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The Year in Question

Will the solid performance of the industrial automation sector over the last three years continue in 2008? And what technologies can we expect to see rise in prominence and make their mark? Regional c...

Eighth wonder

There has always been an urge to know what the future will bring, especially when there is a vested interest. For instance, beginning from 1400 BC, for almost a 1,000 years, people would travel for ma...

Tank Gauging Systems

As the price of oil continues to rise, increasing attention is being paid to the accuracy of petroleum product transfers. Richard Siereveld examines some measurement options.

In the past, when the price of gas was relatively low, ensuring the accuracy of LNG (liquefied natural gas) product transfers was not that important. Gas was a waste product in oil exploration; loss...

Belden makeover on track

In May 2006, the board of Belden, the US-headquartered cable manufacturer, approved a strategic plan to reposition the company to be comprehensive signal solutions provider. The plan also called for a...

Global RFID market doubled last year, says study

The global industry for RFID technology has been growing steadily for the last few years and is expected to grow rapidly before stabilizing and settling on a steady growth path, according to a Researc...

Emerson makes another acquisition

Emerson Process Management has acquired The Automation Group (TAG) of Houston, Texas. TAG is expected to expand Emerson’s capabilities for providing technical and management services for the design, e...

Automation systems markets continue to grow

The worldwide market for discrete automation systems is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8 percent over the next five years, according to a ARC Advisory Group study. The...

India automation shows a success, say organizers

From 4 to 7 December 2007 Bangalore hosted three new industrial shows: CeMAT INDIA, INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION INDIA and MDA INDIA. Some 600 exhibitors used this opportunity to showcase their latest techno...

Major restructuring for Siemens

Siemens has announced a sweeping reorganization of operations that includes the breakup of its Automation and Drives business unit. The corporate restructuring is the first major change in how Siemens...

Industrial wireless organization launches in Asia

WINA, the Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance, announced that it will found a chapter outside North America. The chapter, based in Singapore, will serve the Asia Pacific region and is the first ch...

MTL acquired by Cooper Controls

The boards of Cooper Controls (UK) and The MTL Instruments Group announced that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer to acquire MTL. Under the terms of the Offer, MTL S...

Combined for power solutions

In 2007, Schneider Electric completed the acquisition of American Power Conversion (APC) and merged it with MGE UPS Systems to create what it called “a worldwide leader in the critical power and cooli...

ISA99 cyber security standard published

A new American National Standard and an update of a widely used technical report on cyber security technologies have been published by ISA. The new standard, ANSI/ISA-99.00.01-2007, “Security for Indu...

Honeywell becomes main automation contractor for BP

Honeywell has reached a six-year agreement with BP Exploration and Production to provide main automation contractor (MAC) services at the oil and gas major’s new and existing facilities. Honeywell say...

Fast Track with Linux

With ever increasing demands to quicken new product development time, Anton Aendenroomer & Ian McLoughlin explain how using an embedded Linux operating system can help reduce the pressure.

Working in consultancy has its benefits. A major one is that production deadlines are not nearly so much a life-and-death situation as compared to manufacturing companies in the final stages of prod...

Hazardous area visualization over Ethernet

Developed specifically for Ex-Zone explosive hazardous areas, VisuNet from Pepperl+Fuchs EXTEC is a modular remote monitor system based on a standard Ethernet TCP/IP network connection to the host PC ...

High speed, noncontact temperature measurement

Three times quicker than its predecessor with a scan speed of 150 Hz, the Raytek MP150 High Speed Infrared Linescanner can gather complete temperature data from the fastest manufacturing processes. On...

Cameras transmit images over Profinet

Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) has added a Profinet connection to its Simatic VS720A camera series for industrial image processing. The seven new cameras for monochrome and color image processing...

Safety relay monitors analog signals

The Pilz PNOZmulti confi gurable safety relay is able to monitor analog input signals such as current or voltage, something only previously been possible using programmable control systems. With its a...

Easily adjustable level transmitter

These compact 316 stainless steel level transmitters from ifm electronic feature an operating accuracy of 0.2 percent, pushbutton z e ro and span adjustments, plus many other programmable parameters v...

The Human Touch

Charlie Masi reports.

Whether it’s designers cleverly developing products for robotic assembly or skilled workers performing intricate operations alongside sophisticated technology, the human factor is key to successful factory automation.

For automation to be effective, products should be designed with automation in mind. While that statement may seem rather obvious, in the past, components were designed simply to work. That is, engine...

Quality All Around

Quality products, quality people, quality service, quality partnerships, and even quality corporate social responsibility – that is what we mean by Mitsubishi Electric Quality, Takashi Fujii, Managing Director, Mitsubishi Electric Asia, tells CE Asia.

CEA: How does Mitsubishi Electric Asia fit into the overall Mitsubishi Electric organization? Fujii: From its base here in Singapore, the company functions as the sales and marketing hub f...

Going Green … with Wireless

Companies are increasingly adopting wireless sensor network technology to optimize energy usage and reduce environmental impact, reports Madanmohan Rao.

2007 witnessed a global level of importance accorded to environmental impacts of human and industrial enterprise. Thanks in part to Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize for raising international awar...

The Path to Supercritical Power

By Charlie Menten.

As power generation technologies grow more sophisticated, control strategies and systems must keep pace for plant owners to take full advantage of the increased capabilities.

Because of its abundance and affordability, coal continues to be a major energy source for power producers worldwide. However, as carbon consciousness becomes more prominent, technologies for gainin...

Rockwell Rising

Some 14,000 people headed up to Chicago in November for the 14th Automation Fair, the annual technology event hosted by Rockwell Automation. Bob Gill joined the throng in the Windy City.

Someone once said that because nature did not endow Chicago with any hills or mountains, it decided to build its own. Indeed, it was back in 1885, with the construction of the nine-storey Home Insur...

Talking About Software

Kevin Roach leads Rockwell Software, probably the biggest software organization you’ve never heard of. He talks to CE Asia.

CEA: So what is Rockwell Software all about? Roach: Rockwell Software is an organization and a brand within Rockwell Automation currently employing around 1000 people. Our goal is to deliv...

Ambitious for Asia

Having just been appointed President, Asia Pacific region, Keiran Coulton, in Chicago for Automation Fair, spoke with CE Asia on his plans and aspirations for Rockwell in the region.

CEA: What were you doing before taking over the helm in Asia in October? Coulton: I have actually been with Rockwell Automation for the last 21 years, holding a variety of different positi...