Tiger cleans up after fires! - A Ion Science Tiger Select hand held gas detector is currently being used after explosion at the ITC tank farm in in Deer Park (TX USA) to assist with the clean-up process. The instrument is specifically seeking traces of benzene, which is highly toxic.

Flexible and scalable SCADA. - Yokogawa has released FAST/TOOLS R10.04, the latest version of its real-time operations management and visualisation software*, and has released it for sale this month as part of its OpreXTM Control and Safety System family.

They're not smirking now! - In April 2004, the first industrial camera with a USB interface from IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH came onto the market. This makes IDS one of the pioneers of the use of this technology for high-performance digital cameras. The interface, which was already widely used in the consumer sector, was not considered suitable for industrial use at the time. Today – after 15 years – USB is firmly established in the industrial environment, too.

Testing fabric tension. - Trent Thermal Technology needed to create an advanced universal fabric tension tester. To measure both fabric tension and fabric movement, even on different styles of furniture framework and fabrics. They found that the DBBSMM miniature s-beam load cell from Applied Measurements, was the ideal choice.

High voltage PSU & chargers. - Powerstax has been appointed as distributor for the Technix range of high voltage DC power supplies and capacitor chargers in Great Britain. Technix products are in use worldwide by major OEMs and leading research laboratories.

Automation Supplier Revenue Intake Slows in Q4 2018 - Overview Automation supplier revenue intake slowed significantly during Q4 2018 according to this report from ARC Advisory's Allen Avery. An increase of only 2.4% overall was posted, a stark contrast to the beginning of the year, which opened with strong double-digit growth. Stronger order activity earlier in the year has also cooled to low single-digit levels.

Promoting STEM and women in the Netherlands. - Continuing its global commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and women in STEM, Emerson hosted a "We Love STEM" event in recognition of Girlsday (12/4/2019) at five of its facilities in the Netherlands. A total of 190 girls aged 10-17 from local primary and secondary schools visited their facilities to mark the day.

Cybersecurity strategies & tips. - Automation.com has compiled the 3rd Cybersecurity edition of their Advancing Automation eBooks. After working with prominent industry experts and leaders, the latest preparation strategies and technology tips have been compiled in order to help ward off cyber threats. This eBook includes security roadmaps and resources in order to ensure an active and successful cyber defense strategy for any organization.

Self-laminating SBP labels. - TE Connectivity (TE) has made improvements to its SBP vinyl label liner to work seamlessly with TE thermal transfer printers having movable sensor positions. These labels are used to identify wire and cable in harsh industrial environments.

Applying alarm management. - As part of their support and guidance for using the standards they develop, ISA standards committees prepare technical reports that help automation professionals on a wide variety of topics. This article highlights three alarm management technical reports that have been published.

Spectrum analyser. - A new Spectrum Analyzer MS9740B has been developed by Anritsu, for evaluating the output characteristics of optical active devices used by optical communications systems.

Operational technology cybersecurity. - SolutionsPT and its partner Datto, a world leader in business continuity, will host an Operational Technology (OT) Cyber Security Seminar in May. The seminar will be held at the Reading (GB) the British headquarters of Datto, whose hybrid cloud technology drives SolutionPT's Proteus disaster resilience managed service.

LED Eco Lights has appointed Frank O'Donnell as National Sales Manager in Britain.

Ground vibration monitor. - AcSoft Sound & Vibration has recently supplied two Menhir (Modular Enhanced Intelligent Recorder) ground vibration monitors from Semex Engcon to their long-standing customer, Pace Consult, for a Rydon Construction Ltd project at The Broadway in Ealing (GB), which comprised demolition work on residential properties and derelict warehouses.

MES for Pharma in Middle East & Pakistan. - Werum IT Solutions has announced a new partnership with Emad Trade House. Emad Trade House is a leading trading company with over 40 years of experience in providing cost effective solutions such as raw and packaging materials as well as process equipment to the pharma, cosmetics, food and beverage industry in Pakistan and the Middle East region.

Measurement and monitoring of cell growth. - Exner's new generation of the EXcell sensor series not only provides the end user with higher flexibility during application, but at the same time allows safer processing.

