Number 7
July 2008
INSIDER
Ever
since the economic storm clouds started gathering some 12 months ago,
the world’s automation vendors have been seeking to reassure
shareholders and analysts that their sector would be largely unaffected
by any forthcoming downturn. Automation would be just what
manufacturers needed to weather the forthcoming economic turmoil; hence
continued investment in automation could be expected as the tough times
ahead got tougher. Whether the said analysts, not to mention
shareholders, actually believed any of this is another matter, given
that automation stocks have fallen by an average of some 22% over the
past 12 months. To read the full story take
out
a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
Any lingering doubts about SAP’s intentions in the MES space were dispelled in mid-June with the announcement that it is to acquire Visiprise, a Georgia, US based specialist in MES, planning and quality applications for discrete industries including aerospace, electronics, automotive and medical device manufacture. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
New OneWireless release
anticipates ISA 100.11a
High spot of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS)’ recent User Group meeting in Phoenix was the release of what it claims is “the process industries’ first mesh network with ISA100-ready hardware.” Embodied in the latest release of its OneWireless offering, the network will, it is claimed, be easily upgraded to the ISA100.11a standard when it is completed, through an “over-the-air” software update. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER
new round of rumours
Rumours of a possible bid for Rockwell Automation resurfaced last month as the stock dipped towards its 52-week low of $50. The price reflects investor and analyst suspicions that Rockwell, along with other automation vendors, will suffer as the economic woes build up in both the US and Europe. Rockwell’s own assertion back in April that it could expect an upturn in Europe and steady market conditions in North America had already drawn the observation from one analyst, Nick Heymann of Sterne Agee, that “These guys are flying magic carpets.”
To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
Apprion tempts Motorola into
automation
Further indication of how the current explosion of interest in wireless in factory and process automation is attracting interest from and creating opportunities for big hitters from the wider
Citect vulnerability raises wider
disclosure issues
Cyber security moved back to the top of the agenda for SCADA system vendors and users last month when security testing specialist Core Security Technologies revealed that it had found a ‘vulnerability’ in Schneider subsidiary Citect’s flagship CitectSCADA product. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
Industrial Defender adds
sub-station capability
Boston-based industrial cyber security specialist Industrial Defender is claiming that it now offers the electric power industry’s most comprehensive cyber security solution with the acquisition of Teltone Corporation, a leader in secure communications for electric power substations. Teltone’s Gauntlet solution supports NERC-CIP compliance in dial-up environments as well as providing a transparent path to IP connectivity and is based on Substation Line Sharing Switch (SLSS) technology which is installed in 85% of North American substations. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
Safety Manager edges towards
integrated camp
As predicted at last autumn’s European User Group conference in Salzburg (INSIDER, November 2007, page 2) , Honeywell has announced new releases of Experion PKS and Safety Manager which mark a further stage in its migration towards the integrated end of the safety system debate and leave Invensys Process Systems as the sole mainstream process automation vendor resisting the trend to ever closer integration of its DCS (Distributed Control System) and, in its case Triconex, SIS (Safety Instrumented System) offerings. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
India may be first to try
new IS technology
MTL may have stolen a march on its Intrinsic Safety rivals with the introduction of its Fast Switch technology at last April’s Hanover Fair (INSIDER, May 2008, page 5) but it isn’t going to have the field to itself for very long. At the same event, German I/O specialist Pepperl+Fuchs showcased its DART (Dynamic Arc Recognition and Termination) technology which takes a similar approach to solving the problem of permitting higher levels of power in Intrinsically Safe (IS) circuits. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
Heads they win,
tails you lose
Hitherto the UK has been mercifully free of the sort of litigation typified in the US by the recent Solaia industrial Ethernet patent saga (most recently INSIDER, September 2007, page 3). Perhaps not for much longer. UK law firm Addleshaw Goddard has launched what it describes as “a cutting edge approach” to funding civil litigation. To read the full story take out a subscription to Industrial Automation INSIDER.
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THEY
SAID IT
“This
combination will offer manufacturers better visibility by linking the
operations of the plant floor to production planning and operations
management . . .”
Jim Hagemann Snabe, Member of The Executive Council,
SAP
“The process industries’ first mesh network with ISA100-ready hardware.”
Honeywell Process Solutions press release
“Apprion delivers the right combination of
technology, products, and industrial experience to uniquely address the
wireless challenges of industrial customers.”
John O’Donohue, Managing Director,
Motorola Ventures
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This site last updated 15.07.08
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