India's Economic Indicators Project Optimism

Keywords: CRISIL, GDP, Economic Growth, Fiscal, HSBC, Human Resources, IT. Positioned in second place in the emerging markets of Asia, following China, India is a growth engine for the world. According to research and credit ratings agency CRISIL's report, while other world regions show flat or reduced growth rates, India's economic growth in 2013-2 . . .

Cyber Security with a Japanese Twist

Keywords: Industrial Control Systems, Cyber Security, Cyber Attack, Stuxnet, CSSC. In Japan and elsewhere, many people are seriously concerned about the dangers posed by nuclear power plants built right on active faults, and for good reason. However, in many respects, it pays to be equally worried about industrial control systems (ICS) running witho . . .

Additive Manufacturing Creates Savings in Concept Design Phase

Keywords: Prototyping, CAD/CAM Software, Additive Manufacturing, Digital Modeling, 3D Printing, Direct Manufacturing. Streamlining the concept, validation, and verification phases of the product design process is critical to reduce time to market. Constrained by limited research and development budgets, manufacturers seek more efficient processes to . . .

Owens Corning Achieves Manufacturing Excellence with TCS Support

Keywords: Manufacturing Excellence, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Owens Corning, Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM). Summary Competitive pressures from globalization drive manufacturing companies to achieve excellence. Manufacturing excellence requires continuous improvement of the core manufacturing value chains including supply chain, pr . . .

Rockwell Automation and Jacobs Automation to Collaborate on Intelligent Track Motion Control Technology

Keywords: Intelligent Track Technology, Integrated Motion Solution, Machine-Builder Market, Magnetically Propelled Movers. Jacobs Automation, a provider of intelligent track technology, and Rockwell Automation announced a collaborative effort to offer closer integration between the Jacobs Automation iTRAK System and the Rockwell Automation Integrate . . .

GE and Toshiba to Form Global Strategic Alliance to Establish a JV in Combined-Cycle Power Projects

Keywords: Combined-Cycle Power Generation, Thermal Efficiency, Gas Turbines, Steam Turbines, High Fuel Efficiency, Reduced CO2 Emissions. GE and Toshiba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a global strategic alliance, under which the two companies would jointly develop select combined-cycle power generation projects around the world. . . .

Emerson Integrates Industrial Uninterruptible Power Supplies with AMS Suite Asset Management Application

Keywords: Industrial Power Systems, UPS, Self-Diagnostic Data, Plant Managers, Predictive Maintenance, Industrial Maintenance. Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and a global leader in protecting and optimizing critical infrastructure for data centers, communications networks, healthcare and industrial facilities, announced its industrial . . .

Invensys’ Enhanced Off-sites Software Suite 2.2 Includes a New Batch-Tracking Option

Keywords: Tank Inventory, Order Management, Movement Management, Blend Plan Optimization, Inventory Traceability, Tank Information Systems. Invensys Operations Management has updated its Off-sites Software solution, including a new batch-tracking option for its Order and Movement Management module.  The newest version further enables accurate and de . . .

Infor SCE 10.2 Adds Mobility, Innovation to Logistics Management

Keywords: Voice Enablement, Visual Metrics, Out-of-the-Box ERP Integration, Supply Chain Management, Business Application Software, SCE. Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced an enhanced version of Infor Supply Chain Execution (SCE), to further reduce the complexity of warehous . . .

Belden Presents the OCTOPUS Train-BP, a New Hirschmann Brand Managed IP67 Switch

Keywords: Bypass Relays, Onboard Terminal, Backbone Connections, EMC, Fire Prevention, Rail Vehicles, Redundancy Mechanisms. Belden Inc., a global leader in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, has launched in the EMEA region the OCTOPUS Train-BP, a new managed IP67 switch in its Hirschmann product range. This switch, whi . . .

Siemens Launches New Simogear Geared Motors

Keywords: Helical, Parallel Shaft, Helical Bevel, Worm Units, Spiroid Units.Siemens has introduced Simogear, its new geared motor series. Simogear features helical, parallel shaft and helical bevel gear unit types with integral high efficient and NEMA Premium efficient motors. The new series is especially well-equipped to meet the requirements of mo . . .

JDA Releases Customer Engagement Cloud Solution

Keywords: Omni-Channel Commerce, Loyalty, Profitability, Manufacturing, SCM, Retailers, Supply Chain Optimization. JDA Software Group, Inc., The Supply Chain Company, announced the release of JDA Customer Engagement Cloud, a single solution that addresses omni-channel commerce and optimization logic in real-time. It not only helps retailers deliver . . .

Manufacturing Trends in Energy Efficiency

ARC Advisory Group is undertaking this survey to identify manufacturing trends in energy efficiency.  Many efficiency initiatives are mandated such as IE3 Class energy efficient motors required in many countries; however, IE4 Class motors, while not required, are being considered by manufacturers due to the potential long term cost savings.The domin . . .

​Maturity Level in Automation, Instrumentation, Operations Management and their Integration

Keywords: fit for purpose, automation level, automation usage, returns from automation, benchmarking, process industries. OverviewWhat is the right level of automation of an industrial production plant?  What is the right level of usage of the automation in place?We often encounter these questions from our end-user clients in the process industry. . . .

​Progress Report: Maturity Level in Automation, Instrumentation, Operations Management and their Integration

The survey on maturity in using Automation and Operations Management has received considerable interest and we thank all participants for their time.  Preliminary results are that Automation, Instrumentation, Plant Information Management and Advanced Process Control (traditional and multi-variable) are QUOTMatureQUOT, that is, more than 50 percent o . . .

Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence (EMI) Usage Survey, Including Historians and Real-time Analytics

ARC Advisory Group is conducting a survey to develop a better understanding of what manufacturers, operators, and executives are doing to recognize the benefits and/or ROI obtained from using Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence (EMI) applications.  Included in the survey are questions about embedded historians, data handling methods, real-time ana . . .

Founded in 1986, ARC Advisory Group is the leading research and advisory firm for industry and infrastructure. For the complex business issues facing organizations today, our analysts have the industry knowledge and first-hand experience to help our clients find the best answers.