Articles and News

The 12,000 word guide covers such topics as automation trends, KPI’s, robotics, labor availability, efficiency, AS/RS, G2P, poly-bags, safety, system maintenance, and more.

By Nigel Smith, TM Robotics Collaborative robots (cobots), machines that work harmoniously alongside humans, account for 3% of this market, but will reach 34% by 2025. This article explains what manufacturers need to understand before they jump on the cobot bandwagon, as this investment may not be as low-risk as it first appears.

Conditions encountered by pipelines in the U.S. are diverse and the complexity motivates broad and cautiously general requirements. This is not the case at the borders of all sovereign nations. Diverg

By Alan Binning, COPA-DATA UK Renewables are set to be the fastest-growing source of electrical energy generation in the next five years. This article explores three common issues for renewables — managing demand, combining distributed systems and reporting.

The goal is to fully integrate the Endress+Hauser field instruments as digital twins into the SAP cloud platform. Both companies want to take advantage of the services and smart apps from SAP’s Leonardo system as well as Endress+Hauser’s IIoT offering.

The new company combines U.S.-based Perception Robotics, Hungary-based OptoForce, and Denmark-based On Robot to become OnRobot, which aims to drive innovation for robotic end-of-arm tooling. OnRobot's headquarters will be located in Denmark under Iversen’s management, and the three entities will continue their individual operations and development as well.

The certification recognizes the cyber security features of the ControlEdge RTU, which is used for remote automation and control applications such as wellhead monitoring in the oil and gas industry

The certification recognizes the cyber security features of the ControlEdge RTU, which is used for remote automation and control applications such as wellhead monitoring in the oil and gas industry

OMV will use the Honeywell Connected Plant's Process Insight Reliability Advisor to continuously feed plant data through Honeywell UOP process and fault models, and to provide performance information and process recommendations.

Honeywell will provide licensing, the process design package, proprietary and non-proprietary equipment, on-site operator training, technical services for startup and continuing operation, and key catalysts and adsorbents for the project.

By Robin Whitehead, Boulting Technology Many systems that have been retrofitted for compatibility with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are not well protected. This article explains the top considerations to ensure cybersecurity when retrofitting a system.

In addition to the Experion Orion Console, the Leppävirta site will implement Honeywell’s Field Device Manager, which uses smart instrumentation to perform device configuration and management capabilities.

Resembling more a bustling city than a trade fair, the 71st Hannover Messe was very busy and chock full of energy and innovation this year, with over 200,000 attendees from 75 countries. Focusing on the theme 'Integrated Industry – Connect & Collaborate', the Digital Factory was front and center.

Within this connected digital ecosystem, information is gathered directly from elevators and escalators via smart sensor technology. Data is then sent to the cloud where it's aggregated and analyzed, and delivered to customers and Otis' dedicated service teams, all in real-time.

At Safety 2018, Steve Ludwig, program manager at Rockwell Automation, will present “Four Ways Safety Engineers Can Help Mitigate Security-Related Safety Risks.”

Participants in the May 24, 11AM EDT webinar will learn about the structure and content of the international IEC 62443 control systems cybersecurity standards and the related ISASecure conformity assessment program.

The latest joint effort resulted in an advanced automation and industrial networking lab for undergraduate courses. The multi-workstation area includes Phoenix Contact’s IEC 61131 programming software, PC Worx, along with visualization software, 802.11 wireless, PROFINET networking, and distributed safety I/O.

Geographically diverse systems using integrated technology are inherently complex. A structured way of analyzing them can be very helpful.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com At Hannover Messe 2018, it was clear that many in the computing industry are focused on implementing a holistic cyber security approach, encompassing the entire architecture including cloud, enterprise, and edge devices. This article will explore some of these efforts and explain how they are shaping the future of cybersecurity in industrial automation.

By Robert Glass, ABB Recently, Dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza opened the world’s first plastic-free aisle in one of its stores in Amsterdam. More supermarkets will likely follow. Will food manufacturers will need to rethink their food packaging materials?