It almost looks as though wearing a glove might decide whether or not you use a panel PC with multitouch functionality. But there is also a price argument, and multitouch is not yet fully supported by all HMI software tools either. So whether an OEM opts for multitouch or a simple touch panel PC is also a question of the technology they use. [ + ]

Tetra Pak CPS uses CFD analyses to optimise spray dryers and separators. [ + ]

Holcim Ltd, one of the largest construction material producers worldwide uses conveyor drive systems from NORD in its production of different aggregates along with cement, gravel and concrete. [ + ]

At IFPAC 2012, industry experts from the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries met with suppliers and partners to discuss the latest trends and development in PAT. During talks, it became evident that PAT implementation is gaining traction in the biopharmaceutical industry. [ + ]

Dematic has provided Tesco with an automated materials picking and handling system for the company’s fourth ‘Dotcom store’ that went live in January 2012. Dematic technology will also feature in Tesco’s fourth and fifth Dotcom stores. [ + ]

Coca-Cola Amatil is reducing the carbon footprint of its 600 mL PET bottles by 22% with the help of stainless steel. [ + ]

Standardised process modules are bringing significant technical and economic benefits in areas - such as filtration, heating and cleaning - that span a range of industries and applications. [ + ]

Belgium-based UCB has awarded Emerson Process Management a $6.1 million contract to provide integrated process automation and operations management systems for a new biopharmaceutical production centre in Bulle, Switzerland. [ + ]

EU-funded research has developed an ‘intelligent cargo’ system that knows where it is, where it is going, when it needs to be there and who is handling it. [ + ]

By installing an Optyx sorter, L&S Cranberry has increased its production time from one shift a day to two, six days a week. [ + ]

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC), the Australian Government’s export credit agency, offers specialist finance solutions that helped pipe suspension designer and manufacturer Binder fulfil a contract for Australia’s Gorgon LNG project. [ + ]

Following 13 months of critical execution to keep complete functionality of Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant that processes more than 52% of Melbourne’s waste water, engineering solutions provider O’Donnell Griffin completed the electrical works component of the wet weather upgrade project. [ + ]

To integrate a pneumatic cylinder into an automated system, it is necessary to supply signals to the controller indicating the position status of the cylinders. Pneumatic cylinder manufacturers, machine builders and end users have developed a number of ways to detect extension or retraction of a pneumatic cylinder and provide a signal to the control system. [ + ]

The Fisher Fieldvue DVC6200f with linkage-less, non-contact position feedback and FOUNDATION fieldbus communication provides prompt alerts on potential valve problems. [ + ]

Rockwell Automation’s ControlLogix helped a large-scale New Zealand cheese manufacturer automate its cheese slicing process. [ + ]