ABB Automation & Power World 2011

Sometimes traditional values and talents from the past are just what you need to survive and prosper in the future. "ABB has a great legacy of accepting new challenges and programs, and it likes attacking projects that are difficult to do to set the pace in industry," said Joe Hogan, ABB Group president and CEO. » Read more

Infrastructure stakeholders have a critical need to make sense of, comply with and, more importantly, make beneficial use of today’s current and evolving cyber security standards. Differences in scope, goals, applicability, level of detail and an environment of constant change make this a challenge. » Read more

"The convergence of automation and power creates more value than each separately," began Peter Terwiesch, ABB chief technology officer, at the ABB Automation and Power World press briefing this week in Orlando. "For industry, we create energy efficiency and productivity; for utilities, we make a stronger and smarter grid." » Read more

What’s new in measurement products at ABB? That’s a very inefficient question because it results in such a long and detailed answer. In fact, almost all of its measurement solutions seem to be new or in the process of being updated. Better to ask, "What’s not new in ABB measurement products?" Of course, the short answer is "Not much." » Read more

When Don Leavens, vice president and chief economist at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), set the title for this year’s economic discussion at ABB Automation and Power World in Orlando, the U.S. economy was in recovery mode. » Read more

If Thomas Edison could take a look at our nation’s electrical grid today, there’s very little that he wouldn’t already be familiar with. But the out–dated grid is running up against considerable limitations and is often over–taxed. It is for these and other reasons that researchers are working to develop a "smart grid." » Read more

Headlines from April 20, 2011

Answering questions on a variety of subjects relating to ABB’s current focus and view of the future, Joe Hogan, CEO of the ABB Group, spent an hour in a "Town Hall" setting with an audience of users, analysts and interested parties at a Tuesday afternoon ABB Automation and Power World session this week in Orlando. » Read more

Just as today’s younger generation of control operators are typically more comfortable with computers and video games than their more seasoned counterparts, the kids today who will grow up to be the operators of tomorrow are more attuned with interfaces of iPhones/iPads and whatever the next iteration will be. » Read more

Improving energy efficiency has been on and off manufacturers’ collective radar for decades. Opportunities abound, but it seems as if it’s always just beyond the horizon as a significant attainment. Leaders discuss existing and future opportunities in energy efficiency and highlight some of the barriers that make this so hard to get done. » Read more

When is a new equipment installation more than just implementing new devices? When it delivers benefits way beyond and outside the areas you originally planned. When is a technical partnership more than just working together? When your outside service engineer basically becomes part of your staff and a valued friend. » Read more

In a session at this week’s ABB Automation and Power World in Orlando, Luis Duran, ABB’s development manager for safety instrumented systems for the Americas, led a panel of experts in trying to answer the perennial question, "What is the truth about the separation of safety and process automation?" » Read more

Electric vehicles (EVs) are really coming this time. They’re just going to need some place to plug in. Luckily, San Francisco–based ECOtality and ABB are linking up to develop and build the infrastructure and distribution system needed to routinely charge the millions of EVs from dozens of carmakers expected to be zipping along U.S. streets and highways soon. » Read more

Headlines from April 21, 2011

Plant managers are saving pennies on the dollar to cut back on fundamental cleaning steps and other basic preventive maintenance, meanwhile missing out on perhaps millions of dollars that could be saved through reduced failure rates. Managers all too often still make the decision not to implement the basics. » Read more

"Electricity is getting expensive," said Thomas Boerrnert, head of heat recovery for ABB Switzerland. "Especially for the cement industry, reducing energy and carbon dioxide footprint is very important. And waste heat is just blowing out the chimney." Boerrnert showed how much lost waste heat can mean to a cement plant. » Read more

The point of using simulation in operator training is simple. It reduces operator error. "If they are well trained, they make fewer mistakes," said Torgrim Schiefloe, area manager for ABB AS in Norway. Schiefloe presented "Building Operator Confidence and Competence Through Training Simulation" this week at ABB Automation and Power World in Orlando. » Read more

"By 2020, there are supposed to be abuot 40 million electric vehicles on the road worldwide, but we don’t have the infrastructure to charge them yet," said Bob Furry, general manager and vice president for EPM commercial operations at Ventyx, as he began to enumerate the many challenges the worldwide electrical infrastructure will face in the coming years. » Read more

You can’t pick that famous low–hanging fruit if you can’t find the tree. So, to help users find some tasty savings in their often complex and sometimes forest–like applications and facilities, ABB Power Generation North America offers some very thorough energy assessments and audits. Recently, ABB helped a 400 MW, coal–fired power plant identify 47 different opportunities saving them millions of dollars per year. » Read more

Often, when people think of the cost of work–related injuries, they think of the fines imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). That may indeed be a sizable chunk of money, but it doesn’t compare to the other costs and collateral damage caused by slips in safety. » Read more