NOVEMBER 13, 2009--Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI, USA; www.rockwellautomation.com) opened its Automation Fair event on November 11 to nearly 9000 customers, Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork members, industry analysts, and international media at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Themed "Smart, Safe and Sustainable Manufacturing," the event provided attendees the opportunity to see the newest technologies and solutions available to help improve plant-wide optimization, machine-builder performance, and sustainable production.
A changing global economy is driving manufacturers to seek new, continuous improvement methodologies enabled by the convergence of industrial automation and information technology. Through customer round-table discussions, theater presentations, and technical sessions, attendees were able to identify ways to use their automation investment to drive innovative engineering, flexible operations, and efficient maintenance across their organization.
Machine builders manufacture industrial equipment that uses different levels of automation technology, depending on the end use of the machines. They require flexibility and seek solutions to help reduce total cost to design, develop, and deliver machines and improve time to market.
Sustainable production, according to Rockwell Automation, is the only long-term solution to overcoming the rising costs of energy, raw materials, environmental regulations, workers' compensation, and product liability. Rockwell Automation produces solutions designed to help manufacturers overcome today's economic pressures, achieve long-term business goals, improve global competitiveness and brand value, and have a more positive impact on society and the environment.
"Our goal this year is to help customers make the most of their investment in automation and information technology, improve their competitiveness, and make sure they are well-positioned to capitalize on the economic recovery," says Keith Nosbusch, Rockwell Automation chairman and CEO. "Plant-wide optimization represents a new era in manufacturing. Companies making the investment are better-positioned to address new sustainability objectives and respond to changes in consumer demand."
On November 10, Nosbusch and executives from various companies and industry organizations spoke to reporters during the company's annual Manufacturing Perspectives global media forum. Speakers described the trends driving global manufacturing and offered insight into the global economic outlook. In addition, Nosbusch provided an overview of the new products, services, and developments that were being highlighted at the Automation Fair event, such as:
- an industrial energy management "greenprint" that helps manufacturers take an "inside-out" approach to energy management
- the launch of the FactoryTalk VantagePoint EMI software and FactoryTalk Historian Machine Edition software
- a portfolio of integrated motion solutions over EtherNet/IP
- a new series of servers and workstations for building a process automation system
- several new Allen-Bradley products, such as an extension to the safety light-curtain line, a new safety controller for midrange applications, a new managed switch, two new Allen-Bradley ControlLogix controllers, servo motors and drives, and more
The Automation Fair featured workshops, technical sessions, industry forums, hands-on labs, and more than 100 exhibitors, which include members of the PartnerNetwork platform. Offerings on exhibit ranged from products that can optimize machine or process performance to sophisticated software that integrates a plant with other business and enterprise systems.
--Posted by Vision Systems Design, www.vision-systems.com
