Serving Japan’s scientific and industrial photonics community.

Toptica Photonics has opened its new office in Osaka, Japan. This expansion demonstrates the company's commitment to the Japanese market and its growing customer base in the Asia-Pacific region.

LtoR: Toshiyuki Nishimoto, Dr. Thomas Renner
and Taro Saito,at the opening.

Leading the new Osaka office is Toshiyuki Nishimoto, who recently joined Toptica as Branch Manager with a strong background in photonics and laser technology. The Osaka Office will serve as a dedicated point of contact for customers and partners across western Japan, fostering closer collaboration and ensuring faster response times.

This expansion marks an important milestone in the company’s growth strategy, strengthening its footprint in one of the world’s most dynamic high-tech and research markets while reinforcing long-standing customer relationships.

Due to the importance of Japan in the high-technology and optics industry, Toptica founded Toptica Photonics K.K. in September 2016 as a dedicated office for sales, marketing, and service. The subsidiary, headquartered in Fuchu/Tokyo, currently consists of eight employees – all of whom have extensive experience with Toptica products. Among them is Taro Saito, who has served as Managing Director since the company’s foundation.

"Japan has always been an important region for Toptica, with its strong research landscape and dynamic industrial base," said Dr. Thomas Renner, CSO and Member of the Executive Board at Toptica Photonics. "With our new Osaka office and Mr. Nishimoto joining the team, we are well positioned to provide even better local support and service to our Japanese customers."

"Since establishing Toptica Photonics K.K. in 2016, we have continuously expanded our business in both the scientific and industrial markets across Japan. The new Osaka office marks another significant step forward, allowing us to strengthen our presence in western Japan and to serve our customers with even greater proximity and efficiency." said Taro Saito. "We now have enough space and presence to grow the Japanese organization to a next level."

---

@TOPTICA_AG @PresseBox #Pauto #Photonics #Japa

Co-oporative developments in next-generation optical communications.

Anritsu Corporation in collaboration with Fujikura Ltd., has measured inter-core crosstalk in weakly coupled multi-core optical fibres using multiple methods and has confirmed that the results are equivalent. Both companies presented their results at the international OptoElectronics and Communications Conference (OECC 2025) in Sapporo, Japan.

With the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services, the demand for higher transmission capacity in optical submarine cables and data centre interconnects is rapidly increasing. Today’s optical communications rely on single-mode fibre (SMF) and advanced signal optimization technologies to achieve high data throughput. However, as the transmission capacity per fibre continues to grow, these technologies are approaching their physical and performance limits.

Consequently, recent R&D has focused on weakly coupled multi-core optical fibre with multiple independent cores in a single optical fibre. While this type of fibre significantly increases transmission capacity, inter-core crosstalk – caused by interference resulting from light leakage between each core – degrades the quality of transmission. This varies not only due to the optical fibre design and manufacturing but also depending on the installation conditions, requiring evaluation of inter-core crosstalk in field conditions. Although various companies and research institutions have proposed different methods for measuring inter-core crosstalk, the measured results from each method have not yet been adequately validated.

In the presented comparative evaluation, Anritsu, in collaborating with Fujikura, measured inter-core crosstalk using four methods: two using optical power meters, and two using Anritsu's OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) for measuring optical fibre loss and reflection. The evaluated four-core weakly coupled multi-core optical fibre manufactured by Fujikura features a standard cladding diameter of 125 µm. The measured results from each measurement method were all within ±1.0 dB at 1550 nm. Consequently, any of these four measurement methods can be chosen according to the weakly coupled multi-core optical fibre application scenario, such as R&D, Manufacturing, and Installation and Maintenance (I&M), with assured consistent correlation regardless of which method is used. Furthermore, these results will assist with future standardization of weakly coupled multi-core optical fibre.

Anritsu continues to contribute to the practical implementation of next-generation optical communications technology by providing test solutions for weakly coupled multi-core optical fibres.

---

@Anritsu @AnritsuEMEA @NapierPR #Fujikura #TandM #Comms

Battery trading in Japan backed by Ireland.

First battery has gone live in Japan’s Energy Market.

GridBeyond has officially commenced energy trading in Japan using a front-of-the-meter (FTM) battery asset. The announcement was made on June 24 during the Ireland Innovation Seminar hosted at the Embassy of Ireland in Tokyo, where GridBeyond presented alongside its local partner, PORT Inc.

Ahead of the announcement, PORT successfully brought online a 2 MW / 8 MWh grid-scale battery located in Gunma Prefecture. This asset marks GridBeyond’s first active trading project in Japan and serves as a launchpad for a broader portfolio of battery projects scheduled to go live between 2025 and 2028.

The event was also attended by Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, who made the following remarks regarding the collaboration between the two companies: “Ireland is a global-leading innovation hub, particularly in digital fields such as AI and energy tech. GridBeyond is one of our key companies, a leading example of an Irish advanced technology and sustainable business. The launch of this new initiative in Japan, a critical growth market for the Irish economy, in partnership with PORT, is a testament to the global value of Irish technology, and we are extremely proud of this work. I look forward to seeing both companies achieve further success in contributing to Japan’s decarbonisation and energy optimisation.”

PORT, whose mission is “Transforming social debt into future opportunities,” announced its entry into the FTM battery power plant sector in March. This move aligns with Japan’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal and the country’s accelerating adoption of renewable energy. Since then, PORT has been working closely with GridBeyond to optimise battery operations.

