The Association for Advancing Automation has expressed disappointment in 60 Minutes’ portrayal of the automation industry, in a segment entitled ‘March of the Machines’ in the United States. [ + ]

Rockwell Automation has appointed a new Managing Director Australia New Zealand. David Hegarty was appointed to the position on 5 November 2012 and will maintain his previous role of Regional Sales Director for the region. [ + ]

Escalating demand for oil and gas, the construction of new facilities, and physical and cyber threats to these installations have led to growth in the oil and gas infrastructure security market. [ + ]

Researchers at RMIT University have created ‘liquid metal marbles’ - droplets of liquid metal coated in nanoparticles - in a world-first breakthrough that advances research into soft electronics and industrial sensing technologies. [ + ]

Paul Fowler has been named as the new president of the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), effective 17 December. [ + ]

Chinese industrial production has increased at a CAGR of approximately 14.5% over the past decade, and the country’s demand for automation has followed suit, IMS Research says. [ + ]

Autodesk has completed the acquisition of PI-VR, a privately held German software company that specialises in sophisticated real-time visualisation technology used primarily in the automotive industry. [ + ]

Norwegian publisher Edda Trykk has selected Honeywell to upgrade its Printa press control and shaftless drive systems at the company’s newspaper printing facility in Stokke. [ + ]

Metso has acquired US software company ExperTune. ExperTune’s software tools are used to analyse and monitor the performance of industrial processes and to identify the associated maintenance and improvement opportunities.

The Hirschmann Mission Critical Network Design Training Seminar will be bigger than the 2012 Phuket seminar, featuring 15 technical sessions in five different hands-on labs. [ + ]

ABB has announced a five-year sponsorship agreement with the University of Queensland that gives engineering students access to the ABB Mechatronics Teaching Laboratory. [ + ]

One of the world’s leading engineering, architecture and environmental consulting companies, GHD, has been recognised at the 2012 Consult Australia Awards for Excellence. [ + ]

Pepperl+Fuchs says the acquisition will allow it to increase expertise and capacity in the manufacture of electromechanical explosion protection products for use in hazardous areas and harsh environments. [ + ]

The fourth annual Robofair, the biggest yet, showcased national and international advances in robotics and mechatronics. [ + ]

Process Group has won a contract to design, fabricate and deliver LNG pre-treatment technology for AGL Energy’s Newcastle Gas Storage Facility. [ + ]