Big data analytics poised to change maintenance services models. - New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Services 2.0: The New Business Frontier for Profitability, finds that the paradigm of service strategies will shift from corrective to preventive and predictive maintenance services over the next five years.

Cellebrating and continuing 100 years of innovation! - Yokogawa Electric Corporation has created a corporate brand slogan to encourage the joint pursuit of activities with its customers that will create value and foster growth. The global launch of this new slogan, Co-innovating tomorrow, is September 1, the 100th anniversary of Yokogawa’s founding.

Robust pattern recognition and pose estimation. - Stemmer Imaging is extending its machine vision software library Common Vision Blox (CVB) with the new CVB Polimago tool, which enables robust recognition rates at high speed. During the teaching phase, CVB Polimago automatically generates thousands of training images thus significantly reducing the effort for the user.

Two hundred water & waste experts confer! - The 2015 International Society of Automation (ISA) Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium drew 187 attendees, 35 expert speakers and 35 exhibitors to Orlando, Florida, USA in early August to examine and confront the varied challenges associated with automation and instrumentation in the municipal water and wastewater sectors.
Andy Carling joins Svantek as Sales Manager for Health & Safety products. The company has also appointed Claire Fawlk as Sales Manager for instruments aimed at environmental monitoring and protection.

Vision Forum envisioned for 1916! - Stemmer's Vision Technology Forum will take place on 3rd March 2016. This is part of a series of Europe-wide Vision Technology Forums organised by Stemmer Imaging and the European Imaging Academy

Magnetic flowmeter for utility, water and wastewater applications. - Emerson has released the Rosemount® 8750W magnetic flowmeter system for utility, water and wastewater applications. This system offers reliability and advanced process insight in an intuitive, easy to use solution specifically designed for utility flow measurement.

Minimising the energy consumption of industrial robots. - The Yokogawa PX8000 Precision Power Scope is playing a key part in tests being carried out by KUKA Systems as part of a programme designed to minimise the energy consumption of the latest generation of industrial robots.

RFID detection speeds in motor racing! - Harting has joined forces with the University of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany, in an experiment to verify the ability of the company's RFID (radio-frequency identification) systems to detect objects moving at high speeds.

MCERTS key to emissions monitors' rental popularity. - Quantitech has reported a surge in demand for its rentable emissions analysers.

Accuracy in cryogenic air separation. - The Michell Instruments' XZ400TS series oxygen analyzer has proved itself to be a valuable instrument for quality control in cryogenic air separation.

How to Produce a Sustainability Report. - This book, 'How to Produce a Sustainability Report' provides a step-by-step guide to the constituent practices and processes needed to produce a sustainability report.

Petrochemical industry's testing and monitoring event programme announced! - The organisers of PEFTEC 2015, the petrochemical industry's testing and monitoring event, have unveiled details of the event's Conference and Seminar Programme, featuring speakers from the oil and chemicals industries, technology manufacturers, standards organisations, research and academia.

TFT panels! - Varitronix has announced a new addition to their range of High-Resolution Colour TFT Panels. The new panel is 10.1" HD720 layout in 16 :9 format with overall dimensions of 224mm x 126mm (250mm approximate diagonal) and a pixel resolution of 1280 x720 RGB pixels.

26/8/2015

Innovation tour extols totally integrated automation. - The latest TIA Portal Innovation Tour in Ireland will enable visitors to discover how to optimise their engineering and production processes and make their plant considerably more profitable. Venues at Belfast, Dublin and Cork.

A lesson in communication! - European Automation has published a special industry report about the importance of the machine to machine (M2M) communication protocol OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) in achieving Industry 4.0 goals.

Integration creates new process automation entity! - Fluke Corporation is integrating its Raytek, Ircon, and Datapaq product lines into a new brand: Fluke Process Instruments. All three companies have been part of the Fluke Corporation portfolio for some time.

Simplifying power quality and maximising versatility! - The PowerLogic PM8000 series meter has been launched by Schneider Electric.

Signal testing solutions prioritise Vehicle safety! - Anritsu Corporation has released new functionality for the MD8475A, its world class network simulator, to provide the first laboratory hardware in the loop system level test for the European eCall system and Russian ERA/GLONASS system.

