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Message From The Editor
In this issue of Panel Builder & Systems Integrator we learn about tips about implementing secure IT and get an inside look into Western Canada's Stellar Power & Control Solutions. Line Goyette, Manager of Electrical Industry Canada, also provides some unique insight into ABB's Customer World. Next week we also see the return of the Hannover Messe automation fair in Germany and Panel Builder & Systems Integrator will be there. Be sure to watch our twitter feed for daily updates from the show and watch in our next issue for a recap of the latest trends and products featured this year.
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Secure IT
Tips from Rittal about implementing secure IT for production environments
By Paresh Kansara, Rittal's Product Manager for Industrial & Outdoor Enclosures
The first step when starting any Industry 4.0 initiative or digital transformation within a manufacturing environment, is to define the common goals and consistent use of terms. One goal should be to achieve real-time processing of measured values through the use of more IT and additional sensors.This will enable innovative applications, such as machine learning, process optimisation and predictive maintenance, which can only be done via big data analysis. Deviations can be recognised very quickly, increasing the reliability of these environments. Another consideration where to put any IT systems (such as an edge computing system) within a production environment.
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Company Profile
Stellar Power & Control Solutions: Growth and Service
In 2015, Vector Drive Systems (Port Coquitlam, BC) and Advanced Drive Systems (Maple Ridge, BC), announced a strategic merger. The companies had competed locally as Yaskawa Distributors, but the merger resulted in the creation of a new company called Stellar Power & Control Solutions. This exciting event allowed the two companies to consolidate their greatest assets, their employees, and by joining forces the new company enhanced its experience, expertise and offering.
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ABB Customer World
ABB Showcases Its Vision of Leadership in Digital Industries at ABB Customer World 2019
By Line Goyette
Leaders and innovators from business, government and the education sector gathered for this ABB premier collaboration event. More than 11,000 delegates attended the bi-annual ABB Customer World Houston 2019 from March 4 to 7 in Houston, Texas. ABB's latest pioneering technologies were displayed over 150,000 sq ft of a colourful, buzzy display of futuristic conveyor belts and robots, an ABB Formula E Generation 2 car, and much more groundbreaking technology. ACW attendees also took part in keynote sessions and seminars focused on realizing the tremendous productivity and performance improvements that digitalization delivers for companies of any size and from any industry.
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Power Generation
Discussing the Potential of Hydrogen as a Renewable Energy Source in light of NB Power's recent Agreement with Joi Scientific
By Blake Marchand
New Brunswick Power recently struck a deal with Joi Scientific to develop an innovative technology that generates electricity by extracting hydrogen from sea water without producing green house gas emissions. But can the technology provide a legitimate alternative to our reliance on fossil fuels? The goal of the deal with the Kennedy Space Centre start-up is to develop the technology to the point where they can convert the Belledune generating station to hydrogen power by 2030, which corresponds with Canada's coal phase out. NB Power had previously scheduled to run its coal operations to the life of the facility, around 2044. Putting them in a fairly difficult position.However, it has yet to be answered if the burgeoning technology can supplement that production.
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Changing Scene
- New Film Series: HRG Systems - Easily Explained
Bender has recently completed a new film series under the heading "easily explained" - this time three short clips deal with high resistance grounded (HRG) systems. The first clip explains how a high resistance system works, the second covers the question of how to monitor the resistor of an HRG system and the third one deals with the ground-fault localisation in high resistance grounded (HRG) systems.
- ISA Director of Strategic Initiatives Marty Edwards is awarded SANS Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Lifetime Achievement Award
This week at the SANS ICS Security Summit ISA's Director of Strategic Initiatives, Marty Edwards was honored by his peers in the ICS security community with the SANS ICS Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes individuals who have contributed exceptional efforts to enhance the security of industrial control systems on an international scale, and who actively strive to bridge the gap between information technology and operations technology.
