ISA Automation Week 2013

The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces the keynote presenters and presentations, executive panels and technical sessions at its ISA Automation Week Technology and Solutions Event, which will take place 5-7 November 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Leading automation and control experts, authors, innovators and thought leaders across the globe will come together at the event to demonstrate how to fully leverage the power and potential of automation solutions.

The opening keynote address will feature US Major General Robert E. Wheeler, one of America’s leading authorities on SCADA and industrial infrastructure cybersecurity, who will speak on the current cyber threats to the automation industry.

The Executive Panel on "Cybersecurity Challenges to Industry" will be moderated by Brigadier General Rudolf Peksens, US Air Force (Retired), an independent consultant that helps organizations adapt to cyber challenges.

Wednesday's Keynote Address on "A Vision of the Future in Manufacturing" will be held by J. Patrick Kennedy, Ph.D., CEO and founder of OSIsoft, LLC; Founder of Lit San Leandro and San Leandro Dark Fiber

The Executive Panel on "Workforce Development and Today’s Automation Professionals" will be moderated by Maurice Wilkins, Vice President, Yokogawa Corporation of America.

This executive panel will focus on critical workforce development issues and how they affect professionals working in process and factory environments.  The panel will feature top executives representing the supplier, the systems integrator, and the education and institutional communities, who will share their inside views of future trends and inevitabilities that will affect us all. Lively discussions are inevitable as these experts express their unique vantage points on the critical issues affecting those working in industrial automation.

For instance, decisions made and actions taken in one area, such as migrating to a new technology, can sometimes have adverse and unforeseen effects in others, ranging from higher total cost of ownership to concerns over employee training and plant safety.

The six educational tracks are:

Asset Lifecycle Management and Optimization/Strategy
The Connected Enterprise
Creating Business Value through Automation
Industrial Automation & Control
Industrial Network Security
Wireless Applications