ISA has formed a new committee to focus on developing a standard to help accelerate the implementation and widespread uses of fieldbus devices throughout industry. The ISA SP104 committee will be formed to create a standard that adopts the generic language specified by IEC 61804 to describe the properties of automation system components. The specified language is capable of describing device parameters and their dependencies, device functions, graphical representations and interactions with control devices.

A one-day conference on Welding and the Engineer will be held as part of the WELDTECH exhibition, which is running during National Manufacturing Week 2006 at Sydney’s Darling Harbour, from May 30 to June 2.

A novel array of sensors is poised to change the costly and resource-intensive process of fighting corrosion in industries such as aerospace, shipping, mining, oil and gas.

GE Fanuc Embedded Systems has joined the board of directors of VITA, the trade association dedicated to fostering open systems architecture in a variety of embedded systems applications. Jim Berlin, vice president of Hardware Technology, will serve as GE Fanuc's primary representative on the VITA board.

Cleaning the inside of giant storage tanks at refineries and bulk chemical storage facilities is set to get a whole lot easier, safer and cheaper, with the development of an innovative jet cleaning device.

Bulk materials handlers the world over are said to reap rewards following the announcement of a new CSIRO-owned spin-out company called Intalysis.

Advantech will be demonstrating its latest technology products at this year's CeBit exhibition in Sydney.

XeroCoat has received funding from enough investors to develop its innovative anti-fogging and anti-reflective coating technology.

Krohne Australia has formed a strategic alliance with Berthold technologies to complement its process instrumentation range for Australian mining and oil and gas industries

German mining company RWE Power has ordered 25 ABB AquaMaster electromagnetic water meters to help preserve groundwater based marshes and wetlands around its German coal mines.

The opening of Taiwan's utility market to independent power producers has generated greater competition, with more companies allowed to build power plants and offer services to the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower).

A new ceramic-based coating for steel and superalloys that prevents corrosion, oxidation, carburisation and sulfidation that commonly occur in gas, liquid, steam and other hostile environments has been developed by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US.

A team of chemists and engineers at the University of Toronto in Canada has created a nanoscale material that could help satisfy society's never-ending hunger for smaller digital devices and cellphones, and could even lead to new methods for delivering medications via skin patches.

The process industry is being offered new opportunities and challenges a fresh round of submissions being called for the development of national industry Action Agendas.

Emerson Process Mangement has acquired UK firm Bristol Babcock from FKI for US$121 million. To be renamed Bristol, it becomes part of Emerson Process Management and adds measurement and control products, technologies, and services for oil, gas, power, water, and wastewater industries worldwide.