Information Management

Making Sense of the Enterprise Energy Dashboard

Dave Greenfield — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:13:13 +0000

Energy monitoring means different things to different companies. As a result, if you are interested in creating an energy usage dashboard at your facility, knowing what to measure and how to measure it can be confusing. Here’s a helpful outline to follow.

PepsiCo: Forming an IT/Automation Partnership Is Like Merging Two Companies

George Shurtleff — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:05 +0000

Keynote session number one this morning at The Automation Conference provided a unique glimpse into how challenging but potentially rewarding it can be when the IT folks and the Automation folks find ways to work cooperatively.

Beckhoff Links Operator Displays up to 100 m

Aaron Hand — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:46:29 +0000

A new connection technology enables multi-touch panels to be up to 100 m from the industrial PC.

ODVA Announces Process Industry Initiatives

Aaron Hand — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:32:19 +0000

New initiatives include ODVA’s work with the FDT Group to annex the FDT2 spec to ODVA’s CIP networks, and a special interest group for the exchange of information between machines.

Cross-Industry ExposureCan Accelerate Learning

George Shurtleff — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:03:58 +0000

Do you have opportunities to engage in open discussions with your peers in other industries, other disciplines, or in completely different types of companies? If not, you don’t know what you don’t know.

The Human-Automation Intersection

Dave Greenfield — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:26:03 +0000

A developing trend among a number of automation interface hardware and software suppliers is to focus more on the operator experience. PAS aims to take that idea to the next level by zeroing in on the concept of human reliability.

Why Automation Suppliers Are Embracing ISA-95

Dave Greenfield — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:58:50 +0000

For applications ranging from equipment modeling to messaging between enterprise and the plant floor systems, industrial automation software developers are relying more heavily on ISA-95, largely due to end-user preferences.

At a Gas Plant, Virtual Technology Equals Real Code Control

George Shurtleff — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:47:07 +0000

Today, change management goes beyond keeping track of patches and upgrades at companies like Petronas Gas Kerteh, the only gas processing plant in Malaysia.

One Approach to Code Change Tracking

George Shurtleff — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:28:16 +0000

FactoryStudio from Tatsoft is industrial SCADA programming software with change-control functions built in. Here’s a screen-by-screen look at what it does.

How to Assess ChangeManagement Software

George Shurtleff — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:25:31 +0000

To ensure you find the right tools for tracking changes to your automation software, be sure you’re able to get these questions answered:

Taking Charge of Code Change

George Shurtleff — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:10:21 +0000

Do you know whether the code in your automation software is the latest version? New methods can help you keep track of code changes and ensure the integrity of your applications.

Automotive Powertrain Simulation Software

Adam Madison — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

D-Cubed automotive powertrain simulation software is for integration into AVL Excite rigid/flexible multi-body dynamics software.

Robot Screen and Related Software

Adam Madison — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

RoboScreen is a graphical screen mounted to an articulated arm robot that allows six-axis of movement to the video media.

Four-Channel Logger

Adam Madison — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

The RTR-574-H wireless four-channel logger monitors illuminance, ultra-violet, temperature and humidity.

OCR Reading Software With Auto-Tune Technology

Adam Madison — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

OCRMax includes an automatic tuning capability for OCR applications and is available in the In-Sight Explorer 4.8 and VisionPro 8.1 software releases.

The Role of Education in MES Investment Returns

George Shurtleff — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:43:40 +0000

New research on companies using manufacturing execution systems (MES) or manufacturing operations management (MOM) indicates education may be even more important before you commit to a system implementation project.

Manufacturing More Happily Meets ‘the Cloud’

George Shurtleff — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:31:30 +0000

Even though I had picked up signs of skepticism about cloud computing from end users, the conversations at the ARC World Industry Forum implied that moving to the cloud is no longer controversial.

Augmented Reality App for Industry

Adam Madison — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:01:00 +0000

iQagent's holistic display and recording technology is an iOS app that displays data and resources associated with equipment on the plant floor.

Position Sensor Output with the Programmable Hall Device

Adam Madison — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:01:00 +0000

The Programmable Hall Device helps customize the output of BEI Hall effect sensors.

TÜV RheinlandCertifies Triconex Safety View

Adam Madison — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:38:18 +0000

Invensys Operations Management's Triconex Safety View reduces risks when bypassing safety systems.

Turn Data into Information with Manufacturing Intelligence

Adam Madison — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:54:53 +0000

Manufacturing intelligence systems offer manufacturers access to key performance indicators for increased troubleshooting, product tracking and downtime management. However, implementation of these systems requires careful planning to eliminate risk of information overload.

Help with Best PracticesIs a Phone Call Away

George Shurtleff — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:58:54 +0000

Mobile and wireless technologies are fast becoming an important part of industry’s response to what many warn is a looming crisis of technical know-how.

A Matter of Trust: Automation Data Within the Cloud

George Shurtleff — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:09:42 +0000

With globally distributed production facilities, machine and production data from all factories need to be consolidated and evaluated, and operating figures need to be illustrated. This can be implemented easily with a centralized cloud solution. But some still have reservations.

ControlLogix Connections to Ethernet and Serial Networks

George Shurtleff — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:49:48 +0000

The new firmware release of the SST Ethernet and serial communication modules (supporting Windows 7 32- and 64-bit platforms) can connect Modbus and Siemens industrial Ethernet to the Rockwell Automation ControlLogix controllers.

FDT Provides Factory Fieldbus Flexibility

George Shurtleff — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:12:05 +0000

FDT-enabled applications within the automation system can manage field devices regardless of the device’s manufacturer, and regardless of the fieldbus protocol employed.