Commenting on the project launch, PORT’s President and CEO Hirofumi Kasuga said: “This first trading milestone not only strengthens our business foundation but also marks a significant step toward large-scale battery deployment in Japan. Our collaboration with GridBeyond goes beyond a technical partnership—I believe it opens up new potential for the energy market as a whole. Together, we aim to expand installations and usage of energy storage systems, contributing to a more sustainable energy infrastructure.”

Atsushi Ito, Country Manager at GridBeyond GK (Japan entity), added: “In addition to grid battery operations, we are rolling out strategies that support flexibility on both the supply and demand sides, such as CHP optimisation, demand response using data centers, and AI-powered energy asset management. By leveraging our overseas expertise and adapting our services to Japan’s unique market structures and regulations, we aim to earn the trust of even more customers.”

GridBeyond is committed to delivering flexibility services in Japan and accelerating efforts to support the country’s decarbonisation goals as a trusted long-term partner.

---

@GridBeyond_ @Entirl @peterburkefg @IEAmbJapan @IrelandatExpo #PAuto #Energy #Japan #Ireland 

Refrigerant manufacturer is plant of the year.

FieldComm Group has announced that the Daikin Industries Ltd. Plant in Kashima, Japan, has been selected the 2023 Plant of the Year*. This is the 21st annual awarding of this unique international honor, presented to end user companies in the process automation industry to recognize the exceptional and valuable application of FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus, FDI™ and/or HART® Communication technologies.

The Daikin Kashima plant produces a wide range of fluorochemical products used in air conditioning equipment, automobiles, semiconductor production, and other applications. Advanced digital technologies have been applied at this site as part of a digital transformation (DX) initiative. The team has implemented HART-enabled instrumentation, and associated digital diagnostic tools and predictive analytics, all combined with artificial intelligence (AI), so the facility can transition from traditional time-based maintenance to more effective condition-based maintenance.

By first learning normal plant behavior from historized big data, the AI system can then perform nonlinear regression analysis on live data using a neural network, enabling the anomaly detection and prediction needed to address potential problems and avoid unexpected shutdowns.

Many valve positioners, pressure transmitters, and Coriolis flowmeters were already HART-enabled, and the team used Fast Ethernet-based HART converters to access other equipment, along with various DCS/PLC systems. Daikin officials point out that success of AI depends on the accuracy of available data, and HART devices made a difference in this regard.

“The HART signals of each device are wonderful data packed with the know-how of each device manufacturer. By having AI learn this along with various process data in the plant, it's more likely to be able to learn various signs of equipment anomalies,” said Masumi Yoshida of the Daikin Industries engineering department.

Condition-based maintenance at this plant over the past three years has reduced maintenance costs by an estimated US $400,000, and the team is looking to expand the technology to many more production sites around the world.

---

* A complete list of recipients and their success stories are available here. 

• See also Process Plant of the Year (6/7/2023)

@FieldCommGroup #PAuto #Communications #Japan

Robots help reshore production and address workforce shortages.

Dual-armed cobots reduce assembly time, increase productivity by 20%, and increase flexibility.

ABB’s YuMi® cobots are enabling the reshoring of production and helping to address challenges presented by workforce shortages for SUS Corporation, a major supplier of aluminum frames and die-cast aluminum components for the automotive and other manufacturing industries.

“Reshoring is increasingly viewed as a way to address the challenges of disruptive supply chains and uncertainty, but it can introduce complexities of its own,” said Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line. “Our range of flexible automation solutions can help resolve these, and we’re delighted to see that SUS is benefiting from significant time-savings, enhanced production efficiency and the ability to quickly adapt to changing supply scenarios. This demonstrates how automation is no longer the preserve of large OEMs alone.”

In the wake of significant disruption to global supply chains in recent years, SUS Corporation chose to return to domestic production in Shizuoka, Japan to better manage its lead times and introduce greater flexibility. However, the manual and repetitive nature of the production process, coupled with mounting labor shortages, has made it difficult for the company to recruit and retain sufficient workers to achieve the required production volumes.*

The solution – a series of YuMi dual-armed collaborative robots – has reduced the assembly time, increased productivity by 20 percent, and introduced much-needed flexibility in response to fluctuations in demand. The company expects to achieve payback on its investment within two years.

The automated solution was developed using ABB’s RobotStudio® simulation software to design and optimize the operation in a virtual space, ahead of deployment in the real world. The simulation verified that YuMi’s seven-axes of movement per arm were able to replicate the complex twisting actions needed during the assembly process. RobotStudio’s accurate calculations for achievable production volumes also made it easy for SUS to make informed decisions about their investment. The company is now investigating adding further cells for other products and automating other processes.

“The robots have taken on monotonous, repetitive jobs, enabling workers to be reassigned to more rewarding tasks such as operation management. The new system has also made it possible to operate at night with fewer workers, with the number of dedicated assembly machines in operation reduced from 11 to five,” said Akihiro Taki, Team Manager, Die-casting Team, at SUS Corporation’s Shizuoka site.

---

*ABB’s recent Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey discovered that nearly a third (31%) of all respondents listed labor shortages among their top three challenges, while 35% ranked labor as their most concerning area when it came to rising costs.

@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @NapierPR #Automation #Robotics #Japan

Automation for biomass power plant.

ABB has secured its ninth contract with TOYO Engineering Corporation in Japan to supply its distributed control system (DCS) ABB Ability™ Symphony Plus, to the Wakayama Gobo Biomass Power Plant, around 120 km south of Osaka.

