National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, today announced its acquisition of BEEcube, a technology innovator and leading supplier of high-performance FPGA prototyping and deployment products for advanced wireless research, wireless infrastructure and military/defense applications.

“As the Internet of Things (IoT) drives greater demand for data and an increasing number of connected devices, NI is excited to be at the forefront of research and prototyping tools for next-generation 5G wireless technology,” said Charles Schroeder, NI director of RF communications. “NI and BEEcube share a common philosophy and vision of platform-based design, and we believe the combination of the two companies will strengthen our leadership position as 5G progresses toward commercialization.”

Chen Chang, BEEcube’s founder and CEO, added, “For many years, BEEcube has been at the forefront of technology innovation in telecommunications applications. By joining NI, we will have the resources to continue to drive 5G research and provide our customers solutions which enable infrastructure deployment on a global scale.”

BEEcube will operate as a wholly-owned NI subsidiary under the leadership of Chang and continue to sell and support its products under the BEEcube brand through its direct and distributor channels. The BEEcube acquisition is not material to National Instruments consolidated financial statements.

A joint venture between Yokogawa Solution Service and Hitachi has won an order to build a water supply monitoring system for the Metropolitan Cebu Water Services District (MCWD).

The MCWD serves Cebu City and 12 surrounding cities and municipalities in Cebu Province, which is located in the central Philippines. This is the country's second largest urban area. The construction of this water supply monitoring system is being carried out as part of a water supply improvement project that has received funding in the form of a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This will involve the installation of a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that will enable personnel in a central control room to continually monitor the status of water supply operations throughout the Metropolitan Cebu district, which has been experiencing significant economic and population growth in recent years and requires improvements in its water supply system to keep up with demand.

In this joint undertaking, Hitachi will function as the liaison with MCWD and oversee the implementation of this project, and Yokogawa Solution Service will be responsible for engineering the SCADA system, setting up a water leakage management system, and installing flowmeters and other types of field instruments at a total of 143 locations throughout the water supply district. This project is slated for completion in March of 2016.

Through the activities of Yokogawa Solution Service and other Group companies, Yokogawa will continue to capitalize on its rich experience and knowhow in the Japan water and wastewater markets to expand its control business in developing markets such as the Philippines.

Rotork GO gas-over-oil actuators have been supplied for vital failsafe valve control duties on a new cryogenic LNG pipeline in Venezuela. In addition to providing the best technical solution for the application, the actuators were selected because of the high level of local support available from Rotork’s well-established company in Venezuela.

The San Joaquin Pipeline, owned by Venezuela state oil company PDVSA, transports LNG for the international market between the San Joaquin and Jose cryogenic plants. The Rotork actuators operate 26 inch, 20 inch and 12 inch ball valves installed in tandem with non-return check valves at six valve stations along the route.

The compact and modular Rotork GO actuator design uses the pipeline gas as the motive power source, converting the gas into hydraulic pressure to deliver powerful and smooth valve control. Isolating the actuator cylinder from the pipeline gas eliminates potential contamination, corrosion and seal deterioration, extending the life of the actuator. A dedicated pump is utilised in each operating direction to prevent leaking or contamination between the gas-over-oil tanks.

At the centre of the gas-over-oil system, a multi-function manifold block integrates gas control functions to facilitate a full range of selectable failsafe and emergency shutdown (ESD) options for pipeline events including Line Break, Low Pressure Close and High Differential Inhibit. The manifold has the facility for a high-flow hand pump, pressure relief and a locking handle for safe commissioning.

Rotork GO actuators are IP66M/67M third party certified and approved for environmental protection, together with CE and ATEX hazardous area certification. The standard working operating pressure range is 10 to 105 barg, enabling a quarter-turn operating torque of up to 600,000 Nm and linear thrust of 5,000,000 N to suit pipeline valves of virtually all sizes and description. Higher torque and thrust outputs can also be provided for.

Rotork Controls de Venezuela has fully trained technicians available to provide field services for all ranges of Rotork’s electric and fluid power actuators; the company supports the PDVSA Puerto La Cruz Refinery on a service contract basis.

Kepware Technologies, a software development company focused on communications for automation, was presented with a Bronze Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service in the computer software category for companies with up to 100 employees on Friday, February 27th.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top sales awards, business development awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards. The Stevie Awards organizes several of the world's leading business awards shows including the prestigious American Business AwardsSM and International Business AwardsSM.

This year's competition received more than 1,900 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, which is an increase of 27 percent over 2014. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 139 professionals worldwide that acted as preliminary judges.

Kepware stood out as a top contender due to its dedication to consistently providing an exemplary customer service experience. It has accomplished this goal by aligning its Technical Support and Engineering Solutions teams through the Agile methodology, which allows the company to streamline its customer feedback cycle and improve customer service. Kepware is also working to identify areas of improvement and further advance its customer service through a support survey program implemented in 2014.

"We're honored to be recognized with a Stevie Award for the second consecutive year," said Matthew Roy, Director of Technical Support, Kepware. "This award recognizes Kepware's dedication to our customers, and challenges us to continue finding new ways to improve the customer experience year over year."

The awards were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Friday, February 27 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.