|
 |
Saturday, January 17, 2009 |
Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys, announced Jan. 12 the release of Performance Software 3.5, the newest evolution of its equipment downtime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) software, and an integrated module of the Wonderware manufacturing execution system (MES) and supervisory software solution.
Performance Software 3.5 features an ArchestrA technology-based configuration and visualization. More than a point solution for downtime and OEE tracking, it is part of a unified supervisory and manufacturing execution system (MES) that can evolve as a customer's MES requirements grow.
"When Wonderware acquired Cimnet, a key part of the strategy was to integrate the Cimnet Factelligence MES functionality with the Wonderware System Platform to unlock ArchestrA's scalability and extensibility benefits to customers needing to monitor equipment downtime and OEE," said Jim Frider, marketing manager for Wonderware. "This has now been accomplished with Performance Software 3.5. As part of this release, Wonderware also is providing software migration tools and commercial upgrade paths to customers who have utilized previous Wonderware OEE offerings such as DT Analyst and Equipment Performance Module."
The software includes a new Utilization Capability Object which enables configuring equipment monitoring strategies that can be rapidly deployed in multiple instances for new applications. Monitoring strategies can be standardized to enable effective line comparisons. In addition, system development costs are minimized due to significant reuse of applications engineering.
In addition, new ArchestrA graphic templates developed for downtime, OEE and production help reduce system development and enable customization of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) graphic displays within the InTouch 10.0 human-machine interface (HMI) environment.
"Wonderware Performance Software 3.5 provides tight integration with the Wonderware System Platform that enables us to take advantage of System Platformâo[dot accent]s core strengths including developing functionality in a modular fashion and rolling out solutions in a controlled, repeatable manner," said Robert Peters, chief executive officer at ASECO Integrated Systems, a Wonderware Certified Systems Integration Partner. "The software has reduced the engineering effort required for ASECO to develop performance management solutions and simplifies maintenance and support for our customers. We see the combination of Wonderware Performance Software 3.5 and System Platform as hitting the sweet spot between real-time performance metrics and manufacturing intelligence."
3:38:24 PM 
|
|
Wurldtech Security Technologies, a provider of cyber-risk and compliance management solutions for industrial automation industries, announced Jan. 13 that Nate Kube, Ph.D., has been selected to join the European International Instrument Usersâo[dot accent] Association (WIB) Plant Security Working Group as their industrial cyber security subject matter expert.
"Dr. Kube is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of industrial control systems security, formal testing and certification program development and brings an impressive breadth of experience to help drive our security efforts for the end-user community," said Ted Angevaare, Working Group chairman and global security leader at Shell. "We are extremely happy to have him join our team and look forward to his contributions."
The WIB is an international instrument users association that provides process instrumentation evaluation and assessment services for, and on behalf of, its members which includes leading energy companies such as BP, Shell, Areva, and Total. In 2007, the plant security working group was formed to address the challenges of its member community with a focus on the development of international cyber security standards and the creation of security certification guidelines to drive security improvements throughout network infrastructure supply chains.
"The WIB Plant Security Working Group is taking a very intelligent approach to addressing the cyber security challenges of the operator community and I am pleased to be a part of this initiative," added Kube, chief technology officer of Wurldtech Security Technologies. "It is refreshing to finally see an effort driven by a strong end-user mandate with a benefit-driven focus which I believe will lead to significant advancements in a very short period of time."
3:17:16 PM
|
|
Emerson Electric Co. has announced a new headquarters for the Middle East in an interesting arrangement where several of its companies will operate from the same facility--including Emerson Process Management.
Emerson celebrated on Jan. 12 the official opening of its new regional headquarters in Dubai to better serve its growing portfolio of business in the Middle East and to reinforce the company's long-term commitment to the region.
David N. Farr, Emersonâo[dot accent]s chairman, chief executive officer, and president, was in the Middle East in connection with the facility opening and to meet with senior executives of the oil and gas companies in Qatar and Kuwait and with government officials in Qatar to review Emerson's ongoing investment plans in those areas. Emerson also has resident personnel in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi serving major customers and projects in those areas.
