ISA Automation Week 2013: Call for Papers
Developing automation solutions that meet core safety, people, business, and technology requirements
The International Society of Automation (ISA) encourages automation and control professionals to share their knowledge and technical expertise by becoming a part of the ISA Automation Week 2013 technical program.
ISA Automation Week 2013 will explore six educational tracks in relation to meeting the requirements of four essential operating factors: safety, people, business, and technology.
After all, for automation to deliver optimal value and results, it must be aligned with each organization’s core safety requirements, workforce capabilities, business objectives and technology infrastructure.
Please review the four operating factors and the six educational tracks below.
Note: Before submitting an abstract, access the ISA Automation Week 2013 Author’s Kit (for forms and documents, deadlines, author/speaker responsibilities, what to submit, presentation formats, and more). The deadline for submission is 2 April 2013.
Four Operating Factors
Safety
It’s vital to take a holistic look at safety from all aspects, including people, process, and technology.
- What can we do to make our plants and work environments safer?
- How can manufacturing be environmentally friendly and green?
- What policies, procedures, and best practices can help keep our plants incident-free?
- What lessons did we gain from recent accidents or safety-related incidents?
- We all know that safety doesn’t cost; it pays. Outside of the obvious human factors, how can we identify ROI associated with safety-focused initiatives?
People
Without the proper resources (both internal and external), training and leadership, automation and, subsequently, manufacturing will surely fail.
- How does automation really “happen”?
- What are the human performance factors needed for successful implementations?
- What skillsets (both hard and soft) are required?
- Where will the next generation of automation professionals come from?
- What learning and development opportunities must be provided to support industry growth?
- What must we do to combat and offset the effects of an aging workforce?
Business
What are the critical business issues facing the manufacturing industry? How do fundamental business issues, such as funding, ROI, risk, value creation, and supply/demand rationalization in the supply chain affect and interrelate with safety, the environment, and quality? Automation professionals need to connect their actions to business impact and value, and assess technology within the greater framework of their overall business needs and objectives.
Other questions that must be answered include:
- What are the REAL business drivers of automation? No CEO is focusing their attention on PLCs, DCS, or instrumentation. They’re focused on performance, reliability, and confidence.
- What is the specific business requirement that needs solving, and how does the proper application of automation tools support the bottom line of the business?
- What is the future business impact of today’s automation decisions?
- What is the future impact on the business if we fail to act in a timely and appropriate manner?
Technology
What are the essential tools and techniques required in order to properly facilitate and maintain automation? What exact technologies are needed in order to make automation happen, and support standards, connectivity, and integration?
As a general rule, solutions should incorporate theory as well as applications at a 20/80 ratio.
NOTE: In regard to papers and presentations, the four factors above are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For instance, more than one factor could be covered in a session (a paper or presentation on each within a session), or in a series of sessions. In addition, each factor could be treated separately (an entire session on any one of them). Standards may be included as they apply to the tracks or sessions associated with them.
Six Educational Tracks
Track 1: Industrial Network Security
This track will cover the security of operations and networks, specifically cybersecurity issues as they relate to industrial networks. The technologies, the business relevance, and the impact of network security issues and solutions, as well as the human aspects, will be discussed.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
- Cybersecurity
- Information/Data security
- The application of security standards, including ISA 99 standard on Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security
- Cyber employees
- Back-up systems for critical wireless networks
- Documentation
- Industrial infrastructure design
- Quantitative security measures
- Smart Grid security
- Stuxnet and securing control systems
- Threats and attack vectors
- Modeling
- Disaster recovery and remediation
- Network segmentation
- The link between cybersecurity with physical security; you can’t have one without the other.
Track 2: Creating Business Value through Automation
This track will examine the business side of automation, including risk/value factors and workforce development challenges.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
- Financial analysis and planning
- Project/program funding methods
- Bottom-line business performance
- How the value of automation can be measured and given visibility
- Project management
- What are the REAL costs and benefits attributed to automation?
- Quantifying what some see as unquantifiable
- Risk analysis and mitigation
- Workforce development
- Picking the right partners
- Managing partner relationships for value creation
- Creating a business case for investment in automation
- Quality
Track 3: The Connected Enterprise
This track explores enterprise integration, manufacturing execution systems, and the issues involving IT within an enterprise.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
- Enterprise integration
- Advantages of standard solutions for rollout across the connected enterprise
- What functionality should reside where within the enterprise architecture?
- MES and MOM
- What is the difference and is it meaningful for my company?
- The MESA model
- Platform solution or build your own?
- ISA 95 standard on enterprise integration
- Tutorial on what is S95 and what is it used for
- Using S95 to architect a solution for the enterprise
- Networking your plant, remote networks, and enterprise networks
- Partitioning of networks for efficient bandwidth utilization
- Maintaining security of networks and systems while integrating the entire enterprise
- S99 education
- Dashboarding and Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
- Manufacturing Intelligence – How to provide actionable information for the right audience, at the right place, and at the right time
- What makes a valuable KPI?
- What is context and the right amount of information?
- Supply Chain Integration
- How supply chain solutions can improve plant performance
- Control Tower Technology – A practical supply chain integration approach
- What are the integration points with SCM and the plant?
- Workforce requirements of the Connected Enterprise
- Remote support options for the technology advanced manufacturing facility
- What skills do my operations and maintenance team need?
- Wireless standards, including ISA 100
- Emerging wireless technologies
- Field bus
- Cutting-edge wireless technology
- Fiber optic networks
- Industrial Ethernet
- Do’s and don’ts of wireless applications
- RFID
- Selection of a wireless technology
- Wireless strengths and weaknesses
- Wireless applications (case studies, for example)
- Wireless predictive maintenance
- Wireless data transfer
- Wireless measurement and control
- When and where do wireless solutions make sense?
- Lessons learned, tips and tricks
- Process control theory
- Industry standards
- Process variables (including flow, pressure, temperature, and level)
- Loop tuning, PID control
- Advanced regulatory control
- Advanced process control
- Related standards including ISA 106 (continuous process), ISA 18 (instrument signals and alarms) ISA 101 (Human Machine Interface), ISA 84 (Safety Instrumented Systems), ISA 88 (batch control)
- Energy management
- Leadership and management
- Mentoring
- Case studies
- Learning and development
- Certified Automation Professional (CAP) program
- Abnormal situation management
- Asset management
- Asset performance control
- Asset operations
- Calibration
- Codes, regulations, and standards
- Control system management
- Data mining
- Devices
- Diagnostics (analytical trouble shooting, techniques, and tools)
- Documenting maintenance
- Economic-based asset management
- Fault and degradation detection
- Maintenance management
- Maintenance/Repair
- Predictive maintenance
- Resources: Human and machine
- System diagnostics and control
- Tying system optimization/sustainability/management/integration to asset management
Track 4: Wireless Applications
This track will focus on applications for wireless technology in varying industrial applications.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
Track 5: Industrial Automation & Control
This track will cover the application of control theory to process control systems, quality control, and utility optimization to increase efficiency and operational performance.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
Track 6: Asset Lifecycle Management and Optimization/Strategy
This track will cover the application of asset maintenance and asset operations strategies and technologies to maximize business value. Investments in automation are a valuable asset and must be managed accordingly.
Subjects include but are not limited to:
NOTE TO AUTHORS: Please include a list of keywords by which attendees can search for your presentation. Keywords will be used to search for sessions on the ISA Automation Week 2013 conference web site as well as in the general ISA conference proceedings database after the event.
