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ISA Automation Week Rebounds Big Time

ControlGlobal.com
11/07/2011

Galvanized by the disastrous debut of ISA's big tradeshow replacement, some ry senior and notable volunteers worked many hours to correct last year's mistakes and deliver a strong collection of strong presentations and networking opportunities. Under the guidance and leadership of Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee and Control columnist Greg McMillan, ISA Automation Week got its game back.

Some of the best-known names in automation were brought on board to organize the various presentation tracks. Russ Rhinehart, another Process Automation Hall of Fame inductee and professor and Amoco Chair at Oklahoma State University, chaired the Advanced Process Control Techniques Track. MPC guru Charlie Cutler gave the Tuesday morning keynote on "The Status of Real-Time Optimization and Multivariable Predictive Control."

Jim Tatera, long-time active volunteer and ISA Fellow, chaired the Analyzers Track. Jeff Arbogast and John Munro chaired the Automation and Control Systems Design Track. Don Labbe from Invensys Operations Management, Brian Bridgewater of Elanco Animal Health, Greg Lehmann of URS Corp., Ed Marszal, ISA Fellow and CEO of Kenexis, Graham Speake of Yokogawa, and Brad Carlberg of Invensys Operations Management led  other tracks.

The ISA Training Institute and the Standards and Practices Committee meetings were co-located with Automation Week. The organization of the Supplier Showcase was also improved over last year, and some vendors reported engagements from meetings on the showcase floor.

Béla Lipták, editor of the three-volume process automation classic, The Instrument Engineers' Handbook and a Control columnist, closed the conference with a keynote on what applying automation and control methods and techniques could do to improve life on the planet.