Control Intelligence

A trip down memory lane: Revisiting a conversation with Matthias Altendorf

In 2020, editor in chief Mike Bacidore spoke with Mattias Altendorf, then- CEO of Endress+Hauser Group. Much has changed since then. Since January of 2024, Altendorf has moved from the CEO role to become the president of the supervisory board for Endress+Hauser Group.

He also founded Bionic Leadership, which applies evolutionary principles to modern management, extending to evolutionary economics and economic bionics. His organization explores the fusion of nature-inspired strategies, technologies and effective leadership in shaping organizational excellence.

During this conversation, they discussed sustainability, sensors, cybersecurity, component interoperability and IT/OT convergence, as well as the impact of those topics on machine builders and system integrators. Altendorf’s insights still hold true in 2025, and his foresight on many topics was spot on.

Using CIP Safety and FSoE to understand communication

The “safety PLC” is no longer more expensive for the hardware. Availability still may be an issue at times, and the programming costs may go up, but the safety chassis is becoming a mainstay.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses CIP Safety and FSoE.

The promise of IEC 61131-3 language portability

At the end of 2023, the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) sponsored a report from consulting firm BCG called “The US Needs More Engineers. What's the Solution?” in December 2023. It showed that the United States is facing a massive shortage of engineers.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Joey Stubbs, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses IEC 61131-3 language portability.

July 2025 industry news: membership updates, robotics and new facilities

In this episode of Control Intelligence, managing editor Anna Townshend shares machine builder and system integrator news highlights from the month of July.

Expanding robotic applications across the engineering landscape

The landscape of industry is undergoing a profound transformation, largely driven by the increasing integration of robotics. Once confined to the realm of science fiction, industrial robots are now an indispensable part of manufacturing and production processes worldwide.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Charles Palmer, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses robotics.

Implementing smart control design for safer speeds

Many times, in industrial automation we hear the term “safe speed” in motion conversations. It’s important to define safe speed and how it applies to control design, in relationship to functional safety.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses how smart control design implements safe speed principles.

LiDAR and IO-Link: sensor solutions for controls engineers

Two technologies that have risen to prominence in industrial settings over the past few years are light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and IO-Link. The discussion, popularity and implementation of both continue to rise.

Aaron Rothmeyer, manager, market product manager, at SICK, explains why in this episode of Control Intelligence.

Evolving equipment operations employ advanced industrial panel displays

Industrial panel displays have undergone significant advancements in recent years, driven by the growing demand for better performance, durability and functionality. In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Charles Palmer, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses displays.

Commissioning machine projects with PLCs and HMI

Commissioning a stand-alone machine project based on control with a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a human-machine interface (HMI) has many facets to the successful implementation of the equipment that the control system is controlling.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Jeremy Pollard, Mike Bacidore discusses machine commissioning steps.

Optimizing industrial control systems with PLCs and PACs

A programmable logic controller (PLC) is essentially a term used for any controller these days. A programmable automation controller (PAC) is the alternative. It could be looked at as a flip phone vs. a smart phone. However, there are distinguishing characteristics.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses PLCs, PACs and code.