Control Amplified

What happened at AspenTech's Optimize 26?

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:36:49 -0600

Fifteen months after its acquisition by Emerson, AspenTech’s biannual Optimize 26 event on May 11-14 in Houston had a definite Emersonian flavor. Its keynotes and presentations, panel discussions, technical sessions and exhibits retained AspenTech’s cornerstones of innovation, software development, talented personnel and customer focus, but this time they also paralleled the structure and style of Emerson Exchange events.

In this episode of Control Amplified, executive editor Jim Montague discusses what he saw at Optimize 26.

Control's editors dive into the CSIA community

Wed, 27 May 2026 12:54:44 -0600

In keeping with its informal motto of “giving back 10 ideas for every one presented,” the Control System Integrators Association provided mass quantities of useful content to almost 500 visitors at its 2026 conference on May 4-8 in Baltimore. The event’s 15 educational sessions covered wide range of technical, economic, workforce and other skills that system integrators can take advantage of to run their businesses more effectively.

Control editor in chief Len Vermillion sat down with executive editor Jim Montague, who attended the conference, to learn about the insights gleaned from the event.

Driving sustainable transformation: Endress+Hauser CEO Peter Selders

Wed, 13 May 2026 08:05:57 -0600

Now in his second year as leader of the global process instrumentation powerhouse, Selders talks with Control's Keith Larson about the innovations, investments and company values that support the company's trust-based relationships with process manufacturers.

2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame: Peter Morgan understands what makes things tick

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:09:11 -0600

There are engineers who fall into their careers, and there are engineers who seem destined for them. Peter Morgan—newly inducted member of the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame is, by his own cheerful admission, somewhere in between.

Editor in chief Len Vermillion spoke with Morgan in the next podcast from the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame podcast and video series.

2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame: Manfred Morari's mentorship ripples across the industry

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:03:46 -0600

When Manfred Morari learned of his election to the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame, his first reaction wasn’t triumph, but humility. The list of past inductees includes several colleagues, whose work he admires and whose advice shaped his own career.

Editor in chief Len Vermillion spoke with Morari in this first podcast from the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame podcast and video series.

Relays in Industrial Control Systems: Trends, Benefits, and Applications

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0600

In this episode of the Control Amplified podcast, you will hear an informative discussion about industrial relays and their role in automation and manufacturing. Hosted by Len Vermillion, Editor-in-Chief of Control Global/Control Magazine at Endeavor Business Media, the conversation features Patrick Casey, Senior Offer Manager for Control and Signaling at Schneider Electric.

Together, they explain what relays do, why solid-state relays are gaining popularity, and how modern relay design is evolving. The episode covers key trade-offs such as heat, cost, lifespan, and speed, while also highlighting newer trends like slim relays, smarter connected relays with NFC programming, and improved wire management.

Len and Patrick also compare relays with controllers and contactors, and discuss environmental considerations, such as hazardous-location and hermetically sealed relays for harsh industrial settings. This episode provides a practical look at how relays continue to support reliable, space-saving, and increasingly intelligent industrial control systems.

April agentic AI preview with the editors of Control

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:57:56 -0600

Can't wait for the April edition of Control? Have no fear, because editor in chief Len Vermillion spoke to executive editor Jim Montague in this podcast about one of the biggest topics being covered in the upcoming issue: agentic AI.

How are controls engineers using it? And what are the implications for the automation workforce going forward? Montague gives a sneak preview of those questions and answers in this episode of Control Amplified.

From Control's editors: Combating freezing issues, selecting heat tracing materials and more

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:33:03 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion talks to executive editor Jim Montague about February 2026's ISA Will-DuPage Chapter Tabletop Show and Technical Conference. Jim learned about effective ways to protect instrumentation from freezing temperatures and more at this show on Feb. 26 in Joliet, Illinois.

Going beyond the pilot: Control editors talk AI, O-PAS and more

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:27:22 -0600

In a second conversation with Control editor in chief Len Vermillion and executive editor Jim Montague following ARC Advisory Group's February Industry Leadership Forum, the editors delve more in depth into the conference's most intriguing highlights: not just how artificial intelligence (AI) is being implemented into control systems, but also what it will mean for processing engineers; how O-PAS members are testing applications; what new innovations caught their eye; and more.

A conversation about ARC Industry Leadership Forum with Control's editors

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:16:30 -0600

Control's editor in chief, Len Vermillion, and executive editor, Jim Montague, attended ARC Advisory Group's February Industry Leadership Forum in Orlando, Florida. There, attendees heard industry experts discuss the most pressing issues in the process industries, from artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity to large-language models (LLMs) and system design.

For even more information on the conference, visit https://www.arcweb.com/events/arc-industry-leadership-forum-orlando.

How digital solutions optimize LNG production

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:09:36 -0600

Liquified natural gas (LNG) occupies an essential role in the energy transition, and integrated digital solutions--from process technology through advanced control and cybersecurity--are essential to optimizing its production while also minimizing its carbon footprint. In this Solutions Spotlight podcast, Control's Keith Larson talks with Srikanth Venkat, director of consulting for Honeywell Connected Industrials, about industry's transition from isolated point solutions to a comprehensive digital approach.

What could you do with an 'always on' digital twin?

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:06:41 -0600

The concept of the digital twin is perhaps the centerpiece of digital transformation when it comes to the industrial enterprise. Think about it: What if the same digital model used to optimize the design of an industrial facility or other complex machine lived on in the form of a continuously current simulation that could optimize the real-time performance of the system over its entire lifecycle? According to Christian Salazar, portfolio manager for Honeywell Process Solutions, such is the promise of Honeywell's Digital Prime offering.

Control's Keith Larson caught up with Salazar at the company's recent users group meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss how Digital Prime brings together all of the connected offerings within Honeywell Process Solutions to deliver real-time performance insights to its customers.

Combining human and machine capabilities for optimal performance

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:32:16 -0600

The emergence of artificial intelligence in the industrial automation space is elevating the role of the control system from simply executing operator commands to providing expert guidance to human operators. At Honeywell, they call this Digital Cognition, and at the company's recent users group meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, Control's Keith Larson had a chance to talk with Jason Urso, chief technology officer for industrial automation, as well as Peter Davis, director of engineering for Honeywell Process Solutions, about how today's control systems are helping even relatively inexperienced operators achieve their facilities' best performance yet.

Plant of Year: Learn all about SRF Dahej

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:34:00 -0600

SRF is a global producer of chemicals and specialty chemicals with locations not only in India, but also Thailand, South Africa and Hungary. It maintains a long and storied history of growth and innovation dating back more than a century.

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion discusses the 2025 Plant of the Year pick, SRF Dahej.

Modularity coming soon to automation system near you

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:36:20 -0600

Control’s Keith Larson caught up with Joe Bastone, growth initiative leader for Honeywell Process Solutions, at the company’s recent user group meeting in San Antonio to discuss how the company is transitioning users away from monolithic, ground-up upgrades to a more modular, flexible approach to digital transformation.

This episode is sponsored by Honeywell.

Trends and solutions in built-in control and I/O integration

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 11:57:15 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion sits down with Cade Shipek, senior HMI solutions expert for Proface by Schneider Electric, to discuss the state of control and I/O integration.

Enterprise data analytics in the age of AI

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:06:00 -0600

Among the most significant impacts of the latest generation of artificial intelligence tools is the ability to quickly make better decisions with the data industrial enterprises already have on hand. They’s also helping to fill the human resource gap, effectively replacing years of on-the-job experience. One company leading the way in this charge is Honeywell Process Solutions, and Control’s Keith Larson caught up with Sharan Ragarajan, offering manager for the company’s Honeywell Forge Production Intelligence capabilities to learn more about the unprecedented responsiveness the tool is making possible.

Edge-based SCADA: incorporating it into legacy systems

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:06:16 -0600

In today’s world of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and emerging artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, there’s a growing need to share operational technology (OT) data from supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and integrate it with the business information typically found in information technology (IT) systems. Much of this data originates from legacy control hardware performing dedicated functions that aren’t directly compatible with evolving IT environments supporting AI and other initiatives.

What are the key considerations for bridging this data divide to enable new applications in a safe, efficient and economical way? Control Amplified spoke with Barry Baker, vice president of Trihedral Engineering, about the benefits of adopting edge-based solutions for existing applications.

This episode is sponsored by Trihedral Engineering.

