Articles and News

Many manufacturing firms have extended their safety programs to include COVID-19 mitigation, but large portions, if not all, of their initiatives, are handled manually, making it difficult to keep pace with rapidly changing conditions and disparate guidelines from multiple government agencies. Clearly, automation is required to keep pace.

New ARC Advisory Group research on the global Alarm Management market reveals that alarm management in general continues to be a big issue in hydrocarbon processing plants, chemical plants, power plants, and other industrial process plants around the world.

Industrial Software company AVEVA announced the acquisition of OSIsoft famous for the PI Historian for the purchase price of $5 billion, expanding the company’s digitalization offerings.

Attending the AVEVA World Digital Virtual Press Roundtable provided thoughts and insights about the impacts of the pandemic and recovery.

To get the full benefit from human-robot collaboration, manufacturers must develop integrated strategies that combine data analytics, design, and a new partnership ecosystem.

Automation professionals are critical to successfully selecting and applying these technologies and guiding management to maximize their productivity. This role will continue and expand, as more companies look to make informed productive technological investments and implementation decisions to yield profitable results.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aqua America’s existing alarm notification system at the PA facility was experiencing frequent failures, which eventually lead to a catastrophic failure of the entire alarm notification system. Aqua America turned to TopView Alarm and Notification software for their new platform.

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.