Non-Cellular, 5G Wireless Standard Shows Interoperability for Smart Buildings
The DECT Forum showcased the world’s first New Radio (NR+) interoperability demonstration, featuring components from Legrand and Schneider Electric. NR+ is an open, non‑cellular 5G wireless standard that operates in the 1.9 GHz “golden frequency” band, targeting massive IoT deployments in smart buildings. The live network connected roughly 80 devices, delivering higher data rates and lower end‑to‑end latency than existing IoT solutions while proving true multi‑vendor compatibility. Production‑grade hardware from Nordic Semiconductor and Wirepas powered the showcase, moving NR+ from spec to proven reality.
Sam Houston State University Paper: Maritime Cybersecurity
Researchers Scott Lynn and Joe Weiss released a Sam Houston State University paper titled “Maritime Cybersecurity: Patching the Holes in Control System Cybersecurity.” The paper argues that current U.S. Coast Guard cybersecurity regulations and maritime training programs lack sufficient depth...
Continuing Evolution of SCADA
The article traces SCADA’s back‑haul evolution from private radio and plain‑old‑telephone links to private 5G networks and low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellites. LEO connectivity slashes latency from roughly 240 ms to 20‑50 ms and boosts bandwidth to 500 Mbps, far outpacing legacy geostationary (GEO) solutions....
Digi Launches MCP Server for AI Workflows
Digi International announced the launch of a model‑context protocol (MCP) server that integrates large‑language‑model assistants such as Claude with its Digi Remote Manager (DRM) and Genesis network platforms. The MCP enables natural‑language queries, automated workflows, and real‑time configuration insights across...
2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame: Peter Morgan Understands What Makes Things Tick
Peter Morgan has been inducted into the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame, recognizing his decades‑long contributions to process control. The Control Amplified podcast featured an interview where Morgan recounted childhood experiments and an accidental master’s degree that shaped his...
Sunnen and TIBO Team up on Deep-Hole Machining
Sunnen Products Co. and Germany’s TIBO Tiefbohrtechnik GmbH announced a partnership to merge Sunnen’s honing and bore‑finishing expertise with TIBO’s deep‑hole drilling technologies, including BTA, gundrilling and rifling. The collaboration creates a single‑source offering that spans honing, reaming, skiving, burnishing and...
DigiKey, STMicroelectronics, Ultra Librarian Provide Free, No-License Design Environment Online
DigiKey, STMicroelectronics and Ultra Librarian have launched eDesignSuite, a free, browser‑based design platform that hosts the world’s largest CAD library with millions of verified symbols, footprints and 3D models. The tool integrates thermal and electrical simulation, real‑time BOM impact analysis,...
Agentic Environment Uses AI to Accelerate Decision-Making
Emerson is embedding virtualization and AI across its DeltaV distributed control system, with half of its software now virtualized and AI‑enabled. The DeltaV Edge Environment hosts containerized and VM‑based applications, delivering real‑time operational technology data to enterprise users. AI tools...
Schneider, Aveva and Nvidia Develop Blueprints for AI Factories
Schneider Electric, Aveva and Nvidia announced a joint reference design called Vera Rubin that validates power, cooling and digital‑twin integration for Nvidia’s rack‑scale AI data‑center systems. The design leverages 480 VAC distribution, 45 °C loop temperatures and Nvidia’s MaxQ operating point to...
Sensors Converge Presentation on Process Sensor Cybersecurity Considerations
Joe Weiss will present at Sensors Converge in Santa Clara on May 7, 2026, focusing on process sensor monitoring for cybersecurity, reliability, and safety. He argues that Level 0 process sensors are inherently vulnerable yet largely ignored by OT security forums...
AI Algorithm Helps Optimize AGR, and Save Amine, Steam and Power
Yokogawa has deployed autonomous‑control AI agents, based on its Factorial Kernel Dynamic Policy Programming (FKDPP) reinforcement‑learning algorithm, to optimize acid‑gas‑removal (AGR) at Saudi Aramco’s Fadhili gas plant. The agents were trained in a simulated environment, validated for safety, and integrated...