Gigafactories challenged by explosive growth

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 08:09:07 -0600

If there's one trend underlying the ongoing energy transition, it's the emergence of electricity as a primary global standard of generation, exchange—and storage as well. In this podcast, Control's Keith Larson talks with Jill Pestana, founder and CEO, Pestana Solutions; JR Klein, battery manufacturing engineer, Honeywell Process Solutions; and Mike Sanders, senior advisor at Avicenne Energy, about how battery manufacturers are responding to the rapidly growing demand.

Honeywell, Danfoss team to offer smarter motor controls

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:52:42 -0600

Variable frequency drives, or VFDs, have long offered the opportunity to boost the energy efficiency of rotating equipment such as pumps and fans. But when VFDs are fully integrated into a plant’s control system architecture, new levels of plantwide optimization are possible. Control’s Keith Larson caught up with Chad White, leader of the North America sales organization for Danfoss, and Raj Nara Yanan, product manager for Honeywell Process Solutions, at the recent Honeywell Users Group meeting in San Antonio to discuss how Honeywell’s partnership with Danfoss is unlocking new possibilities.

Raising the bar for flow measurement

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 11:31:06 -0600

Highly accurate and versatile, Coriolis flowmeters have become standouts for mass flow measurement, particularly for complex applications in the chemical, energy, life sciences and oil and gas industries. Micro Motion ELITE Coriolis flowmeters have been continually redefining what’s possible for flow measurement, and Control talked with Jana Andreas, Senior Global Product Manager at Emerson, about how they’re reinvigorating the possibilities for industrial processing.

Can AI help solve industry’s worker shortages?

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:36:45 -0600

By their very nature, the metals, minerals and mining industries have often set the standard for jobs that are at once remote, dirty and dangerous, and as such are facing a particularly acute shortage of workers as Baby Boomers retire. But new cutting-edge technologies such as AI are poised to change that outlook, according to Derain Pillay, global vertical lead for the MM&M markets with Honeywell Process Solutions. Control’s Keith Larson caught up with Derain at the company’s recent Honeywell Users Group meeting in San Antonio to discuss how technology is reshaping how work gets done in this essential global industry.

How Trihedral shares SCADA data

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 12:26:39 -0600

Supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) play a critical role in collecting process data from across distributed systems and making it available across an organization. But what if you need to share that data beyond your firewall? What are the keys to doing so efficiently and safely?

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion talked with Chris Little, media relations director for VTScada by Trihedral, about new and not-so-new ways to share data on a massive scale.

How AI is reshaping industrial automation

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:07:33 -0600

Control’s Keith Larson caught up with Rahul Negi, director of digital and autonomous operations for Honeywell Process Solutions, to discuss AI’s rapidly evolving capabilities: from assisting human-decision makers to manifesting aspects of true autonomy.

The infinite possibilities of AI applications in process control

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:14:57 -0600

It's hard to escape artificial intelligence (AI) these days - the industrial sector is both enamored and perplexed on how to best apply it to process control. While there's no shortage of questions that need answering, Curtis Thompson, DeltaV product marketing manager of AI at Emerson, spoke with editor in chief Len Vermillion to tackle some of them in this episode of Control Amplified.

The distributed control system turns 50

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:56:10 -0600

Control’s Keith Larson talks with ExxonMobil’s David Patin and Brian Reynolds and Alicia Kempf of Honeywell Process Solutions in this episode of Control Amplified.

Schneider Electric and Intel: pioneering open automation solutions

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:48:18 -0600

Most proprietary and closed automation systems are 20-30 years old and quickly becoming obsolete. However, by bridging information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), open automation can help lead industry into a more secure future.

A collaboration between Schneider Electric and Intel focuses on the integration of Intel Policy Engine technology with Schneider’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert. The collaboration is an example of how industry can move from proprietary systems to open automation and avoid hitting the brick walls of obsolescence and experience.

To learn more, Control Amplified spoke with Andre Babineau, director of strategic initiatives at Schneider Electric, and Stan Woody, senior manager of product and business development at Intel.

Modern SCADA: ensuring safety, relevance and convenience

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:00:05 -0600

SCADA applications are responsible for far more than facilitating real-time process monitoring and alarm management. The process history they compile over time is critical to providing the data-driven insights that industry relies on when optimizing their systems to control costs, maximize uptime and increase the life of infrastructure. Modern SCADA systems must ensure data is safe, relevant and easily shareable with a company’s own team or third-party reporting solutions, business systems and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms.

Control Amplified talked to Chris Little, media relations director, Trihedral Engineering, about straightforward principles to ensure that your SCADA data is ready to go to work.

Leading factory floor monitoring with Hope Industrial Systems

Wed, 28 May 2025 12:08:07 -0600

Every control system on the factory floor needs reliable monitors, touchscreens and related products to keep their operation running efficiently. For the last 25 years, Hope Industrial Systems (HIS), based in Atlanta, Ga., has been at the forefront of manufacturing monitors and supplying them quickly to customers all over the world. How did the company succeed, so it can celebrate its 25th anniversary? Mike McGraw, president of Hope Industrial Systems, talked with Control's editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, to explain what sets the company and its products apart from the field.

2025 Process Automation Hall of Fame: Sandy Vasser shakes up the industry

Wed, 07 May 2025 10:55:25 -0600

Editor in chief Len Vermillion is chatting with the newest inductees for 2025's Process Automation Hall of Fame in this Control Amplified mini-series. In his final interview of the series, he and industry legend Sandy Vasser discuss a lifetime in process control.

Achieving smart factory connectivity with product modification

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 09:09:45 -0600

Editor in chief Len Vermillion speaks to Felix Dozzi, customer services supervisor for Pro-face America, Schneider Electric, about how coordinating HMI with other devices and customizing the applications in smart factories can create more effective workplace solutions.

2025 Process Automation Hall of Fame: John Hedenglen runs the future

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:08:28 -0600

Editor in chief Len Vermillion is chatting with the newest inductees for 2025's Process Automation Hall of Fame in this Control Amplified mini-series. In this interview with John Hedenglen, they discuss how working with fellow Hall-of-Famer Thomas Edgar on process dynamics and controls kickstarted Hedenglen's career of academia, prestigious accolades and eventual induction into the Hall of Fame's class of 2025.

2025 Process Automation Hall of Fame: Duncan Schleiss stays humble

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:12:39 -0600

Editor in chief Len Vermillion is chatting with the newest inductees for 2025's Process Automation Hall of Fame in this Control Amplified mini-series. First up: Duncan Schleiss. From pioneering Emerson's DeltaV technologies to teaching at Louisiana State University, Schleiss continually recognizes the help and support of his colleagues amid all his successes.

"Point on wave" motor starter sets new performance standard

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:41:09 -0600

It’s often said that good things come in small packages, and that adage seems especially apt in describing Rockwell Automation’s new M100 Electronic Motor Starter. In this special Solutions Spotlight episode of Control Amplified, group publisher Keith Larson speaks to Bill Meindl, Jr., business manager for industrial components at Rockwell on the M100 functionality and highlights.

Tariffs, inflation and process control

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:34:40 -0600

While uncertainty over tariffs and inflation confuses the industrial sector, we wondered how the industrial processing market is affected. To get answers, Control editor in chief Len Vermillion talked with Connor Lokar, senior forecaster for ITR Economics, to try to make heads or tails of the situation.

While some processing business might be fretting over the escalating trade war the U.S. has engaged in with Canada, Mexico and China, others are may have reasons to be more hopeful. But many are still awaiting leading indicators to catch up to the whirlwinds of activity from the government before deciding how to react. In the meantime, we check in with ITR Economics to get their thoughts on the outlook for 2025 as it pertains to industrial processing, instrumentation and more.

Increasing the power of real-time data analysis

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 09:31:24 -0600

The only constant in today's industrial landscape is the rapid evolution fueled by digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI). It is estimated that more than 90% of businesses engage in some form of digital activity. While innovation and adaptability are keys to staying ahead, the digital transformation journey for industrial organizations is by no means an easy one, particularly in water and wastewater. Control talked with Alejandro Trejo, Offer Manager for Digital Services, and James Redmond, Global Offer Manager for SCADA and Telemetry, of Schneider Electric to get further insight into the challenges and solutions for operators.

AI, APL highlight ARC Forum

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:04:57 -0600

Control Editor-in-Chief Len Vermillion recaps his thoughts from ARC Forum 2025 in Orlando. While winning with artificial intelligence (AI) dominated the conversation, the migration of Foundation Fieldbus to Ethernet APL is also on the minds of CEOs these days.

