As announced in the October AutomaNews, the 4.6 BETA 1 version of Super-Flash is now available.
Many functions have been introduced and others will follow in the BETA 2 already in progress.
The 4.6 BETA 1 Runtime version can be downloaded from the freedownload section of our website, while the Royalty-Free version can be found in the download section. Both downloadable zips are protected by a password that must be requested from Automa.
The new features focus on the graphic editor, cross-reference and archive management. They will be explained in detail during the presentations being organised by Automa for the beginning of next year.
For more information on the 4.6 BETA 1 version of Super-Flash please use the e-mail address assist@automa.it or contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Ahead of the upcoming release of the new version Super-Flash 4.6, 4.6, available soon, Automa is organising a presentation to illustrate its main features.
This event is addressed to Super-Flash Royalty-Free or Runtime licensees who wish to understand, with the maximum possible efficiency, all the potentialities of the new functionalities that Automa has developed (BETA 1) and is developing (BETA 2), for the version Super-Flash 4.6.
The issue of SCADA/HMI‹-›MES interconnection in Industry 4.0 integration projects will also be briefly addressed.

Some Applicom cards for industrial communication have been part of an obsolescence programme for some time now. These include the PCU1500S7, PCU1500PFB and PCU2000ETH.
The Applicom cards have always proven to be reliable and high-performing. Automa offered them to its customers 25 years ago. At the time, they were almost the only solution for efficient communication with some PLCs.
For years, however, the use of an internal card for communication with PLCs is no longer advisable. Compatibility problems with internal buses and operating systems are too binding. The need to "open" the PC for installation is a risk and an extra cost.
With the appearance of PanelPCs, there is often no possibility of even an expansion slot to house the card.
SCADA/HMI workstations should always have only Ethernet as the physical communication interface. In this way the application can easily run on any PC, making it extremely easy to replace in case of failure.
Please contact us to assess any need for replacement of faulty cards.


Alternative 1

For MPI/Profibus communication with S7 PLCs, we recommend Hilscher gateways as an alternative.
The NL 50-MPI and NT 50-MPI devices are reliable, high-performing, inexpensive, Step7 compatible and capable of multiple communication sessions.
Automa supplies these devices with embedded SFNetLink Runtime driver for Super-Flash applications.
In the case of Super-Flash applications the change to switch from the Applicom card driver to the SFNetLink driver is pretty simple. Automa offers support for the integration of the new driver.


Alternative 2

The replacement of an internal card could also be the opportunity, also in view of Industry 4.0, to consider a direct Ethernet connection with S7 PLCs.
If the Ethernet connection is available on the PLC, Automa proposes its own communication driver:

• SFSIEETH for Super-Flash applications
• SIEETH for applications developed in C/C++, Visual Basic

Our Ethernet communication drivers for Siemens PLCs are available in the Smart version, limited to a single PLC, and Full version which addresses up to 100 PLCs.
For more information on obsolete Applicom cards and the possible alternatives, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

An important effect of the Industry 4.0 interconnection projects is the focus on the strategic relevance of SCADA/HMI applications.
The need for large, user-friendly display interfaces, the demand for both horizontal and vertical communication capabilities and the wide availability of hardware solutions (PanelPC, desktop PC, All In One PC, PCBox, etc.) combining the necessary industrial features with complete software compatibility with the rest of the company information system, create a favourable environment that leads to the spread of HMI applications within production processes.
The multiplication of SCADA/HMI applications makes the Super-Flash Royalty-Free solution proposed by Automa even more competitive. An idea, born precisely to encourage the free development of HMI applications, even those that are particularly cost-sensitive, that offers an exceptional opportunity to developers and end users.
You can buy a Royalty-Free development system from € 3,500.00 for smaller sizes. Once the purchase value of the development system has been amortised, the cost of each HMI benefits from the fact that there are no Runtime licence costs: a huge advantage for all: integrators, machine and plant builders, End Users.
In the last 30 years, some companies have developed thousands of Super-Flash Royalty-Free applications, with impressive economic savings of Runtime licenses. With Super-Flash Royalty-Free these companies have had a real competitive advantage over competitors who have used other commercial SCADAs.
Not only: Super-Flash Royalty-Free licenses can also be rented!
Super-Flash it generates compact, reliable applications that even run on limited hardware, simplifying remote assistance..
Reliability, flexibility, customised training and top-level technical assistance, delivered directly by the product developers. These are just some of the values of Super-Flash the development system for SCAD/HMI applications proposed by Automa.
Super-Flash Royalty-Free can offer advantages for you too.
For more information on Super-Flash Royalty-Free please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Wireless networks, particularly Wi-Fi, are becoming increasingly popular in businesses. Born as an extension of the connection possibilities for offices, they are now also spreading to production departments which, if they don't have a wired Ethernet infrastructure yet, find it very convenient and inexpensive to connect the machines through Wi-Fi.
The AW5500 product is an extremely versatile, latest-generation product that includes Access Point, Client, Repeater, Bridge and WDS functions.
The AW5500 complies with 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) standards. The temperature range is wide: -10° - 60°C. The full support of the 5 GHz reduces the typical congestion problems of the 2.4 GHz.
A strong focus on security, the ability to manage virtual client networks and a solid wireless network manager, make it ideal for obtaining effective, high-performing and secure wireless communications.
For this product, Automa offers full technical support to assist the customer in the first use.
On our website in the hardware section you can consult the list of ATOP products distributed by Automa and download the relative technical documentation.
For more information on Wi-Fi devices for industrial communication or to request a quotation, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 places emphasis on HMI applications, on the need for these to be a tool that really facilitates operators' work in the production process and to be connected horizontally and vertically with other production and management systems. Hence, for developers of HMI applications, the need to develop new knowledge and skills compared to those typically sufficient to create stand-alone control stations for machines and plants.
Super-Flash is a development system for HMI applications that can be used at different levels of complexity. A few basic concepts are enough to be able to make the first applications with the main functions required for a stand-alone HMI. Super-Flash also incorporates MICROC, a very powerful tool that greatly expands the functionality and performance of an HMI application allowing you to expand its configurability to the point of transforming the final application into a real configurable product.
To support its customers, Automa provides training modules that are always customised and calibrated to the actual experience and competence of the participants. A maximum of 4 hours and a maximum of 2 technicians from the same company: this is the formula that has proved to be the most effective and efficient in its 30 years of activity.
Here are the titles of some training modules available:

