Activity

  • Data Overload to Asset Insight: Simplifying Maintenance with Smart Automation

    Jim Cahill
    We talk so much about the value of data today that it becomes easy to forget that too much data —or data that is not useful— can be just as much of a problem as not having any at all. This idea is at the heart of Drew Mackley’s recent contribution to an article in Food Engineering magazine . As more and more plants focus on maintenance as part of their digital transformation strategy, they are adding lots of instrumentation…

  • Close the Loop on Reliability Across the Enterprise

    Jim Cahill
    We’ve talked for years—maybe even decades—about closing the loop in process manufacturing control and business practices. Automating processes by using data to drive end-to-end seamless functionality improves safety while increasing efficiency and profitability. However, as Erik Lindhjem shares in a recent episode of the Processing Pros podcast over at Processing magazine, many organizations are still missing a key…

  • Digital Tools Keep the Lights On

    Jim Cahill
    Because power plants provide critical infrastructure, they are often subject to more scrutiny than other facilities. First and foremost, power plants are less able to tolerate unanticipated outages and service delays because they can mean failure to deliver the critical energy people and businesses rely upon. In addition, the criticality of power operations also makes energy generators tempting targets for bad actors…

  • Pipelines Ready for a New Era with Integrated Industrial Software

    Jim Cahill
    Today’s pipelines operate quite stably and efficiently. Current standards and operating procedures have been built over decades and serve the industry well. This trend may not last, however, as the current transition toward renewables continues to gather steam. As renewable energy sources—particularly hydrogen —continue to gather traction in the marketplace, pipeline operations will need to pivot. Regulations will change…

  • Driving Greater Collaboration and Automation Performance

    Jim Cahill
    Today and tomorrow are the 87th NAMUR annual general meeting in Neuss, Germany. NAMUR (User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries) is : …an international user association of automation technology and digitalization in process industries… Shaping automation in the process industry from a user’s perspective. Emerson is sponsoring the conference and supports many of their user-driven initiatives…

  • Effective Digital Transformation Requires Better Data Mobility

    Jim Cahill
    So, how’s digital transformation going? All digitally transformed? All jokes aside, many organizations are finding that the results of their digital transformation efforts have created improvements across their organizations but have not delivered the true paradigm shift in performance, efficiency, and sustainability they were hoping for. Even with new digital technologies in place, many organizations are finding their…

  • Break Down the Barriers to Digital Transformation

    Jim Cahill
    There are lots of reasons why aging, legacy automation systems can be barriers to effective digital transformation. The most obvious reason is that legacy systems are typically complex to connect to new analytics systems, as those systems are rarely designed for seamless integration with technology that may be decades old. As Aaron Crews explains in a recent interview with Automation world, connecting the systems can…

  • Don’t Just Protect, Predict!

    Jim Cahill
    Any plant that operates complex, expensive, or even dangerous equipment is familiar with machinery protection systems. Ensuring that equipment will be shut down in the case of an emergency is a primary goal for these organizations, both to keep personnel and the public safe, and to ensure that any damage from a failure is minimized, helping ensure repairs are less costly and more efficient. However, as Emerson’s Erik…

  • You Can Have Traditional Machinery Protection with Modern Capabilities

    Jim Cahill
    Machinery protection systems are nothing new. Plants have been using them to protect their assets and personnel for decades. However, modern machinery protection systems are changing the game, with new features designed to offer more capability and flexibility. Emerson’s Drew Mackley broke down the benefits of machinery protection systems—both new and old—in his recent “What Is” article in Plant Services magazine. Whether…

  • Don’t be the Weak Link in the Supply Chain

    Jim Cahill
    The last few years have seen a lot of changes that have had a dramatic impact on supply chains. The COVID pandemic, ransomware attacks, and global unrest have all had a hand in disrupting supply chains around the world, causing frustration for both manufacturers and consumers alike. The fallout from a supply chain shortage can be severe. As Nina Golder and Monil Malhotra share in a recent article in Automation World…

  • Cybersecurity Strategies for the Rise of Next-Gen Automation

    Jim Cahill
    Today’s most successful organizations are facing a wide variety of new challenges: a need for increased flexibility, a push toward more sustainable operations, a shrinking experienced workforce, and more. Meeting those challenges will require unlocking the next generation of automation , such as a Boundless Automation vision for unshackling data and driving efficiency from the field to the edge and throughout the enterprise…

  • Better Automation Across the Plant and Across the Lifecycle

    Jim Cahill
    Like any process manufacturing industry, the food and beverage industry is focused on operational excellence to deliver the best product safely and on time. However, many small and medium sized processers are discovering the need to incorporate more automation into their plants. Fewer available personnel coupled with aging equipment and more complex supply chains are driving a need for increased automation to support…

  • How to Wire Smart Antennas in WirelessHART Networks

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Automation YouTube channel has a great “How-To” playlist featuring videos to help you with your valves, instruments, and software applications. For example, a recently posted video, How to Wire an Emerson Wireless 781S Smart Antenna With Terminal Block (run-time 4:31) provides step-by-step instructions on how to wire an Emerson Wireless 781S Smart Antenna to an Emerson 1401S1 or 1410S2 Wireless Gateway . …

