Articles and News

Survey shows most Americans believe highly automated factories are important to economic growth. The majority support a stimulus package to modernize U.S. factories.

GE Fanuc announced that its hardware and software products enable OMAC Make2Pack standards to support multiple vendor platforms for applications in both new and existing equipment.

Frost & Sullivan says the wireless market in food and beverage industry is expected to grow at low levels over the next two years. The conservative nature of the industry is a major restraint for adoption.

In addition, Robert Reynolds has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer and co-CEO, and Kevin Catherman has been hired as National Accounts Manager.

Kepware will provide connectivity software for PLCs on pharmaceutical packaging equipment.

Legal disputes have prevented exiderdome from being transferred from a barge to land for the second half of its U.S. tour.

By Softing Krones, a packaging manufacturer, uses control systems based on Siemens and Rockwell Automation equipment. Using Softing software, Krones can communicate between Simatic, ControlLogix, CompactLogix, PLC-5 and SLC-500 controllers.

By Standard-Knapp Lighter bottles are less tolerant of line pressure, caused when bottles are collected and organized. Here's how to deal with the problem.

VEGAWAVE level switches monitor soup packaging machine at Batchelor foods.

The Pack Profile defines a subset of the SERCOS interface functions for packaging machinery.

Visit the PLCopen Organization booth and see how PLCopen member companies are committed to control software standards that improve your quality and productivity.

By Rick Zabel, Publisher Automation Insights Network is a select group of controls and automation professionals who agree to help us cover news, emerging trends and technologies on various automation topics. Every two months, we will ask people in the Network to share their observations, knowledge and expertise with us. We take that information, distill it, and pass it on to our reporters and editors for use in future stories.

By Rick Zabel, Automation.com The proposed name change of ISA (to "International Society of Automation") is up for a vote again during ISA Expo in Houston, October 14-16, 2008. Last year, the change was voted down, but I have yet to hear a compelling argument against the change. And there are many reasons for the change. If ISA is truly the global society of automation professionals, then its name should reflect its cause. It's time for a change!

More than 160 organizations have joined the South Carolina Engineering Cluster. The cluster has two goals: promoting engineering as a career for students and promoting the South Carolina engineering industry.

“Video Process Monitoring” white paper discusses the newest trend in HMI/SCADA: Embedding video into an HMI screen, so operators can actually see what is happening in a process plant, along an assembly line, or in remote areas.

By Patrick Roberts Conveyor change-over helps ALM Express to label and renest 200 clamshells per minute for high-speed, high-volume produce packaging.

Could it be that high fuel prices, the weak dollar and crises in the U.S. manufacturing industry are creating opportunities? Andy Chatha of ARC Advisory Group thinks so. He says the U.S. industry has suddenly become competitive on the world market, and companies are no longer moving operations overseas. Instead, many are expanding their facilities, and he predicts a boom in automation right here in the U.S.

ABB reported record orders, revenues and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in the second quarter of 2008, with net income reaching $975 million.

Booklet describes the 10 most common and costly errors that companies make when preparing product news releases.

Hogan is currently CEO of GE Healthcare and is a member of the GE Senior Executive Council. He will join ABB on September 1, 2008.