Automation leaders for 2026.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) has announced its Society leadership* for the year 2026. Members of the Executive Board include: 

• President: Ashley Weckwerth, P.E., Burns and McDonnell
• President-elect Secretary: Francisco Diaz-Andreu, Repsol
• Past President: Scott Reynolds, Johns Manville, A Berkshire Hathaway Company    
• Treasurer: Ardis Bartle, Apex Measurement and Controls 
• CEO: Claire Fallon, International Society of Automation 

• Francisco Alférez Canales, Tetra Pak
• Dr. Soloman Almadi, Saudi Aramco 
• Marco Ayala, ABS Consulting
• Alan Bryant, P.E., PMP, Occidental 
• Nick Erickson, AWC, Inc. 
• Colleen Goldsborough, CPSC, United Electric Supply 
• Sherry LaBonne, Rockwell Automation 
• David Lee, C.Eng, FIChemE, User Centered Design Services 
• Mary Riedel, Martin Control Systems, Inc. 
• Megan Samford, Schneider Electric 
• Sujata Tilak, Ascent Intellimation 
• Jeff Winter, Critical Manufacturing 

These individuals have demonstrated their strong commitment to ISA and to visioning the role that the Society plays in the future of the automation community. 

“I am honored to welcome this outstanding group of professionals into ISA leadership,” said Weckwerth. “It is inspiring to see such far-reaching expertise across ISA and the many sectors we serve. I am excited to collaborate with them to sustain ISA’s strong growth and continue to empower our global community of automation professionals.”

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* Nominations for Executive Board are accepted annually through mid-February. 

@ISA_Automation @automation_com #PAuto #Automation #TandM

Process & control sector head.

Scott Pepper

Scott Pepper is the new sector head for the Process Instrumentation and Control Sector of GAMBICA,  the industry body representing the Instrumentation, Control, Automation and Laboratory Technology industries in Britain.

Scott brings relevant sector experience with him as he joins from Emerson Automation Solutions where he was a Flow Specialist / Technical Sales Engineer working in the Oil and Gas sector.

As well as continuing to support GAMBICA's existing member companies, Scott will focus on increasing the representation of the broader process instrumentation and control industry in Britain.

@gambica  #Pauto 

Irish candidate for leadership in automation society.

Elections are being held for officers for the International Society of Automation at present. Eligible voting members of ISA have the opportunity to elect the Society’s leaders, and directly influence the future of the organisation.

Among the positions being voted on is that of President-Elect of the Society. The person elected will become President for the year 2019.

Billy Walsh

Billy Walsh B.Sc., a member of the Ireland Section, is one of three candidates. He is the only candidate this year from District 12. Glancing through his biography - Full candidate statements are included in the ballot - one is immediately struck by his impressive experience in various governing committees of the Society.

He has served as an Executive Board Member for several terms (2005-2006, 2012-2013, 2015-2017) and on the powerful Executive Committee (2006, 2012-2013). He was also the first chair of the newly established Operational Assembly.

He has also served on Assorted Task Forces which produce reports for development of the society and also was Vice-President of the Strategic Planning Department (2012-2013). He has also served as chair of the Department Vice-Presidents and District Vice Presidents.

In addition to this he has served in various roles in the EMEA District (District 12) of the society and of course is very active in the Ireland Section.

As he says himself, "I have extensive experience serving in several senior roles throughout the society which has prepared me to continue the process of leading change and innovation while setting ISA’s strategic direction. I have a resolve to harness the potential and optimism that exists within ISA as the strategic planning process has been woven into all society meetings."

A native of Co Waterford (Condolences on the All-Ireland!) he is the Instrument Engineer at the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences, UCC. He served on the Governing Body of the University for four years.

He has a B.Sc. (Honours) in Applied Physics & Instrumentation, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)and more recently Degree Module in Computers & Information Systems at UCC.

There are two other candidates nominated for this position. They are Antonio Alves from Quebec, Canada and Paul Gruhn, P.E., CFSE, of Houston, Texas, USA.

