3D, will be deployed across the company to integrate engineering and analysis, modeling and design, materials management and project implementation, and information management for their Advanced CANDU Reactors (ACR-1000). The ACR-1000 is an evolutionary, Generation III+, 1200 MWe class pressure tube reactor, designed to meet industry and public expectations for safe, reliable, environmentally friendly and low-cost nuclear generation.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, said today no appeals have been filed with the U.S. District Court opposing a revised Plan of Reorganization for its U.S. subsidiary, Combustion Engineering (CE), which means the plan is now final.

VoiceBox® Technologies Inc., the innovator in conversational voice search and control technologies, and Green Hills Software Inc., the leader in real-time operating systems (RTOS) and device software optimization (DSO), announced today that VoiceBox has selected the Green Hills Software INTEGRITY operating system as the RTOS for its voice-enabled XM Satellite Radio reference platform for automotive OEMs and aftermarket.

A control system upgrade at the Rabbit Lake processing mill, the longest-operating uranium milling operation in Canada, will use I/A Series automation in the acid plant and powerhouse. These are the first implementations in a phased program that will next deploy Foxboro controls replacing outdated equipment for the remaining milling processes.

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced that Hans-Georg Kumpfmueller, president of the Siemens AG Process Instrumentation & Analytics Division, has been named to its board of directors. Kumpfmueller joins other leading executives in the key automation industry post.

The company received net proceeds of approximately $16.8 million from the sale of its building and land in Sugar Land, Texas, which was used to repay a portion of its outstanding debt. Concurrent with the sale, the company entered into a seven-year operating lease agreement for approximately 50% of the building. This transaction allows Suntron to reduce its outstanding debt levels and right size its manufacturing footprint. Suntron also expects to benefit from eliminating future interest costs and the fixed overhead costs related to the portion of the building that was not utilized.

This new program reduces product lead times from weeks to just a few days. The MDM-5000 can be purchased directly from Torque Systems or from a participating distributor partner. The MDM-5000 high-energy brushless servomotor was released in October 2005. The new state-of-the-art motor offers the highest available torque density available in a platform that is easily customized to fit any application. Versatile and economical, the MDM-5000 can be used with nearly all manufacturers’ amplifiers and controllers; offers multiple voltage capabilities; includes NEMA, IEC motor mounting or custom mechanical interfaces; and is CE/UL Compliant.

Both Omron and Pioneer PMC have been independently developing, manufacturing and marketing backlight units (BLU) primarily for use in small size LCDs. Forecasts suggest that the global LCD backlight unit business is set to grow rapidly. Aiming to be a leader in this expanding market, Omron has decided to integrate its technical expertise, production capacity and sales forces with Pioneer PMC's, to create a world class manufacturer of BLUs for small to large size LCDs.

The refineries, which are among the largest in the Petrobras system, will each employ multiple Tricon safety systems in their cracking units. The emergency shutdown systems are being installed as part of a refinery modernization program. The new systems are replacing existing relay panels, and were selected to simplify maintenance, and to provide increased asset availability, safety and efficiency.

Emerson Process Management announced that it has been chosen as Main Automation Contractor (MAC) for the Altamira LNG Regasification Terminal, currently under construction near the city of Tampico on the Gulf of Mexico. Emerson will provide essential automation systems and services for the first import terminal which will receive liquid natural gas (LNG) shipments in Mexico, and convert them back to natural gas to be distributed by CFE, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, and PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned, nationalized petroleum company.

Matrikon’s Alarm Management Hands-on Workshop is designed to help process control professionals resolve alarm problems such as nuisance alarms. At the end of April, engineers, operators, and managers will be traveling across North America to attend this two-day workshop in Houston, Texas. After the workshop, participants will be able to resolve their plant's current alarm system problems and take action to ensure stability, accountability and profitability in their plant.

CAD data exchange expert Theorem Solutions has announced the immediate availability of its CADverter data exchange application for UGNX4 - to coincide with the new PLM system’s launch.

The city of Atlanta, owner of the airport, initiated the Hartsfield Development Program (HDP) in 2000 to enable the airport to meet future demands - a projected 121 million passengers annually by 2015. It is the largest public works project in the state of Georgia. Currently, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serves more than 80 million passengers annually with air service to 192 cities in 31 countries.

The Schneider Electric North American Operating Division was presented with Grainger’s prestigious Partners in Performance Supplier Award for 2005 at its Partners in Performance Supplier Conference held March 9, 2006, in Itasca, Ill. Grainger, the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions throughout North America, presents the award annually to a select group of suppliers for outstanding performance throughout the year.

The move is part of a global plan to centralize services currently managed separately by sales and product divisions in order to ensure that customers receive consistent, rapid, first-class service wherever their operations are based. Beginning operations from April 3, 2006, and based in Mishima, Japan, the new Global Service Center (GSC) will combine customer support and contents functions. Over the next few years, IAB plans to roll-out regional customer support centers modeled on the GSC customer support division and customized to match local needs.

The testing was undertaken with Tandberg in order to verify the ability of the Universal Wi-Fi Gateway to providing reliable, secure, high quality videoconferencing over 802.11 Wi-Fi networks in telemedicine applications. The use of the Gateway allows for the use of videoconferencing in a mobile environment, allowing for the unrestricted use of the videoconferencing system within areas covered by Wi-Fi networks.

ISA Automation West 2006 will be held at the Long Beach Conference Center in Long Beach, Calif., on 2-3 May. The technical conference will feature more than 20 tutorials, panels and papers. Eight continuing education and training courses will offer rigorous professional education to enhance skills and performance. A product and technological exhibition will showcase the latest automation and control solutions.

Green Hills Software, Inc. announced that it will present a series of technical training classes at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, April 4 – 7, 2006. Green Hills Software will also unveil and demonstrate several new technologies in its own booth #820 as well as in five partner pavilions.