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

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

  “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?

  I find podcasts to be a great learning resource. In fact, I like them so much that I not only listen to a lot of them, I even produce one called Automation Minutes.

  Innovation is implementing creative ideas into valuable or profitable solutions.

  Automation World has put a powerful Internet tool in the hands of our readers, with our newly designed Web site.

  The industry is moving from connecting sensors to connecting information.

 Automation, flexibility and optimization will define the factory of the future. So said presenters at the ARC Forum, held last month in Orlando, where “Next Generation Manufacturing” was the topic.

 The Hart communication protocol (for Highway Addressable Remote Transmitter) is a venerable protocol now more than 20 years old.

 When we launched Automation World 18 months ago, one of the questions on our minds was, “Why do manufacturers buy automation?” We came up with many answers to that question, but the one that continues to make the most sense is—manufacturers buy automation to solve business problems.

 This issue of Automation World is devoted to all aspects of project management—from budgeting (p. 13), project management skills (p.

 This issue kicks off our second year of publishing Automation World. The first issue went into the mail in June 2003. That was preceded by four months of planning, arguing, cajoling, traveling and writing.

 Critical Condition Management (CCM) is a market that is growing both in size and importance. Major critical events usually fall into a category referred to as “incidents leading to losses.” These critical events can lead to the largest category of performance downgrading, otherwise known as unscheduled downtime, as well as the loss itself.

 Today’s manufacturer faces a daunting world of ruthless, global competition, overcapacity, depressed economies and increased product commoditization.

 Manufacturing heroes do their best to make conditions safer, better and more profitable.

 Imagine saving your company $6 million in capital equipment investments. Jean Van Damme did, and survived to tell his tale at the recent ARC Strategy Forum.

 The statistics are startling. Almost 2.3 million U.S. jobs were lost in manufacturing from July 2000 through April 2003. The pain is personal.