AI is 'lowering the barrier' to software-driven automation

From Automation World: How .NET, APIs, databases and AI-assisted development are expanding the automation conversation beyond equipment and controls.

Janvi Saddi writes:

Industrial automation used to be easy to define. 

It meant PLCs, sensors, robotics, machine vision, control systems, SCADA platforms and production equipment. If a system moved, measured, inspected, assembled or controlled a physical process, it belonged in the automation conversation. 

That definition still matters. But it is no longer complete. 

If you work in manufacturing, engineering, infrastructure or industrial operations, you have probably seen another kind of bottleneck: not a machine waiting on material, but a team waiting on information. 

A report has to be rebuilt manually. Data has to be exported from one system and cleaned before it can be used in another. A review gets delayed because information exists, but not in the right format. An exception is tracked through email because no system owns the handoff. 

The truth is that the next major automation opportunity is not only on the plant floor. it is in the software-driven workflows that move information across engineering and operational systems. 

Read the entire article HERE.

Leveraging vibration sensors and AI for proactive equipment management

From Chemical Processing: Chemical plants are using vibration data and AI to catch bearing wear, misalignment and looseness weeks before failure — preventing shutdowns that can cost millions.

Jennifer Markarian writes:

Equipment reliability is key for reducing production losses at chemical manufacturing facilities. Unplanned downtime can potentially cost millions of dollars, primarily from production loss but also from other emergency maintenance costs.  

Reliability teams and maintenance personnel use preventive maintenance and work hard to avoid catastrophic breakdowns and unplanned outages. But to really stay competitive, companies need to do better than simply reduce emergency maintenance.

Condition monitoring, which uses sensors to track changes in indicators such as vibration, is an essential tool. Having data to show which assets need attention can help teams that are stretched thin to prioritize maintenance and fix problems before they become emergencies. And when equipment is running better, productivity goes up.

“Condition monitoring is no longer just a maintenance initiative, but it has become an operational performance tool,” said Janelle Armstead-English, industry principal, Chemicals at Seeq.

Read the entire article HERE.

The future of system integration: CSIA CEO Adrienne Meyer shares a vision based on learning

From Control Design: In the latest episode of Control Intelligence, Mike Bacidore spoke to Adrienne Meyer, CEO of the Control System Integrators Association, about the experience she brings from the Open DeviceNet Vendors Association and her MBA studies at the University of Michigan.

In this interview, Meyer shares what she’s learned over the course of more than a year at the helm of CSIA, most of which she’s spent visiting and speaking with system integrators from around the world. Listen below.

Why a pipe’s inside diameter is vital for accurate flow measurement

From Control: Understanding how pipe inside diameter, deposits, corrosion and changing flow conditions is essential to improving flow measurement accuracy.

Jesse Yoder of Flow Research writes:

Every flowmeter uses one aspect of the fluid as its fundamental measuring principle, and nearly every flowmeter must ultimately account for the geometry of the flow passage. The cross-section of the pipe is one of the fundamental quantities underlying flow measurement and determining that area requires knowing the inside diameter of the pipe.

Read the entire article HERE.

Recapping the week on Processing

Articles

Technology is not the strategy: What data-driven manufacturers do differently

Creating a data-driven culture requires consistent effort, training, and leadership reinforcement, ensuring organizations can effectively interpret data, act on insights, and foster continuous process improvements.

When sealing failure becomes operational risk

Sealing reliability is no longer determined solely by valve design or maintenance discipline. As increasingly aggressive process conditions push equipment beyond traditional limits, material science is becoming critical to long-term integrity, emissions control and uptime.

Designing hygienic drainage to control Listeria in RTE food facilities

The critical role of hygienic stainless steel drains and piping.

Controlling nuisance dust Part 2: Engineering strategies for dust collection and containment

By addressing dust generation at its source and incorporating containment strategies throughout the process, organizations can improve product quality, protect employees, reduce safety risks, and create more reliable and efficient operations.

Podcast

What processors can learn from this summer’s lettuce recall

Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall Infolink, explains how this summer's lettuce recall offers important lessons about supply chain resilience, recall communication and the need to quickly identify affected products.