See Archive Page for earlier news.

31/8/00

• Returning to the fold! - USData is delighted to welcome back Steve Holbrey, who has returned to the team in England after a period away. He has joined their Indirect Sales Organisation, with the important task of supporting their distribution partners throughout Northern Europe. Previously Steve had been employed for two and a ha/f years by the Italian company ORSI. supplying MES and DCS systems. Prior to that he had been with USDA TA for seven years in a UK sales role.
• New fully fieldconfigurable co-location cabinets offer flexibility - Hoffman has introduced fully field-configurable Co-location Cabinets. The patent-pending modular enclosures feature reversible hinge and latching Systems, rack angles that adjust front to back, vertically-adjustable inside barriers, and additional door mounting holes, enabling users to configure enclosures quickly and easily on-site. The flexible design of the new cabinets eliminates the need to gather usage data ahead of time, which saves configuration time and allows users to inventory fewer cabinets and accessories.
• ICS acquired - Tritrax acquired the majority shareholding of the ICS Group plc. and its subsidiaries earlier this month (16th August). The Tritrax acquisition gives customers and suppliers confidence in the future performance of the Company by providing the financial strength to develop and grow the business. ICS Triplex MD, Glenn Cooper, commented: "Our employees, customers and alliance partners believe that the future is NOW for both ICS Triplex and our flagship safety system product - Trusted TM New orders for safety systems to be supplied to the Uk Continental Shelf, mainland Europe, South America, North America, the Gulf Region and South East Asia will more than double the installed base of 11,000 critical I/O. These systems are being delivered on time and under budget."

• Web-Link launched for Device to Business Internet Connection - Continuing the lead in eAutomation products for the factory floor, Advantech today launched the Web-Link 2000 - a web server embedded device- that connects any device or legacy system to the Internet. From graphical operator panels to valve controllers, customers will now be able to gather mission-critical information from anywhere in the world and economically dispense that information to the proper audience.

• New instrumentation site launched - An exclusive instrumentation portal www.instrumentationguide.com has been developed and is maintained by Waaree Instrument Limited (India). The portal has more than 5000 Instrument companies and more than 1500 Instrument details.
• First toxic and combustible gas open path detectors - The unique FT-UV technology employed in the new Polytron ToxLine from the Draeger's Gas Detection Systems Group allows the simultaneous and specific detection of up to 20 different toxic gases. Self contained signal processing guarantees highly reliable results with a resolution down to 50 ppb, over a 100 meter path length, for pollution and fence line monitoring or leak detection. The rugged design allows operation under harsh environmental conditions and in industrial applications.
• The First Scalable, Extensible And Multi- Lingual Manufacturing Information Portal To The World Of Industrial Automation - Wonderware Corp. has introduced its new SuiteVoyager series of "thin" products that leverage information and control via the intranet/Internet. SuiteVoyager supplies the first scalable, extensible and multi-lingual manufacturing information portal to the world of industrial automation enabling companies to harness data from all of their plant real-time and historical data sources in a secure and consistent manner.

• "If Your Career Path or Net Worth is tied to a Small Instrument Company - You Lose!" - Glen Harvey, ISA's former Executive director has been relaying thoughts on our industry and his insights are blunt and to the point. Take a look at them on on http://productivitydialog.org/ - select "No future for little guys". You may have to register before seeing the item.
  This item from Jim Pinto's E-News - well worth subscribing to. To subscribe to the E-news list just click your mouse on www.JimPinto.com, or send a blank email message to Sign-up@JimPinto.com with a subject line "sign me up for JimPinto.com E-mail news". Please send your name, telephone number and affiliation - it will never be used for anything else, or sent to anyone.
• New people - Paul Henderson, is eMation's new Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Marketing, comes to us from such interesting companies like Avid Technology, Sun Microsystems, and Apollo Computer. David Sanderson, is Vice President of Corporate Marketing, comes to us from Reebok and Dexter Shoe Company. "We are going outside of the box in terms of eMation's market branding, positioning and partnering strategies!" said a spokesperson.
• Show Returns to London - The Embedded Computing and Real-Time Computer Show, organised by Active Exhibitions, returns to London on 3 October, giving a platform to professionals in the real-time, industrial and embedded-computer environments. This show is held in various locations around Europe and Scandinavia throughout the year and interest in it is very high. This one-day show is proving to be very popular with exhibitors and visitors alike and is very well attended for a niche market trade show.
  3 October 2000 (From 10.00am to 6.00pm)
  Kempton Park Racecourse, Stains Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, England