Data-Source Links Let LLMs Understand and Deliver
Hive MQ’s edge‑virtualization lets manufacturers reconfigure equipment—such as switching a filler from 1‑liter to 1.5‑liter bottles—without rewiring hardware. The platform runs on Level 2 edge servers, translating legacy PLC data into MQTT streams that feed Hive MQ Enterprise and Pulse for contextual analytics....
Coordinate Convergence and Calm Complexity
HighByte partnered with Amazon Web Services to give Brazilian glassmaker Vivix Vidros Planos a scalable industrial data‑fabric built on the Intelligence Hub platform. The solution curates, normalizes and contextualizes OT data from PLCs, SQL servers and edge devices before publishing...
Audubon Buys Alliance Engineering
Audubon Companies LLC, a subsidiary of Nobel Energy, announced the acquisition of Alliance Engineering, a Mobile, Alabama‑based engineering and construction‑management firm. The deal folds Alliance’s mechanical, electrical, structural, piping and process engineering capabilities into Audubon’s integrated service platform, extending its...
Smart Device Manufacturers Move Towards FieldComm Group FDI Device Management Tools
Smart device manufacturers are turning to FieldComm Group’s Field Device Integration (FDI) as a protocol‑agnostic solution for managing the full lifecycle of field instruments. The updated FDI specification, built on the 2024 FDT Group merger, promises unified configuration, diagnostics and...
Powering a Smarter, Scalable Future for Bioprocessing
Yokogawa introduced Bio Pilot, a vendor‑agnostic platform that integrates equipment, data and workflows across both upstream and downstream bioprocessing. The solution replaces fragmented, manual operations with real‑time analytics, model‑predictive control and a no‑code workflow editor that automates SOPs. Early deployments...
Rolls-Royce and Yokogawa Collaborate on Small Nuclear Reactors
Rolls‑Royce SMR and Yokogawa Electric have signed a joint agreement to develop the data‑processing and control systems that will act as the "central nervous system" for the first generation of Rolls‑Royce small modular reactors. Yokogawa will design, validate, build and...
Yokogawa and ANYbotics to Integrate Robotics Software with Inspection Robots
Yokogawa Electric and ANYbotics are integrating Yokogawa’s OpreX Robot Management Core software with ANYbotics’ four‑legged ANYmal inspection robots, including the explosion‑proof ANYmal X. The unified platform will allow autonomous inspections of hazardous zones in oil & gas, power and metals facilities,...
Octave Launches Intelligence-at-Scale Brand
Octave announced its spin‑off from Hexagon AB on March 2, unveiling a new brand identity as an independent company. The new entity consolidates Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence, Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial divisions along with Bricsys, ETQ and Projectmates under a single...
Enforcers Project Plans to Strengthen European Cybersecurity
The EU‑funded Enhanced Cooperation for Cybersecurity (Enforcers) project launched in February, bringing together manufacturers, security providers, and research institutes to build a unified platform for industrial automation protection. The system will interconnect private SOCs, trusted hardware anchors, automated mitigation playbooks,...
HIMA Expands Into Colombia and Peru
HIMA Group announced the opening of new facilities in Lima, Peru on March 3 and Bogotá, Colombia on March 5, expanding its Latin American footprint. The sites will deliver safety automation, engineering, commissioning and after‑sales services to oil, gas, chemical and petrochemical...
ISA Seeks Help on Distributed Workflows
The International Society of Automation (ISA) has opened a 30‑day call for experts to join the newly formed ISA113 committee, which will develop a vendor‑neutral standard for distributed workflow interoperability. The standard will decouple workflow logic from execution locations, enabling...
Mastering the Craft
Control engineering’s Hall of Fame inductees—Manfred Morari, S. Joe Qin, and Peter Morgan—exemplify Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000‑hour rule, having devoted decades to mastering process automation. Their combined experience far exceeds the typical 10‑year, three‑hour‑daily benchmark, reflecting over 40,000 practice hours each. Beyond...
Fluke Reliability Tackles Industry’s Silent Crises
Fluke Reliability highlighted the scale of unplanned downtime at its Xcelerate 26 conference, citing a Censuswide survey where 55% of U.S. manufacturers experienced outages costing up to $207 million weekly. The study revealed an average loss of $400 k per hour and as...
