This weekend I had the great pleasure of witnessing the culmination of a dream that one of our colleagues had come to fruition as he walked a stage and received recognition for completing his BSEE. As many of you know firsthand, it is difficult enough to complete a degree program as a young person not yet entangled in the thralls of a career; but very rarely does one have the tenacity, self-motivation, perseverance, and a bunch of other adjectives, to obtain an engineering degree late in life while smack dab in the middle of managing the operations of a company.  I am proud to let you know Bob Soto has done this.

The SCADA system is the brain of your automation system, so choosing the right one for your specific requirements is an important decision. The best SCADA system is the one that can easily communicate with all your RTUs and PLCs , meet your needs today and tomorrow and ensure your investment is protected.

The US Environmental Protection Agency released a draft assessment June 4 of a study in which it concluded hydraulic fracturing activities have not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources, although the agency said potential water vulnerabilities exist.

As part of our 28th year meeting control systems needs around the world, Northern Digital is in the process of building a new main headquarters facility.  The facility will be approximately 14,000 square feet and located in the new Bolthouse Farm development, known as Seven Oaks Park, located in the Bakersfield, California.

One of the main objectives was to merge our two facilities, currently occupied by corporate, engineering, and technical services, under one roof.  This will be the first time since our inception in 1988 that all three groups will be located in the same facility.  “This has already generated huge excitement among our Bakersfield staff” says Larry Vasquez, CEO and founder of Northern Digital.  Vasquez goes on to say “a facility is much more than brick and mortar; it is our home away from home.  It is the place we spend much of our lives, and as such we want it to look and feel like our homes, warm and comfortable.”

According to the International Energy Agency’s most recent Oil Market Report, global oil demand averaged 93.3 million b/d in this year’s first half, up 1.6 million b/d on the year and 400,000 b/d above the estimate in last month’s report. Global demand for the whole year is forecast to average 94 million b/d, 1.4 million b/d up on the year and 300,000 b/d higher than in last month’s OMR.

“Since bottoming out at a 5-year low in second-quarter 2014, global oil demand growth has steadily increased, as additional economic growth, colder-than-year-earlier European winter weather conditions and more recently price effects have filtered through,” IEA said. However, momentum is expected to ease somewhat in this year’s second half, assuming a return to normal weather conditions and given a recent partial recovery in oil prices.