• Super-Flash Base
• Super-Flash Advanced, different levels
• Super-Flash upgrade to the current version
• Super-Flash porting from old applications
• MicroC Base
• MicroC Advanced, different levels
• MicroC Driver
• Events management and SmartDB
• HMI‹-›MES interconnection
• Interface ergonomics and advanced graphics
• Advanced multi-connection management and asynchronous DB commands
• Modules and products for data publication

With the possibility of offering a targeted training service for its own applications, preceded by an analysis activity by Automa.
Training is delivered by the same people who are part of the Super-Flash development team and who have developed specific integration and interconnection projects.
Good, solid training immediately affects the productivity of the technicians who, once trained, are more productive and more effective in their development activities.
For more information on the training courses run by Automa, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911, or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Super-Flash Royalty-Free is a development system for SCADA/HMI applications. It is currently available in version 4.5, which has been very popular among developers.
However, some users have not yet been able to take advantage of all the advantages of this new version of Super-Flash, because they have remained with previous versions, which are still considered sufficient for their application needs.
But the most recent versions of Super-Flash have focused heavily on productivity in the development and maintenance of applications. Those who use these versions reduce the development time of even complex applications by almost half compared to older versions.
Industry 4.0, a very popular topic at the moment, is giving a strong boost to the interconnection between production control and management systems. Many integration projects between the various levels of information systems will finally be able to take shape.
An updated Super-Flash development system allows you to better seize the opportunities that will materialise in the short and medium term, also thanks to the drive offered by Industry 4.0.
To help upgrade old Super-Flash Royalty-Free, , Automa has launched a special promotion:
For orders placed before 31 January 2019 a special 30% discount on the current price list will be applied to all updates from older versions.
And with the activation of an annual update service at the same time, you will have the right to receive the next powerful version 4.6 of Super-Flash scheduled for early next year.
For more information on the promotion, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Developers of HMI applications increasingly find themselves having to cope with requests for data exchange with the MES level. Sometimes it is sufficient to send data to the MES, but, increasingly, it is necessary that the HMI applications are able to receive data from the MES, especially those relating to the machining to be performed.
The Super-Flash development system offers a number of different basic possibilities for data exchange:

• Standard communication protocols (e.g. ModBus)
• Dedicated communication protocols, with MicroC
• Reading/writing files

There are also a number of products specifically oriented to the various communication technologies: :

• SmartDB: multi connection to local or remote DBs
• DB Manager: advanced multi-connection management with direct control of asynchronous commandsi
• SendSMS: sending SMSs
• SFX-Mail: sending e-mails
• SFFTP: connection to FTP server to send/receive files

And others that directly produce or publish data for specific higher level functions.

• AllarmiDB: this exports the real-time alarms of an application into a DB (compatible with SFWAM)
• BB (Black Box): recording of variables before and after a significant event
• DCE (Data and Command Exchange): logger of application commands and changes to variables
• GRDB: Manages the recipes of Super-Flash relying on a centralised DB
• Logger: advanced, structured and multilevel logger
• TP (Trend Publisher): exports trends with associated production data to a DB

In addition to products, Automa can provide consultancy, training and technical support for integration projects and Industry 4.0 interconnection between MES and SCADA/HMI applications developed with Super-Flash.
For further information on data exchange and export modules, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Approaching the end of the year we announce that, for the Christmas holiday period, our telephone assistance service will be suspended from 24/12/2018 until 5/1/2019.
The service will resume regularly from 7 Gennaio 2019.
Please remember that you can use the telephone assistance service every day from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m. You can access the service by subscribing to a contract of varying duration between 1 and 12 months, at any time.
For holders of at least one Super-Flash licence our technicians are available free of charge every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
For those who do not have an active assistance service, for emergencies please contact the Technical Emergency service by telephone. Costs depend on the duration: for durations up to 30 minutes, the minimum amount applies.
For more information on the telephone assistance service, please contact Automa by phone on +39 035.32.33.911 or at the following e-mail address sales@automa.it.

