Jack Smith, Senior Editor
Articles
Sadlowski, Batra reflect on UGS acquisition
Speaking on June 12 at Siemens Automation Summit in Orlando, FL, Dennis Sadlowski, president and CEO, Siemens Energy & Automation (effective July 1, 2007) said, “Combined portfolios of (Siemens) A&D and UGS will enhance customer efficiency and success throughout the entire product life cycle."
ABB moves Process Automation HQ to Houston
ABB is relocating its global Process Automation division headquarters from Norwalk, CT to Houston, effective Aug. 1.
MES sessions at Siemens Automation Summit
Paul LeMert, Siemens Energy & Automation, kicked off a 2-1/2-day-long series of presentations framing the Siemens SIMATIC IT MES product line. The overview session highlighted market trends, ERP to MES interoperability and MES to PLC/DCS synchronization.
Why Georgetown? Toyota builds world-class cars in Kentucky
Travel south on I-75 through the northern part of Kentucky and you’ll never know it’s there. But the people of Georgetown know exactly where the Toyota plant is, and have known for 20 years. The impact Toyota made on their lives is nothing short of life changing. “When Toyota came to town, some people were a bit apprehensive,” said John Poff, assistant manager, general assembly at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Inc., Kentucky.
Driving continuous improvement
We have the same equipment as our competitors, said Tom Zawacki, general manager, general administration, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Inc., Kentucky (TMMK). “We use the same raw materials. They come from the same suppliers.” “When people come here, they ask, 'What’s that silver bullet? What’s that thing that makes Toyota different?’” added Rick Hesterbe...
A business system for the shop floor
Effective automation is at the core of successful manufacturing enterprises because it provides tools to manage information and processes. Yet automation is more than making individual machines, groups of machines or even entire enterprises work effectively. That definition has now expanded to tying together all the islands of information within the enterprise – from the plant floor to th...
Wireless: New tools, strategies change how plants are monitored
The Clinton Utilities Board needed to control and monitor devices at two outage-prone sites at substations in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee. Terrain and distance were barriers to the solution, but wireless technology extended the board’s monitoring reach into the substations more than an hour away.
Thinking inside the box: Energy costs drive ac-drive innovations
The types of ac drives used with ac induction motors are V/Hz, encoderless and flux vector. While there are many drives available for synchronous and servo motors, induction motors have the majority of applications. Sensorless vector control is the same as encoderless vector control, which better describes its operation.
DaimlerChrysler: Building cars, building teams
The last Dodge Neon rolled off DaimlerChrysler's Belvidere, Illinois Assembly Plant in September. Eight weeks later, employees were ready to begin assembly of the new Dodge Caliber, due for introduction at the Detroit Auto Show next month. A decade ago, when Chrysler changed over from the Dynasty to the Neon, the assembly line changes took approximately four months.
Out with the old
An annual or semiannual plant shutdown gives maintenance staff time to repair equipment, retool for a new production run or even wax and seal the floors. Plant facilities are upgraded or equipment is overhauled during these planned shutdowns. The key word is "planned," especially when it comes to the electrical distribution system.