In its fiscal 2008, Emerson posted sales of US$868 million in the Middle East region. The company hopes to surpass US$1 billion in the region in the near future.
"The Middle East region continues to be a strong market for Emerson technologies and services, and we see increasing opportunities to expand our presence in the months and years ahead," said Farr. "We are making investments in the region now--in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and in Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia--to help us better meet the needs of our customers in these countries and to raise awareness of our brand and the wide range of products and services that Emerson offers to improve efficiency and productivity."
Emerson's new regional headquarters is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai. Emerson has more than 300 employees working out of this location. The facility consists of 80,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of light industrial manufacturing and warehouse space. At this location, Emerson assembles and tests its products and advanced technology solutions before shipment.
Emerson businesses with a presence at the new facility include: Emerson Process Management, Emerson Network Power, Emerson Industrial Automation, Emerson Professional Tools, Emerson Climate Technologies, and Emerson Storage Solutions.
Emerson has also been making significant investments in Qatar, where it has a long-term agreement as the preferred supplier of automation technologies and services to Qatargas, one of the worldâo[dot accent]s leading producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In 2008, Emerson opened an office in Doha and now has more than 40 resident employees there and another 45 employees working on-site in Ras Laffan, Qatar on start-up and commissioning activities. Emerson has also developed plans to open a regional engineering and training center in Doha within the next year to better support its customers in the northern part of the Middle East.
11:40:17 AM
|
|
OMAC, the Organization for Machine Automation and Control, has a number of activities prepared for the first week of February in Orlando during the ARC Forum.
Monday, February 2, 2009
PLM and Virtual Commissioning Workshop - 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
OMAC Board Meeting - 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Machine Tool Workgroup Meeting - 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
MES Definition Workgroup Meeting - 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
OMAC Track of Talks - 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
OMAC Members' Meeting - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check it out. OMAC has accomplished some admirable things over the years and is poised to recharge and broaden its accomplishments.
11:26:29 AM
|
|
On Jan. 9, Wes Iversen from Automation World journeyed out to a western Chicago suburb for a quickly called press conference at AVG. There were two purposes for the press conference. First, the company unveiled a number of new products that it will sell through its EZAutomation direct marketing via the Web branch. Second, CEO Shalli Kumar wanted to enlist the support of Congress through its auto company bailout funds to help him crack the hold Rockwell Automation supposedly has over automation and control products purchased. Kumar's reasoning is that the companies "waste" up to billions of dollars buying from Rockwell when they could buy more cheaply from him. So, the bailout dollars should be withheld until the companies switch vendors. Certainly a unique proposition.
Here is a snippet of Wes's report on the new products unveiled at the conference. They all look interesting. One is an obvious tip of the hat to Opto 22, which has decided to work with the dominant discrete manufacturing Ethernet bus (at the present time anyway) in the U.S.--EtherNet/IP--as a way to sell intelligent I/O into those very dens of excess that Kumar cited.
AVG's Uticor division, in Bettendorf, Iowa, for example, recently launched a series of visualization panels that are drop-in replacements for Rockwellâo[dot accent]s PanelVision and GE's QuickPanel product lines that can save manufacturers up to 50 percent per installation, AVG said.
Another product announced at the press event--EZ Remote I/O on EtherNet/IP--provides a module with eight analog input/output channels and built-in EtherNet/IP network capability that can plug into a Rockwell Allen-Bradley Logix family programmable logic controller (PLC) system. The EZ Remote I/O moduleâo[dot accent]s $300 price compares to around a $1,000 cost for comparable capability from Rockwell, Kumar said.
