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Downtime avoidance: Proactive support seeks to eliminate emergency calls, diagnostic delays Manufacturing automation and control systems are increasingly complex, and when plant engineers have a problem, they are asking support service providers to do more. Many are seeking methods of proactive support, which involves predictive monitoring of equipment and automated problem diagnoses—and even resolution—before a service call is made. The result is fewer emergency service calls, quicker resolution of problems when they do occur, and significantly less downtime. Invensys is using support center software from NextNine to provide such benefits to its customers. SOA: Speed production management application development The application development capabilities of Rockwell Automation's FactoryTalk ProductionCentre have been updated and expanded to help users save time and money when building and deploying manufacturing production applications across multiple sites. It leverages the FactoryTalk Services Platform, a service-oriented architecture (SOA) for improved plant-wide integration.
New research: Wireless operator interface terminals sought
When it comes to operator interface terminals, once you decide a model is tough enough for your industrial application, what else do you look for? According to respondents to Control Engineering’s July 2008 Product Research survey, the features that end users and machine builders are willing to spend money on are wireless capabilities, touchscreens and network-enabled units. In addition to trend data, this research and other resources can help you decide what features, NEMA ratings, and communications technologies you should be looking for, as well as which vendors offer appropriate models. Web portals: Improved context for real-time information Users who want to gain business insight from plant data in real time should look at Release 3.0 of GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms' Proficy Real-Time Information Portal. As the Web client for the entire GE Fanuc software portfolio, the software provides a consistent set of tools for analyzing and reporting disparate process, lab and shop-floor SPC systems, along with interfaces to offline Six Sigma tools such as Minitab. Release 3.0 enhances the software's capabilities in three areas, according to Jack Wilkins, product manager for Proficy Production Management. Web portals: Create real-time dashboards with drag-and-drop ease Aegis Software announces the release of iMonitor 2.0, a system enabling manufacturers to create their own real-time dashboards to monitor the enterprise through Web browsers. iMonitor reportedly lets "machine operators, production managers, and executives...create unlimited numbers of interactive and real-time production tracking, materials, utilization, and quality dashboards as easily as one would design a PowerPoint slide."
New controllers Improve on performance, speed and Ethernet throughput National Instruments has released three new Compact FieldPoint controllers that deliver increased performance, higher processor speed and significantly improved Ethernet throughput. Engineers can create stand-alone embedded systems with these new controllers by using LabVIEW Real-Time. "We use Compact FieldPoint and NI LabVIEW for mobile oil field monitoring and control," said Mike King, product development manager for Advanced Measurements Inc. RTUs: Removable memory expansion lets RTU log data to USB devices Control Microsystems has introduced what it says is the industry's first use of USB storage devices for data logging in SCADA applications. "Walk-up SCADA" uses removable USB storage devices such as Flash memory sticks to enable Control Microsystems' SCADAPack 300-Series controllers to provide configured and accessible data logs. OPC server software: Enables multi-vendor substation automation ReLab Software LLC has introduced an OPC server software package based on IEC-61850 standard protocol. The product allows customers to create multi-vendor substation automation systems of any size quickly.
In print: From Control Engineering June and July 2008
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New podcast: Matt Luallen on Cyber Security, Parts 1 & 2 Matt Luallen (SANS Institute, Sph3r3) tells where to look to secure electric utilities and other SCADA systems.
Standard profits: Make2Pack and ISA88 Learn a few ways to get your voice heard in a standards committee comment-and-review process. View the blog. |
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