SUNAPSHOT
July 2009
In This Issue - Quality Control - Alarms & Reports - Raising the Bar - Employee Spotlight Upcoming Events Rockwell Automation on the Move Richmond, VA July 15-16, 2009 VRWA Operator's Expo Abingdon, VA August 12-14, 2009 VRWA SCADA Training Emporia, VA Sept 15, 2009 Williamsburg, VA Sept 16, 2009 Contact Us www.sunapsys.com newsletter@sunapsys.com Sunapsys, Inc. 850 Third Street Vinton, VA 24179 (540) 904-6862	Control the Quality of Your SCADA System “You get what you pay for…” It’s a phrase we often repeat; yet have a hard time taking to heart. Bargain hunting is a way of life both personally and corporately. But is the cheapest product always the best value in the long run? Should something as important as your SCADA system be left to the “low-bid” system of procurement, which can push contractors to cut corners? Most companies wouldn’t consider hiring a technical expert simply based on which candidate is willing to take the lowest salary. Why? Because we understand that the qualifications of a candidate, such as experience, references, education, and practical skills, are more important than saving a few dollars when hiring a new employee. Using the low-bid system to find qualified employees is a ridiculous concept. (Read more...) Developing a control logic specification: Alarms and reports The following article is copyrighted by the Instrument Society of America Jan 2009 The primary purpose of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is to provide useful information to an operator in a timely, pertinent fashion. There are three primary ways to be sure this takes place: 1) Color animation and value displays at the HMI (human-machine interface); 2) Alarm management; and 3) Report generation. (Read more...) Sunapsys Raises the Bar in System Integration, yet again! Sunapsys recently underwent an in-depth audit to become re-certified in the Control System Integrators Association’s (CSIA) Certified System Integrator program. CSIA Certified Membership provides clients and potential clients with assurance that their system integrators are financially healthy companies capable of completing projects in a professional and technically sound manner. CSIA’s audit utilizes the Best Practices and Benchmarks process providing performance standards in seven critical business areas against which CSIA members are audited and measured for qualification for the Certified Member Program. Those who have achieved this standard carry the CSIA Certified brand. Hiring a CSIA Certified Member firm lowers a client’s risk by providing a proven resource, tested against standards of excellence required by the Best Practices and Benchmarks certification audit. Sunapsys is proud to be a Certified member of the CSIA and the only certified system integration firm in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Employee Spotlight Michael Dalton, Sunapsys Project Engineer, has been with his Sunapsys “family” for over 10 years. Michael’s experience includes industrial control and information systems programming. He has expertise in the PLC / ladder-logic, HMI (SCADA), Visual Basic, and database programming environments. When not designing and programming screens for control systems, Michael enjoys photography, astronomy, gardening, and cycling. We don’t know how much of that he will get to do as he and his wife welcome their daughter, Genevieve, to the family. Congratulations Michael!