- Johnson Controls named one of World's Most Ethical Companies in 2019
Johnson Controls is one of four industrial manufacturing companies to be recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies. This is the 12th time they have been honored by Ethisphere since the list first began in 2007. Ethisphere Institute is a global leader in defining and advancing ethical business practices, and this honor underscores our commitment to leading with integrity and prioritizing best practices.
- Emerson earns industry-first cybersecurity certification
Emerson announced recently it had received the industry's first ISASecure® System Security Assurance (SSA™) Level 1 certification for cybersecurity. This certification, for the company's newest DeltaV™ distributed control system, is the latest step in Emerson's commitment to provide secure digital transformation solutions for customers. ISASecure SSA Level 1 certification covers the most critical standards of the automation industry's leading family of standards, ANSI/ISA 62443 (IEC 62443).
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- Tight Cutovers and Shutdowns - Ensuring Project Success with Innovative Commissioning Management
To be completed on time and on budget, your hyper-scheduled project needs more than standard engineering deliverables. Quality drawings and work packages are critical, but so are the tools and people required for implementations on tight timelines. Cutover and shutdown work tends to focus heavily on electrical and controls scope, but commissioning services shouldn't become an afterthought. Supplied drawings signify the end state of your project, but equal attention needs to be given to how the scope is executed.
- Cap-Op Energy and Spartan Controls Enable Profitable Methane Abatement for Nine Major Oil and Gas Producers
Cap-Op Energy and Spartan Controls are pleased to announce that their sustainability program has helped nine major oil and gas producers achieve significant emission reductions resulting in carbon credits. n 2018, Cap-Op Energy verified that over 130,000 t CO2e in emission reductions had resulted from the installation of low-bleed Emerson Fisher control instruments. The total annualized emission reductions from installed projects are expected to exceed 600,000 t CO2e/year.
- All-new ISA Energy & Water Automation Conference focuses on infrastructure challenges and opportunities
The ISA Energy & Water Automation Conference, slated for 7-8 August 2019 at the Omni Championsgate Resort in Orlando, Florida, will feature interactive sessions led by ISA's power generation, alternative energy, municipal water, and industrial water experts. The conference program will feature technologies and best practices that apply to multiple infrastructure sectors.
- Hydro One provides over $3 million in Support of Women in Engineering
In honour of International Women's Day, Hydro One announced the recipients of the company's 2019 Women in Engineering Awards and its continued investment in supporting women in engineering. "We stand for diversity at Hydro One. By investing in women, we're helping to create a balance in the engineering field that will ultimately make for a stronger Ontario," said Judy McKellar, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Hydro One.
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International News
- Industrial cloud communication is being standardized
Over the last few years, cloud computing has become widespread with an increasing varietyof solutions from various providers. The problem: Different specifications and incompatible interfaces increase the effort and make the connection across cloud boundaries very complex. herefore, HARTING is involved in an initiative for a uniform in standard for cloud-wide communication. The results will be presented at the HANNOVER MESSE 2019.
- Value Creation 4.0 with Rittal: Digital Processes, New Compact Enclosures and the Smart Factory
The intelligent integration of value-creation processes is the key to digital transformation. At Hannover Messe 2019, Rittal will be presenting the benefits generated by new and enhanced system products, digital processes and an appropriate infrastructure. One of the highlights is the unveiling of a new generation of compact and small enclosures. Industrial intelligence requires seamless connections between people, machines and data.
- "Learning Factory 4.0" provides digital training for textile industry
Textiles have long since become more than just T-shirts and jeans. With approximately 1,400 companies and sales of 35 billion euros, the textile and clothing industry is Germany's second largest consumer goods sector. In the field of technical textiles, Germany even leads the global market, according to the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry.
