Jack Smith, Editor
Articles
Achieving strategic balance
Automation alone does not make a plant successful, productive or profitable. A strategic balance of planning, communication, maintenance, discipline and automation makes World Class enterprises World Class enterprises. But, automation is a big part of the operation behind successful enterprises because it provides tools to help achieve this necessary balance.
An endorsement for neutrality
Impartiality is (or should be) one of the first lessons editors learn. While it is fundamentally important for every journalist to maintain neutrality, it is a vital tenet to those of us who serve the technical trades. However, deliberately detaching ourselves from industry conflicts or debates in no way precludes us from taking a stand on challenging topics.
Identifying opportunities for improvement
As another year approaches, tradition suggests we take time to reflect on what we've accomplished and identify opportunities for improvement. There's a lot to be said for taking inventory of where you are and where you want to be. There are pragmatic applications to self awareness that can translate into work and business environments.
Looking for good news
Today's news reports seem to contradict those broadcast yesterday. One day, the economy is poised for recovery; the next day, the end of this recession is nowhere near. It reminds me of the predictions of that infamous groundhog each Feb. 2. But at this point, the critter seems to be better at predicting the future.
Time to move from buzzwords to reality
Power and energy continue to be daily buzzwords in nearly every industry – not just automation. But, some argue that the global recession has all but extinguished the energy efficiency topics that burned like a bonfire most of last year. Klaus Helmrich, CEO of the Drives Technologies Division at Siemens, told Control Engineering editorial director David Greenfield in an exclusive intervie...
Getting a feel for robotics capabilities
Robots have improved productivity in manufacturing for decades. While motion control concepts have not changed significantly, applications have. Even the use of vision to assist robots and other motion control solutions such as pick-and-place and automated inspection has been around for a while. Recent innovations allow robots to experience touch and control applied force.
The effective ‘manufacturing’ of water
We don’t think of water that something we manufacture. Water is something that’s always there -- coming out of our taps, providing beauty through magnificent fountains, or simply covering two-thirds of the Earth Bill Wood of Orlando’s Iron Bridge Regional water reclamation facility sees the process of water in a different way, and one quote from this month’s cover story ...
Recovering from crisis
The United States may not be able to automate its way out of the recession, but along with eliminating waste, automation's a big part of the plan.
What a ride!
It would be an understatement to say that 2008 was quite a tumultuous year. From a massacre on a university campus to the election of a new president to the troubles in the U.S. economy to the near-extinction of the major U.S.-based auto makers – what a ride!
Now it’s your turn
It's hard to believe that AppliedAutomation is well into its third year. The encouragement and support have been inspiring, to say the least. Because of its growth, AppliedAutomation will move from being published quarterly to six times per year, starting in Jan. 2009. In addition to increased frequency, AppliedAutomation will also have expanded coverage.