Products in the automation industry have traditionally been sold with “cost-based” pricing—selling price is based on manufactured cost, with target gross and net profit margin multipliers.

 Machine safety in the traditional sense refers to add-on electrical and mechanical components that protect personnel from injury or death while working in or near industrial machinery.

  A select group of industrial equipment companies are executing a formula for success that peers may want to take note of, if they plan to remain competitive in the emerging global market.

 Paul was a conscientious employee. He would do a little extra and try to save the company money.

  In order to improve your manufacturing performance, you should put in a manufacturing execution system (MES) system and integrate to your enterprise resource planning (ERP)—right?

  Somewhere between enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) you will find the manufacturing execution systems (MES) layer.

  In order to reach their maximum potential, manufacturing companies must be efficient at coordinating and controlling personnel, materials and equipment across different operations and control systems.

  Miami is a great place to spend part of February. Especially when you’re looking over the famed Blue Monster golf course at Doral.

  Research shows that globally integrated operating models are the key to value creation and high performance in the industrial equipment industry.

 Network security expert Eric Byres pulls no punches when speaking about information technology (IT) security. Hacking on control systems is serious, “a problem that costs companies millions of dollars,” says the chief technical officer of Byres Security Inc. (www.byressecurity.com), located in Lantzville, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. “That’s usually kept very quiet. So no one believes it can happen until it does happen.”

 Organizations that have adopted a Lean Manufacturing methodology continue to identify elements of their organizations that have diminished in terms of their strategic value.

 Recently, I met a production manager who told me that she wanted to purchase a manufacturing execution systems (MES) solution.

 When it comes to minimizing waste and rejections, keeping up with the latest technology advances can look like a costly proposition.

 Bruno Kisala, managing director of The Automation Federation, recently talked with Automation World Editor in Chief Gary Mintchell about the new directions and goals of the organization. 

 Strong operating performance drove strong equity market results, as several leading industrial automation companies reported banner years in 2007 and project even brighter futures in 2008.

  Mark Morgan is currently chief executive officer of Stratex Advisors, Shingle Springs, Calif. He was formerly chief learning officer at IPSolutions Inc. and practice director of the Stanford Advanced Project Management Program. He was also co-author with Raymond E. Levitt and William Malek of “Executing Your Strategy: How to Break It Down & Get It Done,” published by the Harvard Business School Press. He recently met with Automation World Editor in Chief Gary Mintchell to discuss the ideas behind the book.

  “There are only two problems in life,” says productivity guru David Allen, in a white paper titled “Make It Up and Make It Happen” (found at www.davidco.com). So, what are the two problems?

  As I write my New Year’s column, I’m in “booming Bangalore,” India’s software capital. This is a city of some 6.5 million people, which makes it India's third-most populous city and fifth-largest metropolitan area.

 Pricing for profit may seem to be elusive, but it’s plainly within reach—and well worth the effort in the interest of gaining a competitive advantage.

  Not all application software comes on a CD-ROM, or Compact Disk read-only memory.