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Manufacturing AUTOMATION magazine “Canada’s leading publication providing industrial automation news and technology information aimed at the discrete and process industries.”
Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...
In this issueFrom the editor: The innovation question
Product focus: Motion control Mark your calendars |
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Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...
From the editor
The innovation question
Are high commodity prices masking the country’s lack of innovation? That’s the question a new Conference Board of Canada study has asked – and the answers probably won’t surprise you one bit.
The report is called “How Canada Performs: A Report Card on Canada,” and it compares 17 countries — including Canada — that enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world. But in five of the six broad categories assessed, Canada’s performance ranks in the bottom half of countries.
“Canada is losing ground to other countries that are better at exploiting their own advantages,” Anne Golden, president and chief executive officer of the Conference Board, said when the report was released earlier this month. “We appear to be riding high due to global demand for our resources, but this is not a sustainable course for our country.
“Unfortunately, the Conference Board has been telling this story for a dozen years, and the same issues have emerged year after year. At the crux of our lagging performance is our failure to innovate,” she adds.
Failure to innovate? Seems like a familiar theme. In fact, in the June issue of Manufacturing AUTOMATION (now available online at www.automationmag.com/digitaledition), columnist Paul Hogendoorn weights in on the innovation debate, arguing that we are not nearly the “innovation nation” we think we are.
I agree with Paul — and this new Conference Board study agrees with us both. The way to raise Canada’s productivity is to improve innovation performance. Unfortunately, the report found that Canada has consistently fared poorly in innovation indicators since the 1980s, and ranks 13th in this year’s report. “Canada has many of the elements needed for innovation, but research is not successfully commercialized and used as a source of advantage for companies seeking global market share,” the report says.
Let this be a wake up call to us all. It’s time to stop thinking we’re an innovative nation — and just be innovative.
All the best,
Alison Dunn
Acting Editor
adunn@clbmedia.ca
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WE’VE GONE DIGITAL!
The digital edition of the June 2008 issue of Manufacturing AUTOMATION includes: |
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Stay tuned!
The September 2008 issue of Manufacturing AUTOMATION will include: Cover story: 40 years of the PLC On January 1, 1968, after a night of New Year’s Eve revelry, Dick Morley put pen to paper and created the first draft of what would eventually become the programmable logic controller. The invention of the PLC is perhaps the single greatest innovation in the automation industry, and it revolutionized the manufacturing process. In this special issue, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the PLC with a retrospective of how it all began. Feature: Wireless technology Wireless technology is a multifaceted technology that requires many questions to be asked before installing a system in a facility. The right decision will help improve safety, optimize the plant and ensure compliance. But how do you choose the right industrial wireless network for your plant? In September, we’ll explain which questions to ask and what system components you should consider for your facility. Feature: Safety There are plenty of new machine guarding and safety technologies on the market to keep workers safe on the shop floor. But machines killed 223 Canadian workers from 2002 to 2006. The technologies exist — why aren’t we using them? Plus: The latest automation industry news, education and training updates, appointment announcements and trends, as well as a selection of the latest programmable control, enclosures and workstations, RFID, safety, wire and cable and wireless technology and security products. |
Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...
In the news
Manufacturing sales up again in May
Ottawa, Ont. — Manufacturing sales in Canada have posted their biggest gain since March 2007, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
For the full story, click here.
ISA announces new safety instrumented systems programs
Research Triangle Park, N.C.
— ISA and the Automation Standards Compliance Institute (ASCI) are
introducing three certificate programs that will increase knowledge and
awareness of the ISA84 standard.
For the full story, click here.
IAPA training program wins first place at international festival
Mississauga, Ont. — Canada’s Industrial Accident Prevention Association has earned a prestigious award for its First 4 Weeks training program.
For the full story, click here.
Low power AC drives market continues robust growth
Dedham, Mass. — The low power AC drives market is continuing its strong worldwide growth, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
For the full story, click here.
Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...
People watching
GS1 Canada names new senior vice president
Toronto, Ont. — GS1 Canada recently announced that John Keogh has joined the organization as senior vice president, EPCglobal Canada and Traceability. In his new role, Keogh will lead the EPCglobal Canada mandate as well as the organization’s overall traceability strategy for Canada. Reporting to COO Eileen Mac Donald, Keogh will also take on the role of chief privacy officer for the organization.
tna reappoints Green as vice president, Americas
Sydney, Australia — tna, a supplier of turn-key, integrated packaging and processing solutions for food production companies worldwide, has reappointed Michael Green as vice president, Americas. Green previously served as vice president, tna Americas from 1998 to 2002. As part of his day-to-day responsibilities, he will provide management and stewardship of tna’s Americas’ operations: tna North America, Inc. and tnamex S. de R.L. de C.V.
Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by...
