Automation Weekly - February 14, 2007

Proven to exceed 10 million bending and torsional flex cycles, Northwire’s EnduroFLEX® XM cable–for sensors, switches and actuators in continuous flexing applications–is 300V/600V dual rated with a -40 to +105°C temperature range. Affordably designed, it is resistant to water, oil, abrasion, weld-slag and UV light. Call 1-877-210-9946 or visit www.northwire.com/xm

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Take this job and shove it

Well that's not exactly what I mean. Yesterday morning, Emerson Process Management hosted a breakfast at 11th Annual ARC Forum in Orlando, FL. End Users were given the opportunity to ask questions of John Berra, CEO, and Peter Zornia, Chief Strategic Officer. One of the questions fielded by Peter Zornia was, "What do we do about the aging workforce?"

A large percentage of automation professionals are approaching retirement. Although, they may not be saying "Take this job and shove it", they will none-the-less be leaving their jobs, and with a lot of knowledge-base. Peter presented the solution in four "chunks", as he referred to them, that I wanted to share with you.

First, companies need to upgrade their old infrastructures and leverage the efficiencies of the latest systems and technologies. It's no surprise, that a supplier would suggest this to their customers, because, after all, the supplier wants to sell new systems. But, Peter has a great point. The latest systems really do allow users to improve efficiencies of their plants as well as their people.

Second, companies need to adopt new work practices that allow the younger generations to capture the knowledge from the baby boomers.

Third, as those baby boomers retire, it can be somewhat daunting for them to go from 100% full-time employment to zero. Companies need to consider offering these knowledge-barers part time opportunities to consult and/or train the younger work-force. I would think a lot of retirees would jump at the opportunity to stay involved. I know I personally can't image what I would do with all my free time after retirement. Besides, activity keeps you young, or so they say.

Fourth, we need to make young engineers aware and even excited about becoming an automation or controls engineer. Most universities just don't know about the automation industry and don't offer applicable course curriculum. It's the responsibility of suppliers, users, industry organizations and each one of use to promote our industry. Automation involves so many technologies, i.e. advanced control, mechanatronics, software, etc. that most young engineers would thrive on.

So it's really not about "taking this job and shoving it", it's about "taking this job and evolving it". As technology evolves, so do our jobs and responsibilities. But, it all comes down to people...the most valuable assets of any company.

This is a great segway to our featured article this week by Jim Pinto - Investing in human capital, people assets.

By the way, if you haven't taken our 2007 salary survey, please take a couple of minutes and click here to take the survey now. Then, pass it on to all of your automation friends and colleagues.

Enjoy the rest of this eNews!

Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher

Salary Survey

2007 Salary Survey
Automation.com is surveying automation, process control and instrumentation professionals about career, salary and company information. Find out how you stack up with other professionals, and how salaries vary by job function or geographic region. Please take a minute to complete our survey and then pass it on to your automation friends and colleagues. Survey results will be published in early spring 2007.

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Featured Articles

Investing in human capital, people assets
Today's competitive global market environment brings steadily increasing pressure to improve return on investment (ROI). Many companies are focused on management of capital assets - maximizing utilization and minimizing downtime with a minimum of upkeep and maintenance. However, in the push for improvement, an organization’s biggest investment and its primary assets are its human capital.