The development of the new version 4.6 of Super-Flash. continues. We will soon be announcing the availability of Beta 1 of the new version.
The first phase of the version 4.6 project focuses on some important features to further increase the productivity, and therefore the efficiency, of the process of creating a HMI/SCADA application.
Development time compression was already very strong in version 4.5. Now we are completing some additional features that will make it even faster to create a Super-Flash application.
Cross Reference, archive management and graphic editor are the areas most affected by the 4.6 Beta 1 version.
More details will soon be available with the announcement of the availability of Beta 1 for developers.
For more information on the 4.6 Beta 1 version of Super-Flash, or to request notification of availability, please use the email address assist@automa.it or contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 is a National Plan that has strongly encouraged investments by Italian companies. It is a well-defined plan, with clear objectives, supported by an effective set of facilities provided by the Stability Acts 2017 and 2018.
In 2017 there was an initial period of waiting for the implementing decrees and for the "interpretation/understanding" of the possibilities and opportunities offered to businesses. Despite this, very positive effects on the Italian market were already seen in 2017.
2018 saw the consolidation of the framework of facilities, also introducing the possibility of tax recovery for training activities, which are a key point for the success of the investments in digital transformation provided for in the National Industry 4.0. Plan.
Now, with their suppliers and consultants, businesses are starting to better understand the scope of the 4.0 Business Plan and to have a clearer understanding of how to implement the various facilities available.
However, in this very positive scenario, which suggests excellent results for the next few years, a change of government has been introduced, generating uncertainty, which could change the reference scenario.
Although Industry 4.0 is not part of the "government contract", it is hoped that the provisions of the 2017 and 2018 stability laws are not weakened or abandoned, but rather every effort will be made to expand the number of companies involved in the digital transformation of our country as far as possible.
In the coming weeks, starting with the Stability Law 2019, we will have a better understanding of the path proposed by the so-called "government of change".
For further information on Automa per Industria 4.0 support, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Applications made with Super-Flash have a feature that surprises, and sometimes disturbs, developers and end users: to install an application simply copy a folder on the target PC. And the app is ready to go.
To be more precise, you don't even need to copy it to your PC: if it is present on a USB pendrive or USB disk, you can run it directly from there. Already working on PCs with Windows XP, Vista, W7, W8, W8.1 and W10.
You don't touch the PC configurations, you use the Windows registry to a minimum, you are not sensitive to the various more or less desired updates of the various operating systems.
This means that the preparation of a backup copy of the system is basically trivial: you just have to make a copy of a folder. No virtual machines or image storage required.
By making a programmed daily copy of the folder you can basically get a hot backup with the reduction to almost zero of downtime caused by failure of the PC.
How much is this worth? Try it with another SCADA!
For more information on For more information on Super-Flash, or to request a free product demonstration please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

With Super-Flash you can easily upgrade to the current version (4.5) applications installed 25/30 years ago, perhaps still with a DOS O.S. Software applications that have clearly passed the reliability test over time: often customers only ask to be able to run them on "newer" PCs. Or to connect them to company information systems.
While the majority of SCADA products on the market tend to blend in with the operating system, Super-Flash is the SCADA that Automa has designed specifically to be less dependent on it.
This basic setting allows Super-Flash to hold not only the record of reliability, but also that of backward compatibility with old projects carried out in the past.
It is not unusual to see Super-Flash customers updating very old HMI graphic applications still working in DOS to Windows 10 systems.
Try it with another SCADA!
You would almost certainly have to redo the application, often without any real added value.
For more information on Super-Flash and its ability to import old SCADA/HMI projects, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

The WD+ AirGriDaCo system is a ready-to-use, low-cost solution for wireless data collection from the signal towers of the PATLITE.
The system represents an innovative, ready to use solution, capable of transforming a simple signal tower light into a low-cost source of useful data for managing machine and plant efficiency.

• Machine or Line Efficiency
• Manual Assembly Stations
• Technical Calls Management
• Management of mobile internal logistics means

With AirGriDaCo it is easy to set up Andon information panels to support production and implement escalation procedures for production anomalies. Publication of data on the company DB, sending of e-mails and support of PATLITE Ethernet LA6-PoE towers, allow the interconnection both with the ESM and with logistics and other business functions such as maintenance and quality.
In order to ensure a practical understanding of the system functionalities, the ease of installation and the possibilities of fast processing of the collected data, Automa and PATLITE have organised an event at the Automa show room in Gorle (BG).

This event is addressed to end users, machinery/plant manufacturers and integrators. The aim is to concretely demonstrate the easy installation, system management and analysis of the collected data.

To facilitate the free development of HMI applications, with a view to Industry 4.0, Automa proposes its own Super-Flash SCADA also in Runtime mode. The development system is completely free: download from the freedownload section of our website and use to develop your own HMI application. The system functions are complete. If you need optional drivers, you can also download them free of charge to check their operation.
With the Super-Flash development system Runtime generates applications that need a specific Runtime license to work. Without the license, the HMI application that is developed allows 15 minutes of continuous operation with each run. In this way it is possible to develop and fully test your own application before measuring the correct size (number of variables and alarms managed) and purchasing the Runtime license(s).
The benefits obtained in this way include:

• No cost until the actual installation of the developed application
• Possibility to choose the size of the license once the application has already developed, so you can choose being aware of the costs and required size, with no surprises
• Have everything you need on the installed workstation, so that you can perform local or remote interventions.