The entire Instrumentation News Team are in New Orleans for the ISA-IMS Show. We'll be working hard!
Y'all be good now!.

• New module excels in flexible reporting - Automsofi International has further complimented its existing reporting tools, by developing RAPID-XL to facilitate people who already work within a Microsoft Excel environment. Users are now be able to report on existing data stored within RAPID from the familiarity of a spreadsheet front-end. These reports can be either custom generated when required, or set up as templates and updated automatically whenever accessed, or on a scheduled basis. This enables non-technical, easy access to complex information in any routine or one-off reports.
• Automation and networking solutions - This is an interesting new brochure from Richard Hirschmann GmbH describing their Rail Family Industrial Ethernet Line. The brochure also includes a glossery of terms.
• The Flowmeter Market Still Offers Growth Opportunities - The flowmeter market, overall, is in a state of transition According to new strategic research from Frost & Sullivan. Some of its technologies are on the way out, while others are taking advantage of those empty positions and grabbing a greater hold on applications that traditionally belonged to older flowmeter technologies. This market, though mature, still has promising areas of growth and expansion.
• ARC grows - The ARC Advisory Group has experienced 60% growth in demand for its services and added executive talent to both its consulting and advisory services. Several senior executives were hired as part of an expansion program especially in Europe, according to ARC President Andy Chatha.
• IMF gives thumbs-up to Ireland - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a positive report on the Irish economy, forecasting continued strong growth but at a slightly slower pace than in the past few years. The IMF however warned of the need to control inflation and advised the government to keep a tight reign on spending and on future tax cuts. Separately, Goodbody Stockbrokers says in its Autumn Economic Review that there is no sign of a slowdown in the Irish economy. It anticipates growth of 10% this year and forecasts that Ireland will become the third wealthiest country in the EU by 2006.
• Wireless Data Acquisition Systems - Quatech, Inc, a leader in the communication, data acquisition and signal conditioning industries for over 17 years, has leveraged its extensive experience to provide a reliable, easily-configured, low-cost wireless data acquisition solution for industrial monitoring and control applications. Building on the popular QTM-8000 Series of remote data acquisition and signal conditioning modules for serial networks, the company's new QTM-8524 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) RF modem modules take the system wireless.
  Exhibiting at ISA 2000
• Ford's production improved by communications solution - Intrinsyc Software today announced an engagement by Ford Motor Company, the worldÍs second largest car and truck manufacturer, to provide networking solutions, engineering services and licensable technologies. IntrinsycÍs networking solutions will reliably and efficiently connect factory floor machines to the systems that monitor FordÍs production quality.

• New site calibration system speeds EMC/CISPR antenna test site verification - A new site calibration system BSRD65OO from Schaffner, developed in conjunction with the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL), has significantly reduced the time necessary for the verification of EMC test site calibration In addition it offers increased accuracy and cuts costs by as much as 40%.

• PLC controls provides users with communications links to leading PLC brands - Automated Solutions, Inc. today announced the availability of a line of ActiveX controls that enable manufacturers, system integrators, and OEMs to build powerful, yet cost-effective communications links to leading brands of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).

