Is AI actually ready for process troubleshooting?

From Chemical Processing: Today's AI tools can surface patterns from mountains of plant data. What they can't do is replace the hard-won judgment of an experienced engineer.

Andrew Sloley writes:

Troubleshooting is built on experience, but much of that tribal knowledge is walking out the door. As industry veterans retire, chemical process operations are losing institutional memory. Training less-experienced workers can help, but it doesn’t replace hands-on know-how.

Over the past few decades, many of my clients have talked about using “expert systems” software to save institutional memory. These were early forms of artificial intelligence that fell out of favor because they were inflexible, required labor-intensive maintenance and coding. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest successor to the expert-system trend. Will AI succeed where past expert systems could not?

Read the entire article HERE.

Endress+Hauser extends reach into new instrumentation applications

From Control: From hydrogen distribution to data centers and bioindustrial food production, new processes benefit from instrumentation advances.

EndeavorB2B's Keith Larson writes:

Among Endress+Hauser's key guiding principles is advancing the sustainability of the process industries through its instrumentation offering. And at the company's 2026 Global Forum, held the week of April 13 in Basel, Switzerland, that principle was shown to apply to a growing range of new and emerging applications­ — ­including some that are well beyond traditional process industry sectors.

The company often works from the beginning with the developers of new processes, matching its instruments to new processes from the start. One of those start-ups that participated in a media showcase at the Forum is Purecontrol, which uses data and AI to optimize the water industry's most energy intensive processes.

Read the entire article HERE.

Report: Digital transformation considered essential by most manufacturers

From Automation World: Rockwell Automation’s study revealed that manufacturers are prioritizing smart technologies to support operations across verticals.

A new study revealed that 90% of manufacturers consider digital transformation essential, indicating a larger shift in industry focus toward active use of smart manufacturing technologies to support day-to-day operations. 

Over 1,500 manufacturers across 17 countries showed that manufacturers are no longer debating whether to adopt digital technologies, but how to execute, scale and deliver value from them, according to Rockwell Automation's "2026 State of Smart Manufacturing" report.  

Recapping the week on Processing

Articles

Engineering smarter bulk material handling in chemical manufacturing

How advanced containment, controlled environments, and material-specific design improve safety and throughput.

Five questions to answer before selecting bulk solids size-reduction equipment

Understanding your feed material and process requirements are critical when selecting a cage mill, hammer mill, or lump breaker.

World’s first PEX magmeter liner improves operations

New liner is abrasion-resistant, chemical-tough and PFAS-free.

The filtration playbook for producing fruit sweetener from juice concentrate

Fruit sweetener production relies on a staged process that stays steady as inputs change.

Podcast

Interoperability and modularity in automation with Lance Fountaine

Rockwell Automation's Global Industry Consultant discusses the push toward interoperability and modularity in automation and control systems and what it means for processors. Listen below.