by Gary Mintchell | Sep 16, 2024 | News, Organizations
In the morning, I will be flying west to attend the Ignition Community Conference in Folsom, CA. I am behind on press releases. This one is timely. The conference is sold out, but they do have online options. It’s a good company with nice and very smart people. This release talks about partnerships—the biggest strategy going right now.
Inductive Automation has announced the addition of seven companies to its Alliance Partner Program. Each company will bring unique services that complement the Ignition industrial automation platform, adding to an already impressive list of software, edge, security, analytics, and hardware solutions.
Acerta: Acerta is a leading innovator in predictive quality analytics for manufacturing. Acerta’s flagship product, LinePulse, is a software-as-a-service that analyzes data with machine learning in real time to improve KPIs like scrap rates and First Time Through. With LinePulse, manufacturers can automate root cause analysis and receive predictive alerts to help them work more efficiently and create better-quality products.
Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson: Cradlepoint’s enterprise wireless solutions enable
organizations to innovate, operate, and grow anywhere — without constraints. NetCloud
Manager, Cradlepoint routers, and private networks solutions provide the flexibility of public and private 5G, with the zero-trust security of simplified SASE.
Digi: Digi has a deep history of delivering industrial cellular solutions around the world. Digi’s industrial cellular router solutions are known for high reliability and security. With their ability to run applications in Linux containers and support remote monitoring and management, Digi solutions enable customers to rapidly deploy, monitor, and manage Ignition Edge applications in LTE or 5G networks. To help customers scale their networks to thousands or tens of thousands of devices, Digi offers its cloud or on-prem versions of Digi Remote Manager®, a technology platform that automates the deployment, monitoring and management of thousands of devices from a single point of command.
Eurotech: Eurotech is a leading provider of rugged computing platforms for IoT, machine learning, and AI deployment. Eurotech seamlessly integrates high-performance hardware with a fully programmable software framework, ensuring streamlined and secure edge connectivity. Eurotech’s dedication to quality and cybersecurity is evidenced by their attainment of key certifications, including ISO 9001, ISA Secure, and IEC 62443, underscoring their commitment to delivering top-tier, secure solutions for industrial applications.
Kanoa: Kanoa offers a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) designed to streamline and digitize factory operations, enhancing production management, analysis, and control. Built on Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform, Kanoa’s MES modules include Kanoa Core, Kanoa Ops, and Kanoa Quality, providing comprehensive solutions for asset management, scheduling, and quality control. These tools enable manufacturers to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance efficiency and drive continuous improvement.
Phoenix Contact: The company offers a comprehensive automation portfolio, featuring PLCnext Technology, industrial PCs, IIoT edge gateways, and HMI products designed for secure and open data collection, control, and cloud connectivity. Phoenix Contact’s innovative PLCnext Technology, with its robust and scalable I/O, ensures seamless connectivity to a wide range of Industry 4.0 applications. Through its expertise in networking, automation, and electrification, Phoenix Contact works with customers to empower a smart and sustainable world.
Tosibox: Tosibox offers a comprehensive security infrastructure solution that automates connectivity, firewall settings, updates, recoveries, and authentications. Key features include VPN connectivity with multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and on-site firewall automation with no open ports. Tosibox adheres to ISO 27001 security standards.
“I am excited to see the Ignition ecosystem continue to grow. Together with our Alliance Partners, we are providing the best-in-class tools that are integrated to help people solve challenges,” says Travis Cox, Chief Technology Evangelist, Inductive Automation.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 19, 2024 | News, Organizations, Process Control, Sensors
Partnerships continue to form core strategy in this maturing industrial marketplace. This partnership allows each entity to focus resources on their core businesses forming a new entity with another focus.
Perhaps more technology companies should consider splitting out pieces of the business that could be focused and innovative. Then the core business could also be more focused and innovative. We’ve seen Emerson realign its portfolio over the past few years, for example.
German sensor company SICK and the Swiss measurement and automation technology specialist Endress+Hauser have agreed on a strategic partnership. Endress+Hauser will take over worldwide sales and service of SICK’s process analyzers and gas flowmeters, with a joint venture to be established for their production and further development. The aim of the partnership is to provide customers with even better support in increasing their efficiency and sustainability.
SICK and Endress+Hauser signed a joint memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership in October 2023. Since then, the project has been examined and plans for implementing the cooperation have been drawn up. Following approval by the respective supervisory bodies, representatives of both companies have now signed a corresponding agreement. The closing of the transaction is planned for the turn of the year 2024/2025 and is subject to approval by antitrust authorities.
As a key aspect of the strategic partnership, Endress+Hauser will take over sales and service for process analysis and gas flow measurement technology completely. Around 800 specialized sales and service employees in 42 countries will transfer from SICK to Endress+Hauser. Customers will benefit by receiving more products from a single source. The global Endress+Hauser sales network will enable additional customers to be acquired, more industries to be reached and new applications to be developed.
From 2025, the production and further development of process analyzers and gas flowmeters will be the responsibility of a joint venture in which each partner will hold a 50 percent stake. It will employ about 730 people at several locations in Germany. The joint venture will work closely with Endress+Hauser’s competence centers to drive product innovations forward efficiently.
SICK is one of the world’s leading solution providers for sensor-based applications in the industrial sector. The core business of factory and logistics automation, which accounts for more than 80 percent of sales, will not be affected by the partnership.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 14, 2024 | News, Organizations
My first Automation Fair was 1997. I think last year was the first I missed since. Not sure if I’ll be there or not this year. Depends on what they might be showing. Or whether they invite me as media/analyst. I don’t pay in order to promote them.