How to get the most out of your AI journey

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:57:32 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, Editor in Chief Len Vermillion looks at the journey of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial operations. He gets help from the words of Dustin Johnson, chief technology officer at Seeq; Tathagata Basu, global head and general of sustainable fuels and chemicals at Honeywell; and John Rezabek, process controls specialist, Ashland Inc.

Among the topics:

Strategic planning for generative AI (GenAI)
Efficient data analytics
Human-AI interaction
Technical training challenges

Cybersecurity expertise from Joe Weiss

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:37:07 -0600

Control editor in chief Len Vermillion and Joe Weiss - managing partner of Applied Control Solutions Inc., ISA99 ICS cybersecurity pioneer, 2024 Process Automation Hall of Fame honoree and Unfettered blog author - sit down for a discussion on cybersecurity. What should everyone know about cybersecurity? And what can we do to represent cybersecurity appropriately?

Exploring wireless advances in industrial process

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:44:32 -0600

In the first Control Amplified podcast of 2025, wireless technology expert Ian Verhappen joins Len Vermillion for a discussion on the past, present and future of wireless technology for industrial operations.
Among their topics are the fast advances and usage of wireless in industrial plants, why Wi-Fi advancement enables more efficient operations, the growing influence of Bluetooth Low Energy on the plant floor, and the need for cybersecurity to advance in lock step with these technologies.
In addition, they look at the process for adopting new technologies in industry and why software will be the focus of development over the next decade.

The role flowmeters play in the renewable energy space

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:04:49 -0600

In this final episode of 2024, Control’s editor in chief, Len Vermillion and Jesse Yoder discuss the future of flowmeters in renewable energy application. Climate change is almost universally recognized by governments worldwide, and many large corporations make combating climate change a priority. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and substituting renewable energy in their place is chief among these efforts, and flowmeters are in the middle of growing those technologies.

How system integrators are embracing OT cybersecurity

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 09:17:41 -0600

Editor in chief Len Vermillion calls upon executive editor Jim Montague, who wrote a very informative cover story for the November issue of Control on cybersecurity with a series featuring seven systems integrators, now on Control Global.

Len will read the first of that series to get a taste for where Jim’s reporting is going and what engineers can learn about the ever-important topic of OT cybersecurity in process control.

One of those stories is a tale of system integrator Eosys Group, which helped a Tier 1 automotive parts manufacturer protect its plant and enterprise networks.

News updates from process control industry events

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 12:06:52 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion runs down highlights from the Safety and Risk Conference at the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University and Aveva World 2024 in Paris.

5 key takeaways from YNOW2024

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0600

Len Vermillion and the rest of the Control team was in Houston for Yokogawa’s YNOW users’ conference during the week of Oct. 28. He came away with five key points that were made throughout the conference, topics that found their way into several sessions that were on the tops of people’s minds.

Boundless Automation two years on

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 10:38:29 -0600

It’s already been three years since Emerson unveiled the concept of Boundless Automation as its future vision of operational technology architecture at Emerson Exchange 2021 in Nashville. How has the automation landscape evolved since then?

Joining Control publisher Keith Larson for a wide-ranging discussion on AI, sustainability, Boundless Automation and a bit of a preview of next spring’s Emerson Exchange Americas event in San Antonio, is Peter Zornio, chief technology officer for Emerson.

5 questions to ask about SCADA redundancy

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:22:00 -0600

Resilience, the ability to carry on in the face of adversity, is a hot topic among those who manage industrial systems. Automatic server failover is an important building block for making automation systems resilient. Not long ago, this was a luxury only large systems could afford. With increased accountability and advances in technology, industrial users of every size are now obliged to consider how redundancy can increase system resilience.
Chris Little, media relations director at Trihedral Engineering Limited, creators of VTScada software, talked with Control about five questions users must ask to ensure a new SCADA application will support redundancy.

Case study: Optimizing an MSG process plant

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:04:37 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, written by Ajinomoto's Meg Lashier and Control Station's Ziair DeLeon, editor in chief Len Vermillion shares how Ajinomoto amped up production with technology investments.

Where are we with Ethernet-APL?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:03:10 -0600

Len Vermillion talks about something that’s been on the tongues of many for a couple of years now, but it seems to really be heating up again now that digitalization and remote operations are in the forefront of everyone’s minds, and that is Ethernet-APL.

Is Coriolis the secret to process performance improvement?

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:04:34 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor-in-chief Len Vermillion discusses flow measurement in the second half of a two-part series.

Deciding the right techniques for flow measurement

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 11:06:52 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor-in-chief Len Vermillion discusses flow measurement in the first half of a two-part series.

A half century of improving productivity and preventing downtime

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:29:10 -0600

In this episode of the Control Amplified podcast, publisher Keith Larson talks with Shalab “Shalli” Kumar, founder and chairman of EZAutomation.

What determines total cost of SCADA system ownership?

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 08:27:10 -0600

The classic economic definition of the total cost of ownership (TCO) is the purchase price of an asset plus its operating costs over the asset’s lifespan. While this may be relatively easy to calculate for hard goods like a piece of machinery, the cost factors for soft goods, such as SCADA software, are more complicated to ascertain due to their wide range of features and licensing models.

Control talked with Barry Baker, vice president of Trihedral Engineering Limited, to gain some insights from his more than 30 years of SCADA systems experience in many diverse industries.

Li-ion battery market working with process control

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:20:00 -0600

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are becoming more prevalent as electrification takes hold of energy and transportation sectors. The manufacturing of these batteries requires a production and distribution process model that can keep up with the growing demand.

Control spoke with Kenny Marks, Lithium and Battery Business Development Manager at Emerson, to get a sense of the challenges that customers encounter and innovative automation solutions that can help increase speed to market and help ensure reliable project execution.

Insights from 2024 Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee Mark Darby

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:01:20 -0600

Mark Darby works extensively with gas refineries and chemical processing plants. He also serves on the advisory board at Texas Tech University.

2024 Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee Marcos Peluso shares insights

Wed, 29 May 2024 10:06:28 -0600

Marcos Peluso served as director of development for fieldbus at Emerson. Peluso worked on many projects over the years, but his work on developing Foundation Fieldbus is the capstone to a stellar career.

A conversation with 2024 Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee Joe Weiss

Wed, 22 May 2024 08:20:11 -0600

Joe Weiss is managing partner of Applied Control Solutions Inc., and an ISA99 ICS cybersecurity pioneer and blogger.

Facing aging code and advancing SCADA solutions

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:04:36 -0600

You're probably aware of the important role that supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software plays in managing automation systems used by water or power utilities, national broadcasters or scientists. You’re also likely aware of the role custom coding plays when configuring these applications for users. However, you may be less aware of the ongoing price of each line of code that, if not carefully managed, can reduce performance, reliability, and longevity of critical SCADA systems.

Control talked with Chris Little, media relations director for Trihedral Engineering Limited, to find out how systems integrators and in-house developers can create advanced SCADA solutions that aren’t limited by rapidly aging code.

How can distributed control systems catapult automation into the future?

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 09:57:17 -0600

Automation is becoming increasingly open and vendor-agnostic. Likewise, field devices that must be digitalized and interoperable for reporting, maintenance, analytics and decision-making are becoming more remote and automated.

Recently, Schneider Electric’s Marcel Rameil, global offer manager for Control Software for Foxboro DCS, and Thad Frost, business leader for Foxboro DCS, talked with Control about today’s best practices for all aspects of plant automation, and how autonomous plant operations can be achieved.

Solutions Spotlight: The current state of smart manufacturing

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 08:32:40 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified, group publisher Keith Larson speaks to Gerry Abbey, manager of analysts, relations and insights at Rockwell Automation, about Rockwell's ninth annual State of Smart Manufacturing report.

SCADA and IoT connectivity with Proface

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:53:18 -0600

Tom Reiter has more than 35 years of application and engineering expertise in the electronics and automation industry. He has been with Schneider Electric and Pro-face for more than 10 years as a sales and product application engineer focusing on digital factory and HMI solutions. His knowledge of programming, device connectivity, and customer solution development has been crafted throughout his experiences in the field and customer interactions. With a lifetime of experience, he can look at any situation and provide a unique, thoughtful, well-rounded solution. His inspiration comes from the excitement of seeing automation in practice and thrives on the challenge of exceeding customer needs.

