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Automation Update

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Endress+Hauser earns 2018 Hermes Award

The winner of this year's Hermes Award is Endress+Hauser Messtechnik GmbH + Co. KG. The award was presented by Germany's Federal Minister of Education and Research, Anja Karliczek, at the official opening ceremony for HANNOVER MESSE on 22 April 2018.

Endress+Hauser received the award for a hygienic compact thermometer. It has a self-calibrating sensor for process temperature measurements that meet stringent safety and quality specifications, as required in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The temperature of the sensor is calibrated automatically using a physical fixed point based on the Curie temperature (which is material-specific and has long-term stability) of an internal reference sensor integrated in the sensor. The fully automated inline calibration of the temperature sensor is audit proof and facilitates regular recalibration without additional processes or system downtime.

Along with the winner Endress+Hauser (based in Weil am Rhein, Germany), the following companies were also nominated for the award: Alpha Laser (Puchheim, Germany), GBS German Bionic Systems GmbH (Augsburg, Germany), TH Ingolstadt/Continental AG (Ingolstadt/Hannover, Germany) and Upskill (Washington, D.C.).

OPC Foundation and ZVE partner

The OPC Foundation and ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers™ Association) have signed a memorandum of understanding for combined activities relating to Industry 4.0. The first focus is an OPC UA based mapping of the Industry 4.0 Asset Administration Shell (I4AAS).

Under the moderation of the OPC Foundation, the concept of the I4AAS, defined in a technology-independent manner so far, will be mapped into the technology of OPC UA. The conceptual input of the I4AAS is a result of the Platform Industry 4.0 Working Group 1 Norms, Standards and Reference Architecture, the ZVEI Mirror Group SG Standards and Models, and the ZVEI subworking group Administration shell in detail. To ensure the interoperability of the I4AAS with the OPC UA companion specifications (developed with the VDMA), the VDMA is included in addition (beside the ZVEI) and part of the upcoming OPC joint working group.

Peter Martin inducted into MCAA Hall of Fame

Peter G. Martin, PhD, vice president, innovation and marketing, for Schneider Electric's process automation business, was inducted into the Measurement, Control, & Automation (MCAA) Hall of Fame. The MCAA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose work has contributed to the instrumentation and control industry in a significant and memorable way, either through technical achievements or business accomplishments and industry leadership. Martin is only the seventh person to attain this distinguished achievement.

Martin, an ISA Life Achievement Award winner, is a recognized innovator in the field of automation and control. He has authored three books (including The Value of Automation [www.isa.org/value] and Bottom-line Automation [www.isa.org/bottomline]), coauthored two (including Automation Made Easy [www.isa.org/automadeeasy], and been a contributing author for three more. He has also published dozens of articles and papers in the field of automation and control. Martin holds or has pending multiple patents related to real-time business measurement and control. He was recognized by Fortune as a Hero of U.S. Manufacturing, by InTech as one of the “fifty most influential innovators in control, and by Control as a member of the Automation Hall of Fame

Cybersecurity controls lacking

Indegy announced that nearly 60 percent of executives at critical infrastructure organizations polled in a recent survey said they lack appropriate controls to protect their environments from security threats. As expected, nearly half of all respondents indicated their organizations plan to increase spending for industrial control system (ICS) security measures in the next 12-24 months.

Although organizations have made significant investments to secure their information technology (IT) infrastructures, they have not fully addressed threats to operational technology (OT) environments. The recent poll of nearly 100 executives from various critical infrastructure organizations underscores the lack of preparedness in important sectors, including energy, utilities, and manufacturing. Among the findings:

  • Of respondents, 35 percent said they have little visibility into the current state of security within their environment, while 23 percent reported they have no visibility.
  • Insider threats and misconfigurations are the biggest security risks faced by 63 percent of respondents.
  • Fifty seven percent said they are not confident that their organization, and other infrastructure companies, are in control of OT security.
  • Meanwhile, 44 percent of respondents indicated an increase in ICS spending was planned in the next 12 to 24 months, with 29 percent reporting they were not sure.

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