When operational in 2025^[1] the 50 MW biomass power plant, which will use wood pellets and agricultural byproduct as a feedstock, will be capable of supplying enough power for up to 110,000 Japanese households a year. The plant is being developed in partnership by Enewill (formerly JAG Energy), Osaka Gas and SMFL MIRAI Partners who have employed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor TOYO to design and build the facility.

ABB’s DCS solution will deliver complete visibility of operations, enabling operators to make informed decisions in real time to help optimize production, improve processes, and drive efficiencies. ABB will also deploy its Adaptive Execution™ project management methodology which utilizes digitalization to speed up delivery schedules and achieve faster site start up.

The new order, booked earlier this year, follows ongoing collaboration between ABB and TOYO, with the company integrating its automation solutions at eight other biomass facilities being constructed across Japan.

With domestic supply of energy increasing over four percent year-on-year, Japan, previously seen as a carbon intensive country^[2], is investing in ways to match growth in demand with reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. In 2022 its renewable energy output increased by 11.7 percent, driven primarily by solar power and biomass generation^[3].

“In its sixth Basic Energy Plan^[4], Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a target of 8 GW for installed biomass capacity in the country by 2030 which would cover five percent of its projected power demand,” said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries. “The nine projects that we are involved in will deliver a collective generation capacity of 500 MW, achieving over six percent of the Government’s target and providing energy to power more than one million households.”

Japan is currently the world’s fifth largest biomass market^[5] and is expected to grow by 5.4 percent a year until 2025 and 3.7 percent a year through the following decade^[6]. ABB is an established leader in the power generation market in Japan, with expertise when delivering process control systems. This, coupled with new initiatives that have been proven on other TOYO projects, made ABB the partner of choice.

---

[1] 50 MW biomass power plant
[2] Japan 2021 – Analysis - IEA
[3] FY2021 Energy Supply and Demand Report (Revised Report) (meti.go.jp)
[4] 6th_outline.pdf (meti.go.jp)
[5] Japan: biomass energy market size 2035 | Statista

@ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @AdmiralPR #PAuto  #DCS #Japan

Reducing Waste by reducing defects.

AMETEK Surface Vision has helped a major Japanese paper product manufacturer improve the quality of its papermaking, as part of an upgrade to its production facility.

Based in Osaka, Japan, Rengo Co. Ltd provides paper solutions to support the flow of goods in a range of industries, including general packaging. Its Kanazu plant is a corrugated board base paper production facility, which underwent the upgrade in 2017.

Initially, AMETEK Surface Vision’s SmartView system was added to inspect the paper for defects. This was supported by a single-camera Advanced Winder Advisor (AWA) tool, which enables automatic stops at the detected defect location. Designed specifically for paper inspection systems, it allows immediate resynchronization after a web break or sheet splicing.

Due to the enhanced stopping accuracy of the AWA, defects are dealt with much faster, leading to increased production speed and product yield. This led to a further investment in the SmartAdvisor's web inspection system to reduce the number of paper breaks by identifying the cause of the defects.

They installed a SmartAdvisor system with 12 cameras alongside the existing SmartView system. In addition, the SmartSync tool was also applied, which integrates the multi-camera video monitoring power of SmartAdvisor with the flexibility and proven quality of SmartView surface inspection.

This enhanced level of surface inspection provided an immediate identification of the cause after the defect occurred, leading to rapid results and a reduction in the amount of waste paper created by defects. Additionally, paper breaks reduced by 17% year-on-year.

Takefumi Nakanishi, Rengo’s Deputy General Manager commented: “Before we installed SmartSync, it took me a while to find the information I needed. Now we have succeeded in narrowing down the paper break and defect information.

“Our next step will be to install more cameras and require a more accurate system performance, which we are able to do thanks to the modular nature of the AMETEK Surface Vision solution.”

The SmartView and SmartAdvisor systems can be applied to the full spectrum of paper, packaging, and tissue applications, enabling customers to inspect the surfaces of materials to improve quality, reliability, and speed.

• Read the full Rengo case study here.

@surfacevision @AMETEKInc @AmetekUK @codacomms #PAuto #Paper

Seven millionth product!

HMS Networks (HMS) has shipped its seven millionth Anybus product to IAI Corporation (IAI). | IAI uses Anybus embedded technology from HMS to connect their robot and motion controllers to various industrial networks in factories around the world. IAI and HMS have been working together successfully for almost 20 years, and during that time IAI has been using several different generations of embedded Anybus products.

From left to right: Christian Berghdahl, Product Marketing Manager, Anybus, HMS Networks,  Bartek S. Candell, General Manager - MU Asia, HMS Networks, Toshihisa Tsukuda , Manager Software Section II and Kazunobu Maruyama,  Specialist Software Section I Development Dept. at IAI 

"We are very excited about having delivered the 7 millionth Anybus product to IAI” says Bartek Stelmasiak Candell, General Manager for Market Unit Asia at HMS Networks, and continues “The Anybus embedded concept supports all the major fieldbuses and industrial Ethernet networks that IAI requires for their robot and motion controllers, and this enables them to connect to the various control systems used by their customers in automation technology".

The first Anybus module was developed in 1994. The number of fieldbuses increased rapidly and the Anybus embedded concept allowed device manufacturers to connect to any industrial network in an easy way. Over the last decade, the evolution of industrial networks has continued, and many industrial Ethernet protocols with high performance have been introduced. With full fieldbus and industrial Ethernet connectivity, IT-features and solutions for functional safety and security, the Anybus technology has always been in the forefront, now also covering wireless technologies. Today, seven million Anybus products are deployed in the field. The multi-network connectivity offered by the Anybus concept is still the key benefit to the user.

