Control System World

Schneider Electric Software, a global leader in industrial software and part of Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, announces that customer Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc. was placed in the Top 10 of the 2015 Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) Global Awards for Excellence in Business Process Management (BPM).

The 2015 WfMC are Global Awards for Excellence in BPM and Workflow. The Workflow Management Coalition and BPM.com jointly sponsor the annual Global Awards for Excellence in BPM and Workflow. They recognize user organizations that have demonstrably excelled in implementing innovative business process solutions to meet strategic business objectives.

The 2015 WfMC Global Award for Excellence was given to Wonderware customer Fujirebio Diagnostics for implementing an equipment monitoring system based on Skelta BPM software to ensure compliance, and to meet extensive reporting and documentation requirements from regulatory authorities. The Wonderware Skelta BPM solution enabled Fujirebio to use Process Modeling for electronic equipment monitoring, underscoring their automated production management system.

“Our Electronic Initiative, based on Wonderware Skelta BPM, has helped us improve compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 and has increased overall productivity, saving about 1,100 man hours per year,” said Ken Kovacs, Quality Business Systems Manager, Fujirebio Diagnostics. He adds, “The BPM solution provides us with a collaborative infrastructure for other electronic data capture projects going forward.”

Wonderware Skelta BPM is an advanced business process management and workflow software that manages all activity flows that include people and/or systems inside or outside an organization. The sophisticated Business Process Management (BPM) application enables companies to model, execute, analyze and improve operational processes to drive higher levels of productivity, collaboration and innovation. Ideal as a cross-industry platform, Wonderware Skelta BPM solves the challenges within the Life Sciences industry for collaboration, visibility, compliance, and standardization of processes—all necessary to meet and exceed the requirements of 21 CFR Part 11 good manufacturing practice regulations.

exida, a global supplier of functional safety products, services and certifications is pleased to announce a business partnership with Phoenix Contact.

“Through this partnership, exida provides Phoenix Contact with an extensive assessment offering that can help our customers improve their business,” said Spencer Bolgard, vice president and general manager of Phoenix Contact USA

“The expertise provided by exida is a valuable service to our customers and significantly complements our safety and cybersecurity solutions.”

“Phoenix Contact has a reputation for providing quality products and services to the functional safety and industrial control system cybersecurity markets, which complements exida’s portfolio of products and services,” says Steve Gandy, exida vice president of global business development. “exida has been looking to partner with a select group of companies as a means of enhancing both companies product and service offerings, and we are very pleased to be partnering with such a strong and innovative company, such as Phoenix Contact.”

Rotork Fairchild has launched a new range of compact low pressure I/P (electro-pneumatic) transducers for instrument, analytical and scientific control applications.

Precise pressure control, where output pressures must be accurately held at low pressures down to 70 mBar (1 psi), has traditionally been a difficult task for industrial instrumentation. The new Rotork Fairchild T7500 range of transducers is specifically designed for these low pressure control systems with set point accuracy of 0.1%, even at pressures of less than 100 mBar.

T7500 transducers accept supply pressures between 1.3 and 2 Bar (20 and 30 psi) with mA or VDC control signals to deliver critical high accuracy output ranges of 0-350 mBar (0-5 psi) and 0-1 Bar (0-15 psi). Flow configurations of 85 l/m or 200 l/m suit a wide range of application requirements. In addition, the T7500 can be ordered with DIN plug, NPT conduit or terminal block electrical connections styles to suit assembly requirements.

Applications in test and medical equipment, leak detection equipment and other precise scientific areas are ideal for the T7500 transducers. The rugged cast aluminium construction and vibration resistant internal componentry is designed to withstand the rigors of both portable and stationary mounted equipment often found in medical and test situations.

As part of Rotork Instruments, Fairchild provides a complete range of regulators, boosters, I/P transducers and other products. Rotork Instruments can also provide fully approved switchboxes, positioners, solenoid valves and other actuation and severe service components to complete the automated flow control package.

Todd Stauffer, exida Director of Alarm Management Services is the recipient of the ISA Standards and Practices Department Award. This award is in recognition of outstanding contributions as working group chair in the development of ISA-TR 18.2.3, Basic Alarm Design, and for pioneering work in development of the technical reports for the first standard on alarm management.

The Instrumentation and Automation Symposium for the Process Industries, now in its 71st year, continues to educate professionals and students in the instrumentation industry. At the symposium, practical technical papers as well as vendor exhibits are presented with a focus on education.

One change to this year’s symposium is a slight update to the name by adding in “Automation.” Don’t worry – this won’t change the excellent papers, workshops, and vendors that we bring to you each year! We are excited to expand our range of topics outwards to meet industry needs!

Location & Schedule: January 26-28, 2016, Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University College Station, Texas

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Information technology (IT) has permeated manufacturing infrastructure and operations, producing The Connected Enterprise and triggering questions about responsibility for plant-based networks and assets. IT and operations technology (OT) professionals are facing convergence in their duties and the skill set required to succeed. Rockwell Automation and Sunset Learning Institute (SLI) are teaming up to improve and increase access to continuing education and certifications surrounding the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT).

