Control System World

Advantech’s Industrial Automation Group (IAG) is pleased to announce the launch of their complete series of 2.4G WISE-4000 IoT Wireless I/O modules which will revolutionize the way that data is gathered from remote or difficult to wire locations.
Now Advantech provides a complete wireless I/O solution which includes RS-485 port, analog and digital signal models. This combines the three core functions of data acquisition, processing and publishing into a single I/O module to meet the needs of a wide range of industries such as environmental monitoring, machine monitoring and smart cities.

The new Advantech WISE-4051 is a wireless Ethernet I/O module which can be used without needing to go through a gateway to provide the information. This means deployment is easier because WISE I/O modules can be used to gather the data from any third party Modbus/RTU slave devices and connect to an existing network.

With integrated digital input and RS-485 in same module, the WISE-4051 provides a flexible combination of I/O to acquire digital signal and data from Modbus/RTU slave devices. The RS-485 port of the WISE-4051 can also support data log functions for the data from Modbus/RTU slave devices with time stamp, preventing data loss compared to traditional transparent Ethernet COM ports (virtual COM of serial device server). It makes data more reliable during communication. So it can provide high efficiency data acquisition for smart factories and smart city big data acquisition solutions.

Compared to traditional transparent Ethernet COM ports, data should be polled from the master controller, the WISE-4051 can automatically push data to multiple cloud. The WISE-4000’s Data Logger can send time stamped information to a Dropbox account or a private cloud depending on the configuration and it can also buffer the devices’ data, so that in the event of network failure, no data is lost before it is sent to the administrator. The new Private Server function allows the WISE-4000 series to push data to a specific web server by the RESTful web service, and MQTT protocol with WebAccess. This helps system integrators reduce the effort of acquiring big data.

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ABB has been selected to provide wireless network products and services to support the deployment of smart meters across the City of Memphis, Tennessee, in the US. The introduction of smart meters is expected to improve efficiency of electricity, water and gas supplies and mitigate loss and theft. The wireless network will support advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) communications, covering an area of around 2030 square kilometers (sq km) and will collect data from nearly 1 million smart meters.

“Our advanced wireless solution will support the deployment of smart metering infrastructure and enable more efficient distribution of electricity, water and gas to the citizens of Memphis,” said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director of ABB’s Grid Automation business unit, a part of the company’s Power Grids division. “This is another example of how ABB is facilitating the increased automation of power networks to enable a smarter grid – a key element of our Next Level strategy.”

Smart meters measure energy consumption and send information on this and other factors such as power quality and outages back to the grid owner. This allows real-time monitoring of the energy distribution system and supports the development of smart grids, which are evolved grid systems that manage electricity demand in a sustainable, reliable and economic manner, built on advanced infrastructure and tuned to facilitate the integration of all involved. Smart grids are one factor in the consistent sustainable urban planning required to build smart cities.

Alongside intelligent technology, smart grids rely on incentive models and actively encouraging consumers to participate in the energy market, for example by reducing energy consumption when the price of electricity is high and shifting it to times when it is low and there is less environmental impact. There are also added customer benefits, for example, consumers in Memphis will benefit from instant-on pre-paid service transfer and service restoration after an outage.

Rockwell Automation is now accepting nominations for its fourth annual Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate the world’s safest manufacturing companies – those that make safety a core business value.

“Last year’s winners – The Clorox Company, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) – were selected because they embrace safety as a means to achieve business goals,” said Mark Eitzman, safety market development manager, Rockwell Automation. “They go beyond compliance and make safety an integral part of the company culture and machine design processes – improving plant productivity and company profitability.”

The awards are open to manufacturers, machine builders (OEMs) or system integrators, as long as they demonstrate a true commitment to safety across three key pillars of a comprehensive safety program: a strong safety culture, well-executed compliance procedures, and effective use of current, machine-safety technology.

“Winning the 2015 award highlighted our team’s commitment to improving machine safety for our customers,” said Jason Stover, senior electrical project engineer, PCMC. “As an OEM, we differentiate ourselves from competitors by guiding our customers through the safety process and educating them on the opportunities safety presents. Some might not recognize safety as a fundamental part of equipment, but by the time we’re done, they see the value.”

The awards also recognize companies that have successful collaboration between their engineering and EHS departments. This helps dramatically reduce injury rates while also improving production efficiency.

“We achieve success with everyone in the organization working and learning together, including engineering, EHS and operations,” said Dennis G. Averill, CIH, CSP, global director of safety and hygiene, Kimberly-Clark. “This collaboration is not only done conceptually, but also during the actual execution of risk assessments, safety standards development and more.”

The 2016 winners will be announced in the fall and will join a distinguished list of past winners, including Bevcorp, Corning Environmental Technologies, General Motors, Procter & Gamble and the PepsiCo divisions of Walkers Crisps and Pepsi Flavors.

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Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that its subsidiary, Yokogawa India, has received an order from the Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) to supply a monitoring and control system for the gas pipeline system in Bangladesh. This project will involve the revamping, modernization, and expansion of GTCL's existing supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

GTCL owns and operates a network of pipelines for the nationwide transmission of gas from gas fields that are primarily concentrated in the eastern part of the country. GTCL is planning to build an integrated SCADA monitoring and control system that will ensure the stable and efficient supply of gas to three of the country's eight administrative divisions: Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet. GTCL plans to increase its gas transmission volume to 550 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd), up from 400 MMscfd in 2013.