• Single slot VME board based on Intel's Flip-Chip Pentium III 850MHz processor released - Concurrent Technologies has released its fourth single slot VME board based on Intel's Flip-Chip Pentium III 850MHz processor. The VP PSE/P34 is a high performance, versatile CPU board, with a variety of extra features. It is an ideal choice as the central processing unit for applications in the telecommunications, defense, industrial, medical and aerospace markets.
• Re-organisation marks new phase of growth - Laying the groundwork for its next phase of growth, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has announced a new organization that creates an office of the president to lead the execution of its global strategy. In the new organization, Barry Waite, president and chief executive officer of Chartered, remains in his current role but adds collaborative decision-making to the responsibilities of president with three newly promoted executives: Rob Baxter, senior vice president of business operations; Chia Song Hwee, senior vice president/chief financial officer and chief administrative officer; and John Docherty, senior vice president of manufacturing and technology operations.

• More news from Control.com - Schneider's Automation Business and Control.com now have a Web services-based partnership that will focus on a technical and marketing collaboration in on-line community services. Over the next two years, the partnership seeks to build a strong on-line community that will become the basis for truly open control in the future. Schneider's Automation Business has agreed to acquire a 19 percent stake in Control.com. The first users were members of the popular automation forum, originated by Ken Crater, president of Control.com. This forum is now an integral, Web-enabled function of the Control.com site.

• New quarterly appears - CTC Register is a new quarterly newsletter for customers and friends of Control Technology Corporation. "Our commitment is to do everything we can to make this a useful, informative, interesting, and very readable publication for you," says the first editorial. The main feature of each issue will be focused on the customer. CTC-Corporation is the instigator of the Automation Mail List, the mammy and daddy of all automation discussion groups on the net..
• New man at the top - Invensys plc and Wonderware Corporation jointly announced yesterday that Joe Cowan has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Wonderware Corporation, effective immediately. Wonderware Corporation is an operating unit of the Invensys Industrial Software and Services Division. Cowan replaces Roy H. Slavin, CEO since 1995, and who will continue his employment in a consulting capacity until the conclusion of his contract with Invensys, which expires on April 1, 2001.
• Company purchased - Quatech Inc., a leading manufacturer of communication, data acquisition, and control products for PC-based systems, announced today that the company has been purchased by a group of Akron based investors. The newly energized company is now well positioned to increase market-share for its current product lines, and to devote significant resources to new product development.
• History made by dumping Historian! - Automsoft International has announced that in order to to take account of product enhancements and market developments its flagship plant information database product, RAPID Historian, is being abbreviated to RAPID (Real-time Access Plant Information Database). This is to further enable the product which collects real-time data and is capable of processing 100,000 events per second, to be correctly perceived as the optimum solution for bridging the enterprise gap between plant floor and business systems.

• Trouble Shooting Guides Solve DeviceNet Problems Fast - Synergetic is offering two free documents to help people install and maintain DeviceNet systems. The first is "The Fast Trouble Shooting Guide for DeviceNet", which is a thorough, step-by-step tutorial on quickly finding and eliminating problems. Using this guide, most people can identify and solve DeviceNet mysteries in just a few minutes. In addition a "DeviceNet Trouble Shooting Cheat Sheet" is available. It is a one-page, quick-and-dirty summary of the Trouble Shooting Guide, and is ideal for mounting on the inside of a panel for quick reference.
• ISA web-seminar- On 30 August from 3-4:30 p.m. (EDT) industry expert Dick Morley, "Father of the PLC," will present the ISA Training Institute's next Web seminar, "Chaos in Manufacturing." He will discuss the science of Chaos as it applies to manufacturing.
• Highest density FPGA - Xilinx, the programmable logic company has started shipping its newest and highest density production FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The new Virtex XCV3200E is being billed as the world's largest programmable logic device, it is manufactured on a 0.15 micron copper technology, and has more than three million system gates.

