Thursday, November 8, 2012

2nd Israeli Automation Congress

VP Jean-Pierre Hauet has just reported on the 2nd Automation Congress organised by the Israel Section.

This event was a fantastic success : Forty exhibitors, forty lectures organised in six different tracks, in Hebrew or in English. There were more than 1000 participants: Yes, one thousand participants!
Yes! One Thousand!
Giora Brandwine Section President (left)
Ofer Stern President Elect
This event reflects the vitality of the Israeli economy, the dynamism of the local ISA section and the interest people in the automation field are paying to ISA.

VP Hauet gave a talk about “Wireless : the key features of ISA-100 solutions” which was well received.

Congratulations are well earned by the officers and committee especially, Giora Brandwine – ISA Israel President, Ofer Stern – President Elect and Udi Kedem – Secretary, who was particularly involved in the organisation of the event.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Conclusion DLC 2012 - Nice France!

Our DLC in Nice is now over.

Click to see more pictures!
I believe we had a very useful meeting which perfectly illustrates the vitality of our Society. We had representatives from 11 countries plus our Key-note speaker, Eric Byres, from Canada, and also Bob Lindeman, ISA President, who especially came from the USA. I thank all the participants for their presence.

We had a lot of exciting exchanges and all the presentations were of excellent quality. They have been posted here on our web site. I just include two pictures taken during the meeting but there are a lot of other ones taken by the numerous participants.

Our DVP Elect & Secretary, Brian Curtis, will draw up the minutes and I thank him in advance.

Without waiting for them, Here is the text of the motion that was approved by the D12 council, regarding the ISA Governance. We hope this input will be useful to the ongoing discussions regarding the ISA Governance evolution.

The transfer of the gavel of DVP to Brian Curtis will be effective as from 1st January 2013.

We still have several very important events scheduled by the end of this year. Notably in Israel (ISA Israel 2nd annual congress – 6 November) and in Qatar (ISA Automation Conference – 9 & 10 December).

However, I would like to seize this opportunity to say again how pleased I was to have the responsibility of District 12 during the last two years. It was a fascinating experience and I thank all our colleagues and friends who supported me in this challenge.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Excellent representation expected at ISA European meeting


Representatives from 11 sections (i.e. 11 countries) have already registered to the next District Leaders' Conference, in Nice (F),  5 & 6 October. 

Eric Byres
The event will also benefit from the presence of Bob Lindeman (ISA President-USA) and Eric Byres (Tofino - CDN), possibly of a key-note speaker in the evening. Eric Byres is a veteran in the area of security for SCADA and industrial process control systems which has become so relevant in automation since the unleashing of the Stuxnet worm in 2010.

This meeting projects the image of a truly global organisation and no doubt that it will be a very informative and useful event.

For those who still would like to participate but have not registered yet here is the registration form (pdf) again!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

35th anniversary of Foundation of A.I.S.


A.I.S. (Associazione Italiana Strumentisti) is the Italian Association for the professionals in Automation. It is an Alliance Society of ISA, and it works in close cooperation with ISA Italy Section.

For this important occasion AIS and ISA Italy Section have organised a Technical Conference - with a small exhibition - on "Closed loop process control, from the measures up to the controllers - products, technologies and future trends." The language of the conference will be Italian.

The event  will take place on the 18th September 2012 at the "Pinacoteca Ambrosiana", one of the most ancient and important art Galleries in Milan. At the end of the day the attendees will have the opportunity of a guided tour of the Gallery.

The organisers expect an attendance of around one hundred people.

ISA Italy President Alberto Leni will give more details about the organisatio of this and other events during his presentation at the October D12 DLC in Nice.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

World Manufacturing Forum: An Invitation!


World Manufacturing Forum
Smart Policies for Global Manufacturing Innovation
16-18 October 2012, Stuttgart, Germany


Is manufacturing the solution to the economic crisis?
Can it be an enabler for the wellbeing of our future society?
Are current policies able to guarantee a sustainable use of resources?