For those who do not know Super-Flash we recommend using the customised training services offered by Automa. These are training modules of 4 hours each that can be structured, also in "realtime", to meet the specific needs of the participant.
Since the time available to company technicians is always scarce, Automa also offers remote training modules, via Skype, Google or other platforms. Modules of just two hours also available. So the technician can stay in the office, and there are no costs for time and travel expenses.
For more information on Super-Flash Runtime please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Among the PATLITE network products, a key position is reserved for the LA6-PoE, a signalling tower that can be connected in Ethernet and controlled directly in ModBus TCP/IP. The tower supports PoE (Power Over Ethernet) and can be powered directly from the Ethernet cable.
The LA6-PoE, multicolour RGB tower supports the ModBus TCP/IP protocol and can be easily controlled by clients implementing this communication standard. And for software developers, Automa can also provide (dll) ModBus TCP/IP drivers to control the LA6-PoE's RGB lights.
It can be used both to propagate the status of other signalling towers and to effectively support the escalation procedures of alarm events.
Due to the extreme versatility of the multicolour device, this signal tower offers application possibilities that were previously unthinkable with the classic fixed light towers.
PoE technology allows the device to be powered via the Ethernet cable, greatly simplifying wiring.
The LA6-PoE tower is also supported by AirGriDaCo, the software for wireless data collection from light towers developed by Automa for the PATLITE WD system.
In October and November 2018 only, Automa is making available an evaluation kit consisting of:

• LA6-PoE tower
• SCADA control application (Super-Flash based), with sources for any modifications
• PoE Ethernet adapter

At a very competitive price.

For more information on the LA6-PoE column and products AirGriDaCo, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Version 5.0 of the Information Brochure is available, illustrating the main features and functions of version 4.5 of the Super-Flash development system.
For more information on the news in this section, please contact Automa by phone on +39 035.32.33.911 or at the following e-mail address sales@automa.it.

In sections download and freedownload of our site you will find the HotFixes for versions 4.5 and 4.3 of Super-Flash:

• Super-Flash 4.5 SP2 Hot Fix1
• Super-Flash 4.3 SP1 Hot Fix3

These HotFixes have fixed some bugs reported by customers.

On Friday, November 2 2018 ,All Saints' Day public holiday, our offices will be closed.
The telephone assistance service, which will resume regularly on Monday 5 November 2018, will also be suspended.
Please remember that you can use the telephone assistance service every day from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m. You can access the service by subscribing to a contract of varying duration between 1 and 12 months, at any time.
For holders of at least one Super-Flash licence our technicians are available free of charge every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.

AirGriDaCo is a software (Industry 4.0 compliant) created by Automa to support the distribution, exclusively for Italy, of the PATLITE WD wireless system: an innovative solution capable of transforming a simple light signalling tower into a low-cost source of useful data for managing machine and plant efficiency.

• Machine or Line Efficiency
• Manual Assembly Stations
• Technical Calls Management
• Mobile Means Management

With AirGriDaCo AirGriDaCo it is easy to set up Andon information panels to support production and implement escalation procedures for production anomalies. Publication of data on the company DB, sending of e-mails and support of PATLITE Ethernet LA6-PoE towers, allow the interconnection both with the ESM and with logistics and other business functions such as maintenance and quality.
Ready for use: AirGriDaCo is easy to install and very easy to configure. Allows you to assign a name to each tower, light, or the state of each light. This makes the events log self-explanatory. The log can be published directly on a database or exported to CSV files compatible with Excel.
Cost-effective: AirGriDaCo is available in different sizes to truly calibrate the costs to your needs. It can be the starting point for customised versions that Automa is able to produce according to the specific needs of the customer.
A dedicated push button panel is also available for manual assembly stations.
New features of version 2.0 of AirGriDaCo:

• Management of the new 5-colour towers, with ON, OFF, Blink states
• Publication of events detected directly on the database
• Real-time calculation and display of occurrences and duration of light states
• Sending by e-mail differentiated by lights and states

For more information on the WD system and the AirGriDaCo product, or for a free presentation please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

To facilitate the free development of HMI applications, with a view to Industry 4.0, Automa proposes its own Super-Flash SCADA also in Runtime mode.
In this mode the development system is completely free.
Download from the freedownload section of our website and use to develop your own HMI applications. The system functions are complete. If you need optional drivers, you can also download them free of charge to check their operation.
Using the Super-Flash development system Runtime generates applications that need a specific Runtime license to work. However, even without this license, the developed HMI application allows 15 minutes of continuous operation with each run.
In this way it is possible to create and fully test your own application before measuring the correct size (number of variables and alarms managed) and purchasing the Runtime license(s).
The benefits obtained in this way include:

• No cost until the actual installation of the developed application
• Possibility to choose the size of the license once the application has already developed, so you can choose being aware of the costs and required size, with no surprises
• Have everything you need on the installed workstation, so that you can perform local or remote interventions.

Currently the Runtime license is not tied to a specific version of the development system, so there are no upgrade costs to later versions.
For those who do not know Super-Flash we recommend using the customised training services offered by Automa. These are training modules of 4 hours each that can be structured, also in "realtime", to meet the specific needs of the participant.
Since the time available to company technicians is always scarce, Automa also offers remote training modules, via Skype, Google or other shared desktop platforms. Modules of just two hours also available. So the technician can stay in the office, and there are no costs for time and travel expenses.
For more information on Super-Flash Runtime please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Automa was founded on 29 April 1987, 31 years ago.
Among the activities planned for its thirtieth anniversary, an initiative called Interconnettiti! has been created, aiming to encourage the interconnection of HMI systems from an Industry 4.0 perspective.
This initiative is valid for orders placed by 30 September 2018 and specifically concerns communication drivers, drivers for accessing company databases and drivers for sending e-mails or publishing files via FTP.

