Honeywell Experion Process Knowledge System gains virtualisation
24 March, 2010 byHoneywell has announced it is providing virtualisation technology for its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS). This technology can help manufacturers streamline Experion system management and lower the total cost of ownership by up to 30%.
GE Intelligent Platforms Industrial Gateway Server (IGS) 7.5 drivers
15 February, 2010 byGE Intelligent Platforms has announced Industrial Gateway Server (IGS) 7.5 drivers for the company’s Proficy software. The enhanced offering, utilising industry-standard Kepware KEPServerEX and driver technology, includes more than 100 protocols, which are claimed to enable connectivity to thousands of different control hardware and instruments.
OPC bridging transfers data between industrial automation systems
17 December, 2009Integrators frequently use OPC technology to connect one industrial automation or process control system with another so that data can be shared between the two systems. Because OPC technology is based on a client-server architecture, the challenge is that two OPC servers cannot communicate with each other directly.
Batch control software
26 October, 2009 byGE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced the latest version of its batch control software, Proficy Batch Execution 5.5.
Workflow software for food and packaged goods
26 October, 2009 byGE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has released Proficy Workflow for Food & Beverage/Consumer Packaged Goods. By leveraging electronic work instructions and exception management, this software solution is designed to help food and beverage and packaged goods manufacturers reduce variation in performance, cost and quality.
A recipe for success — How recipe solutions can improve a company’s bottom line
02 October, 2009Today’s manufacturing companies face many pressures, including rising costs for raw materials, labour and distribution, not to mention customer demands for higher quality at lower prices. Yet these significant challenges can be used to spark new opportunities to improve the way businesses are run.
Combined video and trend historian
21 September, 2009 byThe Longwatch Video Historian now offers Canary Labs Trend Historian and Trend Link software that enables users to link video with plant data. Together, the two systems archive all the relevant information - video and real-time data - from a process or automation system, making it much easier for plant operators and engineers to analyse events, alarms and actions.
The advantages of plant-wide historians vs relational databases
30 July, 2009In an increasingly competitive environment, companies need to gain a sustainable advantage by achieving operational excellence, a journey that begins with data that gives process visibility.
MES: take the time upfront
03 July, 2009 by Tom Gill and Dean Ford*Businesses have been touting the financial benefits of manufacturing execution systems (MES) software ever since it became available in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, MES has followed a path similar to that of enterprise resource planning (ERP), meaning that many early implementations did not reach their promised goals.
MES for small and medium businesses
09 June, 2009 byHoneywell has released its manufacturing execution system (MES) Quick Start solution for small and medium process manufacturing businesses in Australia and New Zealand.
Schneider Electric MES software
11 May, 2009Schneider Electric has released Ampla v4.1, manufacturing execution system (MES) software, which delivers a sustainable technical platform with functionality that significantly reduces the costs of implementation and maintenance for MES.
Batch operations software
11 May, 2009 byWonderware has released InBatch 9.0, an enhanced, flexible and scalable batch management solution.
OEE software
01 April, 2009 byWonderware has announced the release of Performance Software 3.5, the latest version of its equipment downtime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) software and an integrated module of the Wonderware MES and supervisory software solution.
Plant project execution software
12 March, 2009 byIntergraph has released the third solution in its SmartPlant Enterprise for Owner Operators (SPO) portfolio, SPO Project Execution. Complementing the previously released SPO Core and SPO Operating Plant solutions, SPO Project Execution provides processes for the successful execution of greenfield and brownfield capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects by owner operators and project management contractors.
Amcor improves bottom line with Citect
19 November, 2008Amcor, one of the world’s leading packaging companies, offers a broad range of plastic, fibre, metal and glass packaging products, along with packaging-related services. The company has annual sales of AU$10.9 billion and employs 22,000 people worldwide. In Australia, Amcor has four beverage can manufacturing plants — Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth — and an end-making facility in Ballarat, Victoria, as well as a can and end manufacturing plant in Auckland, New Zealand.