ISA members are invited by the European Commission and IMS to the World Manufacturing Forum to be held in Stuttgart, Germany on 16-18 October, 2012.

At the WMF 2012, keynote presentations and roundtable discussions by global experts who will focus on the theme "Smart Policies for Global Manufacturing Innovation". The dialogue between industrialists and government leaders will aim to explore the challenges for manufacturing innovation in the context of policy makers' options. The Forum is planned to be opened by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and will feature talks by leading industrialists and policy makers.

Invited speakers will talk about global business concerns such as the management of strategic resources and how governments can support global manufacturing innovation by increasing the sustainability of business operations and by lowering the risk of conflicts through dialogue and international S&T cooperation. Among these speakers will be ISA Executive Director and CEO Pat Gouhin, who is also serves on the Executive Board of the event.

Further highlights include a roundtable on "Global Resource Management", a debate on "Can Wall Street and Main Street become Friends?" as well as visits to companies located in the manufacturing powerhouse region around Stuttgart.

As a point of reference, last year more than 300 industrialists and policy makers participated at our event in Lake Como (I), to hear and discuss current manufacturing challenges with over fifty speakers from around the globe.

The event is supported by the European Commission and the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) international cooperation program, as well as by leading industries, associations, and institutions through in-kind contributions. The forum also enjoys the support of global companies like Bosch, Comau, Festo, Daimler, Volvo and many others.

This is an invitation-only event with free registration.  Due to limited places your registration should be completed promptly and by 30 August, 2012.  After your registration delegates will regularly be updated with programme, speakers and the latest news.

If you cannot join us, you may recommend a high level representative in your organization to attend.

Please follow on Twitter @IMS_org  with the hash tag #wmf12.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Education foundation scholorships for 2012

The International Society of Automation (ISA) has announced the winners of the 2012 ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to college and university students who demonstrate outstanding potential to make lasting contributions in the fields of automation, instrumentation and control. The scholarship awards support tuition, related expenses, research activities and initiatives.

In District 12 the following awardees are included:

Alexey Tirtchny
Alexey Tirtichny
St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
Graduate award: Total Scholarship - $4,000
(Norman E. Huston Endowment - $2,695; District 12 - $1,305)
He also won the District 12 scholarship, which has a value of $1,305
He has been the winner of Education Foundation Scholarships in previous years, including 2009 and 2010

Also in receipt of an award was:
Radu Florea
Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Cluj Napoca, Romania
Student Activities Endowment Fund - $1,000

• More information about ISA’s Educational Foundation Scholarships programme.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

ISA Automation Conference 2013 EMEA

ISA  AUTOMATION  CONFERENCE
Europe, Middle East & Africa 
Doha 
9 & 10 December 2012

This Conference is an ISA regional event placed under the banner of ISA District 12 (EMEA) consisting of 18 ISA Sections of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In view of the fast growing economy of Qatar and of ongoing large developments of automation systems in oil & gas, petrochemical and energy industries, Doha (Qatar) has been identified for this International event which will allow automation vendors to participate and display their latest technological developments. Operators (end users), vendors and service companies of the region are keen to take advantage of technical innovations and knowledge management, to enhance analytical real time systems and to implement more efficient business models. The ISA Automation conference in this region will be a catalyst for such business requirements.

Conference venue/ Date
The Conference will be held in Doha (Qatar) on Sunday 09 & Monday 10 December 2012. The venue of the Conference is Hotel Intercontinental, Doha.

Conference Operation
Tentative Programme
9th Dec: 
8.00 AM to 4.00 PM Inauguration and Conference Sessions (Presentations)
7.30 PM Conference Dinner
10th Dec: 
8.00 AM to 1.30 PM Conference Sessions (Presentations) and Conclusion
3.00 PM onwards Sightseeing (Optional)


The program will comprise around (10) presentations covering the conference major areas. All Sections are required to search for specialists/speakers in these areas. Some have already made some interesting proposals. ISA Conference & Exhibitions department and Automation vendors will also be represented among the Speakers.


