Seventy five years in pressure and measurement.

I made my first visit to Germany in the late sixties as a representative of Industrial Instruments Ltd (IIL).  IIL had become agents in Ireland of the company Alexander Wiegand AG after a visit to Ireland of the late Dr Konrad Wiegand (son of the founder) and his wife. This was first company I visited in the Franconian town of Klingenberg am Main and in fact I spent my first night in a hotel by the railway station called Schöne Aussicht. Thus I always have had a special memory of this place. 

The company is now more widely recognised and transformed as the WIKA Group. It is celebrating its seventy five year anniversary this year. It was founded in 1946 with a focus on the production of pressure gauges. Today the WIKA Group is a leading manufacturer of industrial and process measurement technology in the global market. 

With 11,000 employees, the company generates a turnover of around one billion euros. Thanks to its broad positioning and sustainable financial structure, WIKA has held its ground well, even during the corona crisis.

The greatly expanded company has mantained its strong presence in Klingenberg and is still run by the Wiegand family. The company is represented worldwide through 43 subsidiaries and has production sites in all key markets. In addition to the comprehensive product portfolio for the measured variables of pressure, temperature, level, flow and force, WIKA offers a wide range of services. Innovative complete IIoT solutions round off the performance spectrum.

To strengthen the market-oriented strategy of the company, WIKA is now building a central innovation centre for the entire Group at its headquarters in Klingenberg am Main. It will be inaugurated in this anniversary year.

@WIKANews #PAuto 

Archive 2014!

One of the beauties of the internet is that posted items remain on line as long as the domain exists or until it is taken down by the administrator. Here we have included link to the items published during 2014/

News Items throughout the year!

New links added during 2014 Full Archive (1996-2014) Some of the links may no longer be valid and if you find one we would appreciate being told. Please include URL of the Signpost Page and if possible the latest url of the link resource.

• News January 2014
• News February 2014
• News March 2014
• News April 2014
• News May 2014
• News June 2014
• News July 2014
• News August 2014
• News September 2014
• News October 2014
• News November 2014

We welcome news of your products, people, publications, projects and applications as well as company moves.

Process automation at Hannover

Hannover fair is possibly the largest industrial exhibition in the world.

Read-out is unable to attend this year however we have received a number of press releases and reports from exhibiting companies and we are also following it on twitter #hannovermesse11.

Process Automation remains the leading technology event for the process  industry.

Decision-makers from industries such as chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food & semi-luxuries and biotechnology come here in search of non-branch-specific solutions, along with trade visitors from sectors such as plastics and metalworking, surface treatment, the paper industry, car manufacturing and component supply, the optical industry, electrical engineering and electronics, and the energy industry.

As well as complete solutions, visitors to Process Automation will also find engineering and maintenance services and a vast array of components and field devices.

In 2011 Process Automation is located in Hall 11, synergies are generated

Connected!

Emerson Process Management has joined The FDT Group organisation on its Executive Committee and Board of Directors according to a communique issued recently by the group. With its membership, Emerson should be in a better position to support field device users that deploy FDT/DTM technology.

“We are delighted to have Emerson join our leadership team. Their broad industry footprint and their respected position in the marketplace will accelerate the advancement of the FDT standards”, says Glenn Schulz, Managing Director of the FDT Group.

“By joining the FDT Group, we are reiterating our industry wide commitment to support our customers and their installed base of global standards.  We would like to take a role in the stewardship of the future direction of this technology,” says Peter Zornio, Emerson’s Chief Strategic Officer.  “Emerson is also committed to the FDI Project and our stewardship at the Executive level will help to unify collaboration on this important project.
 
As a result of Emerson joining the FDT Group as a sponsoring member, the Board of Directors has named Mr. Steve Armstrong of Emerson to the Board of Directors and Mr. Martin Zielinski has been appointed to the Executive Committee as Vice President.

