In this Issue

Our Sponsor

From One Techie to Another

Product Announcements & Company News

Engineering Guide: Machine & Process Safeguarding Guide

Featured Products:
Variable Frequency Drive Cables
Advantech's New Web Site
Three-Phase Hybrid Soft Starters

New Job Opportunities

Training: Intrinsic Safety and Industrial Ethernet Web Seminars

New Auctions & Classifieds

Dilbert Pick of the Week

Services offered by Automation.com & Automationtechies

We'd Like to Hear from You

From One Techie to Another

This week's featured article, Solutions for the China Challenge, was written by Jim Pinto. Jim's article last month was about how China is grabbing significant manufacturing market share. In this follow-up article, Jim along with Dick Morley, inventor of the PLC, offers some solutions on how America can maintain leadership. Ultimately, it's going to take a "paradigm shift", a new way of thinking, a realization that we must leverage our strengths in innovation. Change must take place at various levels...with individuals, with corporations and with government. What can you do? Perhaps the best answer is to change your way of thinking, then influence others.

In this issue, we're featuring Machine & Process Safeguarding Guide, an educational resource featuring 30 new products across a broad spectrum of safety technologies. STI’s safety products are used to protect workers around machinery, automated equipment and industrial robots in a wide variety of applications and markets, including semiconductor, automotive, electronics manufacturing, packaging and consumer markets.

Our Featured Products in this issue are Alpha Wire Series V VFD Cable, Advantech Automation's New Web Site and Omron's Three-Phase Hybrid Soft Starters. If you haven't seen our Featured Products for February, please be sure to review our Featured Product page.

And, as usual, don't forget to review the new Product Announcements, Company News, Application News and Job Postings added to our site in the last week.

Enjoy the rest of this e-news!

Rick Zabel

Featured Article

Solutions for the China Challenge
Jim Pinto's previous article (Automation.com, January 2005) was about “The China Challenge” – that China is grabbing significant manufacturing market share and is already moving strongly into high-tech. Here we’ll discuss ways and means for America to maintain its leadership against China and other emerging global competitors.
Read entire article by Jim Pinto

Previous articles by Jim Pinto

Articles and white papers on various automation topics
Application stories using various automation products

Complete our 2005 Salary Survey

Hear all about it...industry news is published on our site daily. Here are the latest news headlines for your review...use the following links to read the full article. Check out our Daily News Headlines page frequently to stay up-to-date on the industry events.

Product Announcements:

• NI VXI-USB Interface Offers Faster Throughput for Message-Based VXI Systems 2/15/05
• Baldor Launches Integrated Stepper Motor and Drive for Ultra-Compact Motion Control Solution 2/15/05
• Keyence New UV Sensor Detects Targets That Are Invisible to Conventional Photoelectrics 2/15/05
• Keyence Announces World's First Sensor to Integrate Illumination Optics and Receiver Circuitry in the Sensor Head 2/15/05
• MTS Temposonics® Unveils the World's Smallest Magnetostrictive Sensor 2/15/05
• Aerotech's New Direct-Drive Rotary Stage Offers a Sealed Water Jacket for Wet Cutting Processes 2/15/05
• SERCOS Introduces SERCOS III Brochure Describing Third Generation SERCOS Interface (IEC 61491) 2/15/05
• Flowserve's New Urea Letdown Valve Tolerates High Pressure Drops and Crystallization 2/15/05
• RKC Instrument Announces New SA100L Limit Control With Optional DIN Rail Mounting 2/15/05
• Keyence New Precision Optical Micrometer Uses GaN LED and High-Speed Linear CCD 2/15/05
• NI Releases Low-Cost 100 MS/s PXI and PCI Arbitrary Waveform Generator 2/15/05
• NI Introduces LVDS Digital Waveform Generator/Analyzers for PXI 2/15/05
• Wanner Engineering Introduces D/G35 Kel-Cell Series Industrial Pumps 2/15/05
• Advantech Releases14-bit, High-density Analog Output Universal PCI Card 2/14/05
• Red Lion Announces Crimson 2.0 Software Support for the PAX Dual Process Input Meter 2/14/05
• Opto 22 Releases FactoryFloor 4.1 for HMI, Connectivity, Control and Data Acquisition 2/14/05
• Eurobex Presents Training Seminars on Mtrx Modular Cabinet Line 2/14/05
• SICK|STEGMANN Introduces New Guide to Encoder Solutions 2/14/05
• ASI Introduces the Highest Density Relay Package 2/14/05
• Datalogic Introduces New SC6000 Bus Controller for Omni-directional Multi-side Reading Tunnels 2/14/05
• SIXNET Announces Enhanced Ethernet Switches at Half the Cost 2/11/05
• GarrettCom’s Configurable Magnum ES42 Edge Switch Family Offers New Choices at the Farthest Edge of the Industrial or Corporate Network 2/11/05
• Adalet Announces DIN Rail Mounted Wireless System 2/11/05
• Honeywell Introduces ASDX Amplified and ASDX DO Pressure Sensors 2/11/05
• Honeywell Introduces New Safety Training Program 2/11/05
• Honeywell Announces the Availability of the HOD Series Fiber Optic Duplexer Modules 2/11/05
• ISaGRAF Version 4.5 Offers Key Technology Enhancements 2/11/05
• Rulmeca Corporation Motorized Pulleys Pack More Power 2/11/05
• TURCK Introduces New Housing Styles for Analog Sensors 2/9/05
• Danaher Motion Announces 2005 Guide to Deltran Brakes & Clutches 2/9/05
• Western Reserve Controls Releases the W2 Series – IEC61499 Development Kit 2/9/05

