Electricity and natural gas didn't get much thought from most industrial users beyond when bills came due. Not anymore.
Today, users are increasingly aware that power and energy can have huge impacts on their bottom lines, and so more manufacturers are making them part of their overall efficiency and performance optimization efforts. Several of these innovators presented their experiences and lessons learned at the "Power and Energy Management Industry Forum" this week at Automation Fair in Chicago.
Mary Burgoon, market development manager for power and energy at Rockwell Automation, reported that several forces are shaping power and energy. Because of these, requirements of automation are changing. Effective solutions must provide asset performance management, remote monitoring and control, visualization everywhere via mobile services, and security of all these connections across entire enterprises.
Protecting electrical controls and equipment within food and beverage plants presents unique challenges due to the sanitation requirements of the hygienic environment.