There are several other officer positions to be filled in this ballot as well. They are as follows:
• Executive Board Member/Geographic.
• Executive Board Member/Operational.
• Executive Board Member/Technical.
• Image & Membership Department Vice President-elect.
• Industries & Sciences Department Vice President-elect.
• Professional Development Department Vice President-elect.

If you are a voting member of the society you may vote here:

All ballots must be cast by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 30 September 2017

 #PAuto #ISAuto #EMEA

Institute appoints Engineering Director.

Dr Maurice Wilkins FInstMC has been appointed as engineering director of the Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC).

Maurice Wilkins

Maurice is a PhD Chemical Engineer with over 38 years of experience in human factors, batch solutions, procedural operations, HMI design, advanced process control, benchmarking analysis and the chemicals and refining industries.

He currently works as Executive Advisor to Yokogawa, working mostly on technology and solutions innovations and also standards and human factors. In his earlier career he held positions with Esso Chemicals, Honeywell, Lyondell, ARC Advisory Group, KBC and as an independent consultant.

Maurice is a Fellow of ISA, our sister organisation in the US, and was inducted into the Process Automation Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently Vice President of the ISA Standards and Practices department.

Within InstMC Maurice will be responsible for providing technical support to our professional activities, including our learned society programme and Special Interest Groups. He will also be supporting our marketing department in outward-facing activities and representing the Institute as our technical spokesman to the media and on related engineering bodies.

@instmc  #PAuto #ISAuto

The inspiration of the parabolic curve!

Parabolic flow curves were the inspiration for the new logo for the Measurement, Control & Automation Association which was debuted at the MCAA Industry Forum last month in Atlanta. As well, a completely redesigned website, TheMCAA.org, was rolled out to the more than 240 attendees at the meeting.

Bharat Naik (President, Reotemp Instruments), Chairman of the Planning Committee for the meeting and Vice Chairman of MCAA, introduced the new branding and website to the attendees saying that the more modern look and ease of use of the website better reflect the dynamic Association.

Mr. Naik mentioned the four unique value propositions that have a prominent place on the home page of the TheMCAA.org website:

Networking: The ability to meet face-to-face with leaders in the same industry—beyond your own company—and sharing ideas and experiences is a key reason why companies send their senior executives to the Industry Forum every year. Seventy-five percent of MCAA’s member companies were represented in Atlanta and attendees came from six different countries (US, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany and Mexico). There are additional opportunities to network through the Association as well, using the website to find people and create or solidify business relationships.

Data: According to Naik, MCAA offers its members the most affordable source of unbiased data. While the very low cost is important, possibly more essential is that the data is unbiased—reported anonymously in aggregate so that no one has a reason to skew the numbers. He noted that his company derives essential management value from analyzing the data against their own performance.

Insights: MCAA meetings and its website offer critical best practices, future trends and new technology ideas not just for members but also to our industry as a whole. The assemblage of speakers at the Forum covered a broad range of topics designed to drill down on subjects related to our Interconnected World.

Workforce Development: As baby boomers leave our workforce, the industry has a challenging and ongoing issue of backfilling these positions with educated and trained personnel. As Vice Chairman of MCAA, Mr. Naik confirmed that MCAA has a key role to play in this arena moving forward and is an important element of the organization as the voice of the industry, a likely new tagline for MCAA.

Members sign into a Member Portal to retrieve reports and information available based on their company’s participation. They can also see their company profile which is an excellent opportunity to promote the company and its products. More functionality is coming to personalize the Portal. Member representatives can reach the Member Portal through TheMCAA.org or directly at MyMCAA.org.

@MeasControl  #PAuto

New member for OPC!

Ocean Data Systems is now a member of the OPC Foundation, an organisation dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation by creating and maintaining open specifications that standardize the communication to multi-vendor systems, from plant floor sensors and controls, to enterprise business solutions.