1. For each purchase of the SmartDB driver the customer will also receive free SFX-Mail and SFFTP licenses, enabled on the same protection device (USB key or software enable code).
2. For each purchase of the SFX-Mail driver the customer will also receive free SmartDB and SFFTP licenses, enabled on the same protection device (USB key or software enable code).
3. For each purchase of the SFSIEETH Full driver, the customer will also receive a free license for another Ethernet driver of his choice, enabled on the same protection device (USB key or software enable code).
4. For each purchase of the SFABXETH driver, the customer will also receive for free the license of another Ethernet driver of his choice, enabled on the same protection device (USB key or software enable code).
5. Extra 10% discount on all training activities related to interconnection

For more information on the Interconnettiti! initiative, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

On the subject of Industry 4.0, the new features for 2018 include an important incentive for training on topics related to Industry 4.0. A tax discount of 40% is available for admissible costs.
Moreover, the training is generally financed through specific funds all companies are registered with by law. Often the resources accumulated by these funds are not used effectively.
With 30 years' experience in interconnection and horizontal and vertical integration projects, Automa is a valuable partner for the acquisition of new skills and abilities necessary for a conscious evolution towards the digital factory.
Automa can provide specific training on issues related to the interconnection of systems.

• Knowledge of HMI functionalities
• Knowledge of ESM functionalities
• Problems related to vertical integration
• Connection
• Synchronisation
• Data structuring
• Problems related to horizontal integration

Training is delivered by the same people who have developed specific integration and interconnection projects.
For more information on Interconnection courses, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911, or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

When it comes to software applications for Industrial Automation, communication drivers are of fundamental importance. Reliable and efficient communication is indispensable in SCADA/HMI applications.
The creation of communication drivers is an activity that is risky to improvise: Automa has been producing industrial communication software since 1987 and is able to supply reliable and competitive products.
Automa Communication Tools software was created to meet the key needs of companies developing software internally using Visual Studio or Visual C++, or other compatible tools: to quickly equip their software with the ability to communicate reliably to physical devices in the field and to supervision and human-machine interface applications (SCADA/HMI).

Driver	Description
ABXETH	Ethernet IP Driver for Allen Bradley Control Logix
BERPVI	Ethernet drivers for B&R automation systems
ModBus TCP/IP - M	Driver ModBus TCP/IP, master side
OMETH	Ethernet driver for PLC Omron
OPC Client	OPC Client - with OPC server configurator and browser
S7 200	Driver for S7 200
S7 HMI adapter	Driver for S7 HMI adapter and compatible
SBUSDM	Driver for PLC SAIA S-Bus, Data Mode, on Ethernet (UDP)
SIEETH (Smart e Full)	Drivers for Siemens and VIPA PLCs over Ethernet

For more information on Communication Tools line drivers please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 requires everything to be interconnected, always. In the industrial field, however, many devices, perhaps installed some time ago, are equipped only with a serial interface RS232/RS422/RS485.
Ethernet/serial converters such as the SE5001 allow old devices with only a serial interface to be connected to the Ethernet.
If older devices also support the ModBus RTU serial protocol, the MB5001C product offers another possibility: direct connection with ModBus TCP/IP.
MB5001C is a converter that, on the Ethernet side provides a ModBus TCP/IP connection and on the serial side a ModBus RTU connection.
Useful when connecting old ModBus RTU slave devices to a SCADA equipped with ModBus TCP/IP.
For more information about ModBus TCP/IP - ModBus RTU converters or to request a quotation, please contact our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or by e-mail to sales@automa.it.

The telephone assistance service provided by Automa is delivered directly by the technicians who participate in product development, and who therefore guarantee the highest possible technical level.

Type of Assistance	Who it is addressed to	Days and times of service
Free of charge	To those who hold at least one licence Super-Flash	Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
Service from 1 to 12 months	To those who subscribe to a specific service with a duration of 1 to 12 months	from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.
Technical Emergency Service	For those who do not have an active support service, but urgently need technical support	from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.

The Technical Emergency Service Service addresses those who do not have a paid assistance service and who need to solve an urgent technical problem on days when there is no free assistance service. It can be activated by phone. Costs depend on the duration: for durations up to 30 minutes, the minimum amount applies. It can also be requested by those who do not hold a Super-Flash licence.
For more information on the telephone assistance service, please contact Automa by phone on +39 035.32.33.911 or at the following e-mail address sales@automa.it.

As the August holidays approach, please note that our offices will be closed for the holiday period from 6 August 2018 until 24 August 2018.
Our telephone assistance service will be suspended during that time: it will resume regularly from Monday 27 August 2018.
Please remember that you can use the telephone assistance service every day from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m. You can access the service by subscribing to a contract of varying duration between 1 and 12 months, at any time.
For holders of at least one Super-Flash licence our technicians are available free of charge every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
For more information on the telephone assistance service, please contact Automa by phone on +39 035.32.33.911 or at the following e-mail address sales@automa.it.