Read full article by Jim Pinto
Read other articles by Jim Pinto

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Product Announcements

	TURCK releases DeviceNet cables with TPE jackets for welding - 2/13/07 DeviceNet cables are now available with TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) jackets, making the cables impervious to weld slag build up. The cables are ideal for applications where weld sparks and slag accumulation are common.
	MatrikonOPC releases Server for BACnet - 2/13/07 The server enables users to easily create large-scale centralized building control and monitoring systems that are controlled from a “single seat” workstation.
	Siemens announces Milltronics MBS belt scale for continuous weighing - 2/8/07 MBS belt scale provides dynamic weighing of aggregates, sand, gravel, or crushed stone.
	ifm efector announces ClassicLine I/O Module for AS-i Networking - 2/8/07 ClassicLine I/O module eliminates the need for mounting tools and provides a simple connection method to the AS-i networking system. It has a simple sliding mechanism that quickly connects the module’s upper and lower parts.
	MatrikonOPC announces OPC File Collector to transfer text data files into any historian - 2/7/07 File Collector monitors a user-specified directory for data files and automatically imports them to any OPC-compliant historian. It typically processes Comma Separated Value (CSV) files containing value, quality and timestamp (VQTs) data points, but can be configured to process any text-based data file.
	MOXA announces UPort USB-to-serial hubs with optical isolation - 2/7/07 The two-port UPort 1250I and the four-port UPort 1450I USB-to-serial hubs have 2 KV optical isolation protection on each serial port. Both include selectable RS-232/422/485 communication, baudrates up to 921.6 Kbps, built-in 15 KV ESD protection, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 operation up to 480 Mbps.
	MOXA releases Active Ethernet I/O with condition-based reporting - 2/7/07 Active Ethernet I/O server reports and controls I/O status based on user-specified conditions. Critical sensor data can be obtained immediately instead being subject to polling intervals. It supports multiple protocols for data transmission, including TCP/UDP, SNMP trap, SMTP (e-mail), and Modbus/TCP.
	Advantech launches UNO-3074 Pentium M embedded computer - 2/7/07 The UNO-3074 high performance Pentium M/Celeron M grade embedded automation computer comes with two RS-232 ports, two RS-232/422/485 ports with RS-485 automatic flow control, two 10/100 Ethernet ports, four USB ports, and four PCI-bus expansion slots for versatile applications. It supports Windows XP (SP2) Embedded. Prices start at $1,595.
	TURCK announces M40 Connectors, suitable for a 30 hp DC motor - 1/31/07 M40 powerfast connectors are suitable for motor applications, handling up to 600 Volts and 55 Amps: enough power for a 30 horse DC motor or a 55 horse 3-phase AC motor.

Other Product Announcements

Product & Supplier Search

Resources, Literature, Training, Events & Seminars

Featured Training: RFID Online Training Course
This comprehensive online RFID course covers the entire gamut of the technology, right from Basic concepts to Security and Privacy issues related to RFID. The entire course is designed in an easy to understand manner with text, graphics and animations and without any complicated stuff. At the end, the learner can take a self assessment test (with scoring).
More information on this course

Featured Event: 2007 Matrikon Summit
May 7-10, 2007 - Lincolnshire Marriott, Chicago, IL
Matrikon Summit 2007 is the technology conference for industry executives, process control engineers and other professionals. Come see the latest in process data technology for industries including petrochemical, pulp and paper, mining, oil and gas, and power and learn how it will transform your business. Through presentations, case studies, panel discussions, demonstrations and networking events, you'll be immersed in new ideas for making a step change in operational and business excellence.
More information or register for this event

Featured Seminar: OPC Technical Seminars
The OPC Foundation continues its successful seminar series in 2007, specifically for End-Users and System Integrators. This one day event will cover all aspects of OPC Technology. This seminar is currently scheduled in Greenville SC, Dallas TX, Detroit MI, Philadelphia PA, Toronto ON, Denver CO over the next few months. There is no cost and you will also have numerous opportunities to win valuable prizes. The seminars are intended for anyone using or building automation systems that use products/solutions from multiple vendors, who truly want to learn the ins and outs, best practices, and all about compliance. A session on the new OPC Unified Architecture will also be featured, including an in-depth presentation on the merits of the information model with EDDL as well as the activities associated with moving data from the factory floor to the enterprise.
More information or register for these seminars

Other Items:

ASI releases Printing and Labeling System brochure 2/13/07
ODVA upgrades its website 2/13/07
AutomationDirect introduces tutorial site 2/8/07
EMX Updates UV Sensor Application Handbook 2/7/07

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I hope you enjoyed this automation 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, Editor-in-chief
Automation.com

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