Product focus: Motion control
Hollow bore incremental encoder
With
bores sizes up to 0.625 inches, Quantum Devices’ QPhaseT QD200 has been
designed to eliminate the assembly hassle and hidden cost of installing
modular or kit encoders onto OEM products. Available through
Electromate Industrial Sales, the QD200 is a complete operational unit
with an integral dual ABEC 5, ball bearing, insert molded hollow shaft
support that provides the mechanical stability for this low profile,
high resolution encoder package. Using proprietary sensing technology,
the encoder is able to obtain an incremental, 5000 PPR, plus Index
pulse, without the use of interpolation schemes. The stainless steel
flexible spring mount provides for 30 degree rotational adjustment to
permit precise commutation alignment and has been designed to allow for
more motor tail shaft run out than typical modular or kit type units
can tolerate.
Electromate Industrial Sales
www.electromate.com
Single axis controller
Danaher
Motion has introduced the Dover DMM-101 Single Axis Controller and ST1
Air Bearing Spindle product set. The DMM-101 and ST1 are engineered to
form a perfectly matched and easily integrated sub-system solution for
hard disk drive (HDD) applications, but can also be sold separately.
The DMM-101 single axis controller delivers velocity stability
performance (0.0006 per cent at 7200 RPM) to provide a stable test
platform for increased aereal track densities. Its flexible connector
interface accepts both MCS-LA2000 and MFM-BDC-610 connections, making
it well suited as a drop-in replacement in today’s media testers. User
adjustable PID gain adjustments optimize performance with any payload.
Additionally, the DMM-101 can position the spindle to any encoder count
within one revolution relative to the index, while enabling users to
simplify commutation by eliminating the need to align the encoder index
to a motor pole.
Danaher Motion
www.DanaherMotion.com
Mark your calendars
Fiber Optics Installer Technician Certification (CFOT)
August 4 - 8, 2008
Mississauga, Ont.
This is a five-day, 60 per cent hands-on course that teaches you how to
install, troubleshoot, document, test and maintain a fiber optics
system to industry standards. More than 1,900 installers have already
been certified across Canada through this program and more than 23,000
across North America. For more information, visit www.fiberoptictraining.com/courses.html.
NIWeek 2008
August 5 - 7, 2008
Austin, Tex.
National Instruments' NIWeek 2008 is a graphical system design
conference and exhibition. Join more than 3,000 engineers, scientists,
educators and NI developers for three full days of interactive
technical sessions, hands-on workshops, case study presentations and
exhibitions on the latest technologies for design, control and test
applications. Register now for NIWeek 2008 and be part of this exciting
industry event!
www.ni.com.
EtherNet/IP: Free Informational Seminar
August 7, 2008
Toronto, Ont.
Considering migrating to Ethernet for your facility? Looking to enter
the industrial Ethernet product market? Investigate your options at
ODVA's free, one day seminar. There's plenty of buzz about industrial
Ethernet, but if you have wondered about adopting this technology for
your application, you will want to have a solid understanding of its
basics and a firm grasp of the technical advantages of the various
industrial Ethernet options available to you. Come to this seminar and
— in just a few hours — get a head start on the information you need to
make an informed decision. ODVA will cover the technical details and
the value to industry of its Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and
EtherNet/IP, including its extensions for safety, motion, and
Modbus/TCP. For more information, visit www.ovda.org.
Configuration Technical Webinar
August 19, 2008
Online
MISUMI USA, will conduct its Configuration Technical Seminar as a
Webinar from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. CST. This tech seminar is entitled
''Designing a better machine faster with the configurable component,''
and is designed to help engineers overcome the time and performance
pressures typically associated with custom machine builds. The seminar
features a presentation created by MISUMI's manager of product
development Chris Blaszczyk, who is an experienced engineer on the
subject of configurable components. To register for the Configuration
Technical Webinar, visit www.misumiusa.com/techseminars.aspx and complete the registration form.
exiderdome
August 25 - 29, 2008
Toronto, Ont.
Siemens Canada Limited's global road show, exiderdome, has arrived in
Canada. Siemens' exiderdome is a two-storey exhibit constructed from 55
containers that transform into a must-see exposition of technological
innovation. The exiderdome allows visitors to experience Siemens'
world-leading expertise in various industries such as oil & gas,
food & beverage, automotive and building construction. Siemens has
the largest global standardized range of automation and drive
technologies, which has been leveraged and made more efficient on the
basis of Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) and Totally Integrated
Power (TIP). For more information, visit www.exiderdome.ca.
A more comprehensive list of events can be found on our website.
The PowerPack Direct Response Card Deck, available online at http://cardpack.clbmedia.ca,
brings the depth and breadth of the web together so you can reach
industrial buyers! And we've made it easy for the online user to search
by product, key word and company name. Plus, users have the choice of
connecting directly to your website, e-mail a request directly to you,
or print out the card for future reference!
| WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU |
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If you would like to share your comments about this e-newsletter, or have a news tip for Manufacturing AUTOMATION, please e-mail Alison Dunn, Acting Editor. |
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