NEWS DESK
Dean, senior instruments and automation engineer at BHP Biliton, it can increase uptime, provide for quick disaster re- covery, reduce deployment and application development and make maintenance and management easier. “We have also been able to reduce risks to personnel and
the environment and maintain a high level of production by avoiding unnecessary plant downtime,” he said. Marcelo Villegas, a project engineer with Repsol Ecuador, told how his company was challenged by an aging automa- tion system at one of its crude oil production facilities. This also impacted its process safety systems. Villegas explained how Repsol was able to change to more modern systems while maintaining production and meeting safety standards through a gradual transition. The final two presentations dealt with implementation of high-availability HMI in a New Mexico gas processing plant and the issues faced in building a new gas pipeline along 1000 km of challenging terrain in central Mexico. The pipeline required four compressor stations, more than 20 main line valves, metering stations and scrapped traps. In addition, equipment from many OEMs had to be integrated into the main control system.
– Executive Editor James D. Sawyer
US at Risk of Losing Industrial R&D Lead to China
T
he United States may lose the industrial research and development lead to China in five years, according to the head of the US Council on Competitiveness. “The US currently spends the most of any nation in terms of R&D, with a 23% share of global R&D spend,” Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the competitiveness council, said in a statement. “But China is on pace to over- take America’s leadership in R&D investments by the end of the decade.” Wince-Smith made the comment after the council and consulting firm Deloitte Global conducted a study of corporate technology executives and directors of national research facilities.
The study identified “10 of the most promising advanced manufacturing technologies” that merit R&D spending, De- loitte and the council said in the statement. Included in the list were “smart factories” and “smart, con-
nected products,” related to the “Internet of Things, where mobile devices connect with factory machines to oversee and
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | January 2016
monitor production work. The list also included advanced materials, digital design, advanced robotics and 3D printing. R&D investments “can lead to advanced manufacturing capabilities,” Craig Giffi, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, par- ent firm of Deloitte Global, said in the statement. Advanced manufacturing “can lead to more complex and exclusive products for export,” he said.
Surveyed executives “see especially strong potential in technologies related to the Internet of Things,” advanced computing, “next-generation materials” and 3D printing, Wince-Smith said in the statement.
At the same time, Deloitte Global and the council said a majority of executives interviewed for the survey “worry about America’s talent pool and the widening skills gap in the face of competition from state-owned entities.” – Senior Editor Bill Koenig
3D Systems Names New Director 3
D Systems Corp. named a new outside director as the 3D printing company regroups following the exit of its top executive. Thomas W. Erickson, who is a director of various compa- nies, was named to the company’s board, 3D Systems said in a statement Nov. 19. Erickson currently is a director of American Rental Associ- ates, Luminex Corp. and Syncreon Group Holdings Ltd. He also previously has worked as an interim CEO of Western Dental Services, a dental services provider, LifeCare Holdings Inc., an operator of hospitals, and Luminex, a biotechnology company. Avi Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems for 12 years, abruptly
resigned, effective Oct. 28. Andrew Johnson, the company’s chief legal officer, became the 3D printing company’s interim CEO. An executive committee is managing 3D Systems while a search for a new chief is underway. On Nov. 4, 3D Systems reported a third-quarter loss of $32.2 million compared with a year-earlier profit of $3.1 mil- lion on lower revenue. The results included an $11.3 million arbitration award against 3D Systems stemming from its 2011 acquisition of Print3D Corp. Dave Styka, chief financial officer for 3D Systems, said on
an earnings conference call that management “continues to review what’s going on” in the 3D printing market. The 3D Systems board has 10 directors, including nine independent directors, Stacey Witten, vice president of investors relations, said in an e-mail.
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