The challenges of LPG tank gauging and how to overcome them

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:16:18 -0600

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a hydrocarbon gas consisting primarily of propane, butane, or a mixture of both. Because it produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional solid fuels, there's increasing demand for LPG across the world. In fact, some governments have implemented policies and initiatives to promote the use of LPG to reduce air pollution and improve public health. This increased demand puts the onus on storage terminals to use their capacity as efficiently as possible, by optimizing inventory management and safety. This can be achieved by integrating non-contacting radar level gauges into tank gauging systems.

Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, spoke with Tomas Hasselgren, manager of global business development at Emerson, about the challenges of LPG tank gauging, and the benefits that can be achieved by using non-contacting radar level gauges rather than traditional level measurement technology.

How to upgrade plant operations by embracing open automation

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:57:02 -0600

Upgrading the operations of a plant most likely involves automation. Software-centric open automation streamlines operations while increasing collaboration and productivity in industrial environments. So, what’s the true value of open automation to industry? To get the answer, Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, talked to Domenico Napoli, future offers leader for process automation at Schneider Electric, during a recent episode of the Control Amplified podcast.

The many benefits and advantages of Coriolis technology

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:43:36 -0600

Coriolis meters have many benefits and advantages for process industry applications. Coriolis technology continues to gain popularity with operators because it offers a more direct approach to flow measurement than traditional flowmeters. Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, asked Thomas Sautier, director of sensor product management at Emerson, about the innovative capabilities of Coriolis flowmeters, including the Micro Motion G-Series Coriolis flow and density meters, on a recent edition of the Control Amplified podcast. Specifically, they discussed how the technology can benefit industrial applications.

How organizations can effectively communicate their GenAI strategies

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:14:36 -0600

Len Vermillion is joined by Dustin Johnson, CTO of Seeq, to dive into generative artificial intelligence and address how organizations can communicate their GenAI strategies effectively internally.

It’s time to reduce the cost of SCADA

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:42:51 -0600

In recent years, rising inflation has led to increased pressure to control the cost of industrial projects. This is true of municipal utilities trying to responsibly use taxpayer dollars as well as manufacturers struggling to remain competitive. SCADA software manufacturers have always experienced this pressure.

Chris Little of Trihedral Engineering Limited, makers of VTScada monitoring and control software, recently appeared on the Control Amplified podcast with Control’s editor in chief, Len Vermillion. On the podcast, available at ControlGlobal.com/podcasts, they discussed why discounting software can never deliver the savings that industry needs. In fact, the key to unlocking those savings lies in how you use the supervisory control and data acquisition software itself.

Benefits of 80 GHz radar level measurement

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 13:29:46 -0600

Radar level measurement technology has gone through many changes over the years. Keith Riley, product marketing manager for level and pressure technologies at Endress+Hauser, recently spoke with Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion about those changes and specifically 80 GHz radar level measurement technology.

The connectivity and compatibility of the Micro Motion 4700 Coriolis transmitter

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:37:48 -0600

Emerson recently launched the Micro Motion 4700 Coriolis Config I/O transmitter. To explore its capabilities, Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion spoke with Brett Sibel, product manager at Emerson.

Sibel worked as a product engineer and product manager in various industries such as electronics, biomedical design and automation solutions, so he understands the varying needs of plant managers.

Exploring the carbon capture value chain

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 12:20:42 -0600

Carbon-capture utilization and storage (CCUS) is one the most discussed techniques for curbing carbon emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. Many oil and gas operators have looked at investing in carbon-capture solutions, particularly recently as calls for viable solutions to climate change grow louder.

In a recent episode of the Control Amplified podcast, Brandon Bromberek, VP of oil and gas for Emerson's measurement solutions business, told Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, how carbon capture can help usher in the energy transition and the value chain that coincides with its rise.

Exploring the impact of generative AI on industrial operations

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:43:39 -0600

Generative AI is a topic on the minds of a lot of people these days. The emergence of automation intelligence, especially over the last two years, has disrupted the way industry thinks about future operations. Although scary to many people, generative AI ushers in new and exciting possibilities for manufacturers and process industries. It has the potential to reshape the way they analyze data, optimize operations and make critical decisions.

To learn more, Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion hosts Dustin Johnson, CTO of Seeq, which provides analytics software to process industries.

Putting process safety in a prominent place

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 09:32:00 -0600

While innovation happens frequently in process automation, safety is sometimes “out of scope.” There are many reasons, but one primary reason is it can be a scary proposition for many operators to trust artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to do jobs that humans historically handle. And, with barriers such as cybersecurity concerns and a daunting amount of software tools to choose from, the prospect of handing over security and safety in process applications sometimes ends up being pushed to the background. However, even if there’s reluctance to work with software for process safety applications, tomorrow it will be a reality.

Chris Stogner, Triconex safety and critical control leader at Schneider Electric, talked with Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, for a recent episode of the Control Amplified podcast to discuss the barriers to adoption and how industry can overcome them.

How can digitalized measurements enables sustainability?

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 13:36:27 -0600

Combining optimization and sustainability is no easy task because it requires reconciling some historical differences between these two goals. To help customers resolve these issues, Endress+Hauser relies on its expertise in energy efficiency in utilities and plant optimization with instrumentation.

Mark Thomas, industry marketing group manager at Endress+Hauser USA, spoke with Control’s executive editor, Jim Montague, about these capabilities, and how its customers can implement them to go green and profit at the same time.

Advantages of software modulization in IIoT

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 08:25:49 -0600

Len Vermillion is joined by Tyrone Visser, business development manager, Linux & IIoT, Wago

Remote I/O offers large plants critical advantages

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:17:52 -0600

Traditionally, process plants were deployed with point-to-point wiring, custom, multi-pair homerun cables and large complex marshalling cabinets with hundreds or sometimes thousands of termination points. Deploying remote I/O in large-scale plants can deliver major positive impacts thanks to easier installation, simpler serviceability and reduced cabinet space. Jesse Hill, process industry manager at Beckhoff Automation USA, recently talked with Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, about the many benefits of remote I/O, including enhanced physical layer diagnostics, wiring reductions, lower cost, and increased flexibility in plant network topologies.

Connecting OT and IT in process applications

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 06:49:26 -0600

Connecting operational technology (OT) with information technology (IT) in process applications offers many distinct advantages for processing plants. While technology has made the task easier, there are still challenges to consider. That’s why following several best practices can save plant operators a lot of headaches down the road.

The ’100-year SCADA system’

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 10:55:57 -0600

One of the most important considerations for new and updated monitoring and control applications is scalability. The question is: once a significant investment is made, how do end users get the most return on their investment? Or more simply put, how long will the system last? Chris Little, media relations, VTScada by Trihedral, talked with Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion as they wondered, "What if a SCADA system could last 100 years?"

On a mission to enable an intelligent planet

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 14:12:41 -0600

Advantech is in the midst of a big year. Specifically, the developer of intelligent systems and embedded platforms for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the company recently announced a succession plan for the future and a held a groundbreaking for a new North American headquarters in Tusin, Calif. Joseph Su, director of business operations at Advantech talked with Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion about the company’s 40-year history and its future.

Measuring the flow of hydrogen value chain

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:49:20 -0600

Measurement technology has become a vital piece of the puzzle for hydrogen’s growth as a resource for energy transition. But where and how can flow measurement, such as Coriolis sensors, help the overall process of hydrogen development. Mark Butler is an application innovation director in the measurement solutions business unit at Emerson, and he joined Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, for a detailed conversation about hydrogen’s potential and the flow measurement technologies being used to facilitate the three main functions that deliver hydrogen as an alternative way of handling energy.

Why modularization matters for today’s industrial PCs

Wed, 31 May 2023 09:13:26 -0600

In today’s industry, the trend is to move away from standalone PCs. Why? Many end-users in the process industries find benefits in modularization. Marc Seissler and Aaron Severa, both of Pepperl+Fuchs, recently talked to Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion about industrial PC trends and process automation to provide some answers. Seissler is head of product management for HMI and based in the Manheim, Germany, headquarters of Pepperl+Fuchs. Severa is a regional product manager and Level 2 technical support for the Americas region.

Operational flexibility drives new process power generation

Fri, 26 May 2023 09:26:27 -0600

Power systems for plant-level process control continue to evolve, particularly as the quest to create efficient and sustainable operations garners increased importance for industry. Technology is already addressing operators’ need for high-powered, flexible and fast-distributed control. Chris Smith, Director of EcoStruxure Power and Process, Industrial Automation Business, Schneider Electric, talked with Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, about the emerging landscape of power and process control systems.

Non-contacting radar: Emerging opportunities in new markets

Fri, 19 May 2023 12:12:54 -0600

A Control Amplified podcast with Christoffer Widahl, director of solutions management for radar new markets at Emerson.