"When we started the development using Anybus products for the first time 18 years ago it was I that developed application software. I remember that HMS gave us prompt and kind support when we made lots of questions during the development. One of the biggest advantages to use HMS products is the excellent service and support that HMS provides thanks to their Japanese operations. That makes HMS differentiated. Still today we use Anybus modules and the support that HMS gives us remains unchanged" says Mr. Tsukuda, Software Development Manager at IAI Corporation.

“The first million Anybus modules took us more than 10 years to deliver and now we have gone from 5 million to 7 million in only 2 years which is fantastic,” says Staffan Dahlström, CEO at HMS Networks, and continues. “We are very happy about the success of Anybus and are proud about our ability to ensure secure and smart communication in thousands of factories all around the world, enabling full equipment and resource control for our customers and their end user customers”.

#PAuto @hmsnetworks @HMSAnybus @mepaxIntPR #Japan

Service centre opened!

Advantech has opened its new Japan Service Center located in Fukuoka Prefecture. With the completed acquisition of OMRON Nohgata shares in February 2019, now known as Advantech Technologies Japan (ATJ), and it has the largest campus in Advantech group. The Advantech Japan Service center will embrace OMRON Nohgata’s quality of excellence, own fully enough expandable size of its warehouse and see production capacity nearly tripled, helping Advantech drive regional growth and meet customers’ growing Industry 4.0 needs through “Configured Order to Service (CTOS)”.

According to Mike Koike, President of Advantech Japan “The Advantech Japan service center in Nohgata leverages the CTOS know-how and Advantech brand for the same global standard of excellence offered in other regions like the U.S. and EU under Advantech in-house operation.”

In the production area of the plant, Advantech practices Industry 4.0 with highly customized CTOS Manufacturing Execution System (iCTOS MES), with real-time data monitoring, to help managers take action, speed improvement cycles and support a high degree of product customization.

This new CTOS production plant will enable Advantech to offer custom assembly of equipment ranging from an industrial-grade small edge, desktop, panel, and rack-mounted PCs, up to server assembly. Advantech will also provide custom assembly including GPU cards required for acceleration of AI and computing processing and FA/industrial applications, frame grabber card for camera input, AI/IoT, selection of sensor input and output cards needed to suit customer needs in the IoT era.

In addition to the new CTOS production plant, the logistics warehouse will also be integrated into this plant, and the Advantech Group will operate as a production and logistics base in Japan, out of 27 countries around the world. In this way, we will provide the world-class technology of Advantech, a global brand, with the fine quality of Made in Japan. In addition, by having logistics functions, it will be possible to quickly respond to the needs and demands of Japanese customers.

#PAuto #TandM #Japan @AdvantechIA @iAutomation_EU

Strategic partnership with Japan.

Werum IT Solutions is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Toyo Business Engineering Corporation (B-EN-G), a leading and highly experienced provider of integrated enterprise and manufacturing solutions headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

B-EN-G’s extensive track record of delivering ERP, MES and logistics systems for Japanese and international pharma manufacturers greatly complements Werum’s best-in-class manufacturing IT solutions and its flagship product PAS-X MES. The PAS-X Endorsed Service Partner agreement enables B-EN-G to act as a certified service implementation team in Japan for Werum’s premier customers. Together, the two companies are ideally placed to deliver excellent and extended support locally in Japan and to ensure the right expertise is always available throughout the country for the rapidly expanding customer base of PAS-X MES.

“We are absolutely delighted to partner with B-EN-G, one of Japan’s leading business engineering corporations and a key player for the pharma industry,” says Richard Nagorny, Managing Director and CFO of Werum IT Solutions. “The business vision and cultural fit of our two companies is very strong and with the power of Werum’s PAS-X MES product for the Pharma 4.0 Factory of the Future and with B-EN-G’s large team of experts we are greatly enhancing the value and scale of services that we provide in Japan for our clients and business partners.”

Masanori Osawa, President and CEO of B-EN-G, adds: “We are proud to have been providing IT solutions mainly for manufacturing industries over the last 30 years in Japan. The pharmaceutical industry has always been considered of strategic importance for our company so this partnership is very exciting for us. We selected Werum and its PAS-X MES in order to best meet our customers’ needs, including proven improvements of production efficiency and compliance with GMP regulation of pharmaceutical medicines. As a certified PAS-X Service Partner with long accumulated experiences and expertise in the industry, we assure that PAS-X, the leading MES solution for the pharma and biotech industry, will help advance and digitize our customers’ business quickly.”

PAS-X Endorsed Service Partners meet all requirements of Werum's PAS-X Service Partner Program. The main objective is to offer the same quality and competence of services to Werum customers all over the world – through reliable, experienced and certified partners. The Service Partners need to have comprehensive PAS-X knowledge, participate at PAS-X trainings on a regular basis, possess experience in the regulated industry and use a quality management system. The certification has to be renewed on a regular basis.

@Werum #PAuto 

HMI/SCADA distributorship in Japan.

Effective immediately, Yokohama-based LINX R&D Corporation has become the new Japanese distributor for zenon, the software system developed by Copa-Data. Founded in 1990, the corporation specializes in the distribution of state-of-the-art automation technology within Japan. In the process of distributing zenon, LINX will leverage its wide and well-established sales and partner network.

Kei Murakami, CEO of LINX (left) 

& Stefan Reuther, CSO of Copa-Data

“We are delighted to be entering the Japanese market through our new distributor, LINX. Our zenon-based solutions are the perfect fit for a high-tech country like Japan. We believe that this market holds significant potential and hope to provide the experts at LINX with the best possible support,” says Stefan Reuther, Chief Sales Officer at Copa-Data.

