, RedViking PostedJuly 12, 2018 AT 8:30 AM 5 Principles of Flexible Assembly Line Design 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. Chairman of the Board PostedApril 23, 2018 AT 8:30 AM The Pluses and Minuses of Rockwell’s AOIs 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
, Loman Control Systems, Inc. PostedMarch 5, 2018 AT 8:30 AM Viewing System Integration From the Inside 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 PostedFebruary 8, 2018 AT 8:30 AM Analytics Options for Automation Improving With PaaS 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
Rod Emery, RedViking Vice President PostedSeptember 4, 2017 AT 8:30 AM Improving Sustainability with Automation and Controls 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 PostedJuly 18, 2017 AT 8:30 AM How Dynamic System Design Helps Facilitate Change 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
Allan Evora, Affinity Energy President, Executive Management PostedMay 23, 2017 AT 8:30 AM 4 Biggest SCADA Cost Drivers 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 you choose. By understanding the biggest SCADA cost drivers, you should be able to get a better grasp on why SCADA costs what it does, and maybe even make some money-saving decisions up front. Cost driver #1: Materials and selection of SCADA software There are a variety of SCADA solution providers out there. Trihedral's VTScada, Schneider-Electric's Wonderware, GE's Cimplicity, and Tatsoft's FactoryStudio to name a few. Some SCADA solutions are geared toward large enterprise ... Read More
, Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) PostedMarch 27, 2017 AT 6:00 AM Dick Morley, Father of the PLC 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 best known as the father of the programmable controller and is the leading visionary in the field of advanced technological development. He is also an entrepreneur whose consistent successes in the founding of high technology companies has been demonstrated through more than three decades of revolutionary achievements. Mr. Morley is the recipient of the Franklin Institute's prestigious Howard N. Potts Award and is an inductee of the Automation Hall of Fame. He holds more than twenty US and ... Read More