Industry News
Global partnership to extend DDL specs
The Fieldbus Foundation, HART Communication Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganization have begun an unprecedented collaborative project to extend the specification for device descriptive language (DDL), the most important and widely used digital communication descriptive language in the manufacturing and process industries.
[ + ]One in five workers experiences job insecurity
A global survey of confidence among workers has shown Australians are quite insecure about their jobs, despite a strong economy.
[ + ]Fire knocks BHP Port Kembla steelworks
Port Kembla steelworks was partially evacuated recently after a 20 tonne overhead coal trolley was ignited by a gas fire.
[ + ]Automation partnership
WhereNet provides wireless location and communications solutions for managing mobile resources. Siemens, by partnering with WhereNet, expands its suite of MOBY radio frequency identification (RFID) systems to include wireless, real-time applications for locating, tracking and providing status information on mobile assets.
[ + ]Windows CE industrial PC
Rockwell Automation has expanded its Allen-Bradley VersaView industrial computer line with the VersaView CE industrial computer, combining the Microsoft Windows CE platform with rugged computer hardware designed specifically for industrial applications.
[ + ]Training for the future
A specialist training program introduced by South Australian pipe fittings manufacturer Philmac is providing managers with the opportunity to further their careers by obtaining formal business administration qualifications while at work.
[ + ]Citect announces strategic partnerships
Citect has announced two separate partnership agreements with major European automation companies Felten Automation GMbH and Brains in Motion (BIM) to provide integrated solutions for the regulated manufacturing industries.
[ + ]Queensland IT company wins US deal
Queensland-based IT company Technisyst Computing has formed a strategic alliance with a leading US software developer, to deliver cutting edge software that will help companies and organisations increase their productivity.
[ + ]ABB signs US$50 million agreement
ABB has signed a full service maintenance agreement with Carter Holt Harvey, an Australian-Asian forest products company. The five-year contract, worth US$10 million annually, covers all maintenance services for the Kinleith mill in Tokoroa, New Zealand.
[ + ]Danaher Corporation buys Willett International
Willett International Limited announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Danaher Corporation.
[ + ]Wireless level measurement on the increase
Level is the process measurement for which suppliers are eagerly pursing wireless solutions. The characteristics of a tank farm exemplify why wireless is appropriate for such applications. Storage tank locations are generally not central to the control room, requiring added costs for digging trenches, laying conduit, associated labour, engineering and maintenance.
[ + ]Machine vision awards
The CKR Automatic Vision Inspection System has won the 2003 Advanced Imaging Award in the Machine Vision category. This is an annual US Imaging award.
[ + ]Profibus, Hart, Foundation fieldbus for EDDL
The three major fieldbus organisations are behind an initiative to standardise an Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL).
[ + ]The changing face of world trade
World trade rebounded in 2002, growing by 2.5% compared to a 1% decline in 2001. But the real story is in the detailS. China and the transition economies are gaining prominence while The Americas, Western Europe, and Japan are stuck in neutral.
[ + ]