VDC Research: Industrial Sensing, Networking & Control Market Blog

PAC Man Strikes the Data Acquisition Market - DynamicSignals Acquires Signatec

Back in May I posted a blog raising the issue of possible mergers and acquisition activity in the data acquisition solutions markets. Well it looks like my crystal ball was working pretty well that day as Dynamic Signals LLC has added to its small/mid-size, but growing, portfolio of brand names (including Gage, KineticSystems, Preston Scientific and Cyber Systems) by acquiring Signatec, Inc. at the end of August of this year. Dynamic Signals is a provider of high performance data acquisition and control solutions and its various brands also provide instruments and modules for PC-based test and measurement systems.

The two companies will be covered in VDC's 2011 Data Acquisition Solutions Technology Opportunity Analysis comprehensive regional supply-side analysis reports which will be published later in November as they both provide external chassis & modules such as data loggers, PC front ends and customized standalone systems as well as plug-in analog I/O boards across multiple platforms such as PCI Express/PCI, PCI, PXI, VXI and CompactPCI. These companies' solutions serve higher performance applications found in military and aerospace, communications, computers, automotive, research and educations. Applications served include lasers/LIDAR, spectroscopy, ATE, manufacturing test, testing of nuclear reactor tubing, etc.

In a recent WebCast I discussed two basic strategies that suppliers looking to succeed in the data acquisition solutions markets should consider - take actions needed to get bigger or stay small and remain focused on serving niche segments in which the firm has best in class application level expertise.  Dynamics Signals seems to be achieving both goals with its strategy of acquiring companies to gain economies of scale while also remaining focused on serving segments of the market which require higher performance data acquisition solutions.

I am keenly keeping watch to see what companies may become the next PAC Man merger that takes place as those savvier suppliers further capitalize upon the "clustered" fragmentation that comprises the $1.2 billion data acquisition solutions opportunity.

Take our Sensing and Instrumentation Survey

The IAC team is conducting an end user/OEM/System Integrator survey of the Pressure and/or Temperature Sensing and Instrumentation product market.  The areas covered include Pressure and/or Temperature Sensors, Transducers, Transmitters, and/or Switches. The covered products can be used as part of controlling processes at industrial facilities as well as inside equipment/products that are being manufactured.

By filling out this survey you can convey your needs and expectations to senior industry executives. If you are involved in the use, purchase decision, or selection/consultation for any of these products this may be your best chance to influence key product suppliers and provide input.

Click here to complete the survey.

The IAC team is planning to analyze and report on the latest technology trends and preferences from the process control/safety as well as the OEM community and your thoughts will help to influence the next generation of pressure and/or temperature measuring/switching products. In addition, VDC will provide all respondents who complete the survey:

• Entry into a prize drawing for one of five $150 U.S. (Amazon gift card, check, or charitable donation) prizes. (must provide e-mail address to enter)
• A summary of the report survey findings once the project is complete later this year.

*Note: To minimize the time needed for completing the survey, respondents will only be directed to one of the two main sections of the survey and detailed questions of no more than four products. The section and products selected will be the one that respondents indicate as being most important or relevant to their overall experience.

Click here to complete the survey. The survey will close when we have received the required number of responses covering each market.

If you are a supplier/manufacturer of these products we are looking to work with you. Our research team will be looking to contact you to get your views on the market and offer you several ways to participate and benefit. Please contact us for more information or look to this blog for upcoming surveys you can take part in.

 

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Privacy Policy: VDC will not sell, rent, or in any way provide your contact information to any 3rd party. Your individual responses are strictly confidential. The information obtained by VDC will only be used to develop market insights.

 

Industrial Sensing Market - Problems With Doing More With Less

Recently, I have been making a lot of channel and OEM interviews supporting multiple projects we have running. There have been many interesting insights I have learned as part of this work but several conversations have correlated with recent demand side survey results we have provided to our clients.

The quick takeaway is that it is likely that some suppliers are losing business they could have easily won. Several distributors have griped that it takes a long time to get responses for quotations and delivery times. As a result, the customer who might have been attracted to a particular product goes another way with respect to product, brand, or channel. This latter is obviously irksome to the distributor who might have invested sales and even technical expertise in problem solving and product selection.

