Articles and News

Automation.com, May 2011 By Roy Kok Over the years, we’ve had sensor upgrades, improved controllers, better operator visibility, data archiving and analytics, and now we have enterprise integration for improved material management, corporate agility, regulatory compliance and a host of other features.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Jay Mellen, Savigent Software Logic PD implemented a system to fully automate Logic tracking and control of its box-build processes. The new system empowers Logic PD to scale faster, bring products to market more rapidly, increase customer visibility, and improve overall manufacturing efficiencies.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Thomas R. Cutler Within the manufacturing sector, particularly those involved in Engineer-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing, there are special issues and challenges that typical ERP implementations don't address.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor The size of Hannover Fair can be overwhelming but there were industry and technology trends reflected in products and presentations at the event. Here are some specific examples for illustration - in most cases there are many more companies that have products supporting these trends.

Parsec Automation recently completed the relocation of its worldwide headquarters from Brea, Calif. to larger facilities in Anaheim, Calif.

Savigent provided Logic PD with the ability to fully automate execution and electronic record management of its box-build processes.

Apax Partners intends to combine Activant with Epicor to create one of the largest global providers of enterprise applications software.

Research into technical software application spending from Cambashi indicates that, in 2011, worldwide recovery is likely to be fastest in the Aerospace, Process and Utility industries.

In 2010, the Chinese Mainstream PLM market grew 16.2%, and in 2011 the growth rate of the Chinese Mainstream PLM market is forecast to be 16.5%.

Automation.com, May 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Here are a few highlights from ABB Automation & Power World 2011. The event attracted a record number of participants, totaling more than 4,200, and featured over 400 educational workshops and hands-on training sessions, over 45 customer-presented case studies, and an exhibition of ABB and partner products.

Mincom brings expertise and experience in a range of industries, and a comprehensive set of solutions for applications such as EAM, mining operations and mobile workforce management.

The Aegis software collects data and puts it into reports, visualizations, and real-time dashboards that are used by C2M to constantly improve quality and efficiency.

Siemens provided the PLC, CNC, HMI, RFID, Profinet and safety systems to Toledo Powertrain for a Flexible Assembly Configuration System (FACS) to build the GF6 six-speed, front wheel transmission.

INITEC Energía uses the software to develop and manage HVAC diagrams and P&ID systems.

Successful product development efforts will increasingly be shaped—and driven—by advanced IT tools like product lifecycle management (PLM) and collaborative software

The energy management system will be used to collect data from the power plants’ information systems, steam consumers and service providers.

Almost 60 percent of respondents to a study conducted for IFS North America said their ERP software slows them down and prevents their organizations from changing the way they do business.

Automation.com, April 2011 By Bill Lydon, Editor Energy has become a hot topic with vendors and standards organizations, many of which are offering and creating solutions for energy users.

Automation.com, April 2011 By Roy Kok How did Scotty know? How do you know when your systems are normal? Are the Dilithium crystals at their proper temperature and vibrational frequency for this Warp Speed and area of space? Could he be sure he caught every last Tribble, and none are blocking the cooling ducts to the Anti- Matter Drive?

Almost 40 percent of respondents to a survey said that their enterprise software was “somewhat difficult to use,” 13 percent said “very difficult to use” and 1 percent said it was “almost impossible to use.”