• ACHEMA visits Australia - is to provide an unique opportunity to make contacts in"a market of the future....to consolidate existing links and for manufacturers to present their product before an international audience of decision makers." Organised by DECHEMA the organiser of Frankfort's ACHEMA, this show is held coincidentally with the 6th World Congress of Chemical Engineering in Melbourne from 23rd to 27th September 2001.
• New archive for PLC program examples - Control.com Inc., the Web portal for "nerds in control," has made available a new feature: a public archive of contributed PLC (programmable logic controller) programming examples. Based on a discussion among Automation List members from around the world, participants agreed that control engineers could really use access to existing PLC programs that had been developed and tested by other industry engineers. There are many recurring themes in the programming of automated machinery. This forum allows people to share their experience and "tricks of the trade" with others. The PLCArchive is for both seasoned control engineers and junior engineers wishing to share their strategies for solving control problems and wanting to learn from their colleagues' experience.
  The archive is available for uploading and downloading PLC program files in PDF format at http://www.plcarchive.org.

• Pittman To Retire From Fieldbus Foundation - The Field bus Foundation has announced that President and CEO John Pittman will retire from his position effective August 31, 2000. Pittman, who joined the foundation in April 1996, will continue to serve in a consulting role with the organisation.
  See also news in our Fieldbus Pages
• The BIG red book! - Expansion at Flotech Solutions the gas and liquid flow measurement and control specialists has resulted in bigger premises more field sales engineers and a new bright red catalogue The new catalogue is a ring binder with single sheet descriptions and prlcing for a selection of standard products including the Brooks range of glass and metal tube VA flowmeters and thermal mass flow control lers A "Flow Wizard" meter selection chart assists choice of the right style of flowmeter. from Coriolis through Vortex, to PD and VA meters. Other useful data. such as units conversion tables. make this catalogue invaluable as a reference guide. Ask for a copy at enquiries@flotech.co.uk.

• The European Robotics for Material Handling Markets - Rates of technical change are mounting in the European Robotics for Material Handling Markets, providing manufacturers with opportunities to exploit untapped markets and expand current applications. The industry is evolving in a dynamic fashion whilst sustaining growth, according to a new study by Frost & Sullivan, the international marketing consulting company.

• New high-performance multi-channel DIA has Clickware - Building on the unprecedented success of its DIA15 12 discontinuous interference analyser (DIA), Schaffner has incorporated significant performance enhancements in its latest model, the DIA1512C, providing savings in test times and equipment costs.
• Matsushita's new cross-beam optical sensor detects objects both small and narrow - Sensing of very small or thin objects can be a problem with conventional optical sensing systems, but now an answer is at hand. Matsushita Electric Works has introduced the UZKB 1 optical sensor, which uses the cross-beam scanning principle to accurately detect small or particularly slim objects.

• 2000 Lightwave Test and Measurement Catalog - The 2000 edition of Agilent Technologies' Lightwave Test and Measurement Catalog contains information and specifications on a full line of lightwave test equipment. Product categories include optical domain, frequency domain, digital transmission test, functional test, field service/installation/ operation, and related accessories and adapters.
• New CTO - eMation, provider of internet infrastructure connecting embedded devices, machines, buildings, and factories, announces the promotion of James R. Hansen to position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). As CTO he will leverage his extensive experience in computer technology to enable eMation to continue its development of state-of-the-art products and technology that enables companies to capitalize on the information contained within the devices and machines they make.
• Act now to save money - Time is running out for ISA EXPO/2000 registration discounts. By registering early, you can save over 25% off the on-site registration fees. More than 750 exhibitors, cutting-edge presentations, topical lunches, and seminars combine to give you access to the newest technologies and products in areas such as automation software, PLCs, sensors, networking communications, and fieldbus. Plus, the added bonus of IMS EXPO gives you more exhibitors and conference sessions on topics such as e-Business, enterprise integration, and supply chain management.

• New standards for industrial on-site temperature calibration - Probably the only temperature calibrator to meet the new European Cooperation for Accreditation of Dry Block Calibrators (EA 10/13) guidelines published in February 2000, the new Jofra-ATC series combines laboratory accuracy with the speed and portability of on-site calibrators. With the incorporation of a completely new core element, the ATC-series means users can now calibrate a wide range of sensors including liquid filled and large mechanical types.
  These products are marketed in Britain by Hawco.

• New Advertiser - Lotus Automation, specialists in industrial automation products and services have taken advertising space on the signpost. We ask browsers to support our advertisers.