  • Delivering on the Promise of Industry 4.0

    Jim Cahill
    We finally got our wish. Industry 4.0 delivered a wide array of new technologies—sensors, edge devices, mobile devices, and more—that now collect, and sometimes deliver, massive amounts of data from every asset imaginable. However, that leaves a lot of organizations asking, “Was that it? I thought Industry 4.0 was supposed to usher in the next Industrial Revolution. It seems to me that all it brought was a bunch of data…

  • Power Play: Generative AI “Toys” will Shape the Future of Automation

    Jim Cahill
    Hopefully by now you’ve had some fun playing around with some of the many Generative AI tools available for free across the internet. Whether you’ve asked ChatGPT to write some poetry for Mother’s Day or tested out the powerful image rendering capabilities of Midjourney, or used DeepAI to colorize some old family photos, there are many ways to have fun and waste time playing around with the hottest digital craze. However…

  • Digital Valve Controller Diagnostic Alerts Maximize Maintenance Efficiency

    Jim Cahill
    Digital valve controllers offer many benefits over simple valve positioners, including the ability to detect and report degrading valve performance in advance of outright failure. However, implementing a comprehensive diagnostics program to take advantage of these features can be a daunting task. My article in the September 2024 issue of Processing , titled “ Activate diagnostic alerts to leverage digital valve controller…

  • The Power of Modern Simulation

    Jim Cahill
    The continuing changes in the electrical grid that have come as a result of the shift toward more renewable energy have dramatically increased complexity of power generation and distribution operations. Operators not only need to keep a close eye on their plants to ensure they are supplying (and not over-supplying) adequate power, but they also need to predict the future and react—following both weather forecasts and…

  • Enhanced Connectivity in Digital Valve Controllers

    Jim Cahill
    Despite numerous advancements to digital valve controllers in recent decades, their local user interfaces and connectivity options have remained somewhat limited. My article in the August 2024 issue of Process Industry Informer , titled “ Digital Valve Controller Connectivity Improvements ,” discusses how the next generation of digital valve controllers expands user interface capabilities and connectivity features to…

  • Life Sciences and Automation Companies Deliver the Future—Together

    Jim Cahill
    In the life sciences, bringing treatments to market quicker is no longer a bonus. Today, accelerating the treatment development pipeline is an expectation—arguably a core value—of the world’s most respected pharmaceutical companies. The pipeline for the COVID vaccine showed us that it was possible to operate differently , and companies around the globe have not only taken note; they’ve taken action . However, accelerating…

  • Pragmatic Innovation Unlocks the Next Generation of Automation

    Jim Cahill
    There can be little doubt that the automation industry has seen significant innovation over the last four decades, from dedicated equipment, to off the shelf components, to electronic marshalling, to virtualization. In fact, those massive innovations only scratch the surface of how automation has grown. However, in his recent article in Hydrocarbon Processing , Emerson’s Claudio Fayad posits that those changes will…

  • Tailoring Automation for Tailored Medicines

    Jim Cahill
    The life sciences industry is changing rapidly. Where once companies were focused on developing blockbuster treatments and manufacturing them as quickly and safely as possible, today, personalized medicine has changed that landscape. Now life sciences companies are looking at specialized treatments like cell and gene therapies which are developed and manufactured quite differently from those traditional blockbuster drugs…

  • World’s Only WirelessHART Remote I/O Devices Provide Universal Connectivity

    Jim Cahill
    About 150 years ago, L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto to be an international language that the entire world could adopt. While his aims were noble, it didn’t catch on. Process manufacturers have had similar problems because instrument and device-level industrial networks can use any one of various incompatible protocols to exchange data. But now, market forces, rather than simple good intentions, are settling on WirelessHART…

  • World’s Only WirelessHART Remote I/O Devices Provide Universal Connectivity

    Jim Cahill
    About 150 years ago, L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto to be an international language that the entire world could adopt. While his aims were noble, it didn’t catch on. Process manufacturers have had similar problems because instrument and device-level industrial networks can use any one of various incompatible protocols to exchange data. But now, market forces, rather than simple good intentions, are settling on WirelessHART…

  • World’s Only WirelessHART Remote I/O Devices Provide Universal Connectivity

    Jim Cahill
    About 150 years ago, L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto to be an international language that the entire world could adopt. While his aims were noble, it didn’t catch on. Process manufacturers have had similar problems because instrument and device-level industrial networks can use any one of various incompatible protocols to exchange data. But now, market forces, rather than simple good intentions, are settling on WirelessHART…

  • Scaling Innovation in the Lithium Battery Boom

    Jim Cahill
    It often feels as though electric vehicles went from niche to commonplace overnight. And as much as the general public is feeling that shift, manufacturers are feeling it even more. The demand for lithium batteries , and the raw materials to power them, has seen an incredible increase. This shift has created a stress point, forcing manufacturers to speed production to keep up, but has also created an incredible opportunity…

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