The new Price List - April 2018 is now available and it will replace the previous Price List - June 2017.
Automa's products prices has remained unchanged compared to the past.
Beside adding some optional runtime drivers for Industry 4.0 interconnection, we also introduced a weekly rental service for Super-Flash Royalty-Free development licences. This service supplements the existing monthly rental service, providing an alternative at a significantly lower cost for using the Royalty-Free Super-Flash solution.
Modifications have been made to the section including hardware products for industrial communication. Some products were marked as obsolete and the price of some devices has been updated in line with the manufacturers' sales polices.
If you would like to receive the new price list as of April 2018, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911, or write an email to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 drives companies towards digitization. Horizontal and vertical integrations processes often include SCADA/HMI applications as interconnecting components. However, not all production floors are equipped with HMI, sometimes due to cost, apparently.
Automa proposes its own SCADA Super-Flash, also in the Royalty-Free mode, to help you freely develop HMI applications, including especially cost-sensitive ones. This extraordinary sales formula offers developers a unique opportunity. Royalty-Free development systems are available for purchase starting from 3,500 Euro for the smallest versions. Once the development system purchase cost has been recouped, each HMI benefits from the fact that there are no Runtime licence costs: an unrivalled competitive edge.
But there's more: now Super-Flash Royalty-Free licences can be rented!
Super-Flash creates compact, reliable applications that work on limited hardware, too, making even remote support operations simple.
Reliability, flexibility, personalised training and top-level technical support provided directly by the product developers. These are some of the values distinguishing Super-Flash, the development system proposed by Automa for SCADA-HMI applications.
Industry 4.0 encourages the creation of simple and user-friendly HMI applications, and their designs are increasingly based on the characteristics of the various operators. Flexibility, interconnectability and dynamic configurability of the various operating scenarios are high value-added characteristics that have been present in the development system for some time.
Lastly, the financial grants and incentives envisaged for Industry 4.0 also include the purchasing of software, including SCADA-HMI development systems and applications. For those who already have an extra depreciation regime [the so-called "hyper depreciation"] underway, software purchasing and development can benefit from additional depreciation ["super depreciation"] at a rate of 130%.
If you would like more information about Super-Flash Royalty-Free, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

On the wake of Industry 4.0, customers of SCADA developers have become increasingly sensitive to integration issues between SCADA/HMI and the company's IT system.
Now it has come the time to address the typical MES functionalities, which are more directly related to all range of requirements of production management.
Among them there is Maintenance Management, with specific focus on Preventive Maintenance. Maintenance is a strategic business function. Maintenance and continuous improvement in equipment and plants efficiency is a tangible contribution to business performance.
Collecting operation data on the equipment under maintenance is crucial for a modern and efficient implementation of Preventive Maintenance. A systematic and correct data collection can be achieved only though automation: manual collection of data is too costly and it can even impair the convenience of Preventive Maintenance.
Equipment and plants are controlled by PLC and SCADA: often data required for maintenance are already available in those systems. Therefore, interconnection with Preventive Maintenance Management can be established. Today, in case of widely deployed, small scale systems IoT can be leveraged, as well as data storage platforms, configuration consoles and data analysis dashboards.
To meet this need, Automa offers MainteX, a software for Preventive Maintenance Management that can be directly connected to computers and equipment.
If you would like more information about Preventive Maintenance Management (MainteX), please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

MainteX is a software to manage ordinary and preventive maintenance. This is a highly operations-oriented software, designed with the maintenance technician in mind.
In addition to being a simple and easy-to-use product, its strengths also lie in a specific feature stemming from Automa's 30-year expertise as software manufacturer for industrial automation: MainteX can interface directly with computers and equipment for field data collection. Thus, you can save on data collection costs when gathering information for proper system operations and simultaneously reduce the time needed and the potential errors deriving from manual transcription. The overall efficiency of the Maintenance department is increased.
Although it can be a valuable support when traditional maintenance methods are applied, MainteX really shines through with innovative approaches, such as predictive and condition based maintenance. In fact MainteX's basic feature is the ability to pull data directly from SCADA/HMI applications, or even PLC and the latest IoT systems.
For a product trial, you can download the DEMO version from the freedownload section of our website.
If you would like more information about MainteX, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

MainteX-Web is MainteX's web client version that enables maintenance technicians to have all information relating to interventions at their fingertips by simply using a smartphone or tablet.
MainteX allows to automatically collect maintenance data and data can be also entered manually through MainteX-Web.
This solution greatly simplifies maintenance technicians' operations: since they avoid using paper, thus saving time and reducing potential errors deriving from manual transcription.
MainteX-Web is a web client tool that leverages MainteX as server.
A demo of MainteX-Web is available at www.maintex.it - input "maintexweb" as user name and "demo" as password.
If you would like more information about MainteX-Web, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

In the Industry 4.0 paradigm, everything is interconnected. However, several industrial devices are only provided with a RS232/RS422/RS485 serial interface.
Ethernet to serial converters enable to include all devices provided only with RS232, RS422 or RS485 serial lines in your Ethernet network.
As a result, old devices can be interconnected within the IT system, including in case of equipment or plant revamping.
Using VirtualCom the devices can be connected without changing the existing software.
Automa offers ATOP SE5001, a device connecting RS232, RS422 or RS485 serial lines to Ethernet networks. The device can be configured through the web browser.
ATOP converters are reliable, high-performing, easy to configure and low cost, and they are available in the standard, opto-isolated and outdoor IP67 versions. Automa has tested their functionality with critical communication protocols, such as the old Siemens PLC S5 programming port and the S7-200 PPI port.
Automa provides full technical support on the converters to assist customers in using them for the first time.
The list of ATOP products distributed by Automa is available in the hardware section of our website www.automa.it, where you can also download the relevant technical documents.
If you would like more information about serial to Ethernet converter or to request a quotation, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911, or write an email to sales@automa.it.