Joining the OPC Foundation will provide Ocean Data Systems with access to the latest technology and domain experts, ensuring that Dream Report will continue to deliver excellent support for this standard. Dream Report currently offers OPC Real-time data connectivity through OPC DA, Alarm and event message connectivity through OPC AE and Historic Data connectivity through OPC HDA, in addition to its vast array of both business standard and proprietary interfaces.

"The OPC Foundation continues to expand and be the community for OPC experts," says Thomas Burke - President of the OPC Foundation. "And we are excited to have Ocean Data Systems as a new member."

"I have a long history with the OPC Foundation, spanning much of my career," says Roy Kok - VP of Sales and Marketing for Ocean Data Systems Ltd. "OPC Technology is critical for connectivity to a major segment of the automation market and this tighter relationship will ensure we continue to deliver leading connectivity, and it gives ODS an opportunity to uniquely market to this important segment."

Automation interests explored at Far East meeting

Underscoring the International Society of Automation’s (ISA) commitment to global partnership-building, ISA’s Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin participated last week at a meeting in Hong Kong exploring collaborative initiatives among industry associations throughout all areas of the world, including the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific region.

ISA's Pat Gouhin

Gouhin and other chief executive officers of international industry associations attended the event as members of the Key Global Association Committee (KGAC), a committee established in 2011 by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) to examine the multi-national opportunities and challenges facing global industry associations and societies whose primary headquarters are located in the US.

KGAC membership is composed exclusively of chief executive officers of global, US-based associations with revenue of at least $10 million, out of which at least 10 percent comes from international activities.

KGAC’s gathering in Hong Kong, held16-23 February, represented the committee’s third meeting, and came at the invitation of Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Significant attention at the meeting was given to the positive business environment and strong economic activity in Hong Kong and neighboring China.

“I want to thank MEHK and the Hong Kong Tourism Board for their hospitality and generosity in hosting our KGAC meeting. My participation as a KGAC committee member underlines ISA’s continuing interest in forging new international relationships, and building on our already significant multi-national presence and involvement,” Gouhin says. “We feel strongly that our resources, expertise and leadership in automation and control can be of great value in addressing many global manufacturing and industry challenges.”

KGAC meetings, Gouhin says, “bring into sharper focus that most global associations and societies share similar strategic interests and difficulties, and that there is a compelling need for greater collaboration among them.”

In fact, as a result of several meeting discussions this week, ISA is considering partnership arrangements with other international industry associations.

“All of the industry associations participating in KGAC recognize the importance of partnering in order to leverage the collective resources and strengths for the betterment of the professions and industry sectors we represent,” Gouhin says.

Co-operation to aid automation users in process industry

In collaborating with NAMUR, a leading international user association for automation in the process industry, ISA continues to explore new partnership initiatives to help solve global industry challenges

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is tireless in exploring new collaborative initiatives designed to help industries throughout the world improve automation technology and workforce proficiency, safety, reliability and efficiency.

About ISA
ISA has developed more than 160 standards, recommended practices and technical reports.ISA standards support safer and more reliable operating environments, streamline and standardize industry processes, and improve operating performance and profitability. Many ISA standards are being adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for application overseas.

ISA training programs leverage the expertise of leading subject matter experts across a wide variety of technical fields, including: petro-chemical, energy, utility, pharmaceutical, pulp/paper, food/beverage, military/defense and manufacturing.

Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin is working with representatives of NAMUR, the leading international user association of automation technology companies in the chemical process industry, to assess how ISA can support NAMUR’s core objectives, namely:

Minimising its member companies’ costs associated with process control technology

Increasing access to appropriate process control technology

Improving plant safety

Encouraging greater collaboration among its company members with other corporations and associations

“At ISA, we’re honoured that NAMUR encourages our input and seeks to create a collaborative relationship,” says Gouhin, who earlier this week attended and spoke at NAMUR’s Annual General Meeting, held 8-9 November 2012 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (D). Pieter van der Klooster, who manages ISA’s European office, also attended the meeting. “We’re currently working to define the activities that offer the most potential for collaboration, to plan cooperative working groups, and to consider our mutual participation in events.”

