Five to ten times per day in the United States, a worker is severely injured or killed in an electrical arc flash accident, according to Joe Weigel, product manager in Square D Services Marketing for automation and electrical products supplier Schneider Electric, in Palatine, Ill.

  Why install the latest generation of safety networks? Most people would put the money saved on less wiring at the top of their list of answers.

  Safety is a topic that is on everyone's mind. No one wants to be interviewed on television after an explosion at their plant or after a severe injury occurs.

  “What do we mean by automation software?” asks Nathan Massey, sales engineer for B&R Industrial Automation Corp., Roswell, Ga. A trick question? More of a thought starter.

  Last year, the Colombia-based engineering firm, Omnicon Ltd. wanted to help a dairy customer integrate its automation production system with its enterprise business system.

  By developing closer links between 3D simulation tools and factory floor automation, major PLM and controls vendors are aiming to move digital manufacturing technology one step closer to the mainstream.

  This is a sidebar to the feature article "Stepping up to Green – It's Good Business", that appears in the March, 2008 issue of Automation World.

  Forget the politics. Doing good for the environment can be very good for the bottom line.

 This is a sidebar to the feature story "Automating Energy Consumption" which appears in the March, 2008 Issue of Automation World.

  Plants are turning to automation tools to drive down energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.

 This is a sidebar to the main story "Biofuels Thrive with Automation" which appears in the March 2008 Issue of Automation World.Geography plays a big role in how nations reduce their reliance on oil. The Corn Belt of the United States, for example, is converting some of its crop into ethanol.

  Global politics and economic expansion in developing countries have shot petrochemical prices into orbit. The political and economic pressures are forcing governments and consumers to take a greater interest in alternative energy sources such as biofuels.

  The tenets of ISA88 are now being applied to packaging, as well as to continuous and discrete manufacturing.

  While not everyone likes the name, a new generation of programmable automation controllers that feature multi-domain control functionality are helping to reduce costs for a growing number of manufacturers.

  While the fogginess around mechatronics may not have dissipated entirely, one thing is increasingly clear: as a conceptual schema for design, mechatronics continues to become more visible—and its importance can only grow over the next few years.

  Improved HMI visualization makes plant and enterprise data easy to share, and also easy to understand.

  Manufacturers boost profits with smart inventory automation.

 It’s seldom a good feeling in the pit of your stomach when management issues you a challenge.

 Andre Ristaino, managing director of the Automation Standards Compliance Institute (ASCI), in Research Triangle Park, N.C., provided Independent Program Assessments and Independent Validation and Verification support for information technology modernization projects at the U.S. Air Force Logistics Command while employed at Deloitte & Touche. He led manufacturing information systems integration projects and provided consulting services for manufacturing operations improvement. Ristaino’s manufacturing industry experience includes pulp and paper, textiles, steel fabrication, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Ristaino holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Science in Technology Management.

 Angela E. Summers, Ph.D. and P.E., has more than15 years of process, environmental and safety instrumented system (SIS) design experience. She is principal author of “Guidelines for Safe and Reliable Instrumented Protective Systems,” published by Wiley-Interscience. She is a recipient of the Intrumentation, Systems and Automation Society's 2005 Albert F. Sperry Award, for her outstanding contributions and leadership in the specification, development and implementation of safety instrumented systems for the process automation industry. She is also president and chief executive officer of safety instrumented systems consultancy SIS-Tech Solutions, in Houston. Summers sat down recently for an interview with Automation World Editor in Chief Gary Mintchell.