Company News:

• Northwest Analytical Selects ICR3 Cientifica of Brazil to Distribute SPC Software in South America 2/15/05
• OPC Foundation Joins Industry Cooperation Project 2/15/05
• EE Times Names National Instruments a Company of the Year 2005 Finalist 2/15/05
• FlowSense Expands Manufacturing & Assembly Operations to Maple Business Park 2/14/05
• ISA EXPO 2005. Automation. Control. Inspiration. 2/11/05
• ISA Announces Renewal of IACET Authorized Provider Status 2/10/05
• Honeywell Acquires Russian Advanced Solutions Provider 2/10/05
• ATS Earnings Grow Substantially in Third Quarter on Strength in Automation Systems and Solar 2/10/05

Application News:

• Emerson's PlantWeb® Delivers 2% Availability Improvement for New Chemical Waste Treatment Plant 2/15/05
• Intermec and Agentek Inc. Help Maytag® Technicians Clean Up 2/14/05
• GBI Cincinnati and TechSolve Join Forces to Showcase Part Cost Reduction Solutions at Eastec Show 2/14/05
• Penn State University Radically Improves Facilities Management Using GiveMePower’s PowerCAD CE Mobility Software And Dell Handheld PCs 2/9/05
• SEMATECH Adopts the ArchestrA Application Platform from Wonderware for Interface A Validation and Demonstration System 2/9/05

Machine & Process Safeguarding Guide
Scientific Technologies, Inc. (STI) introduces their free 2004 Machine and Process Safeguarding Guide. This 750+ page guide is the most comprehensive machine and process safety product and technical reference guide available today. It includes 100+ pages of educational resource material, and features nearly 30 new products across a broad spectrum of safety technologies. The guide also comes in a CD-ROM version that contains the complete STI catalog, as well as Product Certificates and Declarations of Conformity, and downloadable CAD drawings.

STI’s safety products are used to protect workers around machinery, automated equipment and industrial robots. Their products serve a wide variety of applications and markets, including semiconductor, automotive, electronics manufacturing, packaging and consumer markets.

Request Your Guide from STI

Request other application tools
Request other demo software
Request other product catalogs

Featured Products

Product & Supplier Search

• Other Featured Products for February
• Find Products by Category
• Find Manufacturers & Suppliers

Here's a list of new jobs posted on Automation.com:

• Senior Process Control Engineer: Federal Way, WA - Weyerhaeuser Company 02/11/2005
• Application Engineer: Greater Los Angeles/Orange County, CA - MTL Open Systems Technology 02/15/2005
• Software Engineer (AULV): Central & Northeastern, TX - automationtechies 02/15/2005
• Controls Engineer Alabama: Tuscaloosa, AL - automationtechies 02/14/2005
• Robotics Project Engineer: Richmond, VA - automationtechies 02/14/2005
• Controls Engineer: Southern Chicago, IL - automationtechies 02/11/2005
• Facilities Automation Engineer: Minneapolis, MN - automationtechies 02/10/2005

To view other recent job postings, please use our Job Search Function.

Other Training Courses & Seminars
Browse for training courses, seminars, web-seminars and workshops offered by various training organizations, product manufacturers and suppliers in industrial automation, process control and instrumentation. For information on specific training courses and seminars, please use the following links:

• Bar Code Training
• Data Acquisition Training
• Data Communications and Networking Training
• Electrical Controls Training
• Instrumentation & Process Control Training
• Machine Vision Training
• Motion Control Training
• OPC & Industrial Networking Connectivity
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Training
• Risk Assessment Safety Training

New Auctions & Classifieds

• Control Systems & PLCs
• Drives & Motion Control
• Fieldbus, DeviceNet, Ethernet
• Instrumentation
• Operator Interface Panels
• Power Supply, Circuit Breakers
• Relays, Timers, Counters
• Robotics
• Sensors
• Switches
• Temperature Controllers
• Valves & Flow Controls
• Wiring, Connections & Cables
• Other

• Automation.com Advertising Opportunities - Generate leads and promote your company and products with this e-newsletter and online at Automation.com, the industry-leading industrial automation and control resource on the web. Review our Media Kit or contact Rick Zabel.
• Article, White Paper & Application Story Publication - To have your industry-related articles, white papers or application stories published on Automation.com, please contact Rick Zabel for more information.
• News Release Publication - To have your company or product news published on Automation.com, please send your press releases to press@automation.com.
• Job Posting - Post your job openings on Automation.com and find out why we're the industry's preferred resource for posting automation, process control and instrumentation job opportunities. Post Your Job.

• Direct-hire Recruiting - Our industry experts will seek out and pre-screen the top performers. If your resources are limited or if time is a factor, we'll find the talent you need. Contact Alan Carty today for more information at 1-877-300-6792 or Send a message.
• Contract Recruiting, Employer of Record Services - Need engineers, programmers, or technicians, but can't hire full-time employees? Consider contract employees! Let us handle your administrative headaches including Employer of Record, payroll, and other functions. Find a Contract Employee

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I hope you enjoyed this e-news update!

Rick Zabel
Vice President
Automation.com
6455 City West Parkway
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: 952-563-5444
Fax: 952-563-5449

For editorial and advertising inquiries, please contact Rick Zabel or see our Media Kit.