Digital transformation: The benefits of a value-based approach

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 09:09:16 -0600

A Control Amplified podcast with Chris Hamlin, capability development lead at Seeq.

The evolution of non-contracting radar in chemicals, oil & gas and utilities

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 14:59:12 -0600

A Control Amplified podcast with Ilya Rikhter, general manager of Rosemount Process Level at Emerson.

Designing control with an edge

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 14:42:22 -0600

A Control Amplified podcast with John Wozniak, product manager for automation digital products at Wago Corporation.

How Coriolis technology is making hydrogen dispensing safer, efficient

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:16:51 -0600

Hydrogen is a sustainable fuel solution that is quickly gaining traction in the global marketplace. Despite it being an efficient and sustainable energy source, hydrogen dispensing requires the utmost safety parameters to ensure risk are mitigated. That is especially true for one of green hydrogen’s primary potential uses – vehicles such as trucks and tank cars.

Emerson Automation Solutions is on the forefront of solving the safety risks present in hydrogen dispensing thanks to one of its newest products, the Micro Motion High-Pressure Coriolis HPC020 Flowmeter, which is set to debut in March.

Genny Fultz, global product manager for Emerson Automation Solutions, talked with Control about the new unit, the increasing market interest in hydrogen, the challenges facing dispensing, and the safety and cost benefits of HPC020.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/33000065

Industrial automation in the era of the cloud

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 12:30:35 -0600

It’s been more than 10 years now since Marc Andreesen proclaimed that “software is eating the world.” To discuss the rise of software in the automation sector and other salient issues facing the industrial enterprise, Keith Larson is joined by Robin Saitz, chief marketing office for Rockwell Automation on this latest episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/33000054

Supporting the automation supply chain through turbulent times

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:55:18 -0600

When faced with challenges, having a little help can make the biggest difference. In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, Keith Larson is joined by Skip Tierno, chairman, and Teresa Sebring, president, Measurement Control & Automation Association (MCAA), to learn how the association is assisting its members and partners in dealing with the challenges brought on by the COVID pandemic, the worker shortage, and more.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/33000023

Solutions spotlight: Integrating process and turbomachinery control

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 11:04:44 -0600

In November 2021, Compressor Controls Corporation (CCC) and Yokogawa Electric Corporation announced a partnership for a jointly developed integrated solution for process and turbomachinery control called CCC Inside. Just a couple of months ago, they released enhancements to their solution with additional function blocks. Historically, CCC is famous for turbomachinery controls and Yokogawa for process control. Now, they bring the two pieces together. Control Editor in Chief Len Vermillion is joined by Michael Ilchenko, product director, Compressor Controls Corporation, and John Gracia, system consultant, DCS, Yokogawa Electric Company to learn more.

This episode of Control Amplified was sponsored by Compressor Controls Corporation.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21546058

Solutions Spotlight: Connecting the world of process automation

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 10:53:55 -0600

In this special edition of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, we bring you an interview from the Remaking Industry podcast from Smart Industry magazine. In this guest episode, Smart Industry editor in chief Chris McNamara is joined by Paul Sereiko, director of marketing, FieldComm Group, to discuss the impacts of digitalization and some of the organization's latest collaborations to create standards that encourage interoperability.

Learn more about FieldComm Group: https://www.fieldcommgroup.org/

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21439148

Automation without boundaries

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 11:35:18 -0600

It’s been some three decades since the Purdue model first formalized the seven-layer pyramid for “computer-integrated manufacturing." While the model’s intent was primarily functional, form often follows function, and the intervening decades have left us with complex strata and siloes of isolated data that is difficult to integrate and contextualize. Peter Zornio, chief technology officer for Emerson’s Automation Solutions business, joins Keith Larson to discuss a new vision of a flatter, software-based architecture for process automation that democratizes data and enables optimization without all the former hurdles.
Learn more about Emerson Automation Solutions: https://www.emerson.com/en-us/automation/home
Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21438713

The touch panel emerges as industry’s essential edge device

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 10:29:48 -0600

The touch panel has a long and storied history in the industrial automation arena. To better understand the changing roles and capabilities of the not-so-humble touch panel in today's production environments, Keith Larson is joined by John Wozniak, product manager for digital automation projects with Wago.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21438616

Coriolis technology tackling green hydrogen extremes

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 13:10:40 -0600

Green hydrogen can decarbonize applications where renewable electrons simply can't go, but does bring with it some challenges, notably the very high pressures and low temperatures needed to contain it. To talk more about the challenges posed and opportunities presented by green hydrogen in transportation applications, Keith Larson is joined by Genny Fultz, product manager, Marc Buttler, director of application innovation, both with Emerson.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21438386

Ultrasonic technology takes on hydrogen, natural gas blends

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 09:51:04 -0600

While green hydrogen promises to play a significant role in the decarbonization of our energy infrastructure, it won't be as simple as throwing a switch. One key avenue for it is to leverage the existing natural gas distribution networks to deliver a blend of green hydrogen and traditional natural gas to the homes, buildings and industries that currently rely on natural gas in full. In this episode, Keith Larson, publisher of Control magazine and ControlGlobal.com, and Duane Harris, market product manager for Sick, discuss some of the unique challenges posed by blending hydrogen into our natural gas systems and some of the technologies can address these challenges in a cost-effective way.

Learn more about Sick Sensor Intelligence: https://www.sick.com/us/en/

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21438217

Asset-specific insights to transform service workflows

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:55:06 -0600

The digital transformation of industry doesn't only apply to the real time control and optimization of industrial processes. It also applies the documentation, the supply chains, and context-specific workflows that support industrial assets across their entire lifespan. To better understand how, when it comes to industrial automation, digital technology at our disposal can make online retailers estimated delivery times a little more than entry stakes, Keith Larson is joined by Brian Fretschel, director of digital customer experience for Emerson.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21438009

Analytics enabling next-generation OEE

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 15:00:51 -0600

As the digital transformation of the process industries advances, innovative solutions are easing OEE pain points and making way for more flexible methods of applying OEE on an enterprise level. To learn more about how digital transformation is allowing manufacturers to extract new value from this tried and true metric, Keith Larson is joined by Joe Reckamp, principal analytics engineer for Seeq.

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21437418

Industry accelerates its journey to Industrial Autonomy

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 09:32:36 -0600

Today's current events have ratcheted up uncertainty among industrial enterprises around the world. One result has been an increased sense of urgency to implement digital transformation strategies at scale, including those advancing the realization of industrial autonomy. To provide a status report on our collective journey from Industrial Automation to Industrial Autonomy, or IA2IA in Yokogawa shorthand, Keith Larson, publisher of Control magazine and ControlGlobal.com, is joined by Tom Fiske, Principal Technology Strategist, Yokogawa US Technology Center, Yokogawa Corporation of America.

Learn more about Yokogawa: https://www.yokogawa.com/solutions/featured-topics/ia2ia/

Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21436754

How instrumentation is transforming water/wastewater operations

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:12:47 -0600

Industry is among the largest consumers of fresh water, and many global manufacturers have identified water scarcity as a significant risk factor to continuing operations. To answer this challenge operators of both municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment systems are in the midst of their own transformations. To discuss the ongoing transformation of our water/wastewater infrastructure Keith Larson speaks with Endress+Hauser’s Nick Hanson, national industry manager for water and wastewater.
Learn more about Endress+Hauser: https://www.us.endress.com/
Read the transcript: https://controlglobal.com/21435291

Food & beverage processors embracing Coriolis technology

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 08:04:16 -0600

When Coriolis flow measurement technology first debuted back in the 1970s, food and beverage companies were among the earliest adopters. To learn more how Emerson’s Coriolis pioneers continue to tailor their portfolio to align with the needs of today’s F&B makers, Keith Larson speaks with Melissa Stiegler, director, food & beverage industry for Emerson. Learn more about Emerson: https://www.emerson.com/en-us Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/food-and-beverage-processor-embracing-coriolis-technology

A shift in focus: Create a virtuous cycle to advance sustainability

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:20:49 -0600

Despite a deluge of pledges from companies to reduce their environmental impact, the evolving sustainability space and growing regulatory investor and social pressures have left many organizations questioning where to begin. In this episode, Chris Hamlin, Seeq Corp.'s capability development lead, shares his seasoned perspective on the issue.