Several of LINX’s technicians have already received training in zenon, immediately putting them in a position to pass their knowledge on to customers and partners. What’s more, the first zenon projects have already been launched with a system integrator from Japan.

Experienced, networked, specialised
As a zenon distributor, LINX will exclusively market and distribute the software in the Japanese market in the future. LINX brings several years of experience as a distributor of automation solutions and machine vision systems to the partnership. In addition to its Yokohama headquarters, the corporation operates three sales offices in Japan. Technical training is conducted every month, ensuring that expertise is communicated quickly to project-leading partner companies. At the annual LINX Days event, more than 1,000 participants from partner and sales companies find out about the latest developments in industrial automation.

With the addition of LINX, COPA-DATA’s international sales network now encompasses 17 distributors worldwide. Their work, together with that of the eleven COPA-DATA subsidiaries, enables COPA-DATA’s software solutions to be sold in 60 countries. This sales network is supported by over 200 partner companies in the COPA-DATA Partner Community.

 @copadata  #PAuto  #Japan, #SCADA

Awards in automation announced.

Two Yokogawa employees and the subsidiary Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation have received awards from the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE). The SICE was founded in 1961 to promote collaboration among scientists and engineers from various fields. In such areas as measurement, control, and information systems, SICE is working hard to address issues faced by the oil, petrochemical, iron and steel, chemical, telecommunication, and other industries. Since its establishment, SICE has supported advanced academic research in Japan.

These awards are for a scientific paper, contributions toward the establishment of international standards, and the development of a methodology. The awards were presented on September 21st 2017.

Outstanding Paper Award
The Outstanding Paper Award is given to authors of papers on significant new theories or technologies that have been published in the Keisoku Jidou Seigyo Gakkai Ronbun-shu (collection of papers of the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers – available only in Japanese) or the SICE Journal of Control, Measurement, and System Integration (available only in English) during the two previous calendar years.
■ Winner - Hisanori Hayashi (Yokogawa Electric Corporation)
■ Paper - Intrinsic Safety for Wireless Hydrogen Gas Sensor
Resumé: Hydrogen sensors are used in systems that detect leaks at hydrogen charging stations and hydrogen production facilities. This paper examined how to make these sensors explosion-proof, proposing the use of a wireless hydrogen sensor with a quartz crystal oscillator that can operate at lower temperatures and the use of ISA100.11a wireless communications for transmitting sensor signals. The ISA100.11a wireless communication standard for the industrial automation industry was established in September 2009 by the ISA100 Committee of the International Society of Automation (ISA). SICE selected this paper for the award because it proposes a commercially viable and comparatively easy to implement means for making these sensors explosion-proof that makes practical use of the proven and effective ISA100.11a technology.

Technology Award
The Technology Award is given in recognition of the development of a technology or methodology within the five previous calendar years that represents a significant advance in any of the science and technology fields or industries in which SICE is involved.
■ Winner - Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation
■ Theme - Identification of measures for the rapid restoration of operations following a natural disaster
Resumé -  Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation worked hard to get distributed control systems (DCS) running again at plants that had been damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Based on the insights gained through this work, the company identified various measures that proved effective in restoring operations at these plants and also holds great promise for use in lifecycle maintenance in the future. The company has announced its findings through articles in academic journals and presentations. SICE gave this award to Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation in recognition of its achievement in the establishment of measures that can quickly bring plants back online following a natural disaster and which prove useful in plant lifecycle maintenance activities.

International Standardisation Award: Achievement Prize
The International Standardisation Award: Achievement Prize is given to individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions through the establishment of international standards in fields that SICE is active in.
■ Winner - Toshi Hasegawa (Yokogawa Electric Corporation)
■ International standards:

• ANSI/ISA-100.11a-2011 - Wireless systems for industrial automation: Process control and related applications
• ISA-TR100.00.02-2009 - The Automation Engineer’s Guide to Wireless Technology: Part2
• - A Review of Technologies for Industrial Asset Tracking
• ISA-TR100.14.01-Part I-2011 Trustworthiness in Wireless Industrial Automation: Part 1, Information for End Users and Regulators

Mr. Hasegawa has worked hard to establish and spread the use by industry of the ISA100.11a wireless communication standard, and has also promoted the use of wireless sensor networks in the oil, petrochemical, and chemical industries. In addition, he has played a leading role in the establishment of the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute, has lectured on and conducted seminars on the standard, and organised verification test programs. In recognition of these efforts, SICE has given him this award.

@YokogawaIA #SICE #PAuto #Japan 

Networking in Japanese paper plants.

Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation, has completed the installation of a software-defined networking (SDN) solution at four paper plants in Japan that are operated by group companies of Oji Holdings Corporation (the Oji Group). This is the first-ever plant-wide implementation in Japan (based on a March 2017 Yokogawa market survey) of SDN, a software-based technology that enables the creation of virtual network environments. As part of this undertaking, Yokogawa assessed the company’s IT infrastructure, including its existing networks, and designed and deployed SDN-based networks at these facilities.

With conventional plant networks, network devices (i.e., routers, firewalls) must be installed and configured for each individual application, location, and facility. The software-based SDN technology enables flexible implementation of virtual networks for each individual application, linking network devices using the same physical network. This facilitates the integrated management, implementation, and reconfiguration of networks. Also, this helps to reduce the required number of network devices and the amount of wiring that needs to be performed, saving both operating and management costs. Furthermore, the visualization of network status leads to enhanced security. Problems can be easily identified, and network operators can remotely shut down specific segments of the plant network in the event of an emergency.

