MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – “The industrial wireless business case, and therefore mass adoption, is not about ‘if,’ it’s about ‘when,’” stated Harry Forbes, ARC Advisory Group’s industry wireless analyst. Forbes was the keynote speaker at Phoenix Contact’s first-ever Industrial Wireless Forum in Houston on November 4.

Forbes said, “Recent advances and standardization of wireless sensor technology, combined with the industry-proven and adopted IEEE 802.11 and proprietary frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) long-haul technologies, have significantly broken down past barriers. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that ‘when’ is now.”

The well-attended event took place at Phoenix Contact’s Customer Technology Center. The day’s agenda included a mix of technical workshops, technology presentations and customer testimonials.

Two Phoenix Contact system integrators shared examples of how wireless technology saved their customers time and money, while helping to comply with government regulations.

Corey Heckman from Control Systems 21 in Dillsburg, Pa., described a manufacturing facility that needed to monitor ammonia leaks to meet OSHA regulations. The plant’s infrastructure did not support a wired solution. In addition, concrete walls and other equipment made line of sight impossible.

Heckman installed a system using proprietary FHSS radios. The long-haul technology met the site’s propagation challenges. The new system increased worker and community safety, bringing the factory into compliance. Heckman said he was able to solve his customer’s problem at a reasonable price with an installation time “that took days, not weeks.”

Kent Anderson of Dynamic Specialties in Houston said wireless has saved many of his customers tens of thousands of dollars. As an example, he cited a process plant that needed to acquire gas chromatograph data from analyzer shelters to meet health, safety and environmental regulations.

The shelters were isolated from the control room and located across a concrete road, so a hard-wired solution was cost-prohibitive. Anderson installed a high-power industrial 802.11 system. He said that the wireless system saved his customer more than $50,000 compared with running wire and conduit.

Other speakers included:

• Ed Ladd, director of technology programs for the HART Communication Foundation. Ladd discussed the evolution of the HART standard. He shared best practices for planning a WirelessHART project, including many application examples.

• Dan Brinker, account executive from Dresser Masoneilan. Brinker explained how wireless technology, specifically WirelessHART, enables remote valve monitoring and predictive maintenance to improve a plant’s bottom line.

• Ira Sharp, Phoenix Contact’s wireless product specialist. Sharp gave two presentations – one on wireless security and the other on choosing the right wireless technology for an application.

The day ended with an Oktoberfest celebration blending Phoenix Contact’s German heritage with local Texas hospitality.

For more details and PDFs of some of the presentations, visit: www.phoenixcontact.com/industrialwirelessforum.

About Phoenix Contact

Phoenix Contact develops and manufactures industrial electrical and electronic technology products that power, protect, connect and automate systems and equipment for a wide range of industries. Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany, operates 47 international subsidiaries, including Phoenix Contact USA in Middletown, Pa. Phoenix Contact’s formal Integrated Management System is registered to ISO quality, environmental and safety standards (ISO 9001:2008, 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007).

For more information about Phoenix Contact or its products, visit www.phoenixcontact.com/usa_home.htm, or call technical service at 800-322-3225, e-mail info@phoenixcon.com