Some of you will remember when control systems suffered issues or outright failure, and the reason was simply a mistake. Nefarious acts of cyber-criminals or agenda-driven governments weren’t even on most people’s radar. Why, no one would ever be able to bring down critical infrastructure so easily, right? Except, they could.
Likewise, some of you probably remember when instrumentation and controls were designed to network with a specific set of field devices, effectively operating in their own little world of a plant. There couldn’t be any reason for interoperability among vendors, right? Except, there was.
Also, some of you may remember when engineering was among the most attractive fields of study at many universities around the world. Surely, new students would never shun process control, and leave plants searching for deep minds in a shallow pool of candidates, right? Except, they did.
Process control is a never-ending stream of new problems to solve. Luckily, there have been many forward-thinking engineers, who showed ingenuity, creativity and resolve to push forward, and make things a bit easier and more secure, even when they stood alone in their efforts. The Process Automation Hall of Fame is filled with such problem-solvers, who advanced industry and society with their work. We’ve been honoring them for more than 20 years.
We add three more game-changers as we induct this year’s class: Joe Weiss, Marcos Peluso and Mark Darby. All three worked extensively on solving the three vital issues I noted at the beginning of this column.
I’m excited to tell their stories and beginning next week, we’ll feature individual profiles on all three on controlglobal.com. That’s just the beginning. Later this spring, we’ll have a special series of “Control Amplified” podcast with all three inductees and look at how process control advanced through the years and made industrial operations safer and more productive. You’ll want to listen and hear their unique perspectives.
Until then, join me in congratulating the newest members of the Process Automation Hall of Fame!
