The ISA100.12 subcommittee co-chair Dick Caro has announced in a personally written article on the Control Global website that ISA100.12 has abandoned its work after four years without finding a single convergence solution [...that met the requirements imposed on them].

This seems to be the end of the line for the so-called "convergence" attempts by the ISA to co-operate with the industry and develop a unified approach to wireless communications with plant instrumentation, that allows the simple use of both WirelessHART devices and future ISA100 devices on a plant together. The main story in the March issue of the Industrial Automation INSIDER looks at the history of ISA100.12, and wonders how such an investment of time, money and expertise by the industry can be allowed to be just thrown away, without even the publication of a final report.

But then what is the ISA viewpoint about this apparent fiasco?

HMS Industrial Networks has launched the Anybus NP40 network processor, that allows industrial devices to communicate over any industrial network and forms the core of the new HMS CompactCom chip, brick and module concept of ready-made communications interfaces. Product and device manufacturers can now simply add an interface that can offer any of the major fieldbus and industrial Ethernet applications, software configurable.

Despite the name, the Baby-boomers after WW2 provided a solid steady workforce. A 2010 study showed that baby boomers “cited work ethic, respectfulness, and morals as their defining qualities”. But they are now of the age to retire from process plants around the world, and there is much discussion, at the ARC Forum and in other meetings, about how to replace their skills with people from the younger generation. What is known about the current ‘new generation’ of workers, called the Millenials?

Another acquisition was announced in February, by Yokogawa, who bought a 44.3% stake in Soteica Visual MESA, based in Houston but operating also out of offices in Spain, Brazil and Argentina.
The intention is to offer their energy management and optimization services through the Yokogawa sales channels, and for co-operative engineering efforts to develop the solution further – a solution interestingly described by Yokogawa with the phrase “Sidewise energy efficiency optimization”.

CEESI, the Colorado Engineering Experiment Station, this year will hold their annual Ultrasonic Flowmeter User’s Workshop in Lisbon, Portugal from 16-18 April, preceded by parallel training courses on (1) the fundamentals of ultrasonic flowmetering, and (2) a course on the uncertainties in the measurements associated with natural gas and liquid flows.

This is the first time this event has been held in Europe, and it will be conducted in partnership with the Dutch Metrology Institute, VSL, from Delft. The associated exhibition will feature most of the European manufacturers of ultrasonic flowmeters.

Last month most of the news flow seems to have emerged around the ARC World Industry Forum, which took place in Orlando, Florida from February 11-14. The major name noticeably missing from the exhibition, out of the main process automation suppliers, was that of Honeywell, which provided a major opportunity for Azbil, the former Yamatake – who had a license agreement with Honeywell until 2002 - to make an impressive entrance, building on their recent acquisitions and initiating further expansion plans.

The name Azbil was introduced on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the company, to signify “human-centered automation” as the new direction for the business. The group philosophy is to “realize safety, comfort and fulfillment in people’s lives and contribute to global environmental preservation through human centered automation”. The management – Seiji Onoki, chairman, and Hirozumi Sone, president and ceo - are striving to extend it both inside and outside Japan, in a drive for global growth.

This will be achieved by strengthening ties with global partners, and so over the last three months Azbil has announced three acquisitions: Telstar of Spain in the Life Automation business; Taco of Japan, a specialist in pneumatic technology and oil mist lubrication systems; and VorTek Instruments of USA, a vortex flowmeter manufacturer.

Further information is available in the review of these acquisitions in the March 2013 issue of the INSIDER.