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Moxa Whitepaper
How to Build a Real-Time IIoT Application with Moxa's ThingsPro and Cirrus Link's Sparkplug
Moxa’s ThingsPro™ 2 Suite simplifies the development of IIoT applications, facilitates data acquisition, and enables better remote device management. Using ThingsPro, users can configure commonly used functions such as Modbus communication, data acquisition, wireless networking, and device management in just a few steps. This allows users to focus on developing applications instead of on complex system integration.
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Machine Learning
Cement a Competitive Edge with Machine Learning
Concrete is one of the world's most widely used materials. To make concrete, you must use cement - an industry often criticized due to its emissions. More stringent environmental regulations are causing cement producers to work smarter to stay competitive. Technology advancements are vital for these companies to realize production improvements, including better energy management. Today, new capabilities like machine learning are expanding possibilities for cement producers. Machine learning helps these companies improve maintenance strategies and stay in front of system failures and costly downtime - thus impacting performance and energy consumption.
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The BionicSoftHand
Pneumatic Robotics meets Artificial Intelligence
Whether its grabbing, holding or turning, touching, typing or pressing - in everyday life, we use our hands as a matter of course for the most diverse tasks. In that regard, the human hand, with its unique combination of power, dexterity and fine motor skills, is a true miracle tool of nature. What could be more natural than equipping robots in collaborative workspaces with a gripper that is modelled after this model of nature, that solves various tasks by learning through artificial intelligence? Festo shows the pneumatic robot hand BionicSoftHand at Hanover Fair 2019. Combined with the BionicSoftArm, a pneumatic lightweight robot, the Future Concepts are suitable for human-robot collaboration.
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Peers & Profiles
Don Neigel on Optimil Machinery's Panel Shop
By Blake Marchand
Don Neigel is the Manager of the CSA certified panel shop at Delta, BC's Optimil Machinery. Optimil Machinery builds panels for various industries, including, forestry, mining, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and entertainment. Don is a 20-year veteran of the electrical industry. Throughout his career he has held various positions in sales and account management. "Although my university education focused largely on the social sciences," Neigel told Panel Builder & Systems Integrator, "it helped me to understand people. My sales skills are largely due to spending a great deal of time and energy getting to know people and helping them identify their needs and responding quickly to those needs."
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Product News
Phoenix Contact: Compact board-to-board connectors
With Phoenix Contact's new FINEPITCH board-to-board connectors, PCB designers can customize individual PCB orientations with different stack heights and numbers of positions. The FINEPITCH range features two compact pitch sizes: 0.8 mm with EMC shielding and 1.27 mm for unshielded applications.
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RAFI E-BOX now with M12 connector
RAFI's E-BOX, a particularly slim housing for one or two RAFIX 22 FS+ control devices, is now also available as a pre-configured unit with an M12 connector. No wiring is required for this ready-to-use solution that provides emergency stop buttons or simple ON/OFF switching functions at remote locations. E-BOX features a very compact size of merely 109 x 40 x 27 mm and is suitable for mounting on 40-mm profile rails or, for instance, on protective barriers.
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TE Connectivity introduces ITB releasable poke-in connectors for a vast range of LED lighting applications
TE Connectivity (TE) has unveiled BUCHANAN WireMate ITB (Inverted Thru-Board). These wire-to-board connectors are for use in linear and circular LED modules found in all sorts of commercial and industrial lighting systems. With their easy-to-use poke-in and wire release features, the new connectors help shorten installation times and provide extra flexibility for reuse and wire replacement.
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Mersen Launches Non-Indicating Class J-TD Fuse Series
Global Electrical Power and Advanced Materials leader Mersen is pleased to announce the launch of the Non-Indicating Class J Time Delay Fuse series. With this introduction the Class J Time Delay fuse series now offers a full range of ampere ratings between 8-600A in both indicating and non-indicating categories. The non-indicating class J offers same reliability and performance as the globally popular Mersen Class J Time Delay fuse with SmartSpot indication to customers and applications not requiring similar fuses with indication.