The LA6-PoE, a signal tower with Ethernet connection and ModBus TCP/IP control deserves a special place among PATLITE network products. This signal tower supports PoE (Power Over Ethernet) and it can be powered directly from the Ethernet cable.
LA6-PoE, the RGB multi-colour signal tower, supports ModBus TCP/IP and it can be controlled by clients implementing such communication standard. Automa can also offer software developers the ModBus TCP/IP drivers to control LA6-PoE's RGB lights.
It can be used both for mirroring other signal towers' status and to effectively support alarms escalation procedures.
Multi-colour's high versatility provides this signal tower with a potential for applications that was unthinkable in traditional steady tower lights.
PoE technology enables the signal tower to be powered through the Ethernet cable and it greatly simplifies wiring.
The LA6-PoE signal tower is also supported by AirGriDaCo, a wireless data collection software for tower lights developed by Automa for PATLITE's WD system.
If you would like more information about the LA6-PoE signal tower or AirGriDaCo products, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

The telephone support service offered by Automa is provided directly by the very technical experts who help develop the product. It is therefore of the highest possible technical level.

Type of support	Who it caters for	Service operating days and hours
Free	For owners of at least one Super-Flash licence	Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
1 to 12 months' service	For those signing a specific service agreement lasting from 1 to 12 months	Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Technical First Aid	For those with no active support service agreement, but who urgently require technical support	Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Technical First Aid caters for those with no active Paid Support service who need to solve an urgent technical problem on days when there is no free Support service available. It is available over the telephone. Costs depend on the duration of the call: the minimum amount shall apply for calls lasting up to 30 minutes. The service can also be requested by those not owning a Super-Flash licence.
If you would like more information about the telephone support service, please call Automa on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

Our offices will remain closed on Monday, April 30th, for the upcoming Labour Day celebrations on May 1st. Telephone support service will also be suspended and resumed on Wednesday, May 2nd 2018. If you would like more information about the telephone support service, please call Automa on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

Automa presents its own SCADA Super-Flash, also in the Royalty-Free mode, to help you freely develop HMI applications, including especially cost-sensitive ones. This extraordinary sales formula offers developers a unique opportunity. Once the development system purchase cost has been recouped, each HMI developed benefits from the fact that there are no Runtime licence costs: an unrivalled competitive edge.
Super-Flash creates compact, reliable applications that work on limited hardware, too, making even remote support operations simple.
Reliability, flexibility, personalised training and top-level technical support provided directly by the product developers. These are some of the values distinguishing Super-Flash, the development system proposed by Automa for SCADA-HMI applications.
Industry 4.0 calls for the interconnection of all production process elements. SCADA-HMI applications are an excellent and strategic gateway for horizontal and vertical integration. The creation of simple and user-friendly HMI applications is also being encouraged, and their designs are increasingly based on the characteristics of the various operators. Flexibility, interconnectability and dynamic configurability of the various operating scenarios are high value-added characteristics that have been present in the Super-Flash development system for some time.
Lastly, the financial grants and incentives envisaged for Industry 4.0 also include the purchasing of software, including SCADA-HMI development systems and applications. For those who already have an extra depreciation regime [the so-called "hyper depreciation"] underway, software purchasing and development can benefit from additional depreciation ["super depreciation"] at a rate of 130%. This makes it even cheaper to purchase Super-Flash Royalty-Free.
If you would like more information about Super-Flash Royalty-Free, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

Are you being plagued by the new Windows versions and relative updates?
Are they causing your SCADA to malfunction, too?
Well you must not be using Super-Flash, the SCADA specifically designed by Automa to be little dependent on the operating system.
This basic approach gives Super-Flash the gold medal for reliability and, even more so, for backward compatibility with old projects completed in the past.
SCADA-HMI application compatibility over time is worth a great deal, especially in times like these when End Customers pay utmost attention to cutting avoidable costs.
Industry 4.0 also calls for the interconnection of all HMI workstations, old or new. In order to connect old stand-alone HMI workstations, you need to get hold of the design of the application currently in operation.
With Super-Flash, you can easily update applications installed 25-30 years ago, perhaps still with DOS O.S., to the current version (4.5). Of course, these software applications must have passed the reliability test over time: often, customers simply ask to be able to run them on "more modern" PCs, or to interconnect them with the company's information systems.
Try doing it with another SCADA!
You would almost certainly be forced to make the application again, often without any actual added value.
That is why compatibility with old applications is very important for people choosing a SCADA.
If you would like more information about Super-Flash and its capacity to import old SCADA-HMI projects, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

On the theme of Industry 4.0, 2018 also marks the dawn of major subsidies for training on Industry 4.0-related topics. It is possible to deduct 40% of expenses borne for tax purposes. This very important initiative highlights a basic truth: the shift towards the smart factory is currently held back by the lack of specific knowledge of the various corporate roles. These corporate figures need to acquire new expertise and skills. In general, the most suitable figure should possess: critical thinking, sharing skills, creativity, emotional intelligence, curiosity for technology and a talent for change management. Some other important skills of Industry 4.0 professionals are described in more detail below.
A flair for innovation:

