Your Letters

• Your Letters

Summary

Industry 4.0 concerns

I would like to compliment you on your work with InTech, which now seems a useful magazine again. I spent a fair bit of my career designing and building DCS and PLC systems and associated data historians interfaced to plant IT systems (and more recently, the same with MV electrical systems). Our frequently identified problem was a complete lack of respect and understanding for the process system time response requirements from the IT side. Use of cloud-based applications just increases the risk.

Generally, no one gets excited if email access or accounting or banking is delayed even a few hours. The IT solution is typically to just send or post a "service unavailable" notice. However, such an unplanned delay in a process control or electrical protection application is typically a disaster.

Real-time systems appear to require a degree of availability that seems completely foreign to IT, such as auto-switched redundancy, for example. When building systems, we typically used separate redundant cabling, processors, Ethernet cards, switches, etc., on the process side, and actually often used separate process system locked cabinets largely to prevent accidental IT personnel access to dedicated process systems. My primary concern with the general direction of Industry 4.0 is that this aspect is not getting sufficient attention. I fear that management typically views all computer and network applications equally and will try to "save money" by integrating the services design and support, likely under IT, since this is usually the area with which management is most familiar.

Harold Hansen, ISA Life Member

Chief Editor Bill Lydon's Response

I really appreciate your positive comments about InTech magazine. The entire team and I have been working hard to deliver good information to automation professionals. Not many people know that InTech magazine has a base of automation professional volunteers throughout the world who make up our editorial advisory board. Everyone is committed to advancing the automation profession.

Get ready to vote for your Society leaders this September

Your vote matters! Beginning 1 September, you will have 30 days to cast your vote to elect the leaders of ISA. Watch your email for notice when voting is open. All eligible ISA members are encouraged to vote. The ballot will include position statements and biographical information for each candidate.

The Society nominating committee met in June to develop the ballot. Additional information about the candidates and voting process will be sent out before the election.

President-elect secretary:

 

• Antonio Alves (CMC Esterline, Dollard De Ormeaux Québec, Canada)
• Paul Gruhn, PE, CFSE (aeSolutions, Houston, Texas, U.S.)
• William (Billy) Walsh (University College Cork, Cork, Ireland)

 

Executive board member/geographic (two seats for regular term, one seat to complete a term created by a vacancy in office):

 

• Nilangshu Dey (Qatar Petroleum, Mesaieed, Qatar)
• Matthew Maynard (Francis Tuttle Advanced Tech Center, Oklahoma City, Okla., U.S.)
• Kalpen Vachharajani (Provincial Controls, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada)

 

Executive board member/operational (one seat for regular term, one seat to complete a term created by an unfilled seat):

 

• Marty E. Bince (TEC Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
• Dawn Schweitzer (Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.)
• Shari L.S. Worthington (Telesian, Worcester, Mass.,U.S.)

 

Executive board member/technical (one seat):

 

• Prabhu Soundarrajan (Honeywell Industrial Safety, San Jose, Calif, U.S.)

 

Image & membership department vice president-elect:
 

• The committee decided not to recommend candidates for this position for the ballot this year. Nominations for this position will be solicited in next year's process.

 

Industries & sciences department vice president-elect:

 

• Brad Carlberg, PE, CSE (BSC Engineering, Hoodsport, Wash., U.S.)
• Andre Michel (Efficient Plant Inc., Pointe Claire, Québec, Canada)

 

Professional development department vice president-elect:

 

• Danaca Jordan (Eastman Chemical Company, Chestertown, Md., U.S.)

 

In memoriam

Michael B. Fedenyszen, Jr., ISA publications VP-elect, passed away 29 May 2017, in Haverhill, Mass. Fedenyszen was born 10 February 1949 and was a lifelong resident of Haverhill. He was employed at Vanderweil Engineers, LLP, of Boston as a senior instrumentation and controls engineer. He had 30 years of experience in integrating and optimizing instrumentation and controls requirements for combined heat and power plants and central utility plants.

Fedenyszen was an ISA member since 1977, was a perennial at the ISA leaders meeting for many years, and was a recipient of the ISA Distinguished Society Service Award. He was always actively engaged as an InTech editorial advisory board member and was excited about his new role as VP-elect-and the committee was looking forward to his tenure in that challenging position.

Fedenyszen was past director of the Water and Wastewater Industries Division (WWID), where he was the facilitator, honors and awards chairman, and symposium awards chairman. While he was WWID division director in 2010, he promoted the division scholarship program and advanced the first WWID scholarship. In addition, he was a member of the ISA105 Loop Checks/SAT/FAT standards committee, and he was active with the Boston Section, where he was elected and appointed to many positions.

Fedenyszen believed that local sections are responsible for reaching out to their members to enhance their professional status. He was an established mentor to members wanting to advance within the society and thought that ISA is the foremost way its versatile membership can stay "tuned" to the latest changes in the technology of measurement and controls.

The shocked reaction and generous tributes paid by his peers and colleagues show his contribution to the world of automation. Susan Colwell, ISA publications director, said, "Michael was always actively engaged as an InTech editorial advisory board member, providing article reviews to Bill and me on each issue and recently writing a Final Say column [www.isa.org/intech/201704final] himself. He was excited about his new role as VP-elect, publications. He was a kind and truly gracious friend."

Other colleagues' remarks include, "Michael was a real treasure and will be missed. He was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor," "Truly a sad day-losing someone who has contributed to all levels of our Society and society itself as well," and "That is truly sad news. Michael was so into publications, and I know that he was so looking forward to his VP-elect role going forward. We have lost another very dedicated ISA leader."

Shari L.S. Worthington, former ISA VP of publications, encapsulates what all those who knew him feel, "It's a sad day. We lost a friend and colleague, Michael B. Fedenyszen, II. Thank you for everything. We will miss you. Godspeed. Your friends at International Society of Automation."

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