This order is for FAST/TOOLS SCADA software and a STARDOM™ network-based control system for pipeline monitoring, DPharp EJA and DPharp EJX series differential pressure/pressure transmitters, other field instruments, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, and a telecommunications system for central monitoring and control. Targeting delivery within 22 months, Yokogawa India will be responsible for the engineering, installation, and commissioning of these systems.

The winning of this control system order can be attributed to Yokogawa's ability to come up with a customized proposal for an automation solution and its extensive experience in supplying SCADA systems for oil & gas pipeline projects in India.

Tsutomu Murata, managing director of Yokogawa India, commented "I am honored to receive this order, which is Yokogawa India's largest project to date in Bangladesh. By carrying out this large project, we aim to help ensure a stable energy supply for the people of Bangladesh."

In accordance with its Transformation 2017 mid-term business plan, Yokogawa is strengthening its efforts to drive up sales by providing solutions for pipelines and other oil & gas midstream applications. Encouraged by its success in winning this order, Yokogawa plans to expand its control business in the midstream applications segment.

Mike Medoff, exida senior safety engineer presented the 2015 exida Safety Award in the Cybersecurity Category to Schneider Electric recognizing their Process Automation Cybersecurity Development Process. The presentation was delivered at Connect 2016, Schneider Electric’s Automation Conference on May 24, 2016 in New Orleans, LA.

The exida Safety Awards is an annual program that honors exida certified products/processes that best demonstrate new and innovative work, and that have the ability to play a key role in the continuous journey of making the world a safer place.

Manufacturers and industrial operators around the world are contending with a growing skills shortage resulting from an evolving workforce and the influx of new technologies. These issues are forcing business leaders to reconsider their approach to machinery and facility design, training, technology and safety.

To address these challenges, Rockwell Automation has outlined a five-step approach to help organizations better prepare their operations and empower their workers.

The five steps for addressing workforce availability include:

Improving machinery design to address ergonomics and safety risks for a more diverse workforce, including older and younger workers.
Building a Connected Enterprise to improve productivity and efficiency through information-enabled operations.
Training workers to preserve and pass on the knowledge of experienced workers, and to equip workers with the skills needed to take advantage of new technologies.
Leveraging vendors and suppliers to augment core competencies when specialized skills are only occasionally required or when local talent is not available.
Engaging the community to improve the skills and availability of young workers.

"Workforce availability is a long-term challenge that is largely the result of major industry shifts occurring simultaneously," said Blake Moret, senior vice president, Control Products and Solutions, Rockwell Automation. "Aging workers with deep process understanding are leaving the workforce and being replaced by a new generation of workers. At the same time, new technology is enabling industry to equip their existing workforce with new skills, as facilities and plants become more connected. Manufacturers should look at their workforce development needs as an opportunity to differentiate, not as a cost to be avoided."

These shifts threaten manufacturing success and economic growth around the world. In the U.S. alone, 78 percent of manufacturing executives surveyed believe the skills gap will impact their ability to implement new technologies and increase productivity, according to a report from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.

Because the availability of skilled workers is shrinking globally, methods such as offshoring and workforce relocation become less effective. The problem must be dealt with by taking a holistic approach to machinery and facility design, training, technology and safety.

Yokogawa Meters & Instruments Corporation announces that it has developed the AQ7283J, AQ7283E, and AQ7282G optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) units for the AQ7280 series, and will be releasing them to the market on June 22.

Each of these units is designed to be paired with an OTDR mainframe to create an AQ7280 series modular OTDR, which is a widely used tool in the installation and maintenance of fiber-optic cables. Yokogawa has developed these new OTDR units to better meet its customers’ needs and provide them a wider range of choices. In so doing, Yokogawa aims to expand its optical communications business.

Development Background:
Driven by factors such as the widespread use of smartphones and the increase in video-related Internet traffic, there is a rising global need for fiber-optic networks that can carry large volumes of data at high speeds. The OTDR is used to verify losses, measure lengths, and identify failure locations during cable installation and maintenance. Yokogawa’s AQ7280 series OTDRs are used in the installation and maintenance of fiber-optic cables for core, metro, and access networks, including FTTH links between central offices and subscribers, and their reliability and operability are highly valued by our customers.

With both production and maintenance operations there is the need to assess the characteristics of fiber-optic cables, and maintenance personnel also need to perform such checks while the cables are in use. Yokogawa has developed these three new OTDR units to satisfy such needs.

June 12-17, 2016  |  Rosen Shingle Creek Resort  |  Orlando, Florida, USA

The ultimate training experience, Rockwell Automation TechED provides over 170+ hands-on labs, technical sessions and discussion forums.. The Rockwell Automation TechED (formerly RSTechED) event gives you the industry's only multi-day venue offering unique ways of learning, exploring and discovering techniques for creating innovating, high-performance manufacturing and production applications.

Optimize your production data, increase yield, reduce energy costs, build secure networks and much more in beginner to advanced training. All based on innovative strategies that make the most of the automation and control system assets you have while planning for the future.

Designed for end users, system integrators, distributors, partners and machine builders, Rockwell Automation TechED gives you the chance to work with the latest Rockwell Automation products and technology solutions in a classroom environment. Learn from industry experts. See how your peers are solving many common manufacturing and production challenges.

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