Learn more about Seeq: https://www.seeq.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/a-shift-in-focus-create-a-virtuous-cycle-to-advance-sustainability

Toward autonomous, Net Zero operations

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:37:36 -0600

In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, Keith Larson is joined by John Colpo, global manager, marketing strategy, oil & gas, at Honeywell Process Solutions. In their discussion live from Honeywell Users Group Americas 2022, they discuss the synergies between the pursuit of sustainability goals and autonomous operations.

Learn more about Honeywell Process Solutions: https://process.honeywell.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/toward-autonomous-net-zero-operations

The case for in situ CEMS analysis

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 07:51:08 -0600

Keith Larson talks about the range of CEMS technologies now available and how to choose among them with SICK's Phil Zyskowski, market application engineer, and John Calame, market product manager for Analyzers and Continuous Gas Analyzer Systems.

Learn more about SICK: https://www.sick.com/us/en/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/the-case-for-in-situ-cems-analysis

Ethernet switching for the OT world

Fri, 27 May 2022 10:21:23 -0600

Full featured managed switches from the IT world feature an impressive array of options and functionality—perhaps too many for operational technologists. Unmanaged switches, on the other hand, are relatively unsophisticated devices that cost less, but lack security and redundancy features. In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, Keith Larson talks to Charlie Norz, product manager for I/O systems, WAGO USA, about a network switch option designed specifically for the needs of OT applications—and the priorities and skillsets of the engineers and technicians that work with them.

Learn more about WAGO: https://www.wago.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/ethernet-switching-for-the-ot-world

FDT for the Industry 4.0 era

Fri, 06 May 2022 10:31:34 -0600

The FDT integration standard first came into being as a means to deal with all aspects of multivendor device configuration and diagnostic data generated by smart process instruments. Over the years, it has evolved in both scope and functionality, and in its current iteration as FDT UE, it provides a platform-independent, web-enabled environment for managing and monitoring instrumentation and all manner of Industrial IoT devices across process, hybrid and discrete manufacturing domains. In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, Control magazine editor in chief Keith Larson discusses the ongoing evolution of FDT and its increased relevance in the age of Industry 4.0 with Steve Biegacki, FDT Group managing director.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/fdt-for-the-industry-4-0-era

Coriolis technology fueling chemical industry transformation

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:24:22 -0600

It's been 45 years since Micro Motion debuted its first Coriolis meter, and back then, the chemical lab industry was the first to recognize the advantages of direct mass flow measurement. But over the years, Coriolis technology and complementary instrumentation that Emerson has assembled has proved the worth of this technology in many other dimensions. In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, editor in chief Keith Larson is joined by Don Fregelette, chemical industry vice president for Emerson's Automation Solutions Business, to discuss the range of applications and benefits Emerson's chemical manufacturing clients are realizing through this technology.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/coriolis-technology-fueling-chemical-industry-transformation

Ethernet-APL: Implications for the field devices of tomorrow

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:24:52 -0600

Ethernet-APL products are due to hit the marketplace this year. With this, process industries will be able to boast a unified Ethernet architecture that reaches from intrinsically safe field devices to the cloud. While bandwidth will be much faster, Ethernet-APL will also deliver substantially more electrical power to those field devices, bringing unprecedented capabilities to the digital field. In this episode, editor in chief Keith Larson speaks with Jonas Berge, senior director of applied technology for Emerson’s Automation Solutions business, about the new field device capabilities Ethernet-APL will make possible.

Learn more about Emerson: https://www.emerson.com/en-us

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/ethernet-apl-implications-for-the-field-devices-of-tomorrow

How HART transcends physical layer constraints

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 12:56:32 -0600

Ethernet-APL technology is an important technology milestone, enabling a new high performance paradigm of digital field communications for the process industries. But from a practical perspective, there are millions of analog 4-20 mA instruments installed around the world, and growing. No one will be tearing them out anytime soon. Further these analog devices are joined by a growing number of wireless monitoring instruments that are helping to realize the industrial IoT ambitions of process manufacturers around the world. So. how can all these devices coexist and work together tomorrow and for decades to come? Peter Zornio, chief technology officer for Emerson's Automation Solutions business, joins Keith Larson to discuss the role that HART will play.

Learn more about Emerson: https://www.emerson.com/global

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/how-hart-transcends-physical-layer-constraints

Flexibility redefining I/O expectations

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:10:32 -0600

The process industry’s packaging, paper, plastics and textile manufacturing applications are among its most challenging. Conveyors, continuous sheets and webs are moving faster than ever, even as the volume of real-time data needed to feed industry’s digital transformation ambitions continues to mount. So, how can a maker of the industrial networks and input/output (I/O) systems that make all this happen continue to keep pace with the mounting demands of end users and machine builders? Keith Larson chat with Charlie Norz, product manager for I/O systems with WAGO USA, to find out.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/flexibility-redefining-io-expectations

Driving sustainable operations with advanced analytics

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 12:53:13 -0600

Many industrial organizations today list increased sustainability as one of their main corporate objectives. But it's not just altruism, they understand that advancing sustainability also offers significant competitive advantage, from both an image perspective and a business bottom line. In this podcast, Control's editor in chief Keith Larson discusses how advanced analytics are being used by process industries to advance the sustainability of their operations with Lindsey Wilcox, customer success manager with Seeq.

Learn more about Seeq: https://www.seeq.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/driving-sustainable-operations-with-advanced-analytics/

The forces reshaping tomorrow’s distributed control system

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 10:28:59 -0600

Since its introduction more than four decades ago, the distributed control system, or DCS, has made enormous contributions to the safe, efficient and reliable operation of innumerable industrial processes around the world. In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Keith Larson talks about the forces reshaping the distributed control system (DCS) landscape and how ABB is responding to them is Mark Taft, ABB group vice president responsible for the company's process control systems offerings worldwide.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/the-forces-reshaping-tomorrows-distributed-control-system

How instrumentation is addressing food & beverage industry needs

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 09:10:12 -0600

Food and beverage producers are being asked to do more with fewer people, to anticipate and prevent potential disruptions to production, and to advance the overall sustainability of their operations. And the COVID-19 pandemic has only brought added pressures to bear. But suppliers of instruments and controls are once again answering the call. In this episode, Keith Larson talks about how instrumentation controls are addressing the changing landscape of food and beverage industry needs with Ola Wesstrom, food and beverage industry marketing manager for Endress+Hauser USA.

Learn more about Endress+Hauser: https://www.us.endress.com/en

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/how-instrumentation-is-addressing-food-and-beverage-industry-needs

Reimagining maintenance through connected systems

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 09:42:04 -0600

Once you know what to fix, how do you ensure that your maintenance team has ready access to the information it needs to execute the necessary repairs both quickly and effectively? In this episode, Control editor Keith Larson talks about Emerson’s efforts to help reimagine maintenance workflows through the use of connected systems with Brad Budde, vice president, digital customer experience for Emerson’s Automation Solutions business.

Learn more about Emerson: https://www.emerson.com/en-us

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/reimagining-maintenance-through-connected-systems

The evolving capabilities of Coriolis technology

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 09:06:23 -0600

Jim Smith set the bar for innovation sky high from the very start when in 1977 he led the team that brought the first mass flowmeter based on the Coriolis effect to the industrial market. Since that time, as Micro Motion and now as part of Emerson, Emerson, the organization has continued to break new ground. To talk about how Emerson has responded to changing industry demands, and what trends are likely to shape the company’s portfolio in the future, Keith Larson chats with Patrick Zimmer, director of product marketing for the company’s Coriolis portfolio.

Learn more about Emerson's Micro Motion Flowmeters: https://www.emerson.com/en-us/automation/micro-motion

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/the-evolving-capabilities-of-coriolis-technology

Ethernet-APL: Industry’s path forward

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:25:51 -0600

Keith Larson, editor of Control magazine and ControlGlobal.com talks about Ethernet-APL and what it means for the future of field communications in the process industries is Paul Sereiko, director of marketing and product strategy the FieldComm Group.

Learn more about FieldComm Group at https://www.fieldcommgroup.org/

Learn more about our sponsor Emerson at https://www.emerson.com/en-us

Read the transcript at https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/ethernet-apl-industrys-path-forward

Process automation: The M&A landscape in 2021

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 13:09:36 -0600

As in other industrial sectors, the past 30 years have seen substantial consolidation among suppliers serving the process automation marketplace. Indeed, the last burst of entrepreneurial spirit seemed to have left the market when the late 1990s dot-com bubble burst. Today, of the top 25 suppliers to the U.S. market that Control magazine identified in 1990, a full two thirds of that “old guard” no longer exist as independent entities, with much of the global market presence accruing to a relative handful of primary platform providers.

