A letter to the President!

The CEOs of the largest European non-ferrous metal companies have addressed an open letter (pdf) to EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, urging a rethink of short-term fixes to the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and a comprehensive review of Europe’s industrial, energy and climate change policies.

The signatures on the letter

Underlining their continuous support to a well-functioning EU ETS as a central instrument in EU climate policy, CEOs express deep concerns that unilateral EU climate policies, hereunder the latest proposals on the “backloading” of allowances and other short-term measures, have a detrimental effect on the industry’s global competitiveness. Under the current regime these measures will enhance industry closures and carbon leakage. Investments will be relocated to outside Europe contrary to the Commission’s goal of increasing industry’s share in the EU GDP to 20% by 2020.

Rather than focusing on quick fixes, the CEOs propose concrete long-term solutions for the re-design of the EU ETS.

“Long-term structural measures for the period after 2020 should include measures to adequately protect Europe’s industrial competitiveness on a global scale” stressed Oliver Bell, President of Eurometaux “In our view, the lack of predictability regarding the future EU climate policies and the missing link with the EU objectives in terms of reindustrialisation, are major obstacles for our industries, making the necessary investments. The retention of the industry in Europe offers the biggest potential in emissions’ reductions while safeguarding skills and employment.”

In their conclusions, the CEOs call for the rapid adoption of concrete measures to achieve the European Commission’s recent industrial policy strategy in which it sets the goal of increasing Europe’s industry share and support industrial investments in Europe. CEOs urge the Commission to engage in a review of the EU ETS which has to include at least the following three pillars: benchmark-based EU allocations for direct and indirect emissions to energy intensive industries; allocation based on actual industry production – rather than historic, and a symmetric and reciprocal linkage to other carbon trading schemes.

Signatories of the letter include senior representatives from: Hydro, Rio Tinto , Alcoa, Wieland werke, Boliden, Trimet Aluminum, Atlantic copper, Aurubis, Elkem, Metallo – Chimique, Finnfjord, IGMNir, Xstrata Zinc, Befesa, FerroPem, Voerdal, Nystar, KGHM and Norilsk Nickel.

Outdoor cabinet technology protects process analysers

Intertec has won the contract for the environmental protection cabinets and shelters that will protect the field-based process analysers at the new Sadara petrochemical complex in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The outdoor cabinets will be constructed from high-performance grades of GRP (glass reinforced polyester). This will provide proven long-term protection against the region's extreme climatic conditions - which include very high temperatures and UV levels for example - as well as the corrosion threats posed by the process media and salty sea air.

The Sadara complex will have 26 world scale manufacturing plants and will be the world’s largest petrochemical facility ever built in a single phase. Intertec is expecting that cabinets to protect around 1000 field-based analysers will be needed for this project.

The key technical reasons behind the selection of Intertec's enclosure technology are the performance of the GRP-based construction materials used - which have been proven in previous applications with the joint venture partners behind Sadara - and the company's turnkey manufacturing capability.

The enclosures required range in size from small cabinets suitable for housing a single analyser, to shelters as large as 11 x 3m, which can accommodate 10 or more analysers. The cabinets are being designed and manufactured at two of Intertec's global facilities, in Sarnia, Canada and Neustadt, Germany. Deliveries to the instrumentation OEMs involved in the Sadara project started in Q1, 2013.

Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco, a leading energy supplier, and The Dow Chemical Company, a leading science and technology company. Sadara will construct, own and operate a world-scale integrated chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City II, in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

When completed, the Sadara complex will represent the largest petrochemical facility ever built in a single phase. Sadara and the adjoining PlasChem Park will establish a world-scale manufacturing footprint that delivers a full range of value-added, performance products destined for the emerging markets of Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. Sadara’s world-scale integrated complex will produce over 3 million tons of chemical and plastics products: amines, glycol ethers, isocyanates, polyether polyols, polyethylene, polyolefin elastomers and propylene glycol.

Twenty years of communication!

Commemorative events planned worldwide throughout 2013

The HART® Communication Foundation announces the 20th Anniversary of its founding. To commemorate this significant milestone, the Foundation and its member companies plan special end user focused events in Europe, North America and Asia throughout 2013. The events will include end user presentations on their successes using HART Communication, panel discussions, workshops and “meet the experts” networking opportunities.

“Since our founding in 1993, the Foundation has worked diligently in cooperation with its member companies and industry users to provide high quality open communication standards and technology that serves the needs and requirements of the process automation industry,” says Ron Helson, Foundation Executive Director. “As a result, the HART Protocol is the global standard communication technology for intelligent measurement and control devices and systems in process automation applications around the globe.”

The special Anniversary Events build on the theme, HART: Benefits Today and Into the Future, providing an opportunity for users to learn more about HART Communication, the future of HART technology, real-world HART applications and the latest HART-enabled products. The events are sponsored by Foundation member companies and presented free of charge for users. The events will be held in Hannover (D) in April, in Houston (TX USA)in June, and in Tokyo (J), in December.

Established in 1993, the Foundation is the standards development and support organization for the HART Communication Protocol. Foundation programs provide worldwide support for application of the HART technology and ensures the technology is openly available for the benefit of the industry. The Foundation educates users on the capabilities and benefits of HART Communication providing technical support, application assistance, training and educational programs.

“For the next 20 years and beyond, we expect continued growth in the adoption, application and advancement of HART Communication,” says Helson. “We will continue to evolve, support and enhance the HART standards and technology to serve automation industry needs and assure that HART Communication remains the simple, reliable, secure solution to improve and modernize industrial process facilities for globally competitive, sustainable operation.”