Rockwell Automation is increasing its investment in an IoT training curriculum. The company has rolled out several courses and a certification program over the last year with its Strategic Alliance Partner Cisco. New courses and certifications can help both IT and OT workers gain the skills needed to manage, administer, design and operate converged industrial networks. These include the Managing Industrial Networks with Cisco Networking Technologies (IMINS) training course; Managing Industrial Networks for Manufacturing with Cisco Technologies (IMINS2); and CCNA Industrial certification.

SLI specializes in delivering and developing authorized Cisco training. SLI has been a top-tier Authorized Cisco Learning Partner for 20 years. The courses and certifications supported by Rockwell Automation-SLI collaboration include:

• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1): A five-day course on how to install, operate, configure and verify basic IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 (ICND2): A five-day course on how to install, configure, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise network.
• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Accelerated (CCNAX): An advanced, five-day course consisting of ICND1 and ICND2 content in its entirety.
• Implementing Cisco Unified Wireless Networking Essentials: A five-day course designed to prepare for the CCNA wireless certification, an associate-level certification specializing in the wireless field.

Students can register for courses via the Rockwell Automation and SLI websites.

“Our customers are tasked with building and managing networks and information systems that are different from anything their predecessors confronted,” said Glenn Goldney, global business manager for training services, Rockwell Automation. “Pairing SLI’s qualifications with our own expertise in OT provides IT and OT professionals with premium quality IoT training. These are the skills workers need to take advantage of IoT to drive new opportunities, and unite traditionally disparate practices.”

“The convergence of IT and OT makes it critical that we partner with the very best in the OT space,” said Rick Morgan, CEO, Sunset Learning Institute. “Combining our in-depth knowledge of IT and Cisco markets with Rockwell Automation expertise in the OT space creates an unrivaled partnership in the emerging IoT marketplace.”

The technology company The Linde Group has been selected by Gazprom, Gazprom Pererabotka Blagoveshchensk and its general contractor NIPIgas as the licenser for cryogenic gas separation technology at the Amur Gas Processing Plant (Amur GPP), located in the far east of Russia. Linde will engineer and supply units for ethane and natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction and nitrogen rejection, as well as for helium purification, liquefaction and storage.
The plant is part of Gazprom's project for the supply of Russian gas to China via the 'Power of Siberia' pipeline from eastern Siberian gas fields and will be built in five phases ending in 2024.
In late December 2015, Linde and NIPIgas entered into a binding engineering and supply contract in respect of the above-mentioned units for all five construction phases of the Amur GPP. Phase one will consist of two ethane and NGL (propane, butane, pentane, hexane) extraction and nitrogen rejection units, as well as one helium production unit. Related engineering works are in progress. When completed, the Amur GPP will be one of the largest gas processing plants in the world with a capacity of up to 49 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom, and Dr Wolfgang Büchele, Chief Executive Officer of Linde AG, also recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement stipulating the intention to cooperate and jointly carry out existing and future projects related to the natural gas value chain.
"We are delighted to significantly extend our successful business relationship with Gazprom," said Büchele. "Not only will Amur GPP be one of the largest natural gas processing plants in the world, Linde is looking forward to cooperating on projects and technologies which will support Gazprom in its efforts to better market natural gas and its by-products."
The cooperation agreement covers process technologies, engineering and services related to the treatment and liquefaction of natural gas, as well as localisation of the respective equipment production in Russia. Furthermore, the agreement also addresses the field of helium production, including the investment in, production and operation of helium plants.
Linde's Engineering Division has world-class experience across the entire natural gas processing chain, from proprietary process technology to manufacturing specialised, tailor-made cryogenic equipment. This know-how is complemented by a long history of experience in the design and construction of turnkey projects.

NI (Nasdaq: NATI), the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, announced today a new, high-performance model of VirtualBench. The software-based VirtualBench all-in-one instrument combines a mixed-signal oscilloscope, function generator, digital multimeter, programmable DC power supply and digital I/O. With 350 MHz of bandwidth, four analog channels and Ethernet connectivity, the new version of VirtualBench offers increased functionality for engineers characterizing and debugging new designs or automated test systems.

“Since we introduced VirtualBench to the marketplace, its versatility and practicality have created considerable efficiencies for users,” said Stefanie Breyer, vice president of R&D, data acquisition at NI. “With this next iteration, we incorporated greater performance and more features that open up even more possibilities for engineers interacting with benchtop test equipment.”

Users still interact with VirtualBench through free upgradable software applications that run on PCs or iPads for an easy, unified software experience for all five instruments. Because VirtualBench uses today’s consumer computing platforms, engineers and scientists interact with their instruments using multitouch displays, multicore processors, wireless connectivity and intuitive interfaces for increased productivity. Simplification and increased capability through software leads to more efficient circuit debugging and validation.

Key Benefits:

• Enhanced mixed-signal oscilloscope with protocol analysis delivers 350 MHz of bandwidth and four analog channels for higher performance interactive test
• Higher wattage programmable DC power supply with up to 3 A for the 6 V output channel and up to 1 A for the 25 V and -25 V channels for higher current applications
• Convenient, unified view of all five instruments, visualization on larger displays and quick functionality to save data and screenshots
• Ethernet connectivity in addition to USB and WiFi compatibility for distributed measurements
• Integrates seamlessly with LabVIEW system design software