Yokogawa won this order because the customer highly valued its solid track record in delivering production control systems, wealth of production site knowledge, and experience in providing solutions that lead to enhanced productivity, safety, and product quality.

For this project, they chose to use a proven SDN network device solution, NEC Corporation’s UNIVERGE PF series of controllers and switches. While minimizing impact on plant operations is usually difficult when replacing IT infrastructure, Yokogawa was able to do this by leveraging its abundant experience and knowledge of production sites. At each of this customer’s plants, Yokogawa assessed their IT infrastructure, including existing networks, and based on this assessment then designed and deployed its SDN technology solution.

The company is also providing on a trial basis a security management service that monitors the status and health of the networks throughout these plants. While enabling timely preventive measures that help to maintain the health of the networks in these plants, this service also ensures that prompt actions can be taken in the event of an emergency.

In plants around the world, there is an increasing need to improve productivity, safety, and maintenance efficiency, and this is being achieved through the introduction of Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology. Networks help to create new value by connecting various types of devices, but it is essential to be able to flexibly change their configuration, quickly respond to surges in data volume, and ensure more secure operations. For the optimal implementation of IIoT technology, attention is now increasingly turning to the use of SDN technology in plant IT infrastructure. This also will help company IT departments manage the IT infrastructure at their plants in a more integrated manner.
Capitalizing on its production site know-how, Yokogawa will continue in its endeavors to introduce SDN and other cutting-edge technologies that will enable the realization of smarter plant IT infrastructure.

@YokogawaIA  #PAuto #Japan

Japanese Award for automation and control manufacturer.

IDEC Corporation’s MicroSmart FC6A PLC has received the Good Design Award from the Japan Institute for Design Promotion, a public interest foundation. Its precursor, the Good Design Selection System (or G Mark System), was founded in 1957 by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the current Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), and has been engaged in design evaluation for about 60 years. Japanese products are synonymous with high quality and good design worldwide, and only the best of the best receive this award.

Submissions for this award come from more than 4,000 entries submitted by over a 1,000 companies each year in a wide range of fields. These entries are screened by distinguished design experts selected from various industries. The main deciding factor for the award selection is based on whether or not product can enrich society and people's lives through its design. Recipients of a Good Design Award are granted use of the G Mark symbol, an emblem of good design for over half a century worldwide.

The FC6A MicroSmart PLC received this award because it combines the power of a PAC (programmable automation controller) in a low-cost controller with a small form factor, making it an ideal fit for demanding applications. Before the FC6A was introduced, designers often had to choose between expensive PACs and micro PLCs lacking in features. The FC6A solves this dilemma by offering many of the features formerly found in PACs in a micro PLC.

An optional HMI module can be added to the CPU to provide operator interface via its display and control buttons. The HMI module can also accommodate an optional plug-in analog cartridge, and it has an integral Ethernet port. Using the operator interface functionality, any PLC parameter can be updated.

Industries particularly well suited to the FC6A MicroSmart PLC include oil & gas, chemical, solar, marine, packaging, food & beverage, material handling, utility vehicles, and OEM machinery and process skids. Within these industries, a wide variety of applications are a good fit for the FC6A MicroSmart PLC—especially those requiring control of standalone machines, process skids, vehicles and small-scale systems.

The FC6A MicroSmart PLC is programmed with IDEC’s WindLDR PC-based software, which includes no cost updates for the life of the product, and which can be used to program IDEC’s entire line of controllers in a simple and intuitive manner.

IoT capability is provided by custom web pages which can be configured for remote monitoring and control. Web pages are created using simple drag and drop functionality with no HTML programming required, a major advantage over competing products. These web pages are stored in the MicroSmart PLC, which functions as a web server when its built-in Ethernet port or the HMI Ethernet port is connected to the Internet. These web pages can be accessed via any web browser running on any Internet-connected device such as a remote PC, a tablet or a smartphone.

@IDECUSA #PAuto

Joint development focus on a new standard.

Harting Electronics GmbH, based in Espelkamp (D), and Hirose Electric C. Ltd., Tokyo (J), have reached agreement on the joint development, product standardization and marketing of a miniaturized connection technology system for 10Gbit Ethernet.

Kazunori Ishii (L) & Philip Harting

The RJ45 was indispensable when using Ethernet ten years ago. However, it was not ideally suitable for use in industrial environments and could only be deployed with certain modifications. In light of this situation, Harting developed the world’s first industry-compatible field attachable RJ45.
The miniaturization of components and interfaces in connection technology has become a key factor in global digitalization through the Internet of Things and Services.

“As a form of the Internet of Things, there is one thing that ‘Industrie 4.0’ requires above all else: an Ethernet connection to each and every ‘Industrie 4.0’ component,” explaines Philip Harting, Chairman of the Board at the Harting Technology Group. “The standardization and international norms for new high-performance components and infrastructure is an essential requirement for market success and provides planning security.”


On the other hand, Hirose Electric has offered miniature connector solutions for small handheld devices including mobile phones, tablets and cameras and has contributed to the miniaturization and the high-speed communication of electronic devices. The company has played a significant role in the high performance and miniaturization industry, not only with internal connectors, but also with interface connectors such as micro-USB (USB2.0, 3.0, and 3.1) which were originally developed by HIROSE. In addition, they will focus on the Industrial market and apply this extensive knowledge and expertise to provide high-end miniaturized connectivity solutions for ‘Industrie 4.0’.
To meet the challenging market demand for global digitalisation, both partners’ have therefore agreed to utilise Harting’s and Hirose’s strength. The result is the development of a new miniaturized and robust Ethernet interface for high-speed data transmission rates to set a new standard for ‘Industrie-4.0’ applications.