In his opening remarks at the meeting, NAMUR President Wilhelm Otten highlighted the need to initiate international involvement and secure alliances with other organizations to solve many of the global challenges facing process industry.

In an increasingly linked and interdependent global economy, fostering greater communication and cooperation among industry producers, automation technology companies, industry associations, government officials, and academicians is vital in sharing best practices, promoting innovation, and weighing strategies to invigorate worldwide economic growth.

Already, Gouhin reports, ISA and NAMUR have identified five common working groups that offer immediate collaborative opportunities:

Functional Safety Wireless Automation

IT Security

Selection of Field Flow Devices Alarm Management

Pat Gouhin’s involvement at NAMUR is the latest example of ISA’s growing participation in international initiatives to leverage the value of automation technology and counteract the worldwide economic slowdown. In mid-October of this year, Gouhin attended and spoke at the World Manufacturing Forum 2012, in Stuttgart (D), where he underscored the need for automated manufacturing systems and more skilled workers capable of operating them.

“While the ability to innovate will be an essential factor in determining corporate success in the 21st century, having access to a capable, well-trained automation and control workforce may be even more critical,” Gouhin indicates.

According to a recently published report on the world economy, an estimated 10 million jobs in various industries cannot be filled today due to a growing skills gap.

By establishing automation standards, and developing and certifying the technical knowledge and expertise of automation and control professionals, ISA can play a significant role in closing this skills gap, and improving economic growth throughout the world, Gouhin says.

African organisation becomes latest member

The Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Measurement, and Control (SAIMC) has signed a Memorandum of Membership with the Automation Federation.

The Automation Federation is an association of member organisations providing awareness, programs and services that continually advance all facets of the automation profession. The Automation Federation serves as the “Voice of Automation” by providing advocacy and industry-wide strategic analysis and coordination through its member organizations.

SAIMC is an African organisation of over 1,200 individual members, with branches in South Africa and Zambia, that advances the theory and practice in the fields of measurement and control. In addition to its individual members, SAIMC has 35 patron members, which include Honeywell, Endress & Hauser and Yokogawa.

The Automation Federation and SAIMC will work together to advance the automation profession through the promotion of continuing education and training; dissemination and communication of relevant information related to and benefiting the profession; and the growth and maintenance of a repository of valuable technical information, terminology and standards. Collaborative discussions have already begun with a focus on getting SAIMC involved in upcoming Automation Federation activities.

Johan Maartens, president of SAIMC, said today, “SAIMC’s leadership recognized the importance of becoming a member organization of the Automation Federation and the positive impact our involvement would generate for the automation profession. Through this membership, SAIMC will be able to aid the Automation Federation in its efforts to promote awareness, programs and services that will advance the automation profession while meeting the goals of SAIMC. May this be a long and prosperous relationship!”

Leo Staples, 2012 Automation Federation chair, stated, “The addition of SAIMC to our growing family of organizations demonstrates a global recognition of the value and effectiveness of the Automation Federation and its efforts to advance the automation profession. We are very pleased that we are effectively serving as the global ‘Voice of Automation.'"

One year in automation!

We've had a lot of ISA news these last few days! But as we say to every automation entity if you have news send it to us it has a better chance of getting out there if it's on our desk than on yours! Remember we welcome automation news on products, applications, people, events etc. What's the worst tha can happen? It might be ignored but why take the risk?

The International Society of Automation (ISA) has produced its annual report, 2011 President’s Year in Review. (pdf). The report provides ISA members insight into the 67-year-old Society’s goals, activities, and accomplishments for the year, while showing non-members how the Society is meeting the needs of automation professionals worldwide.

