Automation

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Avoid a food recall nightmare by being prepared.

Five device network automation foundations establish a common technology for device information management.

Keeping equipment running around the clock and a shortage of skilled maintenance people put the squeeze on processors.

Modern drive systems with integrated motors, gears, inverters and communications make distributed motion a must-have for bottling plants.

Energy audits revealed replacing aging lighting with energy-saving fluorescent lamps would pay off in three facilities.

New Hampshire bacon producer creates cleaning and sanitizing solutions onsite from salt, water and electricity.

New X-ray inspection system provides precision detection in quality control.

Software manages 1,500 pieces of equipment in four plants and cuts budgetary spending by 33 percent.

As manufacturers increase connectivity between plant floor and enterprise systems to boost productivity and reduce time to market, this interconnectivity can also bring undesirable security risks. ODVA (Open Device-Net Vendors Association) released a document that provides guidelines on how to minimize these risks.

Hormel’s Progressive Processing plant is built for the long haul. A quarter century had passed since Hormel Foods had commissioned a new production facility. In designing its Dubuque plant, engineers aimed to create a facility that would be contemporary for the next 25 years.