Control Automation Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

28/05/2013 Carbon capture There's more to energy saving than switching the shopfloor onto switching off. Annie Gregory finds out how the best are doing it. » Read More

20/05/2013 Tough choices Moving bulk product around the factory and warehouse is no mean feat without the most robust conveyors. » Read More

14/05/2013 Camera ready? With the plethora of thermal imaging cameras available today, users could be forgiven for believing training was a non-issue. As Brian Tinham explains, nothing could be further from the truth. » Read More

30/04/2013 Aspiration nation or more of the same? So how was it for you? Did last month's speech by the Chancellor strike you as a budget fit for an 'aspiration nation'? Or did it leave you worried that, at least as far as wealth-generating manufacturing industry is concerned, it was ... » Read More

24/04/2013 In or out? Can outsourcing give you anything more than you can get from your own maintenance department? » Read More

15/04/2013 Full steam ahead Often overlooked – and that includes in terms of maintenance – steam generation and distribution systems are ripe for some serious energy and cost saving. » Read More

15/04/2013 Sense of purpose It's instructive to find that, even in 2013, new sensing technologies are being developed that can transform industrial measurements. » Read More

15/04/2013 Education and innovation The forthcoming Safety & Health Expo promises to deliver a broad educational content, as well as a showcase of the latest products and services. We look ahead to the event and find out what visitors can expect to see and hear. » Read More

10/04/2013 Check, act, plan, do Deming's 'plan, do, check, act' is best revised as 'check, act, plan, do' for maintenance professionals. Brian Tinham looks at the role of CMMS/EAM systems in making that happen. » Read More

02/04/2013 Making wasted air hiss-tory Badly-sized compressors, leaky pipes and lackadaisical practice mean profits are vanishing into thin air on many a factory floor. Max Gosney delivers a giant sticking plaster in the form of a 10-step guide to cutting compressed air loss » Read More

02/04/2013 Safe in their hands Forklift truck safety technology continues to evolve and improve with every new model launch. Laura Cork asks the truck manufacturers, and others, to pick their stand-out safety development » Read More

18/03/2013 Best of both worlds With the first IE4 synchronous reluctance motor and drive package now installed at South Staffs Water, Brian Tinham examines the experience and the issues » Read More

18/02/2013 A regulation tie-up? As part of its review of health and safety legislation, the government has been considering whether regulations covering related topics such as lifting and loading operations could be pulled together. Is a merger of PUWER and LOLER still ... » Read More

12/02/2013 A head for heights Falls from height cause half of major injuries in the workplace, with most accidents occurring from a very unspectacular two metres or below. Max Gosney asks why the Working at Height Regulations are so badly misunderstood. » Read More

11/02/2013 Time to rethink our automation technology Observers of manufacturing can't have failed to notice that, since the 2008 crash, industry has been leaping up the agenda in government circles, as the urgency of its call to rebalance the economy takes hold. » Read More

11/02/2013 It’s good to talk Machine-to-machine communication has seen a rapid development in recent years. Brian Tinham examines some of the changing technologies and their implications. » Read More

11/02/2013 Maintenance expo With Maintec 2013 just a few short weeks away, Brian Tinham previews this show, specifically designed for maintenance technicians and engineering managers » Read More

16/01/2013 Counter intuitive Production managers quite rightly insist on high equipment reliability and availability. But while many believe this rules out wireless plant and factory communications, Brian Tinham finds that concerns are largely unfounded » Read More

16/01/2013 Human shield Keeping employees safe from workplace risks or hazards is a daily challenge for manufacturing employers. That's where personal protective equipment comes in, as Laura Cork reports. » Read More

16/01/2013 Power of convergence It's not that many years since industry was being pushed from pillar to post over the power of PLCs versus PCs, but all that has changed. » Read More

16/01/2013 Joined-up thinking Why waste the skills and first-hand knowledge of operators? Annie Gregory explores simpler strategies for involving them in asset care » Read More

06/12/2012 Fiddling while Rome burns As we rush headlong towards 2013, it is likely that, way ahead of Britain's obsession with industrial strategies, this year will be remembered for the ongoing Eurozone crisis, the West's struggle with recession, China's slowdown, president ... » Read More

06/12/2012 Leave well alone? It's both a strength and a weakness that boilers generally operate for years without problems. On the one hand, plant managers are happy, but on the other, no one knows how much better they could be doing. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

06/12/2012 In the driving seat Motors, drives and controls have been advancing fast, with a goal of improving plant operations, energy efficiency and the bottom line. Steed Webzell explores new systems, emerging best practice and top tips » Read More

06/12/2012 Fuel from air Following a flurry of news reporting the apparent achievement of practical fuel from air plant, Brian Tinham talks to the developers about the present and the future » Read More