Systems

Overview: This white paper analyzes the Dragonfly cyber campaign, looking at its targets, its methods of attack, its impact and what it means for defending operations from similar attacks in the future. This paper is designed to help the owners and operators of manufacturing companies better understand the nature of advanced cyber security threats against […]

This demonstration shows how advanced features in DeltaV Virtual Studio provide for high availability and disaster recovery. Varying levels of availability protection in this demonstration show how DeltaV Virtual Studio ensures your system stays up and running or minimizes recovery time in a disaster event. Watch and learn more.  

Current available opportunities

by Bill Fester on September 11, 2014

in DCS, Emerson DeltaV, Jobs, Pharmaceutical

Current needs for DeltaV applications and programming include: Three opportunities for a DeltaV programmer with experience in creating code for pharmaceutical processes. Requires someone familiar with batch code writing on a DeltaV system with a very strong preference for someone with previous pharmaceutical experience. This is a contract role and my last for six months […]

Automation and Control in the Plant of the Future

by Bill Fester on September 11, 2014

in DCS, Industries, Systems

Sept 11, 2014 “It’s an interesting time in our industry, and not an entirely happy one,” said Walt Boyes, principal, Spitzer & Boyes, to open his keynote speech today at the Yokogawa Users Group Conference and Exhibition in Houston. “Changes are coming; changes are here, and all at once. Our traditional slow movement in adopting […]

Remarks on Marc Andreesen’s Twitter Essay, and the New Yorker’s Disruption Article by Jill Lepore Mark Andreeson’s Twitter Storm/ Essay this morning has some unique insights. I’ve been thinking for some time now about the correlation between trends in Big Computing and Process Control Systems. Maybe it makes no sense, but as someone on the […]

What’s Old is New Again SCADA system helps Merck KGaA, the world’s oldest pharma firm, meet new European and U.S. regulations at its Merck & Cie plant In the pharmaceutical industry, the chemical integrity of compounds relies on the strict control of hundreds of variables from air humidity and freezer temperatures to mixing times. Compounds […]

The benefits of remote access for manufacturing operations are widely known and accepted. This article details how modern SCADA systems are providing this access in a variety of ways to all manner of fixed and portable computing platforms and other devices. Simple HMI systems have evolved into highly advanced SCADA solutions that provide key data […]

At this nostalgic time of the year, I thought I’d take a moment to present a film about automation from yesteryear. This is from the Prelinger Archive at the Library of Congress and was produced by the General Electric Company. It’s not quite a study on early DCS  or PLCs (if anyone has anything like […]

Significant improvements can be demonstrated in updating automation in either independent machine controls or an entire facility. More and more manufacturers are upgrading control systems primarily to fight the battle of equipment obsolescence, rather than taking the opportunity to invest in upgrades, in order to gain more productive years out of major capital assets. There […]

  Control Systems Engineer with twenty-five (25+) years in engineering, programming, design, construction, commissioning and start-up in the Oil/Gas production, refining, power and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and other manufacturing industries. Experience includes: Project and construction management, Process Instrumentation, DCS, PLC, ESD and SCADA; Compressor control and anti-surge systems, GE Multilin motor protection, Variable Frequency Drive – […]