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.

  Gartner Inc., the Stamford, Conn., market research firm, has identified the top 10 technologies and trends that it says will be strategic for most organizations.

  The war between plant operations and IT is over. Here’s a look at the major trends in information technology that are having a direct and growing impact on plant operations.

  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.

  At automaker Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., Alan Baumgartner discusses digital manufacturing in the context of two bridges.

  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.

  Scott Fraser is the Electrical Technology Department Chair at Long Beach City College in California. Besides providing electrical training, the Department offers specialty areas in robotics and industrial automation.

  “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.

  The goal of tightly integrating processing and packaging, as well as devising an industry standard method of machine control, is still gaining momentum.

  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.

  By using design for manufacture and assembly methodologies, some manufacturers are reaping impressive factory floor savings.

 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.