Keith Larson, editor of Control magazine and ControlGlobal.com, explores today’s process automation mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape with Gene Bazemore, managing director in the Dallas office of Founders Advisors.

Learn more about Founders Advisors: https://foundersib.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/process-automation-the-m-and-a-landscape-in-2021

Remote solutions: Benefits stretch beyond COVID

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 12:44:06 -0600

While the COVID-19 pandemic may have turned nice-to-have technologies into must-have technologies seemingly overnight, the benefits of these implementations can reach far beyond the ability to avoid virus transmission among personnel. In this podcast, Keith Larson is joined by Arnold "Marty" Martin, director of process control technology for Air Liquide's Center of Technical Expertise, to discuss the benefits he's realized from Air Liquide's remote solutions.

Learn more about Air Liquide: https://www.airliquide.com/
Learn more about our sponsor, Honeywell: https://www.honeywell.com/
Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/remote-solutions-benefits-stretch-beyond-covid
Reach out to Marty Martin: Office/Cell: (281) 883 - 3997 or email: arnold.martin@airliquide.com

The rise of industrial autonomy

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 11:37:43 -0600

Industrial autonomy goes beyond automation by adding layers of smart sensing and machine cognition to anticipate and respond to unforeseen circumstances, ultimately culminating in systems responsible for all aspects of operation, from startup, through safe shutdown. In this episode, Keith Larson and ARC Advisory Group's Mark Sen Gupta discuss the process industry's path to autonomous operations.

Learn more about Honeywell: https://www.honeywell.com/us/en

Learn more about ARC Advisory Group: https://www.arcweb.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/the-rise-of-industrial-autonomy

Solutions spotlight: Level measurement: Think past the PV

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 09:05:46 -0600

Today’s smart instruments boast an array of functions and features beyond the nominal process variable (PV) that can make life better in myriad ways...or not, if you don’t take them into account. To talk about those other intangible deliverables that today’s smart level instruments can deliver, Keith Larson is joined by Scott Peterson, national product manager, level, and Keith Riley, national product manager, temperature and pressure, both of Endress+Hauser’s U.S. operations.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-level-measurement-think-past-the-pv

Solutions spotlight: Beckhoff building process cred

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:38:33 -0600

While Beckhoff Automation is known traditionally as an automation supplier to discrete manufacturing industries, in recent years it's been steadily building credibility and relevance to the process industry's automation needs. Keith Larson and Jesse Hill, process industry manager for Beckhoff Automation, discuss the company's growing footprint in the process automation realm.

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-beckhoff-building-process-cred

Solutions Spotlight: No-code approach lowers AI roadblocks

Fri, 21 May 2021 08:48:44 -0600

Griffin Open Systems was founded in 2013 to bring to market a graphical programming toolkit for rapid application development and deployment of real-time solutions. In this episode, Keith Larson is joined by Griffin co-founder Brad Radl to discuss the delayed adoption of digitalization technologies like data analytics, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0, and how Griffin's system-agnostic fourth-generation AI toolkit aims to help overcome the barriers to further digital transformation.

Learn more about Griffin Open Systems: https://www.griffinopensystems.com/

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-no-code-approach-lowers-ai-roadblocks

Solutions spotlight: How to buy from a start-up without getting burned

Fri, 14 May 2021 10:12:02 -0600

Michael Risse, VP and CMO for Seeq, and J.P. Bauman, principal at Altira, a venture capital fund that focuses on venture growth equity stage companies serving the energy and broader industrial space, join Keith Larson to share some best practices when buying innovative new technologies, software, or services from a company that may not have quite the track record of an Emerson, a Honeywell, or Rockwell, or Siemens. How can you make sure you're not left holding the bag?

Learn more about Seeq: https://www.seeq.com/

Learn more about Altira: https://www.altiragroup.com/

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-how-to-buy-from-a-start-up-without-getting-burned

Solutions spotlight: Calibration requirements demystified

Thu, 06 May 2021 08:47:12 -0600

When it comes to instrument calibration, people don't always understand what terms mean, and terms don't always mean what people understand them to mean. In this episode, editor in chief Keith Larson is joined by Robert Jennings, repair and calibration manager at Endress+Hauser's Gulf Coast Campus, for an in-depth discussion of the key points of calibration.

Learn more about Endress+Hauser: https://www.endress.com/en

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-calibration-requirements-demystified

Solutions Spotlight: Innovations in ultrasonics

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 11:31:13 -0600

In this podcast episode, Control editor in chief Keith Larson is joined by Dawn Massa Stancavish, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Massa Products Corp. to discuss applications for ultrasonic and electroacoustic technologies over the years, and how Massa is providing custom innovations for unique applications.

Learn more about Massa Products Corp. at https://www.massa.com/

Read the full transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-innovations-in-ultrasonics

Solutions spotlight: Phillips 66 modernizes DCS in face of pandemic

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:31:36 -0600

In the midst of a multi-year migration of its legacy Honeywell DCSs to the latest Experion virtualized environment when the pandemic hit, Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery in Linden, N.J., took on the challenge to see through the migration. In this episode, Control Publisher Keith Larson is joined by Dr. Patrick Robinson, team lead for Process Controls & Modeling at Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery. Robinson explains how the company was not only able to remotely monitor operations, but also keep the migration project on track and under budget with the help of Honeywell.

Learn more at https://www.honeywell.com/us/en

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-phillips-66-modernizes-dcs-in-face-of-pandemic

Solutions spotlight: FDT Group standard evolves to support IIoT

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 07:53:29 -0600

With the number of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) use cases growing and multi-network automation environments adding complexity, the FDT Group has evolved its international standard to accommodate.

In this episode, Keith Larson is joined by Glenn Schulz, managing director of the FDT Group, to discuss the challenges of today's environment and how FDT 3.0 is helping users integrate and manage the complexity.

Learn more about the FDT Group at: https://www.fdtgroup.org

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-fdt-group-standards-technology-evolves-to-support-iiot

Solutions spotlight: New frontiers in smart instrumentation

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 11:53:09 -0600

Years ago, most instrumentation communication capabilities were limited, starting and stopping at a single process variable configured to a loop. Smart instrumentation was only a concept until more recently. Today, smart instrumentation devices can provide more data and functionality than most of us realize.

In this episode of Control Amplified: The Process Automation Podcast, editor in chief Keith Larson and Joe Incntri, director of marketing for the Americas, Krohne, talk about the ongoing evolution of smart instrumentation and how Krohne onboard intelligence and communication capabilities make for safer, more reliable and more efficient industry.

Learn more about Krohne at https://krohne.com/en/

Read the transcript at https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-new-frontiers-in-smart-instrumentation

Industry 4.0 for all: The democratization of smart manufacturing

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 10:27:58 -0600

Manufacturers both small and large have faced several bumps along the road to the fourth Industrial Revolution. While we talk about Industry 4.0 and its benefits, many have found that they're stuck in pilot purgatory, unable to scale the innovations they've tested.

In this episode, Control magazine editor in chief Keith Larson speaks with John Dyck, CEO of CESMII, the Smart Manufacturing Institute, to discuss some of the persistent roadblocks to digital transformation that exist today, and how CESMII is aiming to help eliminate them, democratizing digital transformation in the process.

Read the transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/industry-4-0-for-all-the-democratization-of-smart-manufacturing

Learn more about CESMII at https://www.cesmii.org/

Solutions spotlight: From industrial automation to industrial autonomy

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 11:33:23 -0600

Control magazine editor in chief Keith Larson and Dr. Tsuyoshi (Ted) Abe, senior vice president and head of the Marketing Headquarters at Yokogawa, talk about the ongoing transition that is underway—from industrial automation to industrial autonomy, and what that means for the future of the process industries.

Read the full transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-from-industrial-automation-to-industrial-autonomy/

Solutions spotlight: The future of manufacturing & continued importance of automation

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 07:44:34 -0600

Half a year into in the global COVID-19 pandemic, Control magazine editor in chief Keith Larson and Maverick Technologies’ founder Paul Galeski discuss the future of automation in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the importance of automation personnel going forward.