• Research into and exploration of new technologies
• Evaluation of the risks, costs and opportunities of innovation projects based on new technologies
• Ability to manage innovation projects

Digital creativity:

• Digital content creation
• Software development at the various levels of corporate information systems, database design and scripts creation
• Critical thinking, problem-solving skills, invention of digital solutions and model development

Data analysis skills:

• Data research, capture, processing, analysis and interpretation
• Data protection
• Cyber security
• Management skills based on models input with real data

System integration and interconnection skills:

• Knowledge of HMI functionalities
• Knowledge of MES functionalities
• Horizontal integration-related issues
• Vertical integration-related issues

With 30 years' experience in system interconnection and horizontal and vertical integration in the industrial environment, Automa can offer specific training on system interconnection-related topics.
If you would like more information about Interconnection courses, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911, or write an email to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 is definitely a good Industrial Plan that specifically focuses on manufacturing and its digitisation. The basic concept is that of subsidising, to make the whole production process more efficient, through innovation and integration.
However, this is accompanied by a major problem that goes to show how much still needs to be done. On the one hand, we are under strict obligation to interconnect our systems: it is a logical choice to encourage the shift towards smart manufacturing. However, on the other, the key element of interconnection and integration is clearly software. And this is where the major problem of Industry 4.0 shines through, a problem that is slowing down a veritable boom in interconnected systems: software is not yet considered to be a capital good that can benefit from extra depreciation ["hyper depreciation"].
This is only possible for so-called capital good-"embedded" software. By definition, this excludes from the benefit of hyper depreciation all those investments which, despite being strategic for digitisation and the smart factory, are first and foremost software. You only have to think of a project to integrate and interconnect already-existing machines within a company's information system - machines that already meet interconnection requirements.
For example, how can a SCADA-HMI development system not be considered a "capital good"? Why can a production management system not be considered a "capital good" when a production machine is one?
It is true that a qualitative leap has been made. We have gone from "software is expressly excluded", to having the possibility of applying additional depreciation ["super depreciation"] if a user already has a hyper depreciation regime in place.
However, this only goes to show how far behind Italy was and how much more progress it needs to make if it wants to make up for the time lost in digitising its manufacturing companies and companies in general.
If you would like more information about Automa's support for Industry 4.0, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

WRL-R100 is a series of routers by Wlink that enables easy and secure 3G/4G Internet connection. By simply inserting a data SIM and configuring OpenVPN, it is possible to put all the devices connected to the local Ethernet port of the router onto your own private geographically distributed network. IoT, M2M, remote support, telecontrol and remote management become simple to implement and truly low cost. The Wlink router features industrial, metal, compact casing. It supports secure VPN connections (PPTP, L2TP, GPE, IPsec) and manages automatic reboot in the event of connection failure.
If you would like more information about Wlink routers, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

Industry 4.0 is a National Plan encouraging companies to progress strategically towards efficient and flexible production. Many companies implement only partially integrated data flows with some parts still on paper. The digitisation of these flows will allow more flexible production, able to process small customized batches and slash manual data handling-related costs and problems.
We often note a lack of data relating to the real-time progress of production: this makes it impossible to intervene quickly in order to resolve the problems or deviation in the production process. What is the actual cost of this lack of data for the company? If we knew, companies would not think twice about implementing data flow digitisation.
Only a truly interconnected system can allow us to aspire to implement what is defined as the Smart Factory.
The National Industry 4.0 Plan defines interconnection as a pre-requisite in order to be able to benefit from certain financial grants and incentives, such as extra depreciation ["hyper depreciation"] (250%). Without interconnection, any investments made are categorised as a simple renewal of the machine inventory or production processes and can only benefit from additional depreciation ["super depreciation"] (130%).
Investments focusing on horizontal/vertical integration are among those that can more easily enjoy added value if appropriately planned from an interconnection perspective.
Automa offers a number of targeted services to help customers define a corporate Industry 4.0 project and to correctly identify the operating requisites and applicability of the financial grants and incentives:

• Drafting of the corporate Industry 4.0 project
• Technical analysis to verify compliance with the requirements for benefiting from the financial incentives and grants provided for purchasing/revamping capital goods/systems
• Analysis and planning of the interconnection of assets with the company's information system
• Development of interconnection modules
• Expert's technical report of the survey
• Training on horizontal/vertical integration
• Training on interconnection for Industry 4.0

Automa, which has been interconnecting systems and dealing with horizontal and vertical integration in the industrial environment for more than 30 years, can effectively help you define and develop an Industry 4.0 project.
If you would like more information about Automa's support for Industry 4.0, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

Automa's Trend Publisher (TP) software exports the trend data registered by a Super-Flash application and publishes it in a Database.
This autonomous Super-Flash application reads the trend data produced by one or more Super-Flash applications and publishes them in a Database.
It communicates with the Super-Flash application, through the SF-SF protocol (on the TCP/IP channel), to receive the publication task. Once it has received a task, it executes it in total autonomy. To find out which Super-Flash variables to export, it uses an ASCII file containing the list of the variables to be managed.
Trend Publisher can be hosted on the very computer on which the application