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Festo's new DGST mini-slide has smallest footprint on the market
Festo's new DGST series is everything users want in a pneumatic mini-slide: It is extremely compact and affordable, with the smallest footprint on the market and an excellent price/performance ratio. Guided mini-slides are used in applications where repeatable precision is required with every stroke, through millions of cycles. DGST excels in that regard because of multiple design innovations.
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Introducing the FE060-25-EM and the FlexPro Drive Family
ADVANCED Motion Controls has announced the FlexPro family, their new premium digital servo drive offering. Designed to expand the capabilities of their product selection in terms of performance, power density, and flexibility, FlexPro is starting off with the newly available FE060-25-EM servo drive. The FE060-25-EM is approximately 1.50 x 1.00 x 0.61 inches (38.1 x 25.4 x 16.0 mm) in size.
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Phoenix Contact: Achieve SIL 3 without external redundancy
Phoenix Contact's premium QUINT POWER line now includes a single-device solution that meets functional safety applications up to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3. The new QUINT 20+ power supply has an integrated decoupling MOSFET and double overvoltage protection circuitry to meet rigorous SIL 3 safety regulations without the need for external redundancy.
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Tactile switch series from RAFI offers advanced haptic features and a superior user experience for a variety of applications
RAFI USA, a leader in human machine interface controls and components, has developed a compact switch that combines an innovative tactile and acoustic response with a long operating life and secure contact connections. Designed for a wide range of applications including automotive, instrumentation, medical, test & measurement and more, the miniature MICON 5 tactile switch is available with a wide range of operating forces to deliver the required haptic characteristics for most any application.
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HellermanTyton Self-adhesive cable tie mounts: flexible and solid with ultra-strong cohesive strength
The innovative FlexTack self-adhesive cable tie mount has been developed with maximum cable routing flexibility in mind. The flexible mounting base can be successfully applied to a variety of high- and low-energy surfaces. The unique design of our FlexTack cable tie mount in combination with the special acrylate adhesive makes professional cable management easy even on low-energy surfaces. The installation of the cable tie mount is simple. Grasp the easy peel-off tab to remove the protective backing, position the adhesive mount on the surface, then press it down firmly for several seconds to get a good bond. Thanks to its excellent initial adhesion characteristics, bundles can be fixed immediately with a cable tie.
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ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision looks beyond human vision for ship automation
ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision takes advantage of the latest advances in sensor technology and computer vision to offer multiple real-time visualizations of a vessel's surroundings and new ways of perceiving its situation. A virtual model of the ship is superimposed on real surroundings, making it possible to see the operation from a third person's perspective. The officer can switch between views instantaneously, making it easier to predict vessel motions and be alert to previously hidden obstacles or collision risks.
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The G2 Flat Sensor from SICK offers Outstanding Performance in Miniature Format
The G2 Flat is a miniature photoelectric sensor for use in particularly compact plants and robotics systems. With powerful background suppression (BGS), the sensor can be relied upon to detect objects at distances starting from just 8 mm virtually regardless of object size and surface. This makes it an excellent solution for all kinds of tasks wherever space is at a premium and opens up entirely new possibilities for miniaturization in industrial environments. Sensor integration and handling could not be easier. As one of the smallest photoelectric sensor product families from SICK, the G2 Flat is the smart application solution in a miniature format for industrial automation.
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ABB launches versatile ABB Ability Wellhead Manager to optimize oil and gas operations worldwide
Remote workers can collaborate using mobile devices with ABB's versatile new cloud-based visualization system, ABB Ability Wellhead Manager, which supports smarter teamwork, enhanced efficiencies and lower costs for oil and gas operators of all sizes. The new system, based on SCADA, allows both large operators and small start-ups to gather information about their onshore upstream assets. ABB Ability™ Wellhead Manager is cloud-based, so operators can gain insights about their production assets anywhere in the world.
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The Electrical Stock Market
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This email was sent to blakemarchand@kerrwil.com. |
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