Westbury Control Systems has designed and manufactured a distributed control
system for a land remediation project, supporting compliance with stringent
decontamination legislation.

With growing pressure on wastewater treatment works to improve efficiency and implement life cycle costing strategies, Gerald Muldoon looks at how pump, grinder and screen technology is evolving to meet the changing needs of the market. Since 2001, a pulp mill and chemical plant in Norway has gone through various installation phases of automation control. The start of a five year project culminated in a complete upgrade of the automation systems at the company. Automation solutions designed to meet the demands of ‘green’ energy production processes and cybersecurity are driving the latest technology developments. National governments, particularly in the USA and Europe, are pushing for more stringent cybersecurity controls. As a result, reports Sean Ottewell, many equipment suppliers are having their products tested in order to achieve cybersecurity certification. The ongoing drive for global fieldbus standards has received a huge boost with the announcement of a tie up between two of the world’s leading suppliers. In response to rising raw material costs and increased competition from low-cost manufacturing regions such as China, European manufacturers are paying greater attention to their operational efficiency. With more than 300 UK government departments and businesses – including some process companies – coming under sustained attack from hackers, the country’s National Infrastructure Security Coordination Centre (NISCC) has been forced to issue a special briefing notice on the subject. Euroelettra Sistemi, a leader in the automation of ceramics production from Italy, has designed a skid-mounted blending system for its ceramic slip and colouring materials. Temperature is one of the best indicators of a fault or malfunction in virtually all electrical or mechanical equipment. However, key electrical switchgear has traditionally proved very difficult to monitor, being inaccessible within metal enclosures. Jerry Judd looks at the potential savings in project costs by using by the latest ‘connectivity’ solutions offered by modern radio data products. The modern plant manager has plenty to worry about, what with keeping aging plant and equipment running, getting the most out of resources and complying with an almost never ending deluge of environmental, safety and health requirements. Autonomy is the latest buzzword in the field of emerging robotics technologies. Researchers around the world are directing their efforts toward incorporating greater autonomy to enable robots to make more coherent decisions independently. Throughout its history, Unilever/Lever has continually adapted its products and introduced technical innovations to meet changing washday needs. Since it was launched over 90 years ago, Persil has remained one of the UK’s favourite brands of washing powder.