“Our customers benefit from the bundled expertise of two technology leaders, on one hand, and global presence and customer proximity on the other,” remarkes Hirose- President, Kazunori Ishii. The two companies plan to reveal further details on their cooperation in the autumn at electronica and SPS/IPC Drives in November 2016.

@HARTING #PAuto #Japan #Hirose

Information and industrial automation technologies for oil refineries!

Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation - the company’s control business in Japan - and Cisco Systems G.K. are to provide a new solution for oil refineries that makes use of their respective information and industrial automation technologies. This platform integrates production, quality, progress control, and other information technologies with the control systems that are used to monitor and control production processes in real time, ensuring that facilities can be efficiently rebuilt and modified. It also improves the efficiency of corporate management by making it easier for information to be accessed by information management systems.

Background

As a result of a review of Japanese national energy policy, a new law known as the Sophisticated Methods of Energy Supply Structures Act was passed that requires the oil industry to make more efficient utilization of fossil fuels. To accomplish this, oil refining companies are now consolidating their refinery operations, as part of which they must also reestablish and reconfigure their control and information systems. This requires an environment where control, MES, and ERP systems can be quickly built or reconfigured, and where various types of complex data can be accessed in an integrated and flexible manner at each system level.

Features of This New Solution
The solution improves efficiency by structuring and standardizing a plant’s control and information systems as well as the data handled by these respective systems. This improves the portability of data, establishes a framework that facilitates the integration, construction, and modification of all of a plant’s control and information systems, and creates an environment with industry-leading security for all communications and information management. This is true not only for a plant’s own control and information systems, but also for links between plants. In addition to facilitating the consolidation of a company’s refinery operations, this solution is useful in the installation and expansion of plant facilities, and can deliver the same benefits here as well. The main features of this solution are as follows.

1. Integrated information reporting
Systems with different functions that are in various locations can now be treated as a single virtual
information platform, allowing the generation of reports whenever they are needed, and in any desired format. This improves ease of access to information and allows the free selection of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

2. Information access
This solution features refinery-wide network connectivity and provides a highly-secure environment, allowing a plant’s systems to exchange structured and standardized data with systems at company headquarters and other plants with industry-leading security. Information can be quickly imported from other locations, compared, and linked, ensuring that people have all the information needed to make informed decisions.

3. Analysis (business intelligence)
The ability to collect a wide range of information and make effective use of large amounts of plant data allows for the performance of multifaceted analyses that can accurately identify solutions and improve both quality and efficiency.

Outlook for the Future
This collaboration of Cisco and Yokogawa Solution Service will not be limited to the oil-refining sector. With Cisco’s proven track record in providing highly-secure, high-quality network equipment and information system services and Yokogawa’s wealth of experience in the industrial automation field, the two companies will be able to respond flexibly to market needs and provide solutions that deliver great benefits such as improving how control and information systems work together and making maximum effective use of large amounts of control data. Both companies plan to extend this collaboration to other industries, and intend, for example, to roll out this solution to the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries later this year.

Cybersecurity health check!

Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation, responsible for Yokogawa’s control business in Japan, has received an order from Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. to provide a network health check service that analyses and verifies the integrity of the data traffic on the control system communications buses at its Mizushima Works. An industry first (based on a September 28, 2015 Yokogawa survey) this cyber security service for control systems combines network visualisation technology with the collection and analysis of data traffic.

As the threat of cyber-attacks has increased in recent years, there is an urgent need for strong security measures with control systems, particularly those used in critically important infrastructure such as electric power, gas, and petrochemical plants. With the increasing sophistication of such attacks, it is often no longer sufficient to rely solely on general security measures such as the use of antivirus software. Yokogawa’s network health check service is able to visualise the status of communications traffic on a network after periodically collecting and analysing log data. When data traffic from an unknown IP address, communication via an unspecified protocol or port, data loss, or some other potential hazard is detected, Yokogawa will then work with the customer to identify possible causes and propose any necessary improvements. Unlike conventional services that rely on the monitoring and analysis of vast amounts of control system communications traffic,

Yokogawa’s service is able to quickly and intuitively visualise and grasp the status of the control system’s communications traffic so that quick action can be taken in response to any potential issue. The company jointly developed this visualisation technology with Yasuo Okabe, a professor at Kyoto University; Hiroki Takakura, formerly an associate professor at Kyoto University and currently a professor at the National Institute of Informatics; and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).

Yokogawa develops and provides its customers with a variety of highly secure device and system solutions, and is also engaged in the provision of ongoing operational support services. The company will continue to assist its customers through the provision of control system cyber security solutions.

Wireless instrumentation range now available in Japan!

Mantracourt Electronics has announced that it has appointed Tokyo Sokki as a technical partner for Japan. Tokyo Sokki will assist in the sales and technical support for Mantracourt’s broad range of load cell amplifier technology and wireless instrumentation systems.

"We are delighted with this appointment,” said Louise Stubbs, Marketing Co-ordinator at Mantracourt. "Much of Mantracourt’s success has been built on working closely with Technical Partners, helping us to understand their requirements and to assist them in selling our products. Tokyo Sokki is a very good match for this approach, they have a high level of technical expertise and experience in this field, and provide excellent customer service."

