Trapped! Stranded! Held hostage! All are terms that have been used to describe data that likely exists in many places in your plant or factory today—data that, if made accessible on a continuous, real-time or near-real-time basis, could potentially help you save money in a variety of ways. Now, the emergence of new industrial wireless networking technologies promises some cost-effective ways to free that locked-up data.

  LyondellBasell—an $18 billion chemical company based in the Netherlands—was having difficulty managing raw materials in plants across the globe.

  With its Unified Architecture, the venerable industrial open connectivity standard known as OPC can be implemented on non-Microsoft systems, while retaining compatibility with older OPC.

 Wireless sensor networks had an easy and inexpensive installation for this refiner.

 Technology monitors and controls assets scattered across the landscape.

  Plants are sharing information with IT, maintenance and along the supply chain.

  One North American manufacturer that is pursuing a low-cost, yet scalable automation solution that can work in budget-constrained global locations is General Motors Corp.

  Some Global Manufacturers are deploying small-footprint automation systems as a way to cut costs and eliminate IT overhead in developing regions of the world.

  Energy savings has become a major issue for companies providing manufacturing equipment.

  Production of practically everything seems to be moving overseas these days, but the perception doesn’t always match reality.

  Everyone likes a good technical standard. But they tend to like it only when it is done, and there are plenty of competitive products that meet the standard.

  Today’s motion control systems possess greater functionality and intelligence than in the past. But do they risk getting too smart for their own good?

 Control engineers must assure IT goals don't conflict with plant operations.

 The newly approved NERC CIP standards covering cyber security in the electric power industry may be controversial, but there are big fines for lack of compliance. 

  Hank Kenchington is a senior manager with the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE).

  A 10-year roadmap for achieving control system cyber security in the energy industry has been hailed as a model for other industries. Here’s a look at progress to date.

  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.

  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.

  “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.