Deadline 31 August 2012
The organising committee is formed by representatives of the various participating ISA Sections of District 12 chaired by the D12 Vice President. The Organizing committee appoints a Technical committee (comprising four representatives – two from Europe and two from Middle East – for selection of the presentations/speakers to the conference. ISA Qatar Section is pleased to host the event in Doha and has accepted to take the responsibility of organizing the conference and notably of all associated logistics.

Conference Topics
The Conference will cover two major areas:
›Functional Safety and cyber-security in Industrial Control Systems :
• Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), latest developments and requirements, Foundation FieldBus, ISA 84 and IEC standards.
• New threats and vulnerabilities in Industrial Automation Control systems, ISA99 approach.

›Enterprise & Control systems integration, Advanced Process Control technologies.

Call for papers Deadline 31 August 2012
Exhibition
The Conference will host an exhibition of automation vendors promoting their latest systems/developments, especially those related to the major areas covered in the Conference.
Each Vendor will be provided with table top exhibition facility.





Thursday, July 12, 2012

Message from our VP

Dear All,

Our District Leaders Conference, scheduled in Nice on 5 & 6 October, is approaching.

Before leaving for your summer vacations, I invite you to make or to confirm your registration to this very important meeting (Registration Form pdf) as well as your reservation to the hotel :

HOTEL WESTMINSTER NICE - 27 promenade des Anglais - 06000 Nice - Tel. : +33 (0)4 92 14 86 86 - Fax : +33 (0)4 93 82 45 35 - reservation@westminster-nice.com Attention Stéphanie Abadie – We have a limited block of rooms available until 31/08/12.

The agenda (pdf) is confirmed, with the presence of Bob Lindeman, ISA President, and of Eric Byres, well known specialist in cyber-security issues who will give us a key note address about : “Control System Security in a Post-Stuxnet World” .

Brian Curtis, D12 VP elect has accepted to co-ordinate the organization of the session “Technical events : how to make them successful ?”. I invite you to contact him in order to confirm the participation of your section to the panel of presentations.

In addition to the current agenda please note the following topics :
-          Celebration of ISA awards granted to D12 District leaders
-          Official chartering of the Portugal section
-          ISA Automation Conference organized in Doha (Qatar) – 9 & 10 December 2012

Please, also note that, following the request of several members, a program for accompanying persons is under preparation for the 5th of October.

I am looking forwards to seeing all of you in Nice.

Best regards

Jean-Pierre HAUET
ISA D12 DVP
KB Intelligence
10 rue Lionel Terray
92508 RUEIL-MALMAISON Cedex
Office : 33 (0)1 41 29 05 09
Mobile : 33 (0)6 08 90 86 17

Friday, July 6, 2012

Book on process instrumentation safety & security published by Spain Section

This book* is the answer to the growing need for guidance in Spanish language on a subject so new and yet integrated in process industry such us Safety Instrumented Systems.

It explains clearly, step by step all the aspects of the security life cycle, based on the recognized standards, IEC-61508 and IEC-61511 and ISA-84.00.01

The text shows the applicable rules, essential or recommended, studying Independent Protection Layers (IPL), conceptual design, the documents that are generated in each stage of the project, what information are provided by them and how it is used, risks analysis and SIL allocation methods. Field instrumentation and logic are analyzed with respect to Functional Safety: the types of instruments, its installation and maintenance. Safety Requirement Specification (SRS) aspects, details of each Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) and its verification identifying which aspects should be considered for this are included.

The different architectures and their influence on the results of Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD); availability (A) and reliability (R) are analyzed. The work includes design considerations, installation, SIS commissioning and validation, manual testing procedures including sample maintenance and operation, and management changes in the SIS and Functional Management, identifying management activities necessary to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Functional Safety.

