Hello Joanne (and all),



Introduction: I run a small control engineering consultancy (ISC Ltd) based in Glasgow, and we specialise in control design, modelling/simulation and optimisation. Recently we won Application of the Year for the Control System Software for a very large hydraulic mechanism used during the installation of wind turbines (see this: sine.ni.com/.../cs-15650 - an impressive mechanical design by Houlder). We work across many sectors - but always at the low level dynamic (feedback) control level whether for a power station or a car engine.



I suppose one thing I find difficult with The IET C&A Network (I was on exec some years ago), is that it covers such a broad range of specialisms as the words "Control" and "Automation" can refer to almost anything (from the sort of stuff we do, to IT systems, to management / supply chains - all very different) and in almost every industry which have different needs in this area. For example, when IET C&A started doing a Water Industry event it was mostly on automation systems (the management of software, maintenance etc.) even though good low level control can be very important in that sector. Similarly most of things labelled "Control" I read about in the IET magazine, don't seem at all relevant to my interest. Maybe this is because the view is that this low level feedback control is a bit "old hat", but it remains vital to get it right for good operations and there are plenty of ways it can go wrong.



But I do think its this broad nature of the subject group that is a bit of a problem - you can also see some of posts in this forum also seem quite disparate - and consequently we maybe go and look at forums that are more focussed and directly useful.



So what I would like to do here is take part in vibrant discussions about control ...

Hello Joanne (and all),



Introduction: I run a small control engineering consultancy (ISC Ltd) based in Glasgow, and we specialise in control design, modelling/simulation and optimisation. Recently we won Application of the Year for the Control System Software for a very large hydraulic mechanism used during the installation of wind turbines (see this: sine.ni.com/.../cs-15650 - an impressive mechanical design by Houlder). We work across many sectors - but always at the low level dynamic (feedback) control level whether for a power station or a car engine.



I suppose one thing I find difficult with The IET C&A Network (I was on exec some years ago), is that it covers such a broad range of specialisms as the words "Control" and "Automation" can refer to almost anything (from the sort of stuff we do, to IT systems, to management / supply chains - all very different) and in almost every industry which have different needs in this area. For example, when IET C&A started doing a Water Industry event it was mostly on automation systems (the management of software, maintenance etc.) even though good low level control can be very important in that sector. Similarly most of things labelled "Control" I read about in the IET magazine, don't seem at all relevant to my interest. Maybe this is because the view is that this low level feedback control is a bit "old hat", but it remains vital to get it right for good operations and there are plenty of ways it can go wrong.



But I do think its this broad nature of the subject group that is a bit of a problem - you can also see some of posts in this forum also seem quite disparate - and consequently we maybe go and look at forums that are more focussed and directly useful.



So what I would like to do here is take part in vibrant discussions about control ...