Engineering is no longer a man's world! - Amy Wells, business development manager of specialist industrial connectors Electroustic compares unusual roles women have played in the past with the current struggle to get more women into science and engineering.

Power conversion specialists accredited ISO9001. - Ideal Power Ltd have passed their final assessment and received accreditation to ISO 9001:2008. Being recognised as having a quality management system which consistently provides products that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements is an essential part of Ideal Power's ethos.

LPRS has appointed Andy Cross as their new Business Manager.

Are you a legend? - Fluke is looking for legends. Fluke announces its "Legend of Fluke" promotion, a way for Fluke digital multimeter (DMM) customers to share their stories for the possibility of winning one of ten state-of-the-art Fluke tool bundles and the glory of becoming a legend.

Tool update from FieldComms. - Automation suppliers can download the latest version 1.1 of the FDI Tools and Components to take advantage of feature enhancements and general bug fixes.

UL-Listed control panels for Alaska. - aeSolutions has obtained NNNY and NRBX UL listings certifying industrial control panels for use in hazardous locations and shipped their first NNNY listed Burner Management System (BMS) panels to an oil and gas customer in Prudhoe Bay, (AK, USA).

Scholorships in automation! - The International Society of Automation (ISA) is accepting applications for its wide range of 2016 educational scholarships, which will be awarded to college and university students who demonstrate outstanding potential for long-range contributions in the fields of automation, instrumentation and control.

Raising the alarm in extreme conditions! - The new 'Yodalex Super Series,' from Stahl, comprises a suite of signalling devices designed for use in hazardous areas and harsh environments.

Choosing the right pot! - This Hoffmann+Krippner white paper has been published to help design engineers understand how membrane potentiometer sensors work and how to pick the right type of membrane potentiometer for their project. It covers the various types of potentiometers, potentiometer development history, their various components and materials, and an overview looking at the technical issues of printed potentiometers and foil (membrane). The paper also covers the various tech specifications of accuracy and linearity when specifying potentiometers.

Prototyping a Batch Process Control System! - The Ireland Section of the International Society of Automation will host a technical presentation from Cormac Garvey of HAL-Software, in September entitled: Prototyping a Batch Process Control System using ISA-S88 and ISA-S95.

Power product provider acquired! - The Stadium Group has acquired Stontronics Ltd, a leading global provider of power supplies, AC-DC adapters, LED drivers, DC-DC convertors, transformers and other specialist power products, based in Reading (GB).

The road to Wireless - which wireless standard suits you best? - WiFi, Bluetooth or Zigbee? Tom McKinney of HMS Industrial Networks offers a review of the available short range wireless standards for industrial applications.

Linear units for washdown. - Thomson Industries has released a new video to showcase the benefits of its prism guided linear units for wash-down applications.

Multi-parameter analysers with fieldbus interfaces. - Knick introduces Stratos series analysers with integrated bus interfaces for PROFIBUS DP, PROFIBUS PA or FF (Foundation Fieldbus).

Stopper cylinder! - Festo has launched the DFSP, a reliable, robust and cost effective series of stopper cylinders which are the most powerful cylinders of their type in the market.

Natural gas analyser in hazardous area! - Michell Instruments’ OptiPEAK TDL600 moisture in natural gas analyzer now has a variant specifically designed to meet US NEC500 requirements for hazardous area installation.

CANopen profile for weighing devices. - The device profile family for weighing devices specifies the CANopen interface including the PDO mapping and the necessary configuration parameter. Part 1 and part 2 have been released CiA internal as Draft Standard Proposal (DSP).

Energise to break reed relay. - Pickering Electronics have announced the addition of Form B (energise to break) reed relays to their new Series 119 high voltage micro-SIL relay range.

Smart energy saving in the home! - An entirely new range of easy-to-use energy saving products that could help to reduce energy bills in households by as much as 20%1 in a simple yet effective way has been launched by Energenie.

PROFINET conformity declaration - Harting has issued a conformity declaration which certifies that its new connectivity products conform with the current Cabling and Interconnection Guidelines for the PROFINET Industrial Ethernet system.

Leading DCS vendor in China sharpen cutting edge. - The latest release of SUPCON's DCS (Distributed Control System) asset management application, SAMS, includes full FDT2 functionality. SUPCON is a member of the China FDT Group Association.

