Walt Boyes' Blog

I received the following email from Brian Smith of Nova Chemicals (Canada) Ltd. I am printing it unedited because it presents a powerful point of view. Disclaimer: the white paper Brian talks about was produced as a Sponsored White Paper and sent out by ControlGlobal.com in a White Paper Alert, for which Triconex supplied the white paper. I permitted Triconex to send out the … [Read more...] about (no subject)

I've attended a number of seminars this week, many of them quite good. There were three that really stood out, though, and I'd like to tell you a little about them. First was the story of what it is like to be an early adopter. In 2004 and 2005, Dow Chemical's Angus Chemical subsidiary decided to re-instrument their boiler house, using the new ABB System 800xA. Almost … [Read more...] about More from ABB Automation World

A Missouri state appeals court on Tuesday determined that diversified manufacturer Rockwell Automation Inc. was liable for $97.6 million in damages for a 1999 gas explosion that destroyed a Kansas City Power & Light Co. plant. Kansas City Power & Light, a unit of Great Plains Energy (GXP.N: Quote, Profile, Research), in 2001 filed suit against Rockwell charging that … [Read more...] about From the department of "Oops!"

Unfortunately I wasn't on my best behavior at the ABB Media Event, since walking in, I noticed that they were announcing to all the media a new product I'd been promised an exclusive for Control and the other Putman magazines on...but I did take really diligent notes. The bottom line, according to Dinesh Paliwal, is that ABB is back. The stock is up over 100%, asbestos is gone, … [Read more...] about ABB Media Event

Alan Boeckmann Boeckmann is Chairman and CEO of Fluor Corporation. His talk was entitled "Collaborating for Success." Boeckmann proudly said that in the interest of making money and avoiding risk, Fluor has reduced the number of approved suppliers they use from 13,000 to 1500. Fluor, he noted, is a procurement driven company, and procurement drives the engineering process. This … [Read more...] about ABB keynote speeches