IET joins AF at Automation Week

ISA President-elect Leo Staples announces the affiliation of IET with the Automation Federation at Automation Week 2010

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has joined the Automation Federation as its newest member organisation. The two organizations signed a formal agreement to collaborate on efforts to advance and grow the automation profession. This agreement was signed at ISA Automation Week 2010.
Through its agreement with and membership in the Automation Federation, the IET will join AF and the other AF member organizations—the International Society of Automation (ISA), the Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC), and the Wireless Industrial Network Alliance (WINA)—in joint activities devoted to promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); promoting the Automation Competency Model; and advancing the general public’s awareness of automation and technology.
The Chairman of the Automation Federation Energy Committee, Leo Staples, said, “The Automation Federation proudly welcomes the IET as our newest member organization. AF and the IET share the same commitment to advancing and building the automation profession around the world. By combining our unique expertise and resources with our common interest in automation, our organizations are poised to make a significant impact on behalf of the profession.”
The Chairman for the Americas Regional Board of the IET, Steve Mustard, added, “The IET is pleased to be an active part of the Automation Federation. AF has accomplished so much of value in such a short amount of time, and we welcome the opportunity to be an integral part of their efforts. We are confident that by working with the Automation Federation, we will successfully enhance and accelerate public recognition of the automation profession worldwide.”
Dr. Gerald Cockrell, CAP, 2010 Automation Federation chair, stated, “Leo Staples and Steve Mustard were instrumental in the formalization of the agreement between AF and the IET. I commend them for their dedication to the profession. Their efforts have strengthened our efforts, AF’s and the IET’s, to promote and advance the automation profession. AF and the IET have already begun activities for the remainder of 2010 and for 2011.”

As reported by IET on same day (but posted by us on 19 Oct 2010)

New member for automation body announced

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) joins the Automation Federation

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has joined the Automation Federation (AF) as its newest member . The two organizations signed a formal agreement to collaborate on efforts to advance and grow the automation profession. This agreement was signed at ISA Automation Week 2010 Houston, (Tx, USA)

Through its agreement with and membership in the Automation Federation, the IET will join AF and the other AF member organizations—the International Society of Automation (ISA), the Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC), and the Wireless Industrial Network Alliance (WINA)—in joint activities devoted to promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); promoting the Automation Competency Model; and advancing the general public’s awareness of automation and technology.

The Chairman of the Automation Federation Energy Committee, Leo Staples, said, “The Automation Federation proudly welcomes the IET as our newest member organization. AF and the IET share the same commitment to advancing and building the automation profession around the world. By combining our unique expertise and resources with our common interest in automation, our organizations are poised to make a significant impact on behalf of the profession.”
The Chairman for the Americas Regional Board of the IET, Steve Mustard, added, “The IET is pleased to be an active part of the Automation Federation. AF has accomplished so much of value in such a short amount of time, and we welcome the opportunity to be an integral part of their efforts. We are confident that by working with the Automation Federation, we will successfully enhance and accelerate public recognition of the automation profession worldwide.”

Dr. Gerald Cockrell, CAP, 2010 Automation Federation chair, stated, “Leo Staples and Steve Mustard were instrumental in the formalization of the agreement between AF and the IET. I commend them for their dedication to the profession. Their efforts have strengthened our efforts, AF’s and the IET’s, to promote and advance the automation profession. AF and the IET have already begun activities for the remainder of 2010 and for 2011.”

Picture shows Mr Leo Staples at the official announcement of the membership of IET in AF.

Vision recovery in sight!

Vision industry shows strong indications of recovery

A number of recent indicators suggest that the vision industry has weathered the worst of the global recession and is poised to emerge with positive signs of growth. Recently published surveys for 2010 from the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) and the Automated Imaging Association (AIA) in the US predict an 11 per cent increase in turnover and a 2.6-4.6 per cent increase in sales respectively in their particular regions. Similarly, an informal survey of UK Industrial Vision Association (UKIVA) members attending Britain’s Advanced Manufacturing exhibition earlier in 2010 revealed an upturn in enquiry levels and actual business since the beginning of 2010.

One of the reasons for these positive predictions may be the increased role of vision in industrial automation in manufacturing, where the two keys to competitiveness for manufacturing in the western economy in a world where labour costs are lower elsewhere are automation and quality. Vision can help to both reduce costs and ensure quality to a consistent and high standard, thus increasing competitiveness.

Investing in machine vision offers many benefits. Using data from a vision system to feed into a statistical control system can be the ultimate integration of vision into an automated manufacturing process. It can make sure that a factory never produces scrap material since corrections can be made before the product goes out of tolerance. Using vision systems to accurately measure what is delivered to a customer can have a direct effect on the profitability of the company. Using vision to work accurately to the minimum within-tolerance parameter, rather than the middle of a tolerance band, can save a huge amount annually in raw material costs. When vision is used to check that items have been correctly assembled, warranty costs are reduced.