Robust 3D stereo cameras to IP65/67 standard! - The new N30 and N35 Ensenso 3D stereo cameras from IDS Imaging Development Systems are ideally suited to applications in demanding industrial environments.

Getting handy with water treatment! - Chem-Aqua (part of NCH), has launched HandiChem, an innovative solid-concentrate water treatment system. Consisting of HandiPak and HandiFeed, the new system reduces the weight and handling burden in water treatment facilities and can also help reduce customers' carbon footprint.

Powering cathodic protection. - Steve Hughes of REO UK explains how cathodic protection can adapt to become more controlled and efficient than ever before, in line with industry 4.0.

On/Off-grid solar power system design guide. - CyboEnergy has released an On/Off-Grid Solar Power System Design Guide. This guide will help customers and installers to design on-grid and on/off-grid renewable energy systems with battery storage to provide backup power when the grid is down.

Open architecture communications protocol facilitates monitoring in automated systems. - Excelsys Technologies has announced the availability of PMBus communications on its Xsolo series of 1U, single output power supply units (PSUs).

PoE gateway! - Emerson Process Management has added Power over Ethernet (PoE) to the Smart Wireless Gateway 1420, making it possible to power the gateway and compatible devices using a standard Ethernet cable.

Room transmitter for CO2, humidity and temperature. - The EE800 transmitter from E+E Elektronik measures CO2, temperature and relative humidity and calculates the dew point temperature.

Single board computer deployed on International Space Station! - GE Energy Management's Intelligent Platforms tells us that its CR11 single board computer (SBC) has been successfully deployed and is fully operational onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the continuing experiments by the European Space Agency (ESA) taking place way above the earth.

Wireless position switches and wireless sensors for explosive environments. - With its "Wireless Ex", the steute business division Extreme has developed a technology making the installation and operation of switchgear in explosive environments easier. Switching devices are no longer connected to the evaluation units in the control cabinet by ex-compliant cables, but via a wireless protocol developed by steute.

DC Electronic Load with Energy Recovery to AC Mains. - Intepro Systems has introduced the ELR9000 Series of electronic dc loads. A unique feature of the ELR9000 Series is an integral, grid-synchronized inverter designed to return up to 95% of the load test energy back to the grid

Let the future begin! - The latest version of software, PACTware 5.0, is fully based on the FDT2 standard. It is the first FDT2 product from the PACTware Consortium consisting of 22 member companies in the device and automation solution industry.

Tough and dynamic synchronous motors. - A new series of robust and efficient synchronous motors, the SM40 series, has been introduced by WEG. It is specifically for the power range from 5 to 35 MW.

Now EX4.0. - "Ex 4.0" is a new distinguishing label for state-of-the-art solutions in explosion protection that ensure maximum versatility of use from R. Stahl. Designed for operation in almost all regions, "Ex 4.0" equipment can be integrated into diverse installations and networks.

How small is your particle! - From a human health perspective, the particles of most interest in the air are those that penetrate deep into the lungs. For this reason, Air Monitors has launched the Naneos Partector nanoparticle detector in Britain.

Maritime award for drives! - Earlier this year Rob de Ruiter of DNV-GL at Barendrecht (NL), presented the DNV type approval certificate to Teun van der Heiden of Emerson Industrial Automation at Sliedrecht (NL).

Measuring very small pressures! - The new Type 601A miniature pressure sensor from Kistler Instruments, available in both charge output and voltage (IEPE) output types, is ideally suited to a wide variety of dynamic pressure measurement applications.

Power supply in Scandinavia! - Excelsys Technologies has added Divisoft AB to its distribution network. Divisoft will distribute solutions from Excelsys Technologies to OEM customers in the Industrial, Medical and Government Sectors throughout Scandinavia & Northern Europe.

The Solution Platform for Process Automation. - PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI) has published a new white paper detailing the existing functions and capabilities of PROFINET that already meet the demands of the process automation industry, and providing guidance as to specifications that are published, or under development, and could be implemented and utilised in future.

Still fun, still irreverent and still Jim Pinto! - This week, on one of his bucket trips, Jim Pinto hit the medieval and very lively city of Galway, about 20 miles east of the Read-out hub on Galway Bay, on where, in the words of the Bing Crosbie classic, the sun goes down!

