The Climax: John Berra on the wireless future

Wireless "There have been technical obstacles," Berra said, "to implementation of wireless-- those obstacles are starting to fall, and no wires means no limits." Wireless promises to enable us to put more monitoring in the plant, at one-tenth the cost of wired technology. Side by side, wired and wireless sensors and instruments and controls will work together giving us our eyes and ears into processes where we don't see now. Wireless, he went on, should be easy to use. "This technology is here, today. Go down to the exhibits later and see it work. It will open up new doors in the area of intelligence and predictive maintenance...we'll see rates of corrosion, line buildup, emissions, relief valve status, and so forth, entirely without wires, because we will be able to afford to do it." "We are not working alone," Berra said. "We have joined forces with many other companies. Today we will even announce a starter pack. There's a lot of buzz around wireless. We're going to let our efforts do the talking. This change will not come from press releases, but from working with our customers to solve their problems." Berra closed, saying, "We're going to make a difference as automation professionals, for our companies, and as friends."