Innovative Thinking

At one point or another, system engineers have to go through the challenging task of replacing a component with a new one. It may be due to a vast amount of reasons such as:

• The manufacturer discontinued support
• Lack of reliability in terms of procurement
• Overly-inflated cost
• Frequent failures
• Technical conflicts

However, replacing a part isn’t that easy, especially when choosing it in the first place required going through a lengthy process. The major problem is the absence of a direct cross-reference pointing to the new item. The entire product specifications have to be dissected and then searched through various manufacturers’ products.

The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has been one of the most evolving components of the automation industry, quick to take on changes that would enhance its capabilities and functionalities. PLCs have become completely assimilated into all major industries that require some sort of automation to complete their processes.

A typical busbar system is made up of copper busbars and splice connectors, and provide a standard way of making connections to panel mounted and bus mounted components. A high degree of safety is maintained throughout all such actions. Busbar power distributions systems are gradually taking over conventional wiring methods as they have a number of benefits attributed to them.

Premier Automation has recently been confirmed a winner of the 2017 Fastest Growing Companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times!

The results are in, and Premier Automation has received recognition for their 17.2% growth in sales from 2014-2016. There are 101 companies ranked by overall growth and within industry categories. With an overall ranking of 91, Premier Automation also received the ranking as number 8 in the Environmental/Engineering/Energy category.

Now with 106 employees (8 of whom were part of the original founding team) Premier Automation’s vision remains the same as they strive to help local, national, and international companies become more technologically advanced through innovative answers and passionate engineering. Premier Automation looks forward to many more successful years!

Two major trends have greatly impacted the Motion Controls industry, and are currently affecting the global controls market: safety and single-cable servo motors. Therefore, knowing about the changing trends beforehand can serve as a great way to route the selection of your automation hardware in the right direction.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most important, if not the most important topic of R&D units throughout the global industrial landscape. It is part of the new industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0, and its prime focus is to offer greater reliability, flexibility and security within industrial systems through connectivity.

As IoT is combination of various technologies, and focusses on the coordinated operation of multiple assets, it is impossible for traditional developers to adjust to the new reality without uplifting their knowledgebase.

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are two polarizing figures in the field of electricity, both being equally credited and acclaimed for their inventions and innovations. As we know AC, or Alternating Current, was invented by Tesla while Thomas Edison put his DC power to work, with both sides trying to prove their technology’s worth. At the time DC won the battle but in the long-run lost the war, as eventually the entire global electric infrastructure adopted AC as the standard for transmission and distribution.  

August 7, 2017 - Premier Automation has recently been confirmed a winner of the 2017 Fastest Growing Companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times! In addition to receiving this recognition, Premier Automation was also a winner of the Pittsburgh Business Times 2017 Best Places to Work.

With nearly 100 employees, 8 of whom were part of the original founding team, Premier Automation’s vision remains the same as they strive to help local, national, and international companies become more technologically advanced, efficient and competitive through innovative answers and passionate engineering. Premier Automation looks forward to many more successful years.

Stay tuned for more information on Premier Automation's rankings!

Industrial Automation may have eased the manufacturing sector’s worries about an abundance of things, but there are undoubtedly times where over-automating a unit isn’t the solution.

It is noted that product and process designs take up 80% share of the total manufacturing costs, but almost always control engineers work hard to reduce the 20% left, rather than rectifying any errors in the former. The father of Toyota’s Production System, Taiichi Ohno devised seven canons of any design process that account for wastage of resources, and ultimately drive up costs. Today, the concept is known as Lean Manufacturing, and heavily followed throughout the world. These seven wastes included overproduction, waiting, transportation, over-processing, inventory, defects and motion.

Uncertainty in global markets acts as one of the biggest motivator for optimization of all sorts. The recent oil price slump was alarming for all, from government-owned oil companies to century old gas-giants. In such situations, every dollar saved per unit is rewarded, as the stakes are simply too high. Process Optimization is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve profit margins and drive a company through prolonged market slumps.