New chief selected for fibre-optic board! - The Board of Directors and the majority shareholders of FBGS have chosen Dr. Eric Lindner as the organization's next Chief Executive Officer.

Automation Services: Trends and Developments! - While ARC Advisory Group has conducted research on Automation Services for many years, they now want to increase our efforts with a broad scale online survey.

Helping engineers solve big data challenges. - New CompactDAQ measurement systems with Intel Atom quad-core and USB 3.0 technology, DIAdem 2015 and DataFinder Server Edition 2015 create smarter measurement and data management solutions.

Innovative biosensors incite use in non-traditional applications. - Besides healthcare and food, biosensor devices are penetrating the mobile, security and automotive segments, notes Frost & Sullivan.

Wireless production test. - The Wireless Test System (WTS), is a solution from National Instruments (NI), that dramatically lowers the cost of high-volume wireless manufacturing test.

Smart Home and IoT semiconductor company opens in India. - GreenPeak Technologies has opened a new office in Mumbai (Ind). GreenPeak has established the Indian office in response to the growing demand for its innovative RF chips for the operator/service provider and Smart Home market.

Fast Track Ethernet switches. - Harting has extended its Ha-VIS eCon range of "plug & play" industrial Ethernet switches with the introduction of new versions incorporating 16 RJ45 ports.

Best practices award! - Bedrock Automation, the Silicon Valley company that recently introduced its revolutionary Bedrock™ universal control system, has been named Frost & Sullivan's North American Industrial Control System Entrepreneurial Company of the Year.

Control systems optimised for the Industrial IoT - National Instruments (NI) has announced the new embedded systems hardware based on the open, flexible LabVIEW reconfigurable I/O (RIO) architecture.

CAN FD node and system design recommended practice. - The nonprofit CAN in Automation (CiA) association has released part 1 of the CiA 601-1 CAN FD node and system design recommended practice. The CiA 601 series of guidelines and recommendations fills the gap between the ISO standards for CAN FD and the system design specifications

Seven-inch HMIs for hazardous area. - The only 7" widescreen HMI for Zone 1 hazardous area applications, Stahl's innovative ET-208 operator interface, is now available with Movicon, the HMI visualisation software solution for complex engineering tasks.

FGS for process industries. - ISA has published a guide to designing and implementing performance-based Fire and Gas Systems (FGS) for process industries, as described in the ISA technical report, ISA-TR84.00.07-2010, Guidance on the Evaluation of Fire and Gas System Effectiveness.

Write Code Faster - LabVIEW 2015 system design software has been announced at this years NIWeek being held in Austin (TX USA). The latest version delivers speed improvements, development shortcuts, and debugging tools.

Two factor authentication! - The 2-factor authentication prevents hackers from using stolen passwords to gain access to remote PLCs and machine networks. The new version of eCatcher, the eWON remote access VPN software, includes 2FA in order to protect the connection identity.

Motors & Drives upgrade Champagne production! - We have had a number of wine applications of late and here is just one more from the Champagne region of France. Nicolas Feuillatte, the globally recognised champagne producer, has chosen Emerson to deliver improvements to its bottling line.

pH/ORP measurement solution. - The SensTation Digital sensor measurement system, a scalable and integrated solution that combines the unique capabilities of the digital SMART sensors and the SMARTDAC+ data acquisition and control system has been announced by Yokogawa.

Linking CANopen to TCP-based networks - Everyone is talking about the Internet of Things (IoT). However, it is, according to CAN in Automation (CiA), just "new wine in old bottles". "We do this since more than 10 years," explained Holger Zeltwanger, CiA's managing director. "First users came from the ModbusTCP business followed by the generic ASCII protocol."

Is HAL taking over? - As we enter the golden age of robotics, the fear that robots will take human jobs has slowly spread. Jobs such as assembly, farming and surgery are already being delegated to robots. Here, Darren Halford of European Automation considers if our jobs are really at risk.

Autobots, transform and roll out! - SolutionKit® is a range of servo actuators, from Harmonic Drive, designed to be completely customisable for high precision applications. The new range offers all of the benefits of an off-the-shelf actuation system, without the typical product development drawbacks.