Innovative Thinking

How do you keep up with your processes – walking from machine to machine?

Integrating your HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces) into an Ethernet networked control system gives you a centralized window into your entire process. It works by gathering data from the control system and distributing it to different areas of the facility. One PC at an operator station or in a control room can lay out real-time processes, report data over time, and make live adjustments to day-to-day operation.

HMI Server/Client Configuration breaks down into just two components: Servers and Clients.

In Remote Monitoring with Telemetry: Part 1,  we reviewed the top 10 advantages of using radio telemetry for remote monitoring. Those benefits included faster response time, lower cost, security, low maintenance, ease-of-use, and more. But there's also more to telemetry than the basics. In Part 2, we'll take a look at transmission distance and signal power for use of telemetery in automation solutions.

Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) can extend the life of your motors, but how can you extend the life of your VFD? The most expertly specified VFD is only as useful as its operational reliability. This guide reviews variable frequency drives basics of care to ensure long-term productivity and cost-effectiveness.

How many blinking lights register as background noise for the operator on your plant floor?

In the design or planning phase of a project, alarms may be touted as central to the safety and efficiency of a process. But without considering the realistic use for an alarm and taking steps to ensure truly effective reactions, alarms may do more harm than good.

The real danger is that important alarms will get lost in the static. Known as "alarm fatigue," it can dull an operator's sensitivity to alarms when a dangerous or costly situation occurs. 

“Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Thank you!”

Many of us who have boarded a commercial flight are familiar with this quirk of air travel. If you own a smartphone, it likely features a toggle called “Airplane Mode” somewhere in your settings. Why? And what does it have to do with manufacturing?

The answer is Electromagnetic Interference, or EMI.

Historically, cell phones are considered a culprit of EMI, which can impact the performance of navigation instruments in a plane. In manufacturing, EMI plays an even bigger role in producing “dirty power” that can pollute an electrical system.

This could be a major factor behind your factory’s unplanned downtime when equipment falters or the entire system shuts down.

A recent study by Deloitte revealed that the industry will face a shortfall of almost 2 million skilled manufacturing workers in the next decade. That’s a lot of shoes to fill. Unfortunately, manufacturers often aren't sure how to prepare for the gap, especially in a challenging global market. Three recurring problems have been shadowing the industry for a long time, contributing to the shortage companies see today.

If you trace the demand for automation solutions back to the source, you’ll find the same pressures and economic pitfalls that affect manufacturing across diverse industries. The difference? How companies adapt and grow in response to a challenging market.

PITTSBURGH, February 17, 2016 - Premier Automation is proud to announce ISNetworld certification. While many companies promise a seamless partnership, fewer businesses back up these claims with the documentation clients really need. ISNetworld (ISN) provides a portal for companies and clients to pool safety, insurance, quality and regulatory documentation to streamline projects, saving money and time for both parties. The ISN system standardizes project management to decrease incident rates and increase compliance rates.

PITTSBURGH, February 2, 2016 - The Pittsburgh Business Times named Premier Automation one of Pittsburgh’s Best Places to Work in 2015. Premier Automation ranked in the Large Company category with nearly 100 employees, 8 of whom have been with the company since its foundation.

The Pittsburgh Business Times selects the Best Places to Work by surveying companies across four metrics:

In an uncertain global market, manufacturers are facing disruptions and revolutions in the way things are made. Digitalization in manufacturing—the Internet of Things (IoT), analytics, and cloud computing—buzzes in the industrial community’s collective thoughts. It provides a glimpse into the future of manufacturing and the industrial solutions that future will need.

But technology never solves broad and complex problems without structural changes to support it. Just as the tools we use to manufacture evolve, so do the business models.