SA Instrumentation & Control’s editor, Steven Meyer, is currently attending a conference in the United States, so I am standing in for him during the final production stages of this issue.
A simple solution
Sometimes the most innovative ideas are also the most simple. This month’s cover story is a case in point. In the 1950s electrical cables were only grey or black and electrical engineers struggled to match corresponding ends when connecting cables.
Oskar Lapp, a genius who was fascinated by innovation and invention, came up with the idea of colour-coded cables. The result was the first industrially manufactured connector and control cable in the world. Lapp named it Ölflex.
Lapp was not only an inventor. He was also able to translate his ideas into a global company. In November 2010, the Lapp Group began celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ölflex brand. To mark the occasion it began the Ölflex World Tour. 'Ölflex celebrates its origins' has more about the tour.
Interesting mix of content
This month’s issue has an interesting mix of content. IT in Manufacturing comes to mind.
'Material tracking in the auto industry' shows how a Port Elizabeth automotive-component manufacturer has used Wonderware’s ArchestraA technology to create a solution comprising:
* An automated warehouse inventory control system.
* A batch tracking system.
* A reporting facility.
In 'Industrial network risks in extreme environments', analysts report that an overwhelming percentage of unplanned downtime in industrial operations can be attributed to network infrastructure failure. Potential costs resulting from network failures are discussed, as well as various solutions to minimising network downtime.
Wire-less is more
Our regular columnist, Jim Pinto has previously identified several new industrial automation inflection points that he believes will arrive in the next few years. He predicts new instrumentation and automation leaders will emerge as a result of these changes. One of these changes is wireless links. A number of wireless automation options and components are described, including Honeywell’s low-cost OneWireless Gauge Reader and its range of limit switches. Jim Pinto’s latest column can be found at 'The Jim Pinto Column: Networking, value and a new automation threat'.
Future buildings and bridges
The world of work is undergoing radical change. Microsoft’s vision of the office of the future combines cutting edge IT and media technology with state-of-the-art building functions. 'Building automation meets Event-IT' shows how this can be achieved with advanced building automation solutions from Beckhoff Automation.
'Precision on the Oakland Bay Bridge' is a story about Leuze sensors and how they played an important role in the reconstruction of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. A 1,1 km, 3200 tonne section of the old bridge was removed and a 3600 tonne section was slotted into the new gap, an achievement requiring a very high level of precision.
SAIMC
The Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Measurement and Control has been frenetically busy. The organisation’s branches have succeeded in creating a good mix of support for academic institutions, a strong technical programme for its members, all rounded off with a healthy social agenda. We report on some of the SAIMC’s recent activities.
Here is wishing you a successful 2011.
Kim Roberts
Deputy editor: SA Instrumentation & Control
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