Products and Services from ISA
I/O, I/O, so off to work I go…simple, right? Input. Output. Repeat. That’s the recipe for process automation, there’s no denying it. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? If only it were that simple. If it required nothing more than to memorize this little recipe, we could get a dumb robot (programmed in Fortran!) to handle our [...]
In today’s tough economy, many employees are searching for ways they can stand out from the crowd, both strengthening their hold on their current jobs and boosting their prospects for career advancement. On the other side of the coin, employers—facing tight hiring budgets and fierce marketplace competition—are expecting that workers have the proven experience and [...]
While the U.S. and world economies are still struggling to grow, there are important steps that manufacturers and process industries can take to improve their competitiveness. Workforce training can play a vital role in boosting operational performance and productivity. Well-trained employees are better able to adapt to change—a must in today’s economy—and less likely to [...]
I travel on airplanes a lot in my many ventures, and I always try to catch a glimpse into the pilot’s cabin as I’m boarding. Don’t you? I just want to see who is in there and whether they look like they know what they’re doing. I want to see that smiling, confident pilot with [...]
In my 30 years in automation and system integration, I’ve seen a significant change in the meaning of the term “connected enterprise.” Early in my career, a connected enterprise was one that used conveyors to move parts along the production line, and data sometimes moved with the parts on paper tags. Today, of course, a [...]
Over my career I cannot think of a single time when I regretted running spare cables or oversizing field junction boxes. However, I can think of too many instances where I ran out of room and/or capacity much sooner than I had expected, and wished I had run MORE spares. Concept: The incremental purchase cost [...]
The advent of a new year is the ideal time to take a fresh look at all the different ways ISA members can get involved in ISA sections and divisions. As someone who has been highly engaged for many years in my local (Philadelphia) ISA section, and has had the honor of serving the Society [...]
The distillation process uses enormous amounts of energy, consuming up to 50 percent of a refinery’s operating costs due to intense heating and cooling cycles. Proper distillation tower operation can reduce energy consumption, but plant personnel need the right information in order to improve operation. Specifically, operators must have precise measurement and control of numerous [...]
Kicking off the New Year with the January issue of ISA Transactions: The Journal of Automation, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ahmad Rad writes in his 50th Celebration ISA Transactionsmessage from the editor: “ISA Transactions turned 51. The fine tradition starting in 1962 continues and the hard work of many individuals in the last fifty years has facilitated [...]
A customer had a poor performing loop in the brewery. The problem would really become an issue once in awhile depending on the operating conditions in the plant. The problem would be passed from person to person, shift to shift with no real answer. In discussing the problem with a controls engineer, the engineer asked [...]