A particularly interesting chapter is devoted to a practical example of the safety life cycle applied to a SIF in an absorption tower of the desulfurization process. This is a comprehensive book based on Functional Safety international standards and the practical experience of the authors.

SEGURIDAD FUNCIONAL EN INSTALACIONES DE PROCESO SISTEMAS INSTRUMENTADOS DE SEGURIDAD Y ANÁLISIS SIL
Authors: Alfonso Camacho López ● Inmaculada Fernández de la Calle ● Carlos Javier Gasco Lallave ● Ana María Macías Juárez ● Mª Ángeles Martín Hernández ● Gabriela Reyes Delgado ● Julio Rivas Escudero ISBN: 9788499692104 Publishers: ISA Spain

Sunday, May 20, 2012

District Leaders meeting returns to Nice.

The DLC will be held in Nice (F) on 5 & 6 October 2012, at the Westminster Hotel.

Bob Lindeman, ISA President is scheduled to attend and will give a talk (Q & A) about "Status and plans for ISA". 

Registration details and various
programmes at bottom of page.
After Stuxnet!
Eric Byres, of Byres Security, who is a leading expert in SCADA security, has been invited to give a key-note address about “Control System Security in a Post-Stuxnet World”. 

Successful Events!
This year, VP Jean-Pierre Hauet is suggesting that we spend some time of the discussion around the topic : “Technical events : how to make a success of them”. Section leaders are being asked to give a short presentation about the technical events (expo, conferences, seminars) they organize in their sections and how they make them successful.

Members are also invited to participate, with their guests, at the annual dinner held on the evening of the 5th October at the Westminster. Participants should advise as soon as possible their intention to participate and ought make their reservations quickly at the Westminster hotel (if staying there!). There is a very special rate but Nice is always busy at this time of the year.  The hotel is very well situated and they cannot keep the reservation for very long.

As this will be Jean Pierre's last meeting as D12 DVP he will be passsing the gavel to Brian Curtis who was recently elected as D12 DVP elect. I encourage you to participate in this exciting meeting, to invite other leaders or members from your section and I look forwards to seeing you in Nice.

The draft program and the registration form.

The programme for accompanying persons (MS Word Doc) will allow the participants to visit one of the most attractive part of the Riviera, in a one day tour departing at 10:00 AM from the Westminster Hotel and returning at 5:30 PM in time for the cocktail party. The program includes a nice lunch in Monaco. Attendance will be limited to a party of 7. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

New District VP to be from Ireland

Due to unforseen illness John Metcalf has been forced to resign as VP Elect of the district. All district members, and indeed the wider ISA Community wish him a speedy and complete recovery.


This necessitated a new election, organised by our Nominator, Kevin Dignam. The candidate elected is Brian Curtis from the Ireland Section.

Commenting on the election of Brian, current VP, Jean-Pierre said "John Metcalf whom you previously elected as D12 DVP Elect, had to resign because of serious problems in his vision. We wish him a prompt recovery and we also congratulate Brian on his election. Brian is familiar with ISA and his track record is impressive. No doubt that under his banner District 12 will continue to be at the level of its reputation, a district composed of a diversity of sections, each of them having its own culture, a diversity of languages, of business models, but all the sections sharing the same interest in ISA and all the leaders being strongly dedicated to the perpetuation of our Society."


Brian Curtis has been involved in ISA at a local, national, and International level for almost 20 years

He has demonstrated dedication and commitment to ISA by his continuing active involvement and serving in numerous leadership positions, serving as President of the Ireland Section in 1999/2000. He has attended many meetings in District and Leaders meeting the US.

He also was awarded the Distinguished Society Service (DSS) Award in Houston in 2010 for "For outstanding service and contributions to the Society and its Members."

