Denim Manufacturer Upgrades Controls to Add Flexibility to Process Lines
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookIndustryIssue 15 – 2009Learning ResourcesMachine ControlManufacturingMaterial HandlingNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives

Denim Manufacturer Upgrades Controls to Add Flexibility to Process Lines

Nestled along the Chatooga River, in Trion, Georgia, Mount Vernon Mills is one of the largest and oldest textile mills in the United States. Its long history dates back to 1845. The initial 5,000 square foot two-story mill had 40 employees and produced 5-lb. bunches of yarn to sell to local merchants from wagons. Over…
Industry Slims Down, Peps Up
ApplicationAutomation NotebookCover StoriesEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 15 – 2009Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueOnline Blog

Industry Slims Down, Peps Up

Manufacturers Are Discovering That Producing Smarter Means Cutting Energy It now seems like a thousand years ago, but before the wave of economic bad news, many managers and executives had been weighed down by out of control energy prices, and with a fear that the world was reaching peak oil production and things would get…
Process Analyzer Uses WinPLC To Monitor Cyanide Destruction
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFeature StoryIndustryIssue 8 – 2007Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater

Process Analyzer Uses WinPLC To Monitor Cyanide Destruction

NEXTChem Process Analyzers, LLC produces chemical process analyzers for industries such as metal treatment, metal finishing, chemical, wastewater, and pulp and paper. The analyzers automate laboratory measurements used for process control. Some of NEXTChem’s customers include a large aerospace company who uses the analyzer for measuring caustic cleaner for jet engine parts, and a major…
Semiconductor Breakthroughs Promise Smaller, Faster Chips
Automation NotebookIssue 9 – 2007Learning ResourcesMotor ControlsNotebook IssueProductTechnology Brief

Semiconductor Breakthroughs Promise Smaller, Faster Chips

Computer chips are always getting smaller and faster – right? Historically, this has been the trend. This trend was first observed by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965, and the term “Moore’s Law” was coined several years later. For over forty years this “law” has held, chips have gotten more complex, and transistors have shrunk…
Business Notes - Issue 7, 2006
Automation NotebookBusiness NotesIssue 7 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook Issue

Business Notes - Issue 7, 2006

MAPI Reports Solid Manufacturing Growth In 2006, Predicts Slightly Slower In 2007 According to a recent press release from MAPI, a leading executive development and business research organization, solid growth for the manufacturing sector in 2006 will likely be followed by some deceleration in 2007. According to the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Industrial Outlook (ER-607e), first…
It Takes Teamwork to Launch Products
Automation NotebookCompany TopicsFeature StoryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct

It Takes Teamwork to Launch Products

In the early 1990s, many automation suppliers thought that using a direct catalog channel to offer automation products was too risky to attempt. There were concerns such as getting customers to buy from a company they couldn’t physically see, assisting them in selecting products, technical support, return and warranty issues and so on. Because of…
Business Notes – Issue 3, 2005
ApplicationAutomation NotebookBusiness NotesIssue 3 – 2005Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook Issue

Business Notes – Issue 3, 2005

2005 Manufacturing Sector Outlook  According to its press release in November, the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI (www.mapi.net) projects solid growth in the next two years for the U.S. economy and expects the manufacturing sector to continue to outpace the overall economy. But the pace of growth is likely to decelerate, in relation to 2004, at least in…
AC Drives Focused on Energy Conservation
+Tech TopicsAC Motors and ControlsApplicationAutomation NotebookCover StoriesEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 4 – 2005Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueProductVariable Speed Drives

AC Drives Focused on Energy Conservation

Today, energy conservation and cost-cutting solutions have become a major focus in the manufacturing sector. Energy costs continue to increase and the extreme growth in China is contributing to rising costs in other areas of goods, including steel and coal. Managers of manufacturing facilities are faced with many questions regarding energy conservation and efficiency. They…
Strides in Motor Technology
ApplicationAutomation NotebookFeature StoryIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesManufacturingMotorsNotebook IssueProduct

Strides in Motor Technology

When AutomationDirect was looking to provide customers with a high-performance, cost effective drive/motor package to complement their growing line of AC variable speed drives, they turned to Marathon Electric – a well-recognized, well-respected name in the industry. Marathon manufactures a full line of general purpose, inverter-duty, vector-duty and NEMA premium efficiency motors to meet the…