SAN ANTONIO — Jan. 24, 2012 — The Microsoft/OSIsoft Worldwide Utility Industry Survey 2012, released today at the DistribuTECH Conference & Exhibition, shows a 25 percent increase over last year in the number of utilities companies that have implemented smart-grid technology. The survey also shows that 28 percent of companies surveyed are in the planning phase, but 24 percent still have not started adopting any smart-grid technology. However, 63 percent of participants expect their budgets for these technologies to increase over the next two or three years.

The survey, which was a collaboration between Microsoft Corp. and OSIsoft LLC, polled 216 professionals within electric, gas and water utility industries around the world and highlights the challenges utilities face as they move from planning to actual smart-grid implementation. Nearly 20 percent of those surveyed said technical issues kept them from moving forward, which was a larger group than in last year’s survey.

“This year’s survey shows that more and more utilities companies are adding new devices to the grid and incorporating new data sets into their operational capabilities,” said Jon C. Arnold, managing director for the Worldwide Power and Utilities Industry at Microsoft and a member of the Smart Grid Advisory Committee to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “However, many of these same organizations are encountering significant interoperability and integration challenges. Leveraging technology and architectures that are adaptable removes many of the technology risks. Fortunately, the Microsoft Smart Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) provides an infrastructure that protects current technology investments while enabling the implementation of forward-thinking smart-grid solutions.”

Tokyo, January 12, 2012 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today the launch of its new 8.4-inch VGA and 10.4-inch VGA color TFT-LCD industrial-use modules. The models feature high brightness and high contrast ratio, wide viewing angle, wide-ranging operational temperatures and a low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) interface. Sales will begin on February 1 through Mitsubishi Electric offices globally Click www.MitsubishiElectric.com/bu/tft_lcd/network. Initial production has been set at 3,000 units per month for each model.

RSLogix 5000 Software from Rockwell Automation Empowers New Series of Scalable Control System Offerings for Smaller Applications.

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 16, 2012 — The latest release of Rockwell Software RSLogix 5000 software from Rockwell Automation delivers the high performance of an integrated control system for manufacturers and machine builders requiring a smaller control system. Most notably, the software brings integrated motion capabilities on the EtherNet/IP network to the Allen-Bradley CompactLogix controller family. Using RSLogix 5000 v20 in combination with scalable, right-sized control system components allows users to scale from 200 to 10,000 I/O points using a single control platform and common user experience.

“Many machine builders and manufacturers must use multiple control platforms to meet their diverse needs,” said Mike Burrows, director, Rockwell Automation. “This creates unnecessary complexity because each platform has a unique design environment, user interface and vendor support model. Forward-looking machine builders and end users need a single-control infrastructure that easily scales to match application requirements.”

RSLogix 5000 v20 software provides a single-development environment for the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system, including: the recently released CompactLogix 5370 Series of programmable automation controllers (PACs); Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5570 Series PACs, Allen-Bradley Kinetix 350 servo drive on EtherNet/IP, and Bulletin 1734 POINT Guard I/O Analog Input Module. This wider variety of options provides best-fit alternatives for applications, while new components significantly lower the cost to deploy integrated motion on EtherNet/IP in a greater range of machine applications.

BOULDER, COLO (January 10, 2012) -- Emerson Process Management announces the release of Micro Motion® ProLink III®, a Microsoft® Windows-based configuration and service tool for Micro Motion Coriolis flow and density transmitters. ProLink III is an intuitive configuration, data-logging, and troubleshooting tool for the range of Micro Motion Coriolis flow and density products.

The Micro Motion ProLink III Configuration Tool utilizes Emerson’s Human Centered Design approach for an intuitive interface that improves overall functionality and ease of use. Customers looking to streamline work practices, improve process control, trend and remotely troubleshoot meters in the field will benefit from this latest version of ProLink. Once connected, process variables and alerts are immediately seen through a single, user-friendly, full diagnostics display. To better interrogate field issues, ProLink III identifies fault conditions that are then separated by severity, allowing the user to prioritize alerts. Additionally, the guided connection wizard, the simulated device feature and the offline configuration tool all help decrease commissioning time and reduce start-up costs by limiting the opportunity for mistakes. The response time of this software tool is unmatched by anything else previously offered.