As I mentioned previously, this is a theme I picked up previously in our demand-side surveys. In fact, one vendor was repeatedly called out for not providing timely quotations to customers that attempted to buy from them directly. If the channel partners that deal with suppliers constantly are similarly being ignored this is significant. It is not a business strategy of driving low volume direct sales to distributors for aggregation, it means that suppliers are just not being responsive.

My theory is that suppliers may be asking their employees to do too much for too long and, as a result, things like responsiveness break down particularly during any uptick in business. Too many things are automated and/or being done by fewer people and some of the personal touches and details are being lost. In project management, you have three general pillars to any project that are applicable to this situation. They are Time, Scope/Quality, and Resources. Basically, if you reduce resources, time and/or quality suffer.

I'm kind of interested in what other sensor product distributors, OEMs, and Systems Integrators are seeing and what opinions they have about it. If you would like to chat about it, drop me a line.

Siemens Completes Exit Plans for Nuclear Market

As of yesterday, Siemens has announced plans to exit from the nuclear business. The final sticking point was the agreement with Rosatom which is a Russian state controlled nuclear power company. There was a risk here that this would offend the Russians who are or are likely to be customers for many of the other products and services inside the Siemens vast portfolio. Even so, Siemens still intends to supply the generator/turbines and control products that are used in both conventional and nuclear power facilities. This also frees up resources that can be applied to creating new products for renewable energy.

The breakup of the Rosotom deal also presents a benefit because it ends any non-compete complications that arose as a result of the Areva deal ending.

If there had been any doubt, the fact that Germany itself was phasing out nuclear, pretty much forced the hand of Siemens to take the risk of offending Russia instead of the German government and people that constitute a major share of its market. The fact that it might help appease Areva is a bonus.

Siemens does intend to continue supplying replacement parts and service for its installed base of reactors including the 17 in Germany.

Belden Looks to Secure Its Dominance In Industrial Networking, Acquires Byres Security

Belden continued its plans of maintaining, and expanding, its lead in the industrial networking space with the recent acquisition of Byres Security Inc. (BSI).  BSI’s award winning Tofino™ Security product line will strengthen Belden’s leadership in industrial networking solutions, and the deal will lead to higher investment in Tofino Security technology. BSI will continue to operate independently as a business unit under Belden and its security solutions will most likely be used with Hirschamann's and GarrettCom's branded industrial networking products. The Tofino Security brand remains. The result will be enhanced cyber security for critical industrial automation systems.

It appears that Byres Security can thank the creators of the Stuxnet cyber attack (speculation is that elements of US and Israel governments wanted to thwart Iran's nuclear plans) for the renewed interest in securing industrial automation networks and the acquisition by Belden. Although no details were provided one could speculate that BSI will receive much needed funding for new product development, channel expansion and perhaps a windfall for the husband and wife team that owned the firm.

Although most of VDC's coverage related to security issues as part of its Industrial Networking Infrastructure Products Market Intelligence program dealt with security concerns related to wireless networks, the concern over securing networks and data integrity is also as important factor among wireline networking operations. Belden's ability to market its industrial networking products as “Secured by Tofino” may provide a similar marketing advantage along the lines of "Intel Inside" did for PC suppliers.

Based on VDC's extensive research the markets for wireline and wireless industrial networking infrastructure products will grow at CAGRs of over 20% and 28%, respectively through 2015. It is our belief that the spending on industrial automation related security solutions will grow at even faster rates as a large share of the market is most likely lacking sufficient levels of security to fully protect their automation networks and equipment.

Belden's acquisition will help secure its dominance in industrial networking solutions by further cementing its capabilities in being a supplier of a comprehensive portfolio of networking solutions, of which security related solutions are a major component.

A Few Thoughts on the Huge Southwest Power Outage

I was a bit surprised to see the magnitude and duration (it's still ongoing) of yesterday's widespread power outage in Southern California, Baja Mexico, and points eastward going as far as Yuma, Arizona.

To me, the surprising thing is that a single point of failure could create such a huge and lasting effect. No doubt, there will be lessons learned from this by event by the many that will study it. The failure was apparently a procedural error during a maintenance operation at a power substation in Arizona. I have a few thoughts generally related to our recently published reports on power protection products.