The formation of the HART Users Group in 1990 with 26 member companies marked the beginning of the HART Communication Protocol as an open communication technology. In 1993, the Group created the HART Communication Foundation as an independent, not-for-profit, membership organization to maintain and support the HART protocol standards.

• Today the Foundation is supported by a global membership of more than 280 companies and has support offices in Austin, Texas, USA, Basel, Switzerland, Shanghai, China, and Tokyo, Japan.

Smart touch computer

The 15.6’’ ultra-slim Smart Touch Computer in stylish aluminum alloys fits various industrial applications

ADLINK Technology has launched a brand-new 15.6” Smart Touch Computer BFS-15W02. With low-power Intel® Atom™ D2550 processor, it allows fanless operation up to 50°C while guaranteeing longevity support. Unlike conventional panel PCs, this ultra-slim Smart Touch Computer does not only look appealing, but also provides IP54 protection and outstanding reliability. Sleek full-flat touch screen, chemical resistance, ease of maintenance and cleaning are just a few examples among its outstanding features, arm-mount capability and an optional integrated desktop stand designed specially for this product make it fit anywhere – on a working bench, on the wall or on a swing arm, and still stay connected via built-in WiFi or dual Gigabit Ethernet.

"The BFS-15W02 can easily be configured for a wide range of applications, including retail, hospitality and healthcare industries," says Richard Tai, Director in charge of ADLINK Smart Panel and Smart Touch Computer product lines. "This product is one of the many building blocks in our portfolio to fulfill cloud computing demand, in which the Smart Touch Computer services as the terminal, or user interface, to access or retrieve the data real-time, no matter in a wired fashion or wirelessly. In the future, this can not only reduce limitations on managing and monitoring, but also lay the foundation of reducing production, service and business administration costs."

Stylish product design with trust
The BFS-15W02 adopts a full-flat touch screen which passes the IP54 test, with waterproof protection on the front and the top, combining data protection and convenience. An appealing appearance and compact stylish design is achieved through flat surfaces and invisible screws. Particularly valuable features include chemical resistance and ease of cleaning. Available with an integrated tilt-adjustable stand, the BFS-15W02 also supports both 100mm and 75mm VESA mounting holes.

Interactive interface with no boundary
Pre-loaded Windows Embedded Standard 7 Premium and Cedarview Processor, the BFS-15W02 offers an excellent performance with low power consumption. Embedded dual Ethernet and WiFi allow users to access and transfer data easily. This new product also features capacitive power and brightness buttons, for a reliable and a user-friendly interface. Its fanless design allows high operation temperature up to 50oC, providing users with wide range of working environments. The BFS-15W02 supports VGA output for a second display to broaden its applications. Opening the back cover to upgrade the 2.5”SATA HDD/SSD is a simple task.

Variety of applications
The BFS-15W02 is very user-friendly; its “fit anywhere” design makes it highly flexible and easily put to use in many different kinds of installations. This simple, complete and compact system enables system developers to incorporate BFS-15W02 easily into applications, including retail stores and showrooms for advertisement broadcasting in a range of locations: hotels and restaurants for self check in/out stands, and interactive tourist information kiosks, as well as healthcare, physical medicine and fitness centers.

Robust connector housings for outdoor applications

Harting has expanded its Han-Eco® industrial connector series with a range of plastic housings including a variant designed for outdoor applications.

These connector housings - in glass fibre reinforced high-performance plastic - give the customer the benefits of reduced weight and improved cost/performance ratio. They combine outstanding mechanical properties and excellent resistance to environmental factors, and in comparison with the company’s Han® B standard series they also provide greater contact density through an additional module space.

For outdoor applications, the new variant uses flange gaskets with fluorine rubber (FPM) as the sealing material. FPM provides excellent resistance to the effects of the weather, especially UV radiation, ozone pollution and high temperatures. It also offers high chemical resistance, for example to mineral oils, synthetic hydraulic fluids, fuels, aromatic compounds, many organic solvents and chemicals.

Expansion in Belgium

Due to its continued strong growth, Magnetrol International NV is expanding its production and office facilities in Zele (Belgium) by more than 5.000 sq meters. Completion of the building is foreseen for May 2014.

The building expansion is designed and constructed in accordance with BREEAM, the world’s leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings. It is aiming to be one of the first industrial buildings in Belgium with BREEAM certification.

Magnetrol International NV has been located in the industrial park of Zele, Belgium for over 40 years. Magnetrol International employs more than 130 people at its Zele, Belgian facility. Over the last five years Magnetrol Belgium has been nominated four times for Trends Gazellen awards for large companies as a result of its outstanding results.

More than 95% of the Belgian production is exported to the EMEAI markets. Magnetrol is a recognized leader in providing customized solutions to its customers for level and flow measurement. Magnetrol’s primary technologies include guided wave radar, ultrasonic and thermal dispersion.

Magnetrol International NV is part of the Magnetrol International Incorporated group with headquarters near Chicago, Illinois, USA. The group is family owned and has existed for more than 80 years.

Magnetrol’s investment in its facilities is another example of its mission to be the customer’s preferred partner in the global supply of level and flow control instrumentation.

Forty years in automation

Red Lion Controls celebrates its 40th anniversary with a brief video on the company’s history, product innovations and industry leadership in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking. Mike Granby, president of Red Lion, presents a timeline of company achievements over the past 40 years, with an introduction by Laura Hoffman, vice president of global marketing.



• Red Lion Products are marketed in Ireland by Instrument Technology Ltd.