Control System World

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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today the launch of its new 8.4-, 10.4- and 12.1-inch TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) industrial-use modules in both SVGA and XGA color versions. The six models, in addition to featuring high brightness and wide viewing angles, have a LED driver embedded in the circuit board to help reduce the size and cost of final products. Sales will begin successively from December 1 through Mitsubishi Electric global offices.

Product Features:

• Circuit board-embedded LED driver for compact product design
• High brightness, wide viewing angles and broad operating temperature range for diverse applications
• LED backlight with long life of 100,000 hours
• Environmental design

Product Website Page

By Reuters: Siemens announced it has signed a three-year service contract with Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations ( Adco ) for the maintenance of the strategic Habshan-Fujairah crude oil pipeline’s automation and telecom system.

“Thethree-year service contract is for maintenance and operational support services. Siemens designed, engineered, installed and commissioned entire automation and telecom system for strategic pipeline. Siemens will train ADCO’s ( Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations ) workforce on operation and maintenance of bespoke system,” the company said.

Adco is the pipeline’s operator. The terms of Siemens’ maintenance contract includes the option of a two-year extension. The announcement was made during the opening day of Abu Dhabi Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), which started in the capital yesterday. The four day event brings together experts from the global energy sector to discuss the various challenges and opportunities in the industry and to share their technical knowhow.

The nearly 380-kilometre Habshan-Fujairah oil pipeline runs from Abu Dhabi to the Fujairah. With a nominal capacity of about 1.5 million barrels a day, the pipeline began pumping crude in June this year for the first time and presents the UAE with an alternative to shipping oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The signing of this service contract is a prime example of our commitment to the development of the region’s infrastructure,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, chief executive, Energy, Siemens Middle East.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces that it continues to explore new collaborative initiatives designed to help industries throughout the world improve automation technology and workforce proficiency, safety, reliability and efficiency.

ISA’s Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin is working with representatives of German-based NAMUR, a leading international user association of automation technology companies in the chemical process industry, to assess how ISA can support NAMUR’s core objectives, namely:

• Minimizing its member companies’ costs associated with process control technology
• Increasing access to appropriate process control technology
• Improving plant safety
• Encouraging greater collaboration among its company members with other corporations and associations

“At ISA, we’re honored that NAMUR encourages our input and seeks to create a collaborative relationship,” says Gouhin, who this week attended and spoke at NAMUR’s Annual General Meeting, held 8-9 November 2012 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany. Pieter van der Klooster, who manages ISA’s European office, also attended the meeting. “We’re currently working to define the activities that offer the most potential for collaboration, to plan cooperative working groups, and to consider our mutual participation in events.”

In his opening remarks at the meeting, NAMUR President Wilhelm Otten highlighted the need to initiate international involvement and secure alliances with other organizations to solve many of the global challenges facing process industry.

In an increasingly linked and interdependent global economy, fostering greater communication and cooperation among industry producers, automation technology companies, industry associations, government officials, and academicians is vital in sharing best practices, promoting innovation, and weighing strategies to invigorate worldwide economic growth.

Already, Gouhin reports, ISA and NAMUR have identified five common working groups that offer immediate collaborative opportunities:

• Functional Safety
• Wireless Automation
• IT Security
• Selection of Field Flow Devices
• Alarm Management

Gouhin’s involvement at NAMUR is the latest example of ISA’s growing participation in international initiatives to leverage the value of automation technology and counteract the worldwide economic slowdown. In mid-October of this year, Gouhin attended and spoke at the World Manufacturing Forum 2012, also in Germany, where he underscored the need for automated manufacturing systems and more skilled workers capable of operating them.

PS IPC Drives is Europe’s leading exhibition for electric automation.

Meet suppliers of electric automation technology from around the world. Inform yourself about all products, trends and innovations within the industry from 27 - 29 November 2012 in Nuremberg. Trade fair and adjoining conference offer you the perfect platform to search the right solutions for your automation tasks. It covers all components down to complete systems and integrated automation solutions. Find out more about the exhibition topics’ spectrum in detail.

Exhibition Website

Technip was awarded a lump sum contract for the development of subsea infrastructure for the Cardamom field located in the Gulf of Mexico, Garden Banks block 427. The field is at a water depth of approximately 830 meters.

