Professional Development
Dick Hill and CONTROL Magazine's Walt Boyes discuss professional development and how to get new, younger people into manufacturing and automation.

Moderated by: Walt Boyes, Editor in Chief, CONTROL Magazine
Analyst Speaker: Dick Hill, VP & GM, Manufacturing Advisory Services

Trends and Direction for the Automation Marketplace

The automation and manufacturing sectors still hold a lot of promise and are expected to grow again at a healthy rate this year. The need for modernization of the North American industrial infrastructure, growth in the hydrocarbons sector, and growth in other industries such as life sciences and primary metals, will drive overall growth in North America through the end of 2008. This podcasts discusses the trends and directions the automation marketplace is taking.

Moderated by: Allen Avery, Analyst Automation
Analyst Speaker: Larry O'Brien, Research Director Process Automation

Top 50 Automation Companies

ARC Research Director Larry O’Brien and Editor in Chief of CONTROL Magazine Walt Boyes discuss the top 50 automation companies in the industry according to CONTROL Magazine's December 2007 Top 50 cover story. Check out which companies made the list, as ARC and CONTROL Magazine count down the Top 50 automation companies in the industry. Find out the implications the Top 50 have for manufacturers and others.

Moderated by: Walt Boyes, Editor in Chief, CONTROL Magazine
Analyst Speaker: Larry O'Brien, Research Director Process Automation

Growth in Transportation Management Systems Exceeds Expectations

The Transportation Management Systems (TMS) market surpassed the $1 billion mark for the first time in 2006, and the market is poised to grow at least 7% in 2007, based on year-to-date results. What is driving continued growth in this market? What are companies looking for in a TMS? How will this software technology evolve over the next few years and what benefits can users expect? These questions and more are answered in this podcast.

Moderated by: Alan Williams, Vice President, Strategic Services
Analyst Speaker: Adrian Gonzalez, Director, Logistics Executive Council

Thoughts on 'Green' Supply Chains

It seems like everybody is jumping on the 'green' bandwagon these days, including everyone in supply chain management. In late October, Adrian Gonzalez chaired a track on "Sustainability: Creating 'Green' Supply Chains" at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Conference. Speakers from Herman Miller, HP, Whirlpool, Campbell Soup, Stonyfield Farm, Dow, Corporate Express, and other companies presented excellent case studies on this topic. In this podcast, Adrian shares his main takeaways from the CSCMP presentations and the research ARC has conducted to date.

Moderated by: Alan Williams, Vice President, Strategic Services
Analyst Speaker: Adrian Gonzalez, Director, Logistics Executive Council

The Future of Industrial Ethernet Switching

Ethernet continues to grow its footprint in manufacturing automation.  Due to this growth, ARC has recently published a new market outlook study covering industrial Ethernet switches and other industrial Ethernet networking infrastructure.  This market is only a small part of the enterprise Ethernet switching market, but ARC finds that it has already doubled in the past 2 years.  In this podcast, ARC Senior Analyst Harry Forbes discusses this market and talks about its future.

Moderated by:  Chantal Polsonetti, VP Advisory Services
Analyst Speaker:  Harry Forbes, Senior Analyst Automation

Operations Management

Manufacturers are making significant investments in software and technology for their production operations.  To manage manufacturing operations in harmony with business and supply chain needs, manufacturers need to re-examine their conventional thinking about manufacturing software and technology.  What is behind it?  Why now?  What kinds of solutions are being implemented and what do they mean for the manufacturing industry?  Listen to this podcast to learn more about this dynamic $8 billion market.

Moderated by:  Ralph Rio, Research Director
Analyst Speaker:  Greg Gorbach, VP Collaborative Manufacturing

Today’s End-to-End PLM:  Collaboration Across the Product Lifecycle

This podcast examines the current state of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) market from the perspective of the technology available, the industrial sectors using PLM, and the business drivers that are dictating the direction and trends for PLM solutions.  The business requirements of today’s global manufacturing operations and how PLM suppliers are responding to the demands of this highly collaborative business environment are also be examined.

Moderated by:  Ralph Rio, Research Director
Analyst Speaker:  Dick Slansky, Senior Analyst, PLM & Discrete Manufacturing

Best Practices for Machine Builders in Automation Supplier Selection

As machine building OEMs continue to seek improved business performance in sales, design, and field support, the underlying automation solution used to control the mechanics has become increasingly important to delivering value to customers.  Whether it is packaging, injection molding, metal cutting, or robotic machinery, every business leader needs to develop an objective method for choosing an automation supplier that optimizes business potential.  This podcast discusses best practices specifically for selecting a machine building automation supplier.

Moderated by:  Ralph Rio, Research Director
Analyst Speaker:  Sal Spada, Research Director

The State of Automation Appliances

What is an Automation Appliance? What is their role on the factory floor?  What kind of technology infrastructure is required?  Can they exchange data between dissimilar products and devices?  Will they affect the ability for IT and plant personnel to work together?  This podcast addresses these questions as well as provides insight into current automation appliance technology, its uses and benefits, and take a look into their future.

Moderated by:  John Kuenzler, Director Strategic Services
Analyst Speaker:  Craig Resnick, Research Director

Improve Your Operations with Plant Asset Management Solutions

Plant Asset Management (PAM) solutions enable workers to monitor, analyze, and optimize the operation of plant assets to increase production availability. On-line PAM systems monitor assets in real-time and predict potential failures and recommend remedial actions to extend the life of plant equipment. PAM has evolved significantly in the past few years from niche solutions for automation and rotating equipment to solutions that monitor virtually all assets installed on the plant floor. Condition monitoring for rotating and reciprocating equipment, the largest segment of PAM solutions, has become just one of many categories in today’s diversified PAM solution. Listen to this podcast to learn more about PAM and how these solutions can improve your operations.

Moderated by:  Paula Hollywood, Senior Analyst, Process Automation
Analyst Speaker:  Wil Chin, Research Director, Automation

Process Alarm Management

Ten years ago the next process alarm cost about $1000, today it’s free.  This has driven many operators into alarm overload and seriously compromised their effectiveness.  This podcast discusses how a good alarm management program can help operators regain their effectiveness.

Moderated by:  Larry O’Brien, Research Director, Process Automation
Analyst Speaker:  Dave Woll, Vice President, Consulting Services