• If auto manufacturers or third parties could design some add-on hardware to Prius and other similar vehicles that would provide temporary generator / inverter function to power a few essential items at the owner's home or business, that would be a big seller.
• This event should capture the attention of both grid/power station operators and terrorists. A power grid has components that are hard to protect like remote substations and transmission line towers. A single point of failure should never have this large an impact.
• Businesses that invest in UPS, power protection, and standby generators will be doing tremendous business during events like these. That upfront expense with questionable ROI looks pretty good now.
• Businesses that at least have protection on their POS systems would have been able to sell their perishable or suddenly in demand items more easily unlike the others that could only take cash.
• People generally don't carry a lot of cash anymore. In the Southwest this morning, people without cash may never make that mistake again.
• In the Southwest, and even in places that didn't lose power, you might think about not using and unplugging any computers, TVs, or expensive gadgets unless you have a really good surge suppressor.
• My thoughts go out to those in the affected areas that have essential medical support devices in their homes, no doubt there are valiant efforts to make sure these devices and the people that need them are in good condition. The widespread blackout has caused massive traffic tie ups that surely made these efforts much harder.
• The markets for power protection and backup generators will increase particularly in the Southwest US.
• This was a good test of the emergency shutdown procedures and systems at the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station (SONGS). It looks like they passed.

That's my quick take on it. I would be happy to hear other opinions on this subject. I may check back later once we see what happens next and find out more details of the corrective actions.

More Expensive Level Sensors Can Actually Decrease Costs

I just had an interesting conversation with a distributor of level sensing products. He provides a lot of level sensors for oil/kerosene tank manufacturers and was mentioning the transition from the old reliable/ low cost sight glass sensors to electronic units. One would think that these electronic units would be more expensive and you would be right but the newer units are more cost effective if you look at the big picture. There are several reasons and they become more compelling in the face of rising/volatile oil prices.

Price Contracts: Small business and residential customers can be severely affected by rising prices. This winter should be a good example as I heard a prediction today that local Northeast US home owners can expect to pay ~$230 more than 2010 over the entire heating season. As a result of this uncertainty home, small business, and farm owners will often contract with the heating oil delivery company on a fixed price basis.

Transportation/Delivery: Heating Oil usually has to be delivered to these types of customers by truck. Often times these locations are outside urban areas and therefore the heating oil deliveries are more difficult to do efficiently because of distance and customer's being less concentrated geographically.

One might wonder how replacing a mechanical level sensor with a more expensive electronic unit would possibly help with either of these two items but it's true. If you take that electronic level sensor and give it the ability to connect either via a modem/phone connection or wirelessly via the home/business Wi-Fi to the heating oil delivery company you effectively have remote monitoring or almost the same benefit as an electrical smart grid.

• The delivery company can ensure the customer never runs out even if there is an unexpected surge in usage.
• The delivery company can efficiently set up truck loads for given sections in its service area.
• The delivery company can top off tanks when prices are low and let them run lower when prices are high - confident that they will not let customers run out.
• The customer can get a lower price particularly if they sign the contract.
• The delivery company can make sure that customers do not break an exclusive contract by taking deliveries from a lower priced competitor. If customers did this, the level sensor would inform the delivery company of an unexplained rise in level in their customer's tank.

And there you have it.  More expensive level sensors can actually decrease costs for heating oil delivery firms as well as their customers.

Isolation: A Smart Form of Insurance for your Data Acquisition Solution

Back in early March I blogged on the topic of isolation as it related to industrial networking products and the concept of investing in isolated network products as a form of insurance. It turns out the topic of isolation is also relevant to data acquisition hardware solutions. This topic is also relevant to a more recent blog in which we discussed the importance of accuracy and how that rated as the most important technical requirement cited by almost 600 survey respondents.

As the accuracy of a user's data acquisition measurements go up so does the need to protect their signals from noise as well.  The user needs to protect their signal on its entire path from the sensor input to the point of data conversion. In harsh environments such as those found in steel mills, automotive assembly, food & beverage and other applications in which the adverse impact of EMI, noise and other threats maybe more prevalent as is the need to protect against ground currents. Isolation eliminates ground loops between the measurement system and the signals you want to measure and protects the operator and equipment from effects of ground loops and high common mode voltages.