The project consists of a subsea tie-back to the Auger tension leg platform, wholly owned by Shell Offshore Inc. The contract covers the project management, engineering, fabrication and installation of the East and West Loop 12.8 kilometer pipe-in-pipe flowlines(1) with associated PLETs(2) and steel catenary risers(3).

Technip's operating center in Houston, Texas will perform the overall project management. The flowlines and risers will be welded at Technip’s spoolbase in Mobile, Alabama. The offshore installation is expected to be performed in the second semester of 2013 by the Deep Blue, Technip’s deepwater pipelay vessel, and the Pioneer, recently added to the Technip fleet with the acquisition of Global Industries.

Siemens Industry Automation Division is launching a versatile weighing module for the Simatic S7-1200. Siwarex WP231 is the first weighing module for this control and is suitable for monitoring filling levels in silos and bins and for use with goods being weighed on platform scales. The new model is intended for industries requiring a high level of measurement accuracy, such as the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Furthermore it is suitable for use in explosive atmospheres. Ethernet connections and an RS485 RTU interface with Modbus protocol enable it to be operated from a Modbus HMI panel without being connected to the Simatic S7-1200 control.

Siemens' new Siwarex WP231 weighing module can be fully integrated into the Simatic S7-1200 control, and its parameters can be quickly and easily set via the TIA Portal engineering platform. The module has four digital inputs and outputs and one analog output. The Siwarex WP231 can be connected to various systems and operator panels via an Ethernet or RS485 interface with Modbus protocol and can be operated independently from the Simatic S7-1200 ("stand-alone capability"). This makes it possible for the module to be used in various applications. In addition, the module can be operated directly from a Modbus HMI panel in the event of failure of the control unit.

Product Web Link

Siemens expands its portfolio of industry software by acquiring LMS International NV (Leuven, Belgium), a leading provider of test and mechatronic simulation for complex products. "The mechatronic simulation will become more and more important for intelligent and competitive product development and production processes. With the acquisition of LMS, we are entering a leading position in this software segment as well and can significantly boost the pace and power of our clients' innovation," said Siegfried Russwurm, member of the Siemens AG Managing Board and CEO of the Industry Sector. The purchase price for LMS amounts to approximately 680 million euro. The transaction is subject to approval by regulatory authorities.

With more than 1,200 employees and revenues of around 140 million euro for the first nine months of 2012 (January 1 to September 30), LMS is a global partner to some 5,000 companies in the automotive, aerospace, and other industries. The privately held company is supporting all of the Fortune 500 automotive and aerospace manufacturers and their tier-one-suppliers with a combination of mechatronic simulation software, testing systems and engineering services. LMS offers a complete software platform to model, simulate and test vehicles, aircraft, and other complex products optimizing their acoustics, vibrations, oscillations, fatigue strength, and dynamics.

The business activities of LMS are to be integrated into the product lifecycle management (PLM) software portfolio within the Siemens Industry Automation Division. "With the acquisition of LMS, we are expanding our portfolio of industry software in an area that is critical for many customers. They will now be able to simulate, test, optimize, and produce their products in a unified, consistent data environment. This will make them faster, more efficient, more flexible and more cost-effective," explains Anton S. Huber, CEO of the Industry Automation Division.

"This acquisition is the best possible strategic option to maximize our future growth and continue the long-term success for LMS in a consolidating industry," said Urbain Vandeurzen, Chairman and CEO of LMS. "Since LMS' foundation in 1980, we have reported over 30 years of continued profit and revenue growth. Our customers can continue to count on our portfolio of solutions and now also on a strong partner that offers complementary technical software, deep industry expertise and long-term stability."

PLM software, part of the Siemens industry software portfolio, is used by over 70,000 companies worldwide in automotive production, electronics manufacturing, aerospace, mechanical engineering, and other industries. Since its acquisition of UGS Corp. in 2007, Siemens has been the only provider worldwide covering the entire value-added process for product development and production with its software products. Siemens' acquisitions since the end of 2011 include Active Tecnologia em Sistemas de Automação Ltda. (pharmaceutical and biotech production), Vistagy Inc. (construction of composites), IBS AG (quality and production management), Innotec do Brasil Ltda. (integrated system management), Perfect Costing Solutions GmbH (cost management), VRcontext International S.A. (3D system visualization) and Kineo CAM (computer-aided motion software).