Ensuring electronic/pneumatic component availability. - Industrial automation specialist Festo has invested significantly in its core product range and related manufacturing and supply network to ensure that its electronic components are readily available worldwide, offer a long service life and are attractively priced.

Seminars announced. - ProfiBus seminars with technology demonstrations and tabletop exhibition being held in Ireland & Britain will be of great value to Designers, Production/System Engineers, Instrument Technicians, Engineers and C&I Engineers involved in the design, operation and maintenance of modern automated factories and process plant.

An open letter to cyber security policy makers - Control Systems Cybersecurity Expert, Joseph M. Weiss, is an international authority on cybersecurity, control systems and system security. Here he weighs in on cybersecurity, science and technology, security emerging threats and more.

Jan Hartmann moves to the management of IDS Imaging Development Systems.

Connectors for XLR panel cut-out. - Cliff Electronics have developed a very wide range of FeedThrough (FT) and conventional connectors designed to be mounted in the industry standard 24mm-diameter XLR panel cut-out. With over 20 different connector types now available in this standard format, panel design and manufacture is greatly simplified. Cliff’s FeedThrough connector design allows standard, off the shelf, cables to be used for internal connectivity further simplifying assembly.

Industrial 5G Will Transform Industrial IoT and the Connected World - Overview 5G, the next-generation cellular technology, is getting a lot of attention these days and justifiably so. ARC Advisory Group has started to research this new area to be able to provide clients with actionable market intelligence on 5G for industrial applications. This ARC Insight explores the technology behind industrial 5G and potential applications, how the technology can impact and enhance Industrial IoT, and describes the activities of key associations and organizations that are developing technical specifications for 5G systems.

DIN rail PSU. - PULS Power has added a 40A output model to its remote-controlled DIN-Rail power supply family. The remote-control feature is particularly useful in smart buildings and industrial systems where centralised control of multiple system components is required and allows system administrators and building automation controllers to switch power supplies on or off by use of an external signal switch or transistor gate.

Cavity pressure sensors. - Two new cavity pressure sensors from Kistler have front end diameters of only 1mm, the world's smallest, and 2.5 mm both of which can be machined up to 0.5 mm to be made flush with the cavity wall contour virtually eliminating any marking of the moulding. Both sizes come with UniSens® uniform sensitivity to simplify installation, option of Titanium Carbo-Nitride (TiCN) coating for use with abrasive media and 2,000 bar pressure range.

Wireless excellence recognised! - Iberian Lube Base Oil Company, S. A. (ILBOC), has won the 2019 ISA100 Wireless Excellence in Automation award. In so doing they join a list of distinguished end users which include BAPCO, Alcoa, Phillips 66, PETRONAS, Nippon Steele & Sumikin Engineering.

Advanced analytics for process manufacturing. - Seeq Corporation is the winner of the Advanced Analytics for Process Manufacturing Data category award for Control Engineering 2020 Engineers' Choice Awards program. Control Engineering's Engineer's Choice is the premier award program for new products in manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries.

Mercury contamination monitoring. - The ergonomically designed Mercury Vapour Indicator (MVI) from Ion Science, is suitable for rapid and reliable mercury detection during decommissioning, demolition, repurposing or refurbishment of industrial plant, laboratories and other premises.

Comprehensive & practical automation. - There are a few publications which can be relied upon as "Bibles" of the automation sector and this is one of them. It is always important that the knowledge contained in them reflects the current state of industry and technology. As one of the editors said, "the book is particularly valuable to automation professionals early in their careers." (Cartlann)

First for network integration. - Moore Industries has won Control Engineering 2020 Engineers’ Choice Awards for Network Integration – Signal Conditioning with the ECT-DIN 15mm in the Signal Isolator category. An engraved award for each Winner will be presented to each winning company at the 2020 Engineering Awards in Manufacturing dinner in April.

Visioning growth continues. - IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH has exceeded industry expectations in 2019 as in previous years. With a sales increase in the higher single-digit percentage range, the company has held its ground well in the market, contrary to the 7% sales decline forecast by the VDMA for machine vision. The increase in sales was particularly strong in North America compared to the previous year.

Odour control in Guernsey. - Guernsey's States Works is using an Ion Science handheld photoionisation detector (PID) to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being emitted from an odour control system installed at Guernsey's waste transfer station.

Energy Management Software. - This ARC Advisory Group energy management software (EMS) emerging market analysis report provides a concise analysis of the market for energy management software and services. This includes information on market size, growth, and key trends pushing and pulling this market space. Energy management software vendors are identified, and some strategy points are discussed.

Safety and cable access solutions. - Foremost Electronics offers a wide range of safety and cable access solutions for industrial and construction equipment and services.