Isolation is defined as separation of one signal from another to prevent unintentional interaction between them. All multiplexed data acquisition systems contain a certain degree of channel-to-channel isolation; relay-based systems have galvanic isolation while solid-state systems do not. Galvanic isolation is the absence of any DC path. Most isolation methods eliminate all DC paths below 100 MΩ. Three major benefits of galvanic isolation are circuit protection, noise reduction and high common-mode voltage rejection, especially those developed by ground loops.

PC based data acquisition solutions makes possible an array of multiple channel measurements previously beyond economic reach of many applications. This has been accomplished by two major compromises, multiplexing and non-isolated inputs. Multiplexing is successful when the sampling rate is adequately high and the source impedances are sufficiently low. Lack of isolation places an entirely different kind of limitation on the type of input signals that can be connected.

If an application operates in an environment in which the need for isolation is prevalent VDC recommends users consider investing in a data acquisition solution with built-in isolation. Although there may be a cost premium associated to investing in a data acquisition solution with isolation, VDC believes that this will prove to be a wise investment in insuring that the data acquisition solution and equipment being monitored will provide a quick payback if the catastrophe of equipment failure is averted. 

Although the topic of isolation is not an integral part of the scope of VDC's 2011 Data Acquisition Solutions Market Intelligence Program we are always interested in covering topics which are germane to relevant research related issues or dynamics impacting the industrial automation world.

 

Can There Be Too Much Automation?

Within the VDC Industrial Automation and Control Practice we are always applauding the ever expanding role that automated processes are finding in new regional and vertical markets. In most cases, responsible/safe automation products and solutions are clearly superior to the manual industrial processes of the past. Outside of industrial plants there is another area where increased automation has paid dividends and that is in modern passenger aircraft. In either case, well tested industrial and aeronautic automation solutions transfers the control of mission critical processes to avoid operator/pilot type errors.

An article I read last week focused on some aircraft situations where the automated systems failed and, it appears the pilots had lost some of their edge with respect to the correct response they had to make. Planes that are in near stall condition need to point the nose down in order to pick up air speed. Pulling the nose up which might be the intuitive thing actually makes the stall condition more likely. Could there be a parallel from these aircraft situations and those that can take place in industry?  In my opinion, similar unexpected problems with automated processes could happen at almost any industrial facility. Most systems are designed with redundant and ultra-reliable components calculated to have the appropriate Safety Integrity Level (SIL) for the safety/process risk that is present.  On the other hand, recent events have shown that problems have already occurred in situations where combinations of failures and events overwhelm the automated systems. I was thinking about two obvious ones where this could have happened.

• At Fukushima Daiichi, from what I understand, the earthquake severed the facility's connection to the electrical grid and, then, the resultant tsunami almost simultaneously, destroyed the backup power sources. In such a case would it have been better to keep generating power with at least one of the reactors to keep the facility pumps cooling pumps running? I would estimate that the safest conventional and likely automated process thinking would be throwing the control rods in the reactors and isolating the steam pipes but perhaps this was the wrong move because of the other combined factors.

• In the case of the Deepwater Horizon, which was a well automated modern marvel of engineering we again see a chain of miss-interpreted tests, overridden alarms, and dependence on automated systems that could possibly delayed the reactions needed to save the rig by cutting the it loose from the blown out well. There were other factors in place here that I have discussed in earlier blogs but there is case to be made in that the automated safety systems fell short and it is likely that some manual reactions were not made or at least not in the correct timing and sequence.

Before I close, I do want to take some time to laud the efforts of the personnel directly involved with both cited incidents. They were in desperate situations and had to make difficult decisions and actions and, in many cases, lost their lives doing so. This posting was never intended as a slight to these fine individuals.

In closing I think that in many cases, industrial facility owners are increasingly looking for outside expertise to provide complete automated solutions with respect to process control and safety integrated systems. OEMS and equipment specifiers claim that 55% of their revenues are service related while at the same time end users are claiming ~38% of their expenses were for non-hardware related categories. To me that translates into a lower level of expertise at the point of use. It is unlikely that the automated systems that are put in place will fail but, if they do, hopefully the on-site personnel will have the expertise, decision making, and necessary reactions to prevent disasters.