How to build a strong process engineering workforce

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion shared his thoughts on this year's Plant of the Year honoree, selected by FieldComm Group: Tianxin Pharmaceutical's Jiangxi Leping Factory.

Tariffs, supply chain disruptions and war in the Middle East haven’t stopped automation suppliers from growing. On this episode of Control Amplified, Larry O’Brien, vice president of research at ARC Advisory Group, talks about what’s behind that resilience and what the October Top 50 rankings reveal. O’Brien calls this “the most significant shift of our lifetimes” for the automation market. He covers AI’s move from hype to real deployments, a record year of mergers and spinoffs, and why the industry may be headed for a long stretch of stronger growth. Key takeaways AI is delivering real value. O’Brien says the industry is past the peak of the hype curve. Most automation software now has AI built in, from cybersecurity tools to operator copilots that flag abnormal situations early. The hard part is getting your data ready for it. A record year for deals. Emerson completed its Aspen Tech acquisition, ABB bought Rotork, Schneider bought Cognite, and Siemens bought Altair and Dotmatics. Honeywell also reorganized to focus on automation. Hear which moves matter most and why software is driving the shopping. Sustainability isn’t going away. Most new power capacity in North America is still wind and solar. High energy prices and the power demand from AI data centers are adding momentum, and growth in industrial cybersecurity is accelerating alongside them. Autonomous operations are the endgame. O’Brien says AI could finally deliver on long-promised capabilities like autonomous operations, and he explains where humans will stay in the loop. Listen for: O’Brien’s view that AI won’t replace automation workers, but people who know how to use it may replace those who don’t. Find the full Top 50 list at controlglobal.com. Don’t forget: ARC Industry Leadership Forum will be held Feb. 22–25 in Orlando.

Every manufacturer, every system  integrator, every process plant operator I talk to says the same thing: we can’t find enough technicians, we can’t find enough engineers, and we can’t find enough people for sales and support. We talk about that shortage a lot. What we talk about less is what anyone’s doing about it, and when. Editor in chief Len Vermillion took a drive to Edgmont, Pennsylvania, to get a first-hand look at what two companies are doing to inspire and inform students, parents and teachers about all the future career opportunities in process control and automation, and why it’s an important outreach for the industry. There, he spoke to Kevin Lavelle, general manager of Eastern Controls; Nicole Otte, director of workforce development at Endress+Hauser; and Dan McGrath, Eastern Controls’ new workforce development specialist. Here's what they had to say.

Every control engineer knows measurement noise is a problem, but not all noise is the same, and the wrong fix can make things worse. This episode digs into how noise distorts what you think your process is doing, and what to do about it.

Editor in chief Len Vermillion reflects on his time in New Orleans at Yokogawa's YNOW2026 event, which took place Sept. 1-4. From delicious gumbo to the AI bubble, everything you need to know about the conference is here. Plus, check out all the articles from the event, written by Vermillion, Control Design's Mike Bacidore, Machine Design's Rehana Begg and Automation World's Chris McNamara.

At the 50th Anniversary Honeywell Users Group meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, Keith Larson was joined by Honeywell's Rick Stopf and Paul Hodge, product management leaders for the company's Experion PKS process automation system to discuss major trends impacting OT infrastructure today.

In this episode of Control Amplified, Honeywell's Marcos Detilio, global vertical lead for Honeywell's LNG and gas processing business, talks about the role liquified natural gas is playing across a dynamic energy landscape.

Honeywell's Colin Hams, offering manager for the company's Experion Process Knowledge System, joined Control Amplified at the 50th Anniversary Honeywell Users Group meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, to talk more about Experion Cognition, which puts the Knowledge into PKS.

In this episode of Control Amplified, Keith Larson is joined by Vishal Mehta, vice president and general manager for Honeywell Connected Industrial Solutions and Autonomy X enterprise consulting practice, to talk about how energy companies are adopting a new framework for resilient operations.

In this episode of Control Amplified, executive editor Jim Montague spoke with Brian Romano, technology development director of Arthur G. Russell. They discussed engineering workforce development issues, the ensuing brain drain, and how to build, recruit and retain operators and engineers.