I “just” got in from the above event here in Santiago and despite its size it truly was an automation event with a mixture of both process and factory automation – indicative of the type of industry driving the Chilean economy which is predominantly mining. The event is organised by “Electro Industria” http://www.electroindustria.cl/ Chile’s print automation voice. None of the “big DCS players” were present except for ABB and it was also interesting that the focus of the event was on sharing technical information with everyone – including the many students that came through. (There are lots of universities in Santiago including several that have specific fields of study in the controls and automation realm.)
The attached photo of the registration desk shows that the place was always busy but the team here was efficient and the lines were never long. Like any exhibition, the attendees came in waves – so heavy at times and then slower at others so you could catch your breath.
In addition to the technical exchanges happening at the various stands, there were also a series of seminars in 3 rooms throughout the day. The list of presenters and presentations can be found under the Charlas Technicas tab at http://www.expoautomatizacion.cl/. At present the 2010 papers are only listed by title but watch for updates/comments on this thread for when this year’s vendor presentations will be accessible including my short presentation on Industrial Networking in the Mining Sector. A number presentations from past years are available for download by scrolling down the same page as the 2010 sessions are listed.
In summary a long day (09:00 – 19:00) but it was good to see so many people come to learn about what is offered including the next generation of practitioners, who were there to do more than collect ‘goodies’ – well maybe some goodies since most booths did have sweets available.
Next blog when I get home will be on my overall impressions of controls community here after a week of interaction – and me with practically no Spanish speaking ability.
