Articles and News

The Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM) will hold its 10th annual SUMMIT on September 28 – October 1, 2020 in a virtual format. The virtual conference will harness the latest in technology to deliver the content and interactive experiences for which WiM conferences are known.

During each one-hour session, industry experts will lead discussions about the latest technology developments in smart infrastructure and buildings. The free events will be held every other Tuesday, beginning on July 14, from 11 a.m. until noon.

By Antony Bourne This article highlights what he believes are three major ethical issues facing the industry, as manufacturers weigh up their AI investments and embark upon this new technological direction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the click of a button, visitors can download resources on additive manufacturing (AM), artificial intelligence (AI), Industry 4.0, cyber security, obsolescence, sustainability and the circular economy.

The HANNOVER MESSE Digital Days launch on 14 July with a diverse, top-class program. The event begins with the panel discussion “Forward to the New ‒ New Opportunities for Progress?” featuring Siemens board member Klaus Helmrich; Festo chairman Oliver Jung; BDI president Dieter Kempf; Friedhelm Loh Group owner and chairman Friedhelm Loh; Robert Bosch managing director Rolf Najork; and SAP board member Thomas Saueressig.

The rapid speed and economic impacts of COVID-19 have shifted the balance between state, citizens and businesses within national economies.

An independent jury consisting of members of the WomenPower Congress Advisory Board nominated three women for the Engineer Powerwoman career award, which is endowed with 5,000 euros and encourages companies to recognize the performance and special commitment of their female employees in STEM professions.

Honeywell Forge Workforce Productivity is being adopted by Wood, a global leader in consulting, projects and operations solutions in energy and the built environment.

From Friday March 27, ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business will make key software services available free of charge to its customers until December 31st, 2020.

The annual ARC European Industry Forum, “Driving Digital Transformation in Industry,” May 18-20, 2020, will move online as ARC’s first-ever virtual forum. The event will use virtual event tools to offer live streaming of user presentations, expert panel discussions, and audience interaction.

It is the first time in HANNOVER MESSE’s 73-year history that the event will not take place. However, the organizers will not let the show completely vanish.

Richard “Rich” Jesse Merritt died Saturday, February 8, 2020, at his home in Cedar Rapids. He was 76. He was a giant of industrial automation and control technical communications, serving countless publications and clients over his long career, including Automation.com and ISA’s InTech magazine.

By Louis Columbus To stay competitive, manufacturers must continually reinvent themselves and find new ways to improve—whether by delivering differentiated products, controlling costs, or improving quality.

The web-based solution gives plant operators and management teams real-time monitoring and control access to plant operations and performance over a secure-by-design connection such as VPN. This allows critical infrastructure to operate with a reduced crew on site, while being able to coordinate with their wider teams remotely.

When machines run 24/7, with or without supervision, their components can wear out quickly. This article explains the potential of lights-out manufacturing.

Overall, the majority of companies (77 percent) continue to use or plan to use automation in the next three years. The biggest takeaway in this year’s study is that the majority of respondents (51 percent) now believe that automation will decrease headcount in the IT security function, an increase from 30 percent in last year’s study.

By Thomas R. Cutler, Manufacturing Media Consortium The notions of safety and profitability are not mutually exclusive. This article discusses cost-effective ways how automation can help facilitate your organizational safety

By Bridget Fitzpatrick Track: Human Performance Bridget Fitzpatrick from Wood Group Mustang presented on the topic of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) in the context of Automation projects. The talk centered around defining HFE and providing an overview of how it applies to automation projects.

The partnership expands TiPS' capabilities to provide customers with services such as human factors engineering, control room design and advanced user interface development.

Leveraging the knowledge and know-how of the people in an organization is a powerful way to make improvements and solve problems. The difficulty is getting this done effectively and avoiding an ineffective committee that creates more problems.