Tokyo Sokki have been experts in the field of strain measurement for over 50 years, through the development and manufacture of strain gauges, measuring instruments and transducers.

In co-operation with Mantracourt, Tokyo Sokki has achieved certification for Mantracourt’s T24 wireless telemetry product range. The T24 range now complies with the strict Japanese technical regulations for radio equipment (TELEC Certification). This was gained from the Telecommunications Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The Mantracourt T24 wireless telemetry range is a flexible low power radio system designed to enable the transmission of high accuracy measurement data including voltage, current, pulse, temperature, displacement and also data from pressure sensors and load cells.
With a combination of transmitter and receiver technologies, users are able to remotely monitor instrumentation readings.

A T24 module can transmit to a range of receivers including handheld indicators, digital displays, analogue and serial outputs, PC display and wireless printer and has various powering options. Data is provided in real time at variable speeds with a direct line of sight range of up to 200 meters, which can be extended with the use of high gain antenna’s and repeaters.

“The T24 wireless instrumentation products have helped introduce instrumentation to many new and innovative applications,” said Louise Stubbs. ”Whether it is moving parts on a machine or difficult to access equipment, wireless technology is enabling a new generation of measurement. In this respect, we are very pleased to have located such a talented and knowledgeable technical partner in Tokyo Sokki to help us spread the word on the T24 product range”

MES for complex biopharmaceutical production implemented in only four months!

World's largest biotech plant for contract manufacturing of recombinant influenza vaccines set up / PAS-X standard software product, fast-track implementation and MBR modeling accelerate MES deployment

The Japanese biotech company UNIGEN Inc. has taken Werum's PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System (MES) into operation within a record time of only four months. The short implementation time was possible because the company relied on a standard solution. PAS-X is operational with all functionalities out of the box.

CST & Werum project managers
at project acceptance

UNIGEN implemented PAS-X using Werum's four-phased fast-track implementation methodology: Ready, Fit, Build and Run. Part of the project and a big success element was the flexible and easy-to-handle PAS-X content and library based MBR modeling.

At the greenfield site in Gifu, Japan, the joint venture of the Japanese pharmaceutical company UMN Pharma and the heavy equipment manufacturer IHI Corporation set up one of the largest plants for production of recombinant influenza vaccines and contract manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products. The plant comprises five floors, covering an area of two soccer fields, and accommodates several bioreactors, each with a capacity of 21,000 liters.

At the new plant, UNIGEN uses an innovative and complex biopharmaceutical manufacturing process called Baculovirus Expression Vector System (BEVS). For this process, UNIGEN required a standardized production management software, which is able to meet the high quality and compliance standards in accordance with the Japanese zero-error tolerance. Werum's PAS-X won over several competitor solutions in a multi-stage selection procedure.

PAS-X was delivered with the entire user interface in Japanese. Werum carried out this project in close cooperation with their Japanese integration partner CST Chiyoda System Technologies Corporation. PAS-X considerably reduces the documentation effort for the entire manufacturing process. In addition, the PAS-X functions support warehouse management and automatic workflows based on the underlying SCADA system.

Japanese company Company recognised for significant research quantifying reliability wireless technology!

LtoR: Toshi Hasegawa, Yokogawa (ISA100 WCI), 

K. Minamizato, NSENGI and Hisashi Sasajima, Azbil (ISA100 WCI)

NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING (NSENGI) has been awarded the “ISA100 Wireless Excellence in Automation Award” for a recently completed research project that quantified the reliability of ISA100 Wireless technology in a multi-vendor device configuration at an operational site.

The consortium was recognised for documenting findings and analysis based upon research conducted at an operational manufacturing site. The objective of the research was to quantify the reliability of communication in wireless networks, specifically ISA100 Wireless. The award is sponsored by the ISA 100 Wireless Compliance Institute.

Included below are some key details of the completed research project.

• Type of manufacturing facility: Waste recycling plant
• Number of devices included in the research project: 22 devices
• Number of different suppliers included in the configuration: Three companies
• Companies represented: Azbil, Fuji Electric and Yokogawa
• Duration of the research trials: July 2013 – January 2014

The team identified engineering techniques to optimise performance of the wireless network in response to various adverse conditions present at the plant site. It set out to confirm that:

1. The wireless network successfully supports a multi-vendor device configuration
2. Field test results are confirmed independently of supplier claims

The team also set out to increase subject matter knowledge through first-hand experience with wireless instruments and confirming:

1. Interoperability among diverse suppliers of wireless devices
2. Characteristics for wireless propagation in a multi-vendor device configuration

In general, the team sought first-hand data about the reliability and stability of wireless technology. As part of its study objective, the team recognized that it would be useful to evaluate performance characteristics at an operating plant site to document and quantify factors such as distance, density of obstructions, types of obstructions, and other factors. The team experimented with system and site engineering alternatives to identify methods to ensure reliability and interoperability.

“For example, the team implemented variations on the installation design, publication period of wireless transmissions (configurable in ISA100 Wireless), number of publication retries and other adjustments,” explained K. Minamizato, Manager, Technology Headquarters, NSENGI.

While detailed results of the study have not yet been made publicly available, the team concluded that ISA100 Wireless network reliability was practical for actual industrial applications.

Looking forward, the team expects that the capability of any ISA100 Wireless certified device to interoperate in the same wireless network will:

1. Expand the portfolio of wireless devices from a variety of suppliers
2. Drive down costs/prices of wireless instruments

The team also predicts that with greater availability of wireless instruments and costs trending downward, selecting wireless instrument technology will become easier to justify, and the industry will witness more widespread adoption of wireless technology.