Project Management
Take Chance, Guesswork out of Selecting a Control System Integrator
Benchmarking and registration programs aim to maximize investments and minimize hassle. One axiom that seems to apply to the control system integrators' (CSI) industry is, "Find a really good integrator and you'll also find a very good businessperson." Conversely, those integrators with weak business skills usually end up providing marginal systems to dissatisfied clients.
Montreal Team Has Winning Habit at SAE “Walking Machine” Competition
F or the second consecutive year, a robot designed by a team of students from Ecole de Technologie Superieure (ETS), a part of the University of Quebec, won the Society of Automotive Engineers 'Walking Machine Decathlon' competition in 1999. 'We're fortunate to have a great deal of expertise on our team-mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and automated production engineering,' says this year's team leader, Michel Gendron, a third year mechanical engineering student. 'It gives us a running start in the competition.' Nonetheless, the team begins working together a full year before each year's competition. Early in the cycle, team members may stop at the dedicated shop and work on the project once or twice a week.
Choosing the Right Project Implementation Strategy
As outsourcing increases in popularity, end-users have more choices than ever when implementing a project strategy. Do they use in-house staff, the professional consulting services of the vendor whose products they are using, or a local system integrator to complete the job? Deciding which strategy to implement requires careful analysis of the best scenarios for each.
RFO Type sensors
Plainfield, Conn.— Gems Sensors Inc. has introduced its 3/4 in. and 1 in. RotorFlow RFO Type sensors designed for continuous monitoring of flow rates to 60 gpm. The sensors effectively double the flow rate capability of previous models. Flow ranges span from 2.0-30.0 gpm for 3/4 in. ports, and 4.
Automation Objectives Lower Cost and Improve Time-to-Market
At Eli Lilly and Co. (Indianapolis, Ind.), a leader in the development and manufacture of pharmaceutical products, process automation has played a key role for over 20 years. So in 1994 when Lilly's management challenged the manufacturing units to cut unit operating costs by 25% over the next three years, process automation was an acknowledged key element in meeting the challenge.
Object-oriented Functional Specs are Key to Surprise-free Automation
Functional specifications have two key purposes, to enhance the information presented on process and instrumentation drawings (P&IDs) in such a way as to meet user expectations, and to reduce the total installed cost of a process automation system.Failure to develop a comprehensive functional specification can make project management a very difficult assignment, can keep engineers on ...
How to Work with a System Integrator
System integrators earn their keep by solving their clients automation problems. They provide the time, talents, and technology required to turn a plan into a completed project. But no matter how skilled they may be at designing, implementing, and testing industrial automation systems, integrators can do nothing of value until they know what their clients expect.
Project Management Becomes Another Path for Engineers
Engineers seeking to advance incomes and responsibilities within the same company typically have had two options: advance in technical knowledge or become part of management. With management running leaner than in the past, these opportunities may be fewer, or more competitive, for engineers.A third option exists in many settings—project management.
Entivity moves into project management
Entivity (Ann Arbor, Mich.)—the merger of Think & Do and Steeplechase—expanded into automation project management with its introduction of Automation ProjectNet on March 5 at NMW 2001. The new offering, adapted for automation in partnership with Citadon Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.) software for construction project management, allows users to view, share, update, and route docum...
