Birmingham

April Event (you do not want to miss)

Each year, the ISA Birmingham Section has a plant or facility visit and tour, to allow attendees an opportunity to see control systems in action and working in a process.  This year is no different, but we plan to visit a facility that may be a little out of the normal for some of us.  Let’s go to a local microbrewery and see how beer is made and observe the process controls in use for this purpose.

DATE:  TUESDAY - APRIL 9, 2024

TIME:  4:00 PM SHARP (BE SURE TO ARRIVE BY 3:45 PM TO BE IN THE GUIDED TOUR)

LOCATION:  CAHABA BREWING COMPANY

                    4500 5^TH AVENUE SOUTH – BUILDING C

                    BIRMINGHAM, AL (HISTORIC CONTINENTAL GIN AREA)

The section has arranged for a guided tour of the facility, with a view of the controls that were used in 2012 – 2016, and compared to the new brewhouse with a higher degree of automation.

At the conclusion of the guided tour, there will be an opportunity for a beer tasting event, which is $5 per person as a dutch treat cash per person.

March Meeting – Technical Event

The ISA Birmingham Section will hold a regularly scheduled technical meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in the offices of the W.G. Yates Company in Birmingham.  This session will feature a presntation by Phil Fricks with International Networking Solutions, who will give a timely and informative presentation on a current hot topic.    There will be Professional Development (PDH) credit for this meeting, and the certificates will be sent out to the participants attending who request them..

This will be a hybrid event, with attendees on site for the presentation and an online virtual group of attendees.  The format has been very successful in the past, and allows for networking at the meeting, while providing a method of participation for those who can attend in person. 

Topic:  "An Introduction to Private Cellular Networks"

Speaker:  Phil Fricks - INS

Date:  Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Time:  4:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Location:  W.G. Yates Company – 1853 Data Drive, Birmingham, AL

Private Cellular Networks, also known by other marketing terms such as CBRS, Private LTE or Private 5G is truly a game changing wireless technology.  This is probably the first time that a revolutionary networking technology is better suited for manufacturing and OT networks, instead of office and carpeted spaces.  It won't replace WiFi anytime soon, but it is absolutely a better choice in many environments.  Any company planning a wireless expansion or upgrade owes it to themselves to consider a Private Cellular Network.  We'll discuss the basics of a Private Cellular Network - it's not as complex or expensive as you might think.  We'll also talk about great applications for this technology, as well as its limitations and applications that it's not ideal for.

   Phil Fricks – Speaker

Phil Fricks of Industrial Networking Solutions (INS) is an industrial engineer with just barely over 30 years experience working with automation and control systems, and networks.  He cut his teeth on a PLC-5 in 1992 and since then has worked with all the major (and some not so major) automation and SCADA platforms.  The last 20 years of his career have been spent exclusively focused on industrial and OT networks - traditional and cellular.  Today he is the Director of Business Development for INS, primarily spending his time on advanced wireless applications.