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Systems Integration Portal: Products, News, Articles, Events & Resources
Systems Integration Products, News, Articles, Events & Resources
Welcome to Automation.com's portal for Automation and Control Systems Integration with valuable information and resources for systems integrators. Efficient and quality system integration is vital to having successful automation projects. Control and automation engineers who work for systems integrators need to keep up on system integration techniques, tools and products. Subscribe to our e-Newsletter or get the latest information on automation and control Systems Integration sent to your desktop as soon as they are published on this page.
Articles
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Applying Advanced Process Control Principles to Power Generation
By Carl Hosier, Honeywell Process Solutions Many manufacturing facilities have taken to integrating plant subsystems with their DCS to maximize productivity and improve overall efficiency. Applying this same concept to power generation could help electricity and steam generators streamline production in a way that makes sense to both their pocketbooks and the regulators. |
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What is 'IT in manufacturing' about? - Part 3
- 03/13/10 South Africa Instrumentation & Control, March 2010 By Deon van Aardt, Wonderware Southern Africa Today, we have companies with what amounts to two IT departments – one in charge of making the money (production) and the other in charge of managing it (traditional business IT). |
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The future is integrated operations
- 03/13/10 Control Engineering Europe, March 2010 By Colin Pearson, ABB Automation vendors, EPCs and end-users can no long ignore integrated operations. No longer is it a matter of cost whether to include integrated operations as part of the overall long term automation strategy, it’s becoming a matter of necessity. |
White Papers
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Automation and the Smart Grid: Energy Management Today
By Opto 22 This white paper takes a look at electrical power in the United States today, investigates the nature of the Smart Grid, and suggests ways that small and medium-sized companies can - without waiting for future technological development - gather energy data and control electrical energy costs today. |
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Upgrading Your DCS: Why You May Need to Do It Sooner Than You Think
By Chad Harper, MAVERICK Technologies The decision to upgrade a DCS is like the decision to upgrade your laptop or PC. Transferring files and programs is never easy, but using an outdated machine is even more of a chore. Support grows obsolete, old systems prove incompatible with new products, and speed and storage become major problems. Efficiency suffers as a result. |
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Secure OPC Tunneling: Know Your Options
By Software Toolbox & Cogent Real-Time Systems Anyone who has attempted to network OPC knows that it is challenging, at best. There are many options and solutions in the market that attempt to solve this challenge. This whitepaper shows how tunneling technologies solve the issues associated with networking OPC and what to look for in a tunneling product. |
Application Stories
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Emerson controls cut fuel costs for INEOS Chlor
- 03/17/10 Using PlantWeb control and predictive maintenance technologies, INEOS Chlor has been able to reduce venting of hydrogen gas and instead use it as a fuel to heat onsite boilers for power generation. |
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Simple, Strong and Easy-to-Use
- 03/13/10 Control, March 2010 By Jim Montague BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina in Australia upgraded a TDC2000 DCS to a Honeywell Experion DCS, operator stations, software and other equipment. The new controls had to make room for close to 4,000 process signals and more than 300 drives that were migrated from the old plant equipment to new systems, and do it without hindering operations. |
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Integrated process control that works
- 03/13/10 Process & Control Engineering, March 2010 By Sean Cahill, Siemens Cadbury upgraded a dental care production process in Australia with a Siemens SIMATIC PCS. The original process was a manual system, where various pieces of process equipment each with its own control system had been added. |
Resources & Literature
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ISA publishes book on Reasoning Machines in Factory Automation
- 03/07/10
The authors predict future production platforms will adapt to market changes with a minimum of human involvement. The book targets reasoning machines that are able to collaborate and automatically reconfigure themselves. |
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ISA publishes new edition of Industrial Network Security book
- 03/04/10
Industrial Network Security, 2nd Edition, by David J. Teumim, tells managers, engineers, technicians, and operators how to keep industrial networks secure amid rising threats from hackers, disgruntled employees, and even cyberterrorists. |
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Poll Question - How many different networks do you have in your facility?
How many different communication networks do you have implemented in factories and/or plants? The list of available networks includes, but is not limited to: Foundation Fieldbus, ControlNet, PROFIBUS, Interbus, AS-Interface, CanOpen, CC-Link, PROFINET, HART, Ethernet, EtherCAT, Ethernet Powerlink, SERCOS, Modbus, LonWorks and DeviceNet. |
Training & Seminars
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Emerson’s PlantWeb University Online Learning Center
Free web-based training includes more than 40 brief, practical courses on new automation technologies and strategies. Topics include implementing fieldbus, wireless technology, safety instrumented systems, streamlining maintenance, improving equipment effectiveness, and enhancing plant efficiency. |
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Opto 22 Remote I/O for Allen-Bradley Logix seminar
Half-day technical seminar, hosted by Opto 22, shows how to add intelligent remote I/O to Allen-Bradley PLC/PAC systems without programming. |
Featured Products
Product Announcements
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Control Microsystems adds video surveillance to ClearSCADA
- 02/28/10
When motion is detected, an alarm is raised and a video “snippet” is attached to the alarm message and sent to the central control site, showing what happened before and after the event. |
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Mitsubishi adds Oracle Manufacturing Operations Center to e-F@ctory
- 02/15/10
e-F@ctory connects its control hardware and networks with enterprise IT systems offered by strategic partner companies, including IBM, Microsoft and now, Oracle. |
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InduSoft enhances Web Studio HMI/SCADA software
- 01/24/10
Enhancements in Version 6.1 Service Pack 6 include compatiblity with Windows 7 (both 32 and 64-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2. |
Company & Organization News
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ARC says automation increasing in Food and Beverage
- 03/10/10 Automation expenditures in the food and beverage industry are expected to reach $6 billion by 2013. |
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January manufacturing technology consumption up
- 03/08/10 January U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $130.96 million, down 40.3% from December but up 26.2% from the total of $103.77 million reported for January 2009. |
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ARC says prices are coming down on automation products
- 03/07/10 One element contributing to the price erosion is that controllers are rapidly becoming an automation commodity in some sectors. |
Project News
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Emerson to control Dnestrovskaya hydroelectric pumped storage power plant
- 03/16/10 Emerson installed its PlantWeb digital plant architecture with the Ovation expert control system at Unit 1 of the newly commissioned Dnestrovskaya pumped storage power plant (PSPP). |
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Metso to control paper machine at Aylesford Newsprint
- 03/15/10 Metso will supply a distributed control system, hardware, applications software, project management and commissioning for the PM14 newsprint machine. |
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Honeywell to provide technology and system design for Shell
- 03/08/10 Honeywell signed a global five-year agreement to be a Main Automation Contractor (MAC) for Shell. |
Events
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