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.

  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.

 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.

 (Sidebar to "Collaboration Proliferates as Companies Go Global" from the December issue of Automation World)

 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.

  Mistakes in software just can’t happen at NEC’s semiconductor fabrication facility in Roseville, Calif. They are simply too costly and dangerous.

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

  (Sidebar to "Plugging the Automation Skills Gap" from the August 2007 issue of Automation World)

 Manufacturing intelligence applications provides the heart of performance management.

  U.S. manufacturing companies discover what it takes to be competitive here and how to grow in Asia.

  The Town of Hempstead, N.Y., combines solar energy with innovative electrical distribution and variable frequency drives to control energy costs in a “green” way.

  A Red Team test involves an all-out attempt to covertly gain access to a company’s critical plant control systems, using both cyber and physical means. These guys haven’t failed yet, and they’ve never been caught. Here’s a close-up look at how they do it.

  (Sidebar to "PLM A Lifetime Of Collaboration" from the May 2007 issue of Automation World)

  Hundreds to thousands of people work together to develop and deliver quality products in ever-shorter lead times.  

  Improving energy efficiency in manufacturing—especially electricity—not only is good business, but also decreases demand for more electric generating plants that too often pollute the air with “greenhouse” gases.

  (Sidebar to "Justify Your Automation" from December 2006 issue of Automation World)

  How to convince your company’s brass that it’s time to invest in more automation technology.

 Plants are connecting business applications to the shop floor, but not without some turf battles.

 Smart field devices might not be glamorous enough to take the spotlight, but they sure do play an important role in managing assets these days.