The report highlights the many successes achieved in such areas as expanded training of automation professionals, new technical publications and resources, and developments in ISA standards and standards compliance. The report covers the many contributions ISA Automation Week and division symposia made in bringing technical education, insights into automation issues and networking opportunities to the automation profession during the year. It features, for the first time, profiles of automation professionals whose careers the Society’s activities have impacted.

Readers also will learn about initiatives launched in 2011, such as new membership grades and the new information-and-blog website, ISA Interchange. Successful expansion into social media played an important role in accomplishing the Society’s 2011 goals.

The 2011 President’s Year in Review also details how ISA sections implemented numerous programs during the year, from local expositions and training, to a speakers’ directory and outreach activities with schools.

ISA’s growth and expanding reach in training and certification are affirmative indications of the Society’s continual impact on the automation community. Notable are the new Technician Training Boot Camp and the significant progress made in training programs in international markets. Both made positive contributions to the Society’s revenue.

The 2011 President’s Year in Review wraps up with the numbers--a summary of the finances that enabled ISA’s members, customers, and subject-matter experts to provide value to the automation community throughout the year.

Leo Staples, ISA’s 2011 president, commented, “2011 President’s Year in Review serves as a valuable resource for automation professionals to use when communicating with colleagues, contacts, and management about the benefits ISA provides to the profession, to technology, and to careers.”

Member recertification announced

Tesco Controls, (CA US)  has recently recertified as a Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Certified member.

In other membership news from the association, the following companies became new associate members:

• Engineering Unlimited, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.
• Global Production Solutions, Shawnee, Okla.
• Golder Associates, Lakewood, Colo.
• O'Brien & Gere, Syracuse, N.Y.
• Soluciones Automaticas Ltda, Bogota, Colombia
• Strategic Automation Services LLC, Houston, Texas
• Triad Power & Controls, Browns Summit, N.C.
(all in the USA)

Motors & Controls Corp,  (WA USA) is a new partner member.

To become a CSIA Certified member, a member company must pass an intensive audit process with stringent performance standards categories in nine categories: general management, financial management, project management, quality management, technical management, human resources management and marketing, business development and sales management.

Certified members are re-audited every three years and recertified if they meet current performance standards. The certification criteria is spelled out in CSIA’s Best Practices and Benchmarks, the accepted roadmap for system integrators committed to delivering the level of quality, performance and long-term support their customers expect.

New types of membership for automation people!

The International Society of Automation (ISA) now has two new membership grades, Automation Community Member and Automation Affiliate Member.

New membership grades for ISA

“We think these new member grades are a great way for automation professionals to take advantage of the many technical and professional-development benefits that ISA offers. As our new members grow in their careers, we hope they will come to appreciate the contribution that the Society can make to their lives and their businesses, and that they might one day become volunteers and contributors to ISA,” said ISA President, Robert E. Lindeman.

Automation Community Member: 

ISA established this grade for professionals in the automation community who would like to be associated with the Society and learn more about it, while enjoying some popular benefits. Individuals may join as Automation Community Members at no charge, by visiting www.isa.org/join. 

Automation Community Member benefits include:

• Free access to a library of more than 40 online, pre-recorded web seminars
• Free subscription to InTech magazine (digital) and Automation Weekly e-newsletter
• Membership in ISA technical divisions for $10 per division
• Participation in ISA’s mentoring program
• Access to the ISA LISTSERV for email discussions

Current AF Members
ISA
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
The National Council For Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM)
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation
The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA)
The Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA)
The American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC)
The National Career Development Association (NCDA)
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance (WINA)
The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC)

Automation Affiliate Member: 

This membership grade is offered to individual members of organizations that are members of the Automation Federation, of which ISA is the founding organisation. Membership is also offered to employees of companies that are members of organizations that are members of the Automation Federation.

These individuals can join ISA as Automation Affiliate Members for $50 US per year, by visiting the "Join Page!". This membership grade provides a well-rounded selection of benefits and gives these individuals the opportunity to learn and grow in ISA. 

