, RedViking 5 Principles of Flexible Assembly Line Design PostedJuly 12, 2018 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/5-principles-flexible-assembly-line-design By following these principles of flexible assembly line design, manufacturers can pursue lean manufacturing in their current operation while also building capabilities to maintain or add lean improvements in the future. Read More
Ray Bachelor, Bachelor Controls, Inc. Retired from Bachelor Controls, Inc. The Pluses and Minuses of Rockwell’s AOIs PostedApril 23, 2018 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/pluses-and-minuses-rockwells-aois Although it might be natural to condemn add-on instructions when something goes wrong, they can be very useful for highly repetitive modules of code. Read More
William Aja, Panacea Technologies Inc VP of Customer Operations Building Our Future, Branding Automation Early PostedMarch 12, 2018 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/building-our-future-branding-automation-early We have a collective social responsibility to recruit and brand our industry for the next generation. Here are some ideas about how to get involved. Read More
, Loman Control Systems, Inc. Viewing System Integration From the Inside PostedMarch 5, 2018 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/viewing-system-integration-inside A collection of thoughts from system integrators about the state of automation and controls in manufacturing, along with some advice about how to get where you’re going. Read More
Mike Triassi, Optimation Technology, Inc. Business Development Manager Analytics Options for Automation Improving With PaaS PostedFebruary 8, 2018 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/analytics-options-automation-improving-paas From suppliers of infrastructure as a service (IaaS) has sprung platform as a service (PaaS). Just as companies have analytics capabilities in PaaS, there are opportunities around automation PaaS as well. Read More
Michael Gurney, Concept Systems Inc. Owner Reduce Risk with a Main Automation Contractor PostedDecember 11, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/reduce-risk-main-automation-contractor How a system integrator can provide greater value by acting as the manufacturer’s main automation contractor (MAC) to reduce project risk and maximize overall productivity. Read More
Georgia Whalen, Rivergate Marketing Founder An End User’s Perspective on System Integrator Selection PostedNovember 30, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/end-users-perspective-system-integrator-selection A professional engineer with more than 35 years of experience in process automation shares his thoughts on why choosing the right control system integrator is so important. Read More
Michael Gurney, Concept Systems Inc. Owner A Lesson From Early Technology Adopters PostedNovember 13, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/lesson-early-technology-adopters How to use proof-of-concept testing to identify potential automation risks early and understand mitigation plans for each. Read More
Michael Gurney, Concept Systems Inc. Owner Automation Roadmap: Assessing Your Network Architecture PostedOctober 10, 2017 AT 11:00 AM https://www.automationworld.com/automation-roadmap-assessing-your-network-architecture To facilitate efficient and cost-effective process improvement, your network architecture needs to be thoughtfully planned out, not just patched together. Read More
Rod Emery, RedViking Vice President Improving Sustainability with Automation and Controls PostedSeptember 4, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/improving-sustainability-automation-and-controls Designing automation and control systems to conserve energy and reduce resource use results in “greener” manufacturing. Read More
, DenTech How Dynamic System Design Helps Facilitate Change PostedJuly 18, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/how-dynamic-system-design-helps-facilitate-change Understanding that change is inevitable and anticipating potential changes are essential in managing frequent project revisions. Read More
Michael Gurney, Concept Systems Inc. Owner Automation's Environmental Benefit PostedJune 13, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/automations-environmental-benefit Automation ultimately benefits the planet by helping to bring manufacturing back to the United States, where pollution is regulated. Read More
Allan Evora, Affinity Energy LLC President, Executive Management 4 Biggest SCADA Cost Drivers PostedMay 23, 2017 AT 8:30 AM SCADA has a lot of moving parts and add-ons, which is why the implementation cost varies greatly from project to project. But no matter what industry or environment, everyone is always looking to cut unnecessary costs. There are several factors that influence cost: the number of tags or points in your SCADA system, the number of clients that want to simultaneously view the system, amount of resiliency needed, amount of labor it takes to design and integrate, and ultimately which SCADA software ... Read More
, Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Dick Morley, Father of the PLC PostedMarch 27, 2017 AT 6:00 AM Anyone who connected to industrial automation either as a system integrator or or who runs a plant that takes advantage of automation owes a debt to Dick Morley. It's a good bet that if you have your own wiki page, (Dick does!) you've made your dent on the world. Dick definitely has done that. If you want to know more about Dick Morely the "father of the PLC" simply Google him, or check out his wiki page or his personal page. According to Dick's page: Dick Morley is ... Read More
, Avid Solutions Four Tips for Successful Physical-to-Virtual Migrations PostedMarch 14, 2017 AT 8:30 AM https://www.automationworld.com/four-tips-successful-physical-virtual-migrations Only a fraction of process control users have adopted virtualization. A major reason why is that users are often looking for savings in the wrong places. Read More
, Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Innovations in Robotic Motion Planning and Motion Control PostedAugust 12, 2016 AT 8:26 AM Real-time robotic control and motion planning can be a challenge for integrators and clients who want to keep the line moving and yet keep a safe process. Tony Veroeven comments on some new innovations in robotics motion control planning. Read More