Welcome to the Changing WBF!

Maurice Wilkins, Chairman – WBF

Throughout our industry and within your own companies, change is one of the things we can surely count on! Many things are also changing here at WBF and it’s beginning to feel like a New & Improved organization! Thanks to our members, sponsors and many dedicated volunteers, we are able to change. In this way we can continue to facilitate the interchange and development of information and knowledge within the automation industry in order to help our members succeed and to exert a positive influence on industry.

The “flat world” has become a common way to express the growing need within companies for more collaboration, across greater distances, faster decisions, more useful information and more standardization when it comes to work processes. The WBF is here to help you sort out these issues and with standards like ISA-88 and ISA-95; we know that automation can play a critical part in the flat world. At WBF we have access to the experts and knowledge base to help you succeed.

So what’s changed at WBF? Let’s start with this new website. The new site provides members and visitors with a cleaner, more concise presentation of information – making it easier and faster to navigate. Behind the new look and feel, we have greatly enhanced the information and content so that you can quickly find the information and events you may be seeking. And, we’re not through! The website team will continue to improve the site so let us know how we are doing.

The WBF’s association with the Automation Federation continues to bring benefits including access to the more and better organizational resources – including the new website. In addition, we have scheduled a series of continuing education webcast seminars to make it easy for you to learn more about ISA-88 and ISA-95 and the many benefits that come from implementing them.

The EU Conference held in Brussels last October was very successful and many interesting technical papers were presented on batch automation and integrating MES and ERP systems. Your next opportunity to attend a WBF conference will be the 2007 North American Conference to be held 30 April – 3 May, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference theme – “Mining for Gold – Discovering the value of standardized process automation” promises to deliver valuable information to all. Attendees can participate in panels, technical sessions, and keynote presentations to gain timely and practical information on essential topics, including: ISA-88, ISA-95, B2MML, and emerging technologies. You can register now for the conference from this website.

As I said, many things are changing – for you and for us! WBF is the organization to help you navigate through the change and maximize your potential. Joining is quick and easy – so join today! If you’re already a member, think about participating in any of the technology or working committees. For more information on the NA Conference, CLICK HERE.

What changes have you seen? What can WBF do to help you with these changes? Send me your comments - info@wbf.org .

Maurice Wilkins