Energy, Chemicals Industries Race to Fully Automate
Schneider Electric’s Global Autonomous Maturity Report surveyed 400 energy and chemical executives across 12 nations, finding that 31.5% view advancing autonomy as a top priority for the next five years and 44% see it as critical over the next decade....
Control Strategies Improve Solar Plant Efficiency
A CIEMAT study of the TCP‑100 parabolic‑trough plant in Spain tested advanced control schemes to boost solar‑thermal efficiency. Researchers compared a basic PI controller with a nonlinear generic‑model‑control (GMC) cascade and a supervisory pump‑speed logic. The GMC‑based cascade kept the...
How to Successfully Migrate a Control System
Erik Cornelsen, a seasoned automation engineer, outlines a systematic approach to migrating control system code, emphasizing verification of auto‑migrated blocks and rigorous testing of rewritten logic. He stresses thorough PID review, including scaling, scan times, and dynamic simulation, while recommending industry‑standard...
Digital Twins Double up and Down
Control’s latest resource hub aggregates a broad set of digital‑twin assets—from Covestro’s polymer‑process model and ABB’s ten industry case studies to Sandia’s 42‑page nuclear‑plant evaluation and MathWorks’ gas‑turbine diagnostics video. The collection also includes beginner guides, Siemens AI‑enhanced whitepapers, Nvidia’s...
ISA Publishes New SCADA Systems Standard
The International Society of Automation (ISA) has released ANSI/ISA-112.00.01-2025, SCADA systems—Part 1, a vendor‑neutral, technology‑independent framework that defines the SCADA lifecycle, diagrams, and terminology. The standard targets utilities, system integrators, and operators across water, oil & gas, power, transportation, and other...
Grim Reaper of Tech
Control Global highlights that not all process analyzers pose equal business risk, emphasizing that regulatory instruments like NOx CEMS face acute obsolescence challenges. As manufacturers discontinue critical spare parts, plants risk non‑compliance, fines, and operational shutdowns if legacy units fail....
Digital Twins Key Prosperous Process Control
Digital twins have evolved from simple simulations to comprehensive, living operational assets that mirror plant behavior in real time. By layering process dynamics, control logic, instrumentation, and scenario data, they enable predictive insights, safe rehearsal of high‑risk events, and continuous...
Hunting the Elusive Snipe
End users in process industries are abandoning legacy distributed control system (DCS) tools as support dwindles and upgrade costs rise. The article follows Cassia’s struggle with an unsupported alarm‑management suite and the loss of a single point of accountability from...
Control System Cyber Incidents and Network Breaches Are “Apples and Oranges”
Joe Weiss argues that network‑focused breach statistics, such as those in the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Report, do not capture the reality of control‑system cyber incidents. While IT and OT network teams track data loss, ransomware and malicious traffic, control‑system...
Aveva Buys First Green Jet Fuel Certificates Five Years Early
Aveva announced it has completed its first major purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFcs) five years ahead of its World Economic Forum First Movers Coalition commitment. The certificates were bought from British Airways, which sources the fuel from renewable...
Emerson Redefines Scalable Reliability with AI-Driven APM
Emerson’s Aspen Technology unveiled the latest version of its Mtell asset performance management platform on Jan. 22, adding AI-driven capabilities that extend from basic health monitoring to predictive failure analytics. The upgrade features industry‑specific templates, AI‑powered alert grouping, direct integration with...
Sawmill Systems Test Assets Intangibly
Comact has deployed Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk Logix Echo to emulate 48 ControlLogix 5580 processors, expanding its testing capacity far beyond the limits of physical hardware. The virtual environment costs roughly one‑tenth of traditional PLC racks, delivering a scalable, cost‑effective platform for sawmill...
John Crane Supports NASA’s Artemis II Lunar Mission
John Crane announced its support for NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission, slated for launch no earlier than February 2026. The company will supply specialized filtration sieves for the Orion spacecraft’s propellant‑management devices, critical for separating liquid and gas phases in micro‑gravity. This...