Articles and News

The code samples provided in this easy download will help developers who are interested in adding OPC client capabilities to their Visual Basic and Visual C++ applications. VB OPC client code follows the code structure found in the OPC Automation Interface 2.0 specification.

GE Supply Company is now a stocking distributor for SIXNET industrial connectivity products and Ethernet I/O products. Based in Shelton, CT, GE Supply is comprised of more than 150 locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and internationally.

According to the study, 83% of respondents had outsourced some or all of NPD activity, confirming that outsourcing of core product development is extremely important in today’s market.

Strong economic activity in Asia is spurring the growth of manufacturing, which in turn is propelling the growth of the automation market in the region. The Asian market for Distributed Control Systems (DCS) is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.0% over the next five years, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.

A committee of industry leaders and academia met at ISA headquarters to begin work on the learning objectives for an automation engineering curriculum for universities. "Our goal is to develop curriculum content for a 4-year automation engineering degree program," said committee chair Randy Buchanan of the University of Southern Mississippi.

RA Controls is a division of INTROL Group, and is able to offer design, supply, installation and activation of automatic and electrical appliances.

The Department of Sanitation of New York is incurring significant labor and costs savings with a new system of Intermec handheld computers and printers that helps agents issue tickets for recycling, health and administrative code violations.

The free 220+-page "Understanding New Developments in Data Acquisition, Measurement, and Control" handbook is a practical guide to high performance test and measurement. The handbook is divided into nine sections that discuss issues influencing the selection of data acquisition and control equipment.

Honeywell has been awarded a $7 million contract to implement an Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) and FOUNDATION Fieldbus solution at a new chemical plant operated by Kuwait Paraxylene Production Company (KPPC). The plant will produce aromatics materials, mainly paraxylene for exportation and benzene that will be used in other regional projects.

TI Will Integrate Tendril Network Operating Solution in the TI ZigBee Development Kit

Dataforth has increased production capacity by 50 percent through significant additions to production machinery, product inventory, square footage, and staff.

Independent tests prove that the TRUNKGUARD device coupler works seamlessly with a DeltaV control system during repeated short-circuit testing and extreme temperatures. According to Evaluation International, TRUNKGUARD continued to operate and maintain communications with DeltaV after multiple short circuits on spurs, temperatures from -40 to 70°C, and operation at upper and lower voltage limits.

Halliburton Company will open its corporate headquarters office in the United Arab Emirates. Chairman, President and CEO Dave Lesar will move to Dubai. The headquarters in Dubai is the next step in a strategic plan announced in 2006 to focus on expanding its customer relations with national oil companies while concentrating more of the company’s investments and resources in growing its business in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Emerson will engineer, project manage, install, commission, and provide long term support on automation solutions for the company's oil, gas and petrochemical facilities in Qatar.

Ethernet Direct added sales and service locations in Kowloon (Hong Kong), Shenzhen (China), Shanghai (China), Wuhan (China), Xi’an (China) and Cheng Du (China).

Nick will work with all vice presidents, corporate officers, directors and department heads to ensure that operations are in line with Moore Industries’ corporate goals and initiatives. Moore Industries is a leader in the design and manufacture of interface instruments and fieldbus equipment.

Telvent is participating in a collaborative exercise with the U.S. Department of Energy's National SCADA Test Bed (NSTB) on a joint security assessment project. NSTB researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) assess and mitigate the threats posed by cyber attacks on critical infrastructure control systems.

Invensys Process Systems becomes a global reseller and certified implementer for Transpara's Visual KPI operations intelligence software. Visual KPI technology helps customer plant personnel remotely monitor process variables and KPIs from their existing mobile communications devices.

At the ARC Forum, Rockwell Automation and Endress+Hauser demonstrated progress in their strategic alliance. The two companies provide comprehensive solutions for plant engineering, operations and management and support a range of standard bus technologies, including the HART Communication Foundation, Fieldbus Foundation, FDT Group and ODVA.

According to a study prepared by the ARC Advisory Group, Foundation fielbus accounts for over two-thirds of process fieldbus revenues. ARC says the global market for fieldbus solutions in the process industries reached $831.7 million in 2006 and projects current growth trends will expand the fieldbus market to over $2.279 billion in 2011.