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.

  Using wireless sensor technologies in process automation is finally getting out of the labs and into the plants. There remains a reluctance to publicly come out of the closet about using it.

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

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

  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.

  (Sidebar to "A Better View of the Plant" from the January 2008 issue of Automation World)

 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.

 (Sidebar to "Don't Pick The Door With the Donkey" from the December issue of Automation World)

  In hopes of driving better bottom-line results, manufacturing companies are turning to business simulations to boost the financial savvy of employees.

  A newsprint producer is saving $150,000 annually, thanks to wireless links from its remote scale house to its mill.

  Plants are using predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring to increase availability, enhance process quality and improve safety.

  Can excellence be measured? While there is no easy answer, many forms of measurement can provide light.

  Fast Digital Fieldbuses Improve Motion Control.

  Here's a look at some of the trials, tribulations and challenges faced by two early end-users of industrial wireless networking technology, along with some lessons learned and benefits gained.

  KV Pharmaceutical is turning to wireless mesh networking technology as a way to save money, while reliably meeting regulatory requirements for temperature and humidity monitoring.

  (Sidebar to "Limit Your Liability" from the September 2007 issue of Automation World)

  Tracking products from herd to grocery shelf can reduce recall exposure.

 (Sidebar to "RFID & Bar Code After the Hype" from the September 2007 issue of Automation World)

  In North America and Western Europe, plants are retrofitting with new technology to get more from existing assets.