AVG also launched new software products at the press conference, including EZ Plant View, a $299 package that allows plant management to remotely view, drill down or take control of the operations of multiple machines on a factory floor using an Ethernet or Internet connection. The EZ Plant View software requires AVG's $99 RMC (for remote monitoring and control) card--introduced about a year ago--to be installed on each machine to be monitored. Also new is the capability for AVG's EZ Soft HMI (for human-machine interface) software--developed for the company's EZ Series Touch Panels--to run on any Microsoft Windows-based computer.
In addition to offering significant cost savings on automation products, Kumar contends that AVG is one of the last companies that still manufactures all of its products in the United States.
I have a couple of thoughts on the automotive sales angle. First, I think that the auto companies may be taking care of that situation themselves--by going into a great decline. He's really only targeting GM, Ford and Chrysler. The Japanese manufacturers typically use less automation, and when they do it's mostly home-grown Mitsubishi and Omron. Ford used to have a lot of Modicon control in its plants, but Modicon and Ford have undergone drastic changes over the past 10 years. Over 11 years ago when I actually sold (actually tried to sell) Allen-Bradley PLCs into a Ford plant, I hit a wall. It was 100% Modicon and I was told by the plant manager that I would never sell a controller in his plant. He was wrong. I never sold a PLC, but I did sell two CNCs (note, Rockwell got out of the CNC business just as I got out of selling their products-probably just a coincidence).
It is hard for companies to beat the distribution and relationships that form over time (Rockwell in the US, Mitsubishi in Japan and Siemens in Germany). There are chinks, however, and I think adding intelligent I/O to the EtherNet/IP network is a great strategy. They should also add Profibus/Profinet to go after Siemens and CCLink to go after Mitsubishi. (Before I get flamed--I know that these are all open standards and used by almost everyone. However, each network has its champion, and that's what I'm pointing to.) Lest I forget a pioneer, Phoenix Contact has done some of that work with Profibus for several years.
Competition is good for the user and the economy. Let the competition proceed.
10:38:37 AM
|
|
The lineup is all set for our Fourth annual Packaging Automation Forum brought to you by Packaging World magazine and Automation World magazine. If your operations involve packaging, this is the place to be. The event takes place in suburban Chicago by O'Hare airport on March 31. This year we've expanded networking times (I keep telling people that while the presentations are important, time for people to network and ask informal questions is at least equally valuable).
Lest you think you need to be a packaging professional to get anything out of the sessions, topics cover metrics (using OEE-not from a theoretical point of view, but by a practitioner from Kraft), using standards for connecting factory floor to enterprise systems, using standards for competitive machine design, and more. These speakers are all people who do the work--not marketing theorists telling you what's good. Last year people from a variety of backgrounds attended and all left satisfied.
Hope to see you there.
7:44:52 AM
|
|
Greg McMillen's at it again. Einstein and the Ultimate Limits for Loop Performance. I worked with an engineer one time where we were discussing sheet metal fabrication relative to designing a delivery truck. He told me, "You can't violate the laws of physics." Well, Greg just took that concept up several levels. A good read.
7:34:48 AM
|
|
Twitter came into the spotlight in the latest big news story about the airliner that found itself in the Hudson River. I received the news within minutes from my Twitter feed. There are several conversations going on among some automation technical and marketing people on Twitter--and I have even received notice of press releases and used it to find sources for stories at Automation World. You can follow me here. Twitter began as a subscription service to instant messaging or SMS on cell phones. Therefore, it limits messages to 140 characters. It has been called short form blogging. You can subscribe (called "follow") to people and keep in contact with a variety of people and ideas.
The airliner story broke on Twitter when a passenger on a ferry took a cellphone picture of the plane in the river, uploaded it to the Web and then "tweeted" it from his phone. People used Twitter to report and stay in contact during the attacks in Mumbai recently. IT Conversations' program Interviews with Innovators with Jon Udell recently focused on how Public Service of New Hampshire used Twitter to keep customers informed about repairs to power lines after an ice storm caused most of the state to be without electricity.
7:24:13 AM
|
|
© Copyright 2009 Gary Mintchell.
|
|
|
