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May 3, 2006 - Volume VII, Issue 18
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In this Issue	Sponsored by SIXNET
From One Techie to Another: Importance of Global Perspective Featured Article: Medical Device Manufacturer Increases Machine Productivity and Lean Efficiency Product & Company News Featured Webcast Collaborative Case Study in Practical Alarm Rationalization Featured Application Tool 2006-2007 Machine Safety Products Catalog Featured Products: USB Data Acquisition System Automation Summit Programmable Logic Controllers New Job Opportunities New Auctions & Classifieds Dilbert Pick of the Week	New SIXNET Industrial Device Servers Ultra Compact Ethernet to Serial interfaces Real-time Secure Performance: Auto-detecting 10/100 RJ45 Ethernet Universal EIA-RS232/422/485 interface Serial data tunneling Port buffering Device Manager software Advanced security features and more Rugged and Reliable Hardware: Protective metal enclosure Wide operating temperature meets NEMA TS-2 standards 15Kv ESD protection Indicators for easy troubleshooting Direct 9-30 VDC power range DIN rail or direct panel mountable For detailed product info. & a FREE CD, visit www.sixnetio.com.
From One Techie to Another
Importance of Global Perspective In previous issues, we've talked about the global market and how companies must compete on a global scale if they want to survive. My experiences at Hannover Messe 2006 absolutely reinforced this message. For many suppliers, Hannover Messe is the big kahuna. Some suppliers that have dropped out of national shows in the US had a large presence in Hannover. Trade shows are still very successful in Europe and are becoming very popular in other parts of the world as well, e.g. India and China. To give you idea of the scale of Hannover Messe, Siemens presented their largest exhibit ever. The booth depicted a cruise/space ship with three different levels. Each aisle of their main floor exhibit focused on a different product offering. The top two levels offered visitors the opportunity to dive deeper into specific product offerings and industry-specific solutions. Whether you are a Siemens fan or not, you will definitely appreciate the scale of this exhibit. This is just one example of the investments that suppliers are making at this global marketplace in Hannover. While at the show, I also had the opportunity to talk with representatives from East International Technology Medium Limited, a magazine and web publisher from China. The organization publishes 6 industrial magazines and an online resource at www.ca800.com. Since the automation market in China is so young, they are much more focused on web publishing than print. For this reason, we wanted to explore cooperative opportunities between www.ca800.com and www.automation.com. I'm looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with our new friends from China. Deutsche Messe AG, the organizers of Hannover Messe, also organize similar shows in Shanghai, P.R. China. Factory Automation Asia and INTERKAMA Asia are both scheduled for October 10-13, 2006. Although not as large as Hannover Messe, these shows now occupy 8 halls and are expected to grow quickly. Deutsche Messe doesn't stop with just organizing shows. Since the Chinese government is involved with everything in China, Deutsche Messe also helps companies understand and facilitate doing business in China. I'd like to take this opportunity to again thank our gracious hosts, APC and Hannover USA, for our tour to Hannover Messe. Hannover USA is the US arm of Deutsche Messe AG and APC is a $2 billion dollar provider of power protection products including UPS and surge suppressors. As part of the tour, APC took us to their installation at the Deloitte Cyber Center, one of the most advanced, best equipped and most secure cyber centers in the world. Although the visit didn't have much to do with industrial automation, just learning about the security of this facility was enough to tickle the techie inside. As you might expect, with power quality and outages (i.e. downtime issues), APC also has a pretty large base of products being used for manufacturing and process control. Read more about two new APC products just released for industrial applications. Our visit to Europe, specifically Hannover Messe, introduced opportunities for us to expand our business and global reach. I'm certain this show (and others around the world) would do the same for your business, in ways that you may not even anticipate. Happy travels! Enjoy the rest of this eNews! Rick Zabel Vice President, Editor-in-chief
Featured Article	Sponsored by Citect
Medical Device Manufacturer Increases Machine Productivity and Lean Efficiency The introduction of a system that keeps track of utilization and productivity for any production machine, tool, or process on a shop floor is a revolutionary development in the lean manufacturing toolbox. The ability to differentiate between running time and down time is critical in the elimination of waste. For the benefits of lean to be accomplished the solution must keep track of the real-time distribution of parts being produced. Read complete article by Thomas R. Cutler Other articles by Tom Cutler More articles and white papers More application stories	Make business improvements. Manufacturers are using Manufacturing Execution Systems, like Citect’s Ampla, to reveal opportunities for improved performance and increased profit margins. MES solutions enable corporate, IT and plant managers to improve OEE and increase production and profitability. Citect uses a modular approach and complements existing automation to deliver significant ROI in 12 months. More information on Citect’s Ampla.