A sample of benefits includes:

• Free online viewing of ISA standards, a 10% discount on the cost of ISA standards, and a $50 credit towards the purchase of an ISA standard
• Free access to a library of more than 40 online, pre-recorded web seminars
• Free subscription to InTech magazine (digital) and Automation Weekly e-newsletter
• Membership in ISA technical divisions for $10 per division
• A 10% discount on ISA books
• Participation in ISA’s mentoring program
• Access to the ISA LISTSERV email discussion lists

Advancing the “Automation Conversation” with appointment of a Social Media Community Manager

The International Society of Automation (ISA) announced today that it is expanding its commitment to provide automation professionals readily accessible sources for educational news and information, with the creation of a social media community manager position. After a search, ISA has named Juliann M. Grant, a veteran in the industrial automation field and social media consultant, to assume this position.

Grant will be responsible for building, growing and nurturing ISA’s social media communities on major social networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn^®, LiveStream, YouTube and Flickr^®. She will be a lead contributor to ISA Interchange, the Society’s news-and-blog website, launched in 2011 as the hub for all things automation, from technology to subject-matter experts, industry leaders, ISA volunteers and staff and others from the automation community.

“We are pleased to move forward in our mission to stimulate discussions about automation topics across all technologies, and keep our fingers on the pulse of the automation world. Maintaining a solid presence on popular information-sharing platforms allows ISA to better serve all of the stakeholders of the automation community with technical and professional information,” said Patrick Gouhin, executive director and CEO of ISA. “Juliann brings experience in both social media and the automation field to the position. Applying her talents towards curating and disseminating relevant, high-quality technical information and engaging the automation community will strengthen everyone’s opportunities for success.”

“I am excited to assume this role with ISA, an organization that is setting new standards in the field of automation, and now in social media. Through this role, we can help share the rich technical information that is available from its members, and highlight the good work happening across the profession of automation. By building a vibrant, engaging community for engineers and professionals in automation, ISA will reinforce its leader role in advancing the automation profession and industry as a whole,” commented Grant.

Grant, a vice president of Telesian Technology, has more than 20 years of experience developing marketing strategies for high-technology and industrial-automation companies. She is a recognised speaker and author on business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategies and tactics, including integrated marketing, online marketing and social media. She has also held marketing executive positions at The Lodestar Corporation, Kronos Inc. and Pivotpoint (acquired by MAPICS).

New member to Wireless Institute

Perpetuum has joined ISA100 WCI as a supplier member.

“The benefits of wireless monitoring are rapidly becoming fully appreciated by users. The return on investment from the combination of  improved monitoring of assets and processes with the low installation costs and flexibility of wireless, is causing a major rethink in how to improve plant reliability, safety and profitability,” said Roy Freeland, President, Perpetuum. “The key remaining issue is the right power source for wireless sensing to ensure reliability without costly repeated battery changes. As an innovator in vibration energy harvesting, Perpetuum supplies a practical ‘fit and forget’ solution certified for hazardous areas which is being chosen by major manufacturers globally. We have long been a supporter of the ISA100 standard and look forward to the growth of the market for vibration energy harvesting power solutions for wireless automation.”

Perpetuum designs and manufactures the world's leading vibration energy harvesters delivering life-long power for wireless technology. A vibration energy harvester is one critical component of a sophisticated system of components that are used to create a reliable maintenance free wireless solution.

“Perpetuum is helping propel the wireless automation industry forward by providing key enabling technology. The vibration harvesting solution converts otherwise lost energy into usable electrical energy for powering industrial wireless sensor nodes,” according to Andre Ristaino, managing director of ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute. “We look forward to working with them and helping the industry take advantage of the benefits the ISA100.11a wireless standard has to offer.”

New international president for ISA

Robert E. Lindeman is the 2012 President of the International Society of Automation. Lindeman will work with ISA leaders to continue moving the Society toward meeting its strategic goals.

