Manufacturing Trending Upward and Other Automation Notes

March 2, 2010
Heading into March, it seems manufacturing is sustaining the momentum from the last quarter of 2009.

There’s a sense of optimism emanating from the business media and manufacturers, and financial reports are positive for many automation companies. Gary Mintchell reports on financial earnings, among other things, in this video report, http://bit.ly/doc6qa.

Apple announced the iPad Tablet device back in late January and Automation World was hoping for a digital magazine game changer, but no luck. Apple did not introduce a standard platform for magazines. The iPad looks great, but for the time being, every publisher will have to develop a platform for the iPad. One magazine, “Wired,” did develop its own Reader and sidestepped Apple.  To see the story behind the “Wired” Reader, visit http://bit.ly/cetrRr.

Gary Mintchell, Editor in Chief, Automation World, attended the ARC Forum in Orlando, Fla., in February and filed this video report: http://bit.ly/cJbLih.

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The TOP FIVE stories on AutomationWorld.com in February, based on page views:
1  OEE: A Shop-Floor Metric That Links Cost Reduction to Revenue
(www.automationworld.com/primers-6519)
2   Wireless Control in the Process Industries: Blasphemy or Common Sense?
(www.automationworld.com/feature-6558)
3  An Update on EDDL and FDT
(www.automationworld.com/primers-6047)
4  Invensys Reorganization Explained
(www.automationworld.com/news-6623)
5  Ethernet’s Protocols’ Flexibility A Boost For Manufacturing
(www.automationworld.com/feature-6566)

BLOGS: www.automationworld.com/autogear
Automation Gear Blog: Stay on top of product trends by visiting the Automation Gear Blog at www.automationworld.com/autogear. Gary Mintchell and other Automation World editors home in on subtle product innovations that could affect your business’s bottom line. Find Automation Gear blog via our home page or subscribe to Automation Gear’s RSS feed, www.automationworld.com/rss.

NEW! Podcast: Protecting Against Arc Flash
Arc flash can be a dangerous hazard for those working around electricity and electrically powered equipment. In this podcast interview, recorded on Feb. 4, 2010, Managing Editor Wes Iversen talks with Chris Davidson and David Clout of Siemens Energy Inc. about arc flash protection technology deployed in equipment sold to the power industry and others. Visit www.automationworld.com/podcast-6568.

WEBCASTS www.automationworld.com/webcasts
2009 Webcast Series on Industrial Ethernet. Free On-Demand Webcast: Using Managed vs. Unmanaged Switches with Industrial Ethernet. Distributed control architectures and information availability have become so crucial for manufacturing that automation engineers often find themselves cast in the role of networking engineers. Originally ran on June 18, 2009. Visit www.automationworld.com/webcast-5549.

Free On-Demand Webcast: Reducing Costs and Automating Your Products From Design to Phase Out. This Webcast features a real-life case study on TIMCO Aerosystems LLC and how it used Product Data Management (PDM) software to automate its product lifecycle and optimize its manufacturing operation. Originally ran on Oct. 15, 2009. Visit www.automationworld.com/webcast-6030.

Free On-Demand Webcast: Business Considerations for Safety.
In this FREE hour-long Web seminar, learn about the current industry and global trends that address the business considerations for safety. Hear from ARC analyst Sal Spada, and Dan Hornbeck of Rockwell Automation as they discuss industry adoption of safety and sustainability for the life of a machine or application. Originally ran on Oct. 8, 2009. Visit www.automationworld.com/webcast-6029.

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