Product Announcements & Company News
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: alpha's New SPK+ Right-Angle Gearhead Combines the Best of Two alpha Product Families 5/2/06 NI Introduces FPGA-Based Servo Drive Module for CompactRIO 5/2/06 Banner Introduces R58 Expert™ Series Color Register Mark Sensors 5/2/06 National Instruments Introduces New USB Data Acquisition System 5/2/06 Intermec Announces New Rugged, Reusable RFID Tag that Withstands Temperature Extremes and Hazardous Exposures 5/2/06 PAS Publishes First-ever Comprehensive Guide to Alarm Management 5/2/06 Northwire Introduces DataCELL MVC-800 FireWire Cable for Machine Vision Applications 5/1/06 ASI Introduces High Density Solid State Relay Family 5/1/06 Robotic Production Technology to Introduce RoboTrim™ RT-500 Router Trimming Solution at NPE 2006 5/1/06 MGE Significantly Reduces the Entry Cost To Scalable Power Protection with New Pulsar MX 5000 RT UPS 5/1/06 MGE Simplifies Asset Management and Supervision of UPS Systems with New Enterprise Power Management Software 5/1/06 Weidmuller Introduces New Twin-Connection Disconnect Test Terminal Blocks 5/1/06 Aerotech's New Ensemble Epaq Allows Control of up to Six Motion Axes in a Compact, Stand-Alone, Integrated Package 4/28/06 PPT VISION Introduces the New IMPACT™ A-10 Intelligent Camera With Smart Software 4/27/06 Phoenix Contact Expands VARIOSUB Industrial Data Connection Family with Firewire, USB and SC RJ 4/27/06 GE Fanuc's Proficy™ Enterprise Connector Extends Plant Applications Integration with Enterprise Business Systems 4/27/06 Carlo Gavazzi Introduces 100A Current Monitor With Integral Current Transformer & Relay Output 4/27/06 Nippon Introduces New Shaft Motor with Simple Construction and High Precision 4/27/06 MTL Releases SafetyNet Product Brochure 4/27/06 Banner’s EX- LIGHT™ Smart Indicator Light Receives 2005 Engineer’s Choice Award 4/27/06 Intec Automation Introduces Tiny Ethernet Controller Module with Resources for Linux 4/27/06 Invensys Demonstrates Standards-Based Interoperability at Global Technology Launch Event in Boston 4/27/06 User Survey by Flow Research Finds Shift to New-Technology Flowmeters 4/27/06 Woodhead Launches the Ultra-Lock-TM-Connection System for Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Equipment Manufacturers 4/26/06 New Banner Machine Safety Products Catalog Includes More Products, More Solutions 4/26/06 Rexroth's New AS Series FRLs Fulfills High Demands in Terms of Air Preparation 4/26/06 ASI Releases Industrial Ethernet Switch Brochure 4/26/06 igus' New Lightweight Version of Triflex R Multi-axis Cable Carrier Provides Low-Cost Alternative for Robotic Applications 4/26/06 Prosilica to Demonstrates GigE Vision at the Vision Show East 4/26/06 Emerson Introduces OXYBALANCE™ For Improved Gas Analysis in Large Combustion Processes 4/26/06 MTL-Relcom's Fieldbus Network Diagnostics Monitor Simplifies Commissioning of Fieldbus Segments 4/25/06 NI Measurement Studio 8 Brings Remote Monitoring, Control via ASP.NET 4/25/06 Honeywell to Offer Exclusive OLI Systems Technology Through Unisim Design 4/25/06 Company & Organization News: Junot Systems and EnteGreat Team Up to Integrate Plant Floor Systems with SAP 5/2/06 Honeywell Joins Industry Leaders To Establish Industrial Wireless Standard 5/2/06 ISA Batch Standards Committee to Extend ISA 88 Series 5/2/06 Emerson and Wärtsilä Automation Norway to Form Alliance 5/2/06 Schneider Electric First-Quarter 2006 Sales Show Exceptional Growth 5/2/06 GE Fanuc Automation's Discover 2006 Users Conference To Take Place in Orlando, May 30 - June 2, 2006 4/28/06 Invensys Receives 2006 Process Control Security Leadership Award 4/28/06 National Instruments Reports Q1 Revenue of $155 Million, up 19% Year-Over-Year 4/28/06 ABB Reports 30% Increase in Earnings for Q1 2006 4/28/06 Schneider Electric Appoints New CEO for Citect 4/27/06 Southeast Region Manufacturers Find Innovative Productivity Solutions and Cutting-Edge Technical Education at AM Expo 4/27/06 Emerson Selected as Industrial Automation & Process Control Company of the Year 4/27/06 Wonderware Receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2006 Company of the Year Award 4/27/06 ISA EXPO 2007 Returns to Houston 4/27/06 WBF Releases Call for Papers for European Conference 2006 4/27/06 Honeywell Recognized by Sans Institute as a Leading Industrial Cyber Security Provider 4/26/06 Verano Signs New Systems Integrator in Lithuania 4/26/06 OMRON Corporation to Acquire the Safety Products Group of Scientific Technologies Incorporated (STI) 4/25/06 National Instruments to Host 12th NIWeek Virtual Instrumentation Conference 4/25/06 Wonderware Joins Open Application Group Board of Directors 4/25/06 