Bob Lindeman 2012 President ISA

Robert Lindeman is an ISA Fellow who has helped organize multiple International Instrumentation Symposia over the last 20 years. He has served in numerous Society leadership positions including director and facilitator of a technical interest division and vice president on the ISA Executive Board. He is a Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®), Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Utility Board, his hometown’s provider of electricity, water, wastewater and fiber service.

He has worked in the instrumentation field since 1971. He is currently a System Engineer for Aerospace Testing Alliance working at a space environmental test facility under development at Arnold Engineering Development Center. He is also the Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) Center Technical Fellow for the Instrumentation, Control, Data, and Automation Center of Technical Excellence.

“As President, my main focus will be to help the Society to continue providing tangible benefits for ISA members and to be instrumental in the continued advancement of the practice of automation,” said Lindeman His focus aligns with the Society’s 2012-2015 strategic goals, which are to:

• serve students, professionals and industry by delivering knowledge resources via publications, conferences and exhibits, training and other programs
• develop globally recognized standards, publications and certifications for the automation community
attract and retain automation professionals as members and customers worldwide

“To make our goals a reality, ISA must continue to provide current, technical content to support ISA’s technical conferences and events, actively support divisions, strengthen sections and offer exceptional programs to automation professionals,” Lindeman concludes.

Women in automation!

The Automation Federation (AF) announced that the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) signed a memorandum of membership in October. SWE is the newest member of the Automation Federation.

This cartoon appeared in an Aug'09 issue of
Automation Weekly!

The Society of Women Engineers is a nonprofit educational and service organization that encourages diversity and empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering. The goal of SWE is to establish engineering as a highly desirable career for women through training and development programs, scholarships and much more.

At the recent ISA Ireland Honours & Awards function, on which we will be reporting shortly, some of the most outstanding and innovative projects were by women automation engineers.

The Society of Women Engineers provides the Automation Federation and its members with a valuable advocacy resource for reaching out to a broader array of potential automation professionals—more specifically young women—around the world. Together, AF and SWE will work to spread the message to women and students about the many careers available to them in engineering, and more specifically in automation. In addition, AF and SWE will work to advance the diversity and inclusion of the automation profession through education improvement and the development and promotion of recommended or best practices.

“The Automation Federation welcomes the Society of Women Engineers, SWE, as our newest member organization! We look forward to working with SWE to inform young women—students and seasoned professionals—about the many careers available to them in automation,” said Automation Federation Managing Director, Mike Marlowe.

The Society of Women Engineers Executive Director and CEO, Betty Shanahan, stated, "By joining the Automation Federation, the Society of Women Engineers can support increasing the diversity of the automation profession through improving inclusion in the automation workplace and highlighting opportunities in the profession.”

New member announced!

The Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) has signed a memorandum of membership with the Automation Federation.

CSIA is a global, not-for-profit, professional association for control system integration (CSI) companies. CSIA is committed to the development of the business capabilities of CSI companies, globally, and to their implementation of best practices to provide a healthy, low-risk channel for the application of automation technology to their industrial clients. CSIA’s CSI industry Best Practices and Certified member program provide many industries with well-managed CSI companies. In consideration of the need for automation in buildings, factories, municipal plants, environmental systems and energy equipment for the overall welfare of the world’s nations, CSIA has expressed its support of AF’s focus on defining, representing and developing the automation profession by signing the memorandum of membership with AF.

By joining AF, CSIA will work with all AF member organizations to make the “Voice of Automation” heard throughout governmen and academia in an effort to help the member companies of its own association find the educated workers needed to grow and prosper. CSIA plans to participate in meetings and events, as appropriate to their resources, to promote the vision, plans and goals of AF.

“The Automation Federation is pleased to welcome CSIA as our newest member,” said Nelson Ninin, 2011 Automation Federation chair. “CSIA’s membership adds new and far-reaching strength to our ‘Voice.’ With support from CSIA, and from all our member organizations, we can work to effectively and efficiently advance the science and engineering of automation technologies and applications, and ensure the development of the workforce needed to capitalize on the benefits of automation.”