Brian has 38 years experience in the Chemical, BioPharma & Medical Device Sectors, he has worked in various roles from Instrumentation Electrical and Automation Design, Construction, Commissioning and Project Management. He is currently working in a consultant role with DPS Eng Ireland.

Commenting on his election Brian said: "Thank you for your support in electing me as DVP Elect for District 12. It is disappointing for John Metcalf that he is not in a position to continue as DVP Elect, I wish John a prompt recovery from his illness.

"I am looking forward to working with Jean-Pierre and coming up to speed with the developments and challenges within ISA and particularly in District 12. 


"I am also looking forward to meeting you all in Nice in October and I am sure we will be in contact via email or mobile before then." He welcomed new ideas regarding the future and the evolution of our organisation. "Now is the time for offering your services and taking new responsibilities!"

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

District greets St Petersburg veteran!

We congratulate Dr. Anatoly Ovodenko with his 65th birthday (16 Apl) and wish him good health and success.
Professor Anatoly Ovodenko is an ISA Senior Member. He has served as the St. Petersburg , Russia, Section President and the Conference Committee Chairman. He has also served as the Section Alternate Delegate, and has been the Chairman of the ISA Headquarters Russian Federation since 2002. He was the coordinator of the District 12 Leadership Conference in St. Petersburg in 2002 and 2007. He was honor by ISA Emerging Leader Award in 2007.

Anatoly Ovodenko graduated from Leningrad Institute of Aerospace Instrumentation in 1970. He defended a thesis and took Candidate of Technical Science Degree in 1974 at the Leningrad Institute of Aerospace Instrumentation ( now St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation) in the field of Control Systems. In 1986 Doctor of Technical Science Degree was taken by him in the field of Control Systems.

Dr. Ovodenko is the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation rector. He has authored more then 300 scientific articles, monographs, manuals and certificates in the fields of instrumentation, control systems, management of education, distance education and computer science. He is Honored Scientist of Russian Federation and a member of several International and Russian Academies, including the International Academy of Sciences of High Education, Academy of Medical-Technical Sciences, Academy of Information Processes and Technologies, and the International Academy of Informatics.

Since 1999 Dr. Ovodenko is a Chairman of UNESCO Chair “Distance Education in Engineering”.

Dr. Ovodenko received the high Russian Federation award, the Order for Services to the Fatherland- IY Degree in 2008.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Visit to Middle East: District VP's report!

This is a pictorial report on the visit of District 12 VP Jean-Pierre Hauet to the sections in the middle East.

It was the first time in a very long period that the District Vice-president had visited the Middle East sections. He received a warm welcome in all countries and the discussions identified a number of key issues which will be referred to ISA Central Office. Technical events are envisaged in the region in the coming months, either at the society level or at the District level.

It should be recalled that these four sections comprise nearly 600 members. Located in countries where the economy is booming and all of them are very active. We hope to see them at the next DLC meeting, in Nice (F) on 5 and 6 October.




Starting with Kuwait, Jean-Pierre Hauet attended a section meeting chaired by Ali Hasan Alhashemi, President of the ISA Kuwait section.
The ISA Kuwait leaders - From the left to the right: Ali Hasan Alhashemi (President) – Shemej Kumar (Newsletter Editor) – P.P. Muthu (Membership chair) – Mathew Isac (Program Chair)
Jean-Pierre Hauet (D12 Vice-President) & Ali Hasan Alhashemi (Kuwait section President)
He then travelled to Dubai (UAE) where he met with Mohamad Ibrahim (Abu Dhabi section President) and also attended a section meeting hosted by Cimac, a Schneider-Electric subsidiary. The Abu Dhabi section will be very soon renamed “UAE section” as its members are originating from the various parts of the country.

Section meeting in Dubai (UAE)
The next step was Qatar where Jean-Pierre Hauet gave a key-note address at the opening of the ISA Wireless Symposium 2012 organized by the Qatar section. More than 125 people attended this major event, sponsored by Emerson, Honeywell and Yokogawa and the local press widely reported the event.
Qatar press reports on ISA technical Conference.