This year is Anaheim in mid-November. According to the link from the email they sent me, this year will cost you money. Looks like a fee for entrance to the trade show part and tack on $1,000 for entrance to sessions. The link they sent me was somewhat personalized or I’d share it.
Other customer conferences.
I will be at the Ignition Community Conference in Folsom, Calif. on September 17-18. I’ve seen where HUG Americas will be in Dallas at the beginning of October. No other information forthcoming. I’m no longer on Emerson’s list it seems, but I’ve heard nothing of what’s up there. Last year it was quite scaled back. The many other conferences I attended for years simply no longer exist. A sign of a matured industry.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 8, 2024 | News, Organizations
I seldom report on appointments, but this one seems to reflect a trend I see lately of industrial organizations hiring from the broader IT industry.
Fluke Corporation, the market leader in electronic test and measurement, announced the appointment of Vineet Thuvara as Chief Product Officer. In his new role, Vineet will oversee Fluke’s Solutions and Strategy organization to further accelerate our customers’ lifecycle through hardware, software, analytics and services. He will also spearhead efforts to strategically enter new markets, driving innovation to deliver products that simplify the jobs of customers, while developing new solutions across a broad portfolio of industries and products.
Prior to joining Fluke, Vineet served as General Manager and Director at Amazon, where he led the Alexa Echo product organization and helped develop the company’s first-party Alexa-based AI devices and experiences. Vineet also comes to Fluke with 15 years of experience at Microsoft in various leadership roles, and as the co-founder and CEO of an industrial design company based in New Delhi, India. where he gained a wealth of experience in taking complex technology products from concept through to market.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 16, 2024 | News, Organizations
The International Society of Automation (ISA), like all associations, has seen its heyday and then a slump as it found its way in a changed environment. At one time it had great support from corporations until said corporations began pinching pennies. I was a member for years. It still does valuable work in the standards area.
It is heartening to see that new leadership has pushed the organization forward. Glad to see this recognition.
The International Society of Automation (ISA) — the leading professional society for automation — announced it has been named a 2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits, the primary platform for community-sourced reviews about nonprofit organizations.
“We are proud to be named a 2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit,” said Claire Fallon, ISA CEO and executive director. “ISA has just experienced a tremendously successful 2023 with landmark growth across all areas of the organization. It is an honor to see that our success is recognized by our supportive volunteers and members, and that their experience as part of the ISA community has had a positive impact on them. Thank you to GreatNonprofits for highlighting our mission to create a better world through automation.”
The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the five-star rating and number of reviews that ISA received from its volunteers and members. Review contributors with a wide range of experiences shared the impact ISA has had on their professional lives:
- “In the first few years of my career, ISA was instrumental to my growth and advancement as a young engineer. It gave me access to industry standards, training and credentials that expanded my skillset and credibility with my team. It also helped me build a network of automation industry colleagues and mentors, first in my local area and later internationally. It was particularly inspiring and sustaining to me that many of these connections were with women and young professionals, during a time when I was often the only young woman in my work environment.”
- “My multifaceted journey within ISA, from local leadership to district-level responsibilities and now at the executive board, has been instrumental in my skill development and career.”
- “As an automation professional, ISA’s standards, certifications and training have been crucial for my career. Their conferences and networking events are fantastic for learning and connecting with others in the field. If you’re in the field, ISA is the place to be!”
GreatNonprofits is the leading website where people share stories about their personal experiences on more than 1.6 million charities and nonprofits. The GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those who have direct experience with the organizations — as donors, volunteers and recipients of aid.
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 25, 2024 | Automation, News, Organizations, Process Control
This news holds relevance for those hoping for “open” process control technology.
The co-owners of Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), including FieldComm Group, ISA 100 WCI, NAMUR, ODVA, OPC Foundation, PROFIBUS and PROFINET International, VDMA, and ZVEI, today announced the release of the PA-DIM Version 1.1 specification. This release, a testament to collective efforts, includes expanded device type support for process analyzers and an enhanced basic hierarchy structure with new extensions, benefiting the industrial user and vendor manufacturing community.
The PA-DIM specification aims to improve information standardization for process automation applications. All co-owners work together to support a unified information model that seamlessly integrates OT data exchange with IT systems and other higher-level applications. This model includes core parameters, capabilities, status, and diagnostic data based on the NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA) initiative. It allows users to access and interpret device information consistently, regardless of the fieldbus protocol, device type, or manufacturer, enhancing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) architectures.
Key highlights of the PA-DIM Version 1.1 specification include:
- Expanded device-type support for process analyzers, including Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Continuous Gas, and pH. This extension broadens the scope of the standard, enabling seamless integration and management of analytical instruments within process automation systems.
- Enhancement of the basic hierarchy structure to include new extensions such as device condition sets, signal condition sets, and signal calibration. These extensions give users greater flexibility and functionality in representing device information, including attributes such as type, timestamp, and calibrated values.
PA-DIM facilitates various applications, such as:
- Providing/receiving information to/from HMIs, information apps, and reporting apps.
- Supporting inventory management and remote monitoring applications.
- Enabling real-time control applications, such as reading process values and setting parameters.
- Device configuration and parameterization.
- Configuring device security and monitoring its current hardening status.
- Providing information for device dashboards.
