The point of this post is simply to point your attention to an excellent article recently featured at Automation.com. Last month Bill Lydon speculated about areas of growth and trends in the automation industry and I found it interesting that he pointed out all sorts of things that AMPS Industrial Controls is (and has been) emphasizing for a while now.

Industrial Ethernet

Regarding Ethernet, Lydon says,

“The two dominant growing communication types for industrial automation systems are standard TCP/IP Ethernet and a number of industrial network protocol standards on Ethernet.  The TCP/IP Ethernet IT network has become the workhorse bridging information between automation and business systems.”

Any PLC from the Vision series of controllers from Unitronics (such as the V1040) can be cost-effectively put on an Ethernet network. The modules are inexpensive, easy to install and simple to configure. AMPS has been involved with many Ethernet projects and we would be happy to help you.

 

Information Gathering, Data Collection and Remote Monitoring of PLC processes

The article also points out how the proliferation of information has been a significant help in our industry.

“Accelerators for this trend are more powerful low cost computers, wireless sensors, and analytical software. The lower cost of computing power has enabled the use of sophisticated analytical software for operations improvement. This has opened the door for companies to find more ways to use analytics to improve efficiencies.”

I can’t help but wonder how expensive this kind of software can be, though. On the other hand, Unitronics offers some pretty powerful software at no charge that could help you gather information and use it for these purposes. Between DataExport, Remote Access, SD Card Suite, UniOPC Server, VisiLogic and the built-in Data Table features you can harvest all sorts of valuable information very inexpensively. All of the software I mentioned is downloadable right now, free of charge.

Lydon’s article also emphasizes remote monitoring of plant processes. Again, this is easily implemented using free software from Unitronics. AMPS Industrial Controls is proficient with all of this, too, so we can implement the data collection and analysis into the control system running your automation equipment or your OEM machinery.

Energy Management

Energy management is also a trend discussed in the article:

“Concerns about potential shortages will keep interest in energy conservation strong. This trend is leading to metering use and finding ways to more efficiently use energy in operations.”

We carry a full line of energy management products from Lovato Electric. This is sure to be an area of growth throughout the United States.

Wireless Control

Lastly, Lydon pointed out that wireless control is booming. Again, we agree and were involved in many wireless control projects last year. AMPS can very cost-effectively control and monitor just about anything wirelessly. It’s simple and it can save you a ton of money. Give us a call to discuss your application.

So we recommend you head over to automation.com and check out the article. Very interesting…