Jean-Pierre Hauet also attended a section leaders meeting chaired by Nilangshu Dey, Qatar section President.

Picture below shows Qatar section leaders: Left of Jean-Pierre Hauet (ISA D12 President), Nilangshu Dey (ISA Qatar president) and Radouane Zid (ISA Qatar Secretary).


The last visit was in Saudi Arabia where he met in Dharan, Luay Al-Awani, Saudi Arabia Section President and other section leaders, in the premises of Aramco in Dharan. After a section meeting, he opened the monthly technical events organized by the section and dedicated to “Diagnostic standards for the FF physical layer”. Around 50 persons attended this meeting sponsored by Stahl.
Saudi Arabia section leaders – From the left to the right: Soliman M. Almadi (Newsletter Editor) – Ghulam Rasul (Vice-president) – Jean-Pierre Hauet (D12 Vice-President) – Luay Al-Awami (Section President) – Madhi R. Issa (Program chair)
A report and also a report on 2011 President Leo Staples to the region is on the ISA main site.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Qatar Section Seminar!

Guests and delegates at the Qatar Section of International Society of Automation (ISA) symposium here recently.
The Qatar Section of International Society of Automation (ISA), the largest worldwide professional body for automation professionals organised a symposium on "Plant Wireless Technology for Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industry" at Ramada Hotel recently.

Jean Pierre Hauet, ISA Vice President -Europe, Middle East and Africa inaugurated the Symposium and was the key note speaker. Five international specialists in Plant Wireless technology from control system vendors across the world were the speakers at the symposium.

Hauet spoke about ISA and its global role in development of automation technology, conceptualisation and implementation of technical standards, certification of automation professionals internationally and on the requirement for cyber security in industrial control wireless applications for oil & gas and petrochemical industry .

Nilangshu Dey, president of ISA Qatar section welcomed the delegates and highlighted the local section's achievement in completing its 10th anniversary during which it conducted some 74 technical seminars and three international conferences on various issues in control and automation field for oil & gas industry applications.

Among those who spoke were Robert Skeirik (Emerson), Ibrahim Hamad (Dolphin Energy), Feroz Qureshi (Honeywell) and Shahzad Khan (Yokogawa).


VP Hauet was the first District 12 VP to visit sections in this region. He said "I am very enthusiastic about the welcome I received in these countries which apparently have not been visited by any D12 Vice-President  in the last few years." See fuller pictorial report

Friday, February 24, 2012

DLC 2012 heads to the Côte d’Azur!

The next D12 District Leadership Conference is scheduled for Nice (France) on 5 & 6 October 2012.

This is a pre-announcement. a more formal announcement will be made in the coming weeks and members will receive the participation form when it is available. However it is important make your reservations as soon as possible and circulate the information within each section section. Nice is a very nice place in October (even if it may rain!) and easy to access by 49 airline companies, including low cost ones.

The meeting will start on Friday 5 October at 10:00 AM and adjourn on Saturday 6 October at 12:00 AM.

The venue is Hotel Westminster, a well located hotel, well known by those members who participate in ISA or IEC standardization bodies.

A block of rooms has been reserved in the hotel for 4/5 and 5/6 nights under the name of ISA-France. Reservations have to be made directly by the participants to :

27 promenade des Anglais
06000 Nice
Tel. : +33 (0)4 92 14 86 86
Fax : +33 (0)4 93 82 45 35

However the participants may stay at other locations if they so desire.. 

The program of the meeting is currently being prepared. If you have any suggestion regarding the agenda, please let me know as soon as possible. The annual dinner however will be on the 5th also at the Westminster.

It is hoped that the Irish section will organise a Livestream Web videoconferencing/broadcast of the event.

The 2012 ISA’s president : Bob Lindeman will attend. This is a great honour and also very useful for members to benefit from his presence.