Robert Lowe, CSIA executive director, stated, “We are excited about being a part of the Automation Federation and helping to fulfill the essential mission of representing the automation profession. Our hope is that our member companies will someday find the road to locating quality employees to be straight and smooth.”

Advanced manufacturing body latest AF member

The US National Council For Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM) signed a Memorandum of Membership with the Automation Federation,  becoming one of the newest members of AF.

For over 20 years, NACFAM has been the voice of advanced manufacturing in Washington, D.C. (US), helping its members’ bottom lines by providing projects and policy/program solutions for U.S. manufacturing in NACFAM’s four major issue areas: sustainable manufacturing, workforce education and training, process technology and innovation and supply chain relations through network-centric manufacturing (NCM).

AF serves as the “Voice of Automation” by providing advocacy and industry-wide strategic analysis and coordination through its member organizations to provide awareness, programs and services that continually advance the automation profession.

To create a stronger “Voice” that will advance the automation profession and the goals of all its members, AF has been working to bring like-minded organizations together. In late 2010, representatives from AF and NACFAM began discussions for building a collaborative effort between the two organizations to meet the mutual goals of accelerating manufacturing innovation and building a more competitive U.S. manufacturing sector.

These discussions led to NACFAM signing a Memorandum of Membership to join the Automation Federation in March 2011. Through this new relationship, NACFAM will lend its support to promoting the Automation Competency Model and will work with AF and the other AF member organizations to achieve mutual goals. Representatives from AF will be in attendance for NACFAM’s Annual Policy Conference scheduled for 20–21 April 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Nelson Ninin, 2011 Automation Federation chair, said, “The Automation Federation is pleased to welcome the National Council For Advanced Manufacturing as one of our newest members. NACFAM is the leader in the promotion of advanced manufacturing, and because automation plays such a vital role in advanced manufacturing, this new relationship is ideal for reaching our mutual goals—particularly in the areas of promoting the profession and building ‘the Next Generation of Automation Professionals.’”

Rusty Patterson, NACFAM chief executive officer, stated, “NACFAM is an action/think tank that brokers intense collaboration to accelerate manufacturing innovation. We see great value in what the Automation Federation has built in such a short time to promote automation. As a member of the Automation Federation, NACFAM can support these efforts which in turn will support the goals of our organization. We look forward to a strong collaborative membership.”

FAB growth!

The Fab Owners Association (FOA), the association of semiconductor device manufacturers and suppliers, has announced that its membership grew by 14% since the beginning of 2011 and now totals 74 members. 

The new members are device-makers Globalfoundries and LFoundry GMBH.  New associate members include Macquarie Electronics USA, M&W U.S., Inc, RED Equipment Pte Ltd., SigmaTech, Inc., Mattson Technology, Inc., ePAK, Rite Track and ASML.  With the addition of companies based in Europe and Asia, the FOA has further broadened its international scope.

L.T. Guttadauro, executive director of the FOA stated, “Device manufacturers continue to be attracted by the opportunity to share common goals in an unbiased setting. Through collaboration and tools like our manufacturing benchmark studies, working groups and aggregate purchasing programs, members are better prepared to predict demand, product cycles and material requirements.  Associate members are attracted by the growing marketing opportunities presented through their membership.”

The FOA’s device-maker members are: Anadigics Inc., Atmel Corporation, Austriamicrosystems AG, Avago Technologies, Fairchild Semiconductor, Freescale Semiconductor, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Infineon Technologies AG, International Rectifier, Intersil Corporation, Jazz Semiconductor, LFoundry GmbH, Micrel Semiconductor, Microchip Technology, ON Semiconductor, Philips Lumileds, Skyworks Solutions, Spansion LLC, SVTC Technologies, Telefunken Semiconductor, TriQuint Semiconductor, and X-FAB Texas.

They represent approximately 1.6 million eight-inch- equivalent monthly wafer starts and approximately US$30 Billion in annual revenues.