Rugged Single Board Computer. - Abaco Systems has announced the SBC3511 3U OpenVPX rugged single board computer, which provides a unique combination of high performance, advanced security and leading edge thermal management.

Machine vision conference. - The 2019 Stemmer Imaging CVB Technical Summit is scheduled 22-23 May 2019 near Munich (D). The meeting is designed to provide delegates with a rich program of events involving the Common Vision Blox machine vision programming library.

Gas detection expert to watch! - Ion Science featured as one of The Sunday Times Profit Track Ones to Watch, in the 20th annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100, published in the Business section on Sunday 7th April 2019.

Plea to US and EU co-operation on tariffs. - Joining a roundtable with the US government's Department of Commerce to discuss US/European Union trade arrangements during the Hannover Fair, Analog Devices urged both sides to step up efforts to break down non-tariff barriers to trade in technology components and systems.

Flexible particle monitoring. - As concern grows with the effects of both indoor and outdoor particulate pollution, Air Monitors has launched a new range of advanced monitors, Particles Plus monitors, that improve the flexibility with which measurements can be undertaken.

Enterprise Software Market Continued to Grow in Q4 2018 - Summary The worldwide enterprise software market continued to show growth in the fourth quarter of 2018. The enterprise software market has expanded on the back of relentless innovation and available capital. Once again, exchange rates played a role, with a nominal weakening of the euro relative to the dollar. Rajkumar Paira of ARC Research reports.

DW Spitzers e-zine. - the Aprils issue discusses Applying Paddlewheel Flowmeters: Viscous Flow, Boiler Efficiency Monitoring Addresses and Avoids Problems and Boiler Efficiency Decrease. Subscribe for your copy here.

Pioneering surface inspection solution. - Ametek Surface Vision is continuing to evolve its highly successful SmartView® surface inspection solution, greatly enhancing production capabilities for manufacturers globally with significant software improvements.

No battery, no wires switch! - ZF has introduced a reference design for an Energy Harvesting Bluetooth Low Energy Switch in a partnership with ON Semiconductor. The design combines ZF's energy harvesting generator with the industry's lowest power Bluetooth® 5 radio RSL10 SIP from ON Semiconductor and is the ideal solution for the rapidly growing number of applications for BLE communication.

Carbon dioxide probe. - E+E Elektronik's new EE872 CO2 probe measures CO₂ concentration up to 5% (50000 ppm) and features active pressure and temperature compensation with on-board sensors. The heated, replaceable CO₂ sensing module and the long-term stable dual wavelength NDIR operation principle lead to outstanding measurement performance even under harsh and condensing conditions

Inductive Safety Sensor. - The new family of safety sensors from Pepperl+Fuchs includes four cylindrical and rectangular series with cable and plug connection. The sensors are TÜV-certified in accordance with the Machinery Directive (EN 13849) Performance Level PLd, Category 2, and SIL 2.

Avionics devices. - Abaco Systems has launched a new family of avionics devices that feature the Thunderbolt™ 3 interface, including Thunderbolt 3-to-PMC/XMC interfacing with ARINC 429 and MIL-STD-1553 protocols. The new platforms have integrated Thunderbolt 3 to establish a new standard for high-speed, low latency portable devices for a broad range of avionics applications.

An alliance for the IIoT. - Seven leading suppliers from mechanical engineering, industrial automation and software have announced the foundation of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance. With this cooperation, the companies want to overcome proprietary solutions and give a decisive boost to the digital transformation of the European industry.

Balancing innovation and stability - The challenges industrial end users face when trying to balance the need for innovation and change with the imperative to maintain stable operations in their plants are examined. Although these challenges are not new, balancing innovation and stability has become even more pressing with increased digitalization and the need for improved cybersecurity. To validate the assumptions and observations associated with this research, ARC Advisory invited several end users to share their perspectives and experiences recently.

The Benefits of 5G in The Factory. - HMS Networks has released this white paper exploring the benefits of 5G technology in the factory. The whitepaper provides an overview of 5G's future-proof potential for connected industries and outlines some of the main building blocks of 5G, which will contribute to enable the fourth industrial revolution.