Walt Boyes' Blog

Mark Taft then took the floor again to talk about "automation lifecycle management" saying "we really haven't focused on the automation assets themselves." He also tried to set the record straight on ABB's support policies. For many years, during ABB's problems with absorbing their engulfed companies, their competitors could and did sow Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt about whether … [Read more...] about More from ABB On Tour…

Alicia Bauer went on to discuss the next wrinkle for IndustrialIT-- remember it? It was the first of the 'framework' systems that would be able to take automation systems beyond the plant floor. Bauer stresses that the System 800xA is still IndustrialIT enabled, and that means something. "The original vision," she said, "was DCS plus collaborative process automation, including … [Read more...] about More from ABB On Tour…

Even though Mark Taft, ABB's global vice president for systems, started out yesterday by rubbing in the defeat of my beloved White Sox by his for-some-unknown-reason-cared-about Cleveland Indians (which mathematically eliminated the southsiders from the ability to repeat their world championship), and even though Mark went so far as to actually wear an Indians necktie to the … [Read more...] about ABB On Tour

Brother Walt Explains It All to YOU! On September 14, I taught a masterclass in effective PR for the automation industry at the inaugural ISA Marketing and Sales Summit. By popular request, I have produced a short ebook in PDF format that contains the information I presented in the class. Here's everything you need to stay off of the dreaded PR Wall of Shame. You can download … [Read more...] about PR for the Automation Industry

If you, like me and around 45% of the people employed as automation professionals, do not have a four-year technical degree (engineering, a science or mathematics degree, you can still apply to take the ISA Certified Automation Professional examination. But. If you have the degree, you sail right through the qualification process. But for the nearly half of us who have some … [Read more...] about News from the CAP program…I am not eligible!