ISA Releases Measurement Equations Resource 4/25/06 Industry Veteran Bud Brown Joins Northwire, Inc. as Director of New Business Development 4/25/06 Application News: Port Westward to be Among the First Combined Cycle Power Plants to Showcase Digital Bus Technologies 5/2/06 Dataradio and smartBridges Team to Equip SouthCom Dispatch Center in Matteson, IL 5/2/06 Mustang Automation and Control Selected for Chevron Tahiti Deepwater Project 5/1/06 Emerson Wins Bergesen Worldwide Contract to Digitally Automate One of The World’s Largest Ships for Production, Storage and Offloading of Oil 5/1/06 Coordinated Adept SCARA and 6-Axis Intelligent Robots Automate Insulet's OmniPod Assembly Line 4/25/06 Invensys to Upgrade Plant Simulation and Operator Training for Three Constellation Energy Generating Units 4/25/06 Emerson’s Machinery HEALTH™ Technologies Enable UK Coal To Avoid Equipment Failures and Prevent $1.8M USD of Lost Production 4/25/06
Featured Webcast
Collaborative Case Study in Practical Alarm Rationalization Is your plant productivity and safety being compromised by the quantity and quality of your process alarms? Co-presented by Automation.com and Matrikon, this one hour webcast will: Give you a step-by-step account of how a major North American company implemented a successful Alarm Rationalization strategy Teach you the 5 Best Practices for effective Alarm Rationalization Show you how to avoid the common mistakes that result in project failure Teach you how to reduce the quantity and increase the quality of your alarms Help you to understand the benefits of Alarm Rationalization and the consequence of failure to do so Click here for more information or to register
Featured Application Tool
2006-2007 Machine Safety Products Catalog Banner’s newly redesigned 2006-2007 Machine Safety Products catalog includes thousands of products for machine safety applications in its more than 300 full-color pages. High-quality images, detailed selection charts, dimension drawings and specifications are just a few of its features; other highlights include a What’s New section as well as an intuitive iKnow® Machine Safety learning tutorial. Click here to request your free catalog
Featured Products
Complete USB Data Acquisition System - Free Data Logging Software Included. Take a virtual tour of NI CompactDAQ. More Information on USB Data Acquisition System Contact National Instruments for Measurement & Automation Catalog or Application Assistance
See why, for eight years running, attendees have rated the Siemens Automation Summit a "must attend" event. Join us June 6-8, 2006 in Las Vegas! More Information on Siemens Automation Summit Contact Siemens for Product CD or Application Assistance
Huge Savings on PLCs for industrial process control applications. Prices start at $99. More Information on PLCs Contact AutomationDirect for Product Catalog or Application Assistance
Product & Supplier Search Other Featured Products for May Find Products by Category Find Manufacturers & Suppliers
New Jobs
Here's a list of new jobs posted on Automation.com: Electronics/ Instrumentation Engineer: United Arab Emirates - Cimac FZCO 5/1/2006 Controls Engineer: Dallas or Houston, TX - Prime Controls 4/30/2006 Sales Force Effectiveness Leader: Foxboro, MA, Charlottesville, VA or ANY - GE Fanuc Automation 4/28/2006 Automation Project Manager: St. Louis, MO - McEnery Automation 4/28/2006 Technical Service Manager: Louisville, KY - TopWorx 4/26/2006 Automation Project Leader: Webster (Houston), TX - SIPCO Mechanical Linkage Solutions 4/26/2006 Controls Engineer: Eden Prairie, MN - automationtechies 5/02/2006 Mechanical Engineer: Twin Cities, MN - automationtechies 5/02/2006 Senior Control Software Engineer: Rock Hill, SC - automationtechies 4/27/2006 Motorola MOSCAD RTU Expert: New York City, NY - automationtechies 4/26/2006 To view other recent job postings, please use our Job Search Function.
New Auctions & Classifieds
eBay hosts over 8000 auctions for industrial automation, control and instrumentation products. From PLCs to sensors, from motor controls to robotics...Use the links below to browse the latest new, used and surplus automation products by category: 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
Dilbert Pick of the Week
Silence is golden.
I hope you enjoyed this e-news update. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the content in this e-newsletter or on Automation.com, please don't hesitate to contact me. Rick Zabel Vice President Automation.com View our Privacy Policy For editorial and advertising inquiries, please contact Rick Zabel or see our Media Kit. For automationtechies recruiting and contract staffing services, please visit www.automationtechies.com.