Learn more in this interactive whitepaper: http://mavtechglobal.com/fit

Read the transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-the-future-of-manufacturing-and-continued-importance-of-automation/

Solutions spotlight: Take steps to ensure safety system readiness

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:09:18 -0600

Programmable electronic systems have long been used to provide added layers of risk reduction for potentially hazardous industrial processes. But how can you ensure that your safety instrumented system (SIS)—which, by design, spends most of its time doing nothing—will respond properly when called upon? Or, nearly as frustratingly, make sure it doesn’t erode productivity and throughput with spurious shutdowns? Instrumentation is, after all, the SIS’ middle name, notes Howard Siew, chemical industry manager for Endress+Hauser. In this Solutions Spotlight episode of the Control Amplified podcast, Control publisher Keith Larson is joined by Siew and Thomas Fritz, global safety consultant also at Endress+Hauser, to discuss the range of technologies and strategies now available to make sure your instruments support productivity while protecting workers and production assets as well as the surrounding community and environment.

Read the transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-take-steps-to-ensure-safety-system-readiness/

Introducing: Automation Chat

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 09:19:13 -0600

In this new podcast, Theresa Houck, executive editor of The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork magazine, talks with industrial automation leaders, executives, practitioners and other subject matter experts to get their insights about technologies and trends affecting manufacturing and industrial automation professionals every day. Theresa speaks with experts about topics like digital transformation, analytics and information management, networks and security, motion control, and much more.

Automation Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and most podcasting apps.

Tune in and subscribe to Automation Chat: https://rokthejournal.podbean.com/

Edge computing meets IIoT

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 09:14:19 -0600

John Clemons, director of manufacturing IT at system integrator Maverick Technologies, a Rockwell Automation company, talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about recent developments with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), how it's enabled by edge and cloud computing, and potential users can employ it for digital transformation, especially in light of the recent COVID-19 crisis.

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/edge-computing-meets-iiot/

Learn the five parts to successful edge computing in Control's latest coverage: https://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2020/five-parts-to-successful-edge-computing/

Practical improvements for the cybersecurity of your process operations, organizations

Tue, 26 May 2020 07:10:44 -0600

In this podcast, John Cusimano, vice president of industrial cybersecurity, aeSolutions, a consulting, engineering and CSIA-member system integrator in Greenville, S.C., talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about the present cybersecurity terrain, and delivers practical recommendations that users can employ to improve the cybersecurity of their process applications, facilities and organizations.

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/practical-improvements-for-the-cybersecurity-of-your-process-operations-organizations/

Solutions spotlight: Can analytics help reverse perceptions of profitable sustainability?

Mon, 18 May 2020 07:37:46 -0600

For the engineers among us, it stands to reason that sustainable industrial organizations—those that are most efficient and least wasteful—would also be most profitable. But the very word sustainability carries with it a heap of negative, punitive connotations in the public consciousness. A long history of well meaning, but often rear-view mirrored regulatory reactions are in part to blame, says Chris Hamlin, a consultant working with Seeq to pioneer new ways to create business value using the company’s products and services. Key to improving the perception of manufacturing, energy and other “dirty” industries is greater transparency into the progress that modern industry continues to make on the sustainability front. “We now have the tools to visibly demonstrate that progress in near real-time,” he says. In this podcast, Hamlin and Control’s Keith Larson discuss the role that data analytics and other measurement and control technologies can play in sustaining the workflows that support those sustainability improvements, and even in attracting the next-generation talent that we’ll need to continue that momentum.

Read the full transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/solutions-spotlight-can-analytics-help-reverse-perceptions-of-profitable-sustainability/

One Italian system integrator’s response to COVID-19

Mon, 11 May 2020 09:03:58 -0600

In this podcast, Roberto Bennice, chief sales and marketing officer at system integrator SEID, talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about the impact coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is having on process industry system integrators, their clients and suppliers, and the best ways they can cope with the worldwide crisis. Located in northern Italy, SEID and its local communities have been severely affected by COVID-19, along with the rest of the region.

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/one-italian-system-integrators-response-to-covid-19/

Solutions spotlight: How cloud is reshaping the process data landscape

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:29:52 -0600

Editor in chief Keith Larson guest hosts this Solutions Spotlight edition. In this podcast, Keith speaks with Megan Buntain, director of cloud partnerships for Seeq, about the rise of cloud architectures in the process manufacturing landscape and how it's reshaping the process data landscape.

Read the full transcript.

Tips for working remotely during COVID-19

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 09:58:36 -0600

In this podcast, Steve Pflantz, former ISA president and subject matter expert for automation at CRB, an engineering, architecture, construction and consulting firm, talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about CRB's response to COVID-19, including its increasing use of remote working tools.

Read the full transcript here.

Early impacts of COVID-19 on process industries

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 08:38:57 -0600

In this podcast, Craig Resnick and Larry O'Brien at A.R.C. Advisory Group, talk with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about the early impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the process automation and control industries, how they're responding to it, and how digital transformation may give users some of flexibility and remote collaboration/monitoring/control tools they'll need to handle future crises.

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/control-amplified/early-impacts-of-covid-19-on-process-industries/

Control's Top 50 manages market forces, IIoT and digitalization

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 08:21:55 -0600

Jim Montague is joined by A.R.C. Advisory Group’s Larry O’Brien and Craig Resnick to discuss the latest Top 50 report, from how these automation companies are managing market conditions to their implementations of the Industrial Internet of Things and digitalization.

Read the full transcript here.

Joe Weiss' ground-up view of cybersecurity

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 15:51:12 -0600

In this podcast, control system cybersecurity expert Joe Weiss sets Control executive editor Jim Montague straight on several major cyber security issues, especially sensor, device and Level 0 vulnerabilities, and the ongoing inability of network-focused efforts to acknowledge and address them. He also examines other parts of the current cybersecurity landscape, and provides several practical recommendations that users can employ to improve the cybersecurity of their process applications, facilities and organizations. For more, read the 12-part December cover feature.

Solutions spotlight: Operational analytics go beyond data science

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 09:06:50 -0600

Control publisher Keith Larson guest hosts this Solutions Spotlight edition. In this podcast, Keith speaks with Peter Zornio, chief technology officer for Emerson's Automation Solutions business to talk operational analytics

IIoT, digitalization and the workforce

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 11:20:44 -0600

In this podcast, Sam Hoff, CEO of Patti Engineering, a CSIA-certified system integrator in Auburn Hills, Mich., talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about the Industrial Internet of Things, workforce development and other topics.

Solutions spotlight: Industrial asset management lifecycles

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 07:15:25 -0600

Keith Larson, publisher of Control and ControlGlobal.com, is joined by Rockwell Automation's Rachael Conrad, VP and GM for customer support and maintenance, and Matthew Fordenwalt, VP and GM for systems and solutions, to discuss industrial asset management lifecycles and the upcoming Automation Fair.

OPAF update: O-PAS Version 1.0 explained

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 08:41:55 -0600

Jim Montague is joined by Dennis Brandl, principal consultant at BRL Consulting Inc., co-chair of the OPAF standards working group and chair of the technical architecture sub-committee. They discuss the history, goals and news from the Open Process Automation Forum.

Today's data analytics aren't very different

Fri, 03 May 2019 08:41:35 -0600

Michael Risse, VP and CMO at Seeq, talks with Control’s Jim Montague about data analytics in process automation and control, how they're evolving, the new forms they can take on, and how users can benefit.

Exploring historians & data analytics - Part 2

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:25:39 -0600

Jim Montague speaks with Sam Russem, director of the Smart Manufacturing practice at Grantek Systems Integration, a CSIA-certified system integrator in Philadelphia to expand on the first discussion about the capabilities of modern historians and data analytics.

Exploring historians & data analytics

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 08:31:44 -0600

Will Aja, customer operations VP at Panacea Technologies Inc. talks with Control's executive editor Jim Montague about the "modern historian," the evolution of data analytics and the new forms it can take on, and how users can take advantage of them.

Computing at the edge

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 08:27:32 -0600

In this podcast, Peter Zornio, CTO at Emerson Automation Solutions, talks with Jim Montague, Control’s executive editor, about computing at the edge of process automation and control systems, how what's happening now is different than former distributed control efforts, and how edge computing works and how users can take advantage of it.

Shining light on industrial wireless

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 11:24:24 -0600

Executive editor Jim Montague speaks with Emerson’s Bob Karshnia in the wake of the November article on wireless to gain greater insights into how industrial wireless is supporting the IIoT, digitalization and other emerging technologies.

Analyzing the Top 50

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:02:40 -0600

Control's executive editor Jim Montague speaks with Craig Resnick and Larry O'Brien at A.R.C. Advisory Group about the Control October 2018 cover article on the Control/A.R.C. Top 50 global and North American automation vendors, and give the results some added context and trends.