Smallest camera-based positioning sensor. - The new IPS 400i from Leuze electronic. is the smallest camera-based positioning sensor on the market for double-depth compartment fine positioning. It helps high-bay storage devices to quickly and easily find the right rack.

Robust US flowmeter. - The Proline Prosonic Flow G 300/500 flowmeter has been launched by Endress+Hauser. This instrument can be supplied with either of two different transmitters: as a compact version (Proline 300), or as a remote version (Proline 500) with up to four inputs and outputs. These inputs and outputs provide flexibility with the ability to output not only flow, but also pressure, temperature, and numerous other process variables.

Partner conferences to launch SCADA systems. - SolutionsPT is to unveil the latest 2020 releases of AVEVA SCADA systems at a series of free events in March 2020 for Systems Integrators and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The venues are in Ireland and Britain.

Simple and accurate - Signal Group has launched a new highly accurate but simple to operate version of its Gas Divider, the Model 821S. Designed for testing the linearity and calibration of almost any gas analyser, the 821S only requires one calibration gas and a zero gas in order to conduct a full range calibration check.

EMC from Data Portal. - Schaffner has announced its presence on the EPLAN portal with immediate effect. EPLAN is a powerful information source for global design engineering. The data portal offers customers shared by Schaffner and EPLAN benefits from the integration of device data and CAD which can be used digitally and efficiently in design engineering.

Scott Krieger has joined Autoscribe Informatics as Director of Technical Services, North America.

SCADA for Machine builders & OEMs. - ADISRA SmartView 4.0 is a complete human machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) package designed specifically for machine builders and OEMs. Powerful and easy to configure, ADISRA SmartView allows users to develop effective interfaces displaying the critical information they need to deploy, monitor, and analyse a machine's operation and overall status.

Emissions monitoring conference & show. - The operators of industrial processes looking for the latest help and advice on regulations, standards, methods and technologies, may register now to attend CEM 2020, the international emissions monitoring conference and exhibition.

Top employer. - TE Connectivity (TE) has announced its recognition by the Top Employer Institute as one of the best employers in Germany in the Engineering category. The certification as "Top Employer" is the result of a multi-stage certification with a validation process and an independent audit.

No rejections! - Waldon Ltd, an injection moulder located in the Welsh valleys, began working towards achieving zero rejects when it installed its first Kistler Como Injection cavity pressure monitoring system in 2009 which reduced an internal reject rate of 5% to less than 1%. Since then the company has taken advantage of every Como upgrade as they became available.

Enclosure range extended. - RS Components (RS) has introduced the new Cardmaster and Piccolo ranges of ABS and polycarbonate enclosures from Finnish manufacturer Fibox, the world market leader in thermoplastic enclosures for critical electrical and electronic equipment in hostile environments.

Industrial Digital Transformation Snapshot - Digital transformation remains a top priority of most industrial companies. But it can be difficult to know whether your organization is keeping up with the changes and transformations that are taking place throughout the industrial sector. This Digital Transformation Council and ARC Advisory Group research is designed to give manufacturers/producers a feel for how their organization compares to other companies as we all navigate our individual digital transformation journey.

Force gauge with a lift! - The Centrax 2020 provides manufacturers and operators of elevators, safety guards and other powered door equipped machinery with a compact, portable and effective solution for door closing force and impact energy measurement. It is now available with full support from Ixthus Instrumentation.

I/O for the IIoT - Opto 22 has announced groov RIO, a family of intelligent, distributed input/output (I/O) for IIoT and automation applications. groov RIO represents a first-in-class solution for its ability to quickly connect traditional wired switches and sensors directly to Ethernet networks, software applications, and cloud platforms without intermediary control or communication hardware, such as PLCs, PACs, or PCs.

Network Integration – Signal Conditioning Award. - Moore Industries' UL approved ECT-DIN 2-Wire Isolator has won the Control Engineering 2020 Engineers' Choice Award in the Network Integration – Signal Conditioning category. The award will be presented at the 2020 Engineering Awards in Manufacturing dinner on Monday, April 27, 2020, in Chicago (USA).

Analysers thrive in China. - Gas analyser sales at Signal Group grew during 2019, and the most successful distributor was Beijing Leshi Alliance Tech., the company responsible for sales in China of their FID gas analysers and the new Series 4 suite of analysers.

Asset Management - Reporting recognised. - Dream Report from Ocean Data Systems (ODS), has been selected as a winner in the 2020 Control Engineering Magazine "Engineers' Choice Awards" program for the third year in a row.

USB 3.2 compliant Signal Quality analyser. - Anritsu Corporation Signal Quality Analyzer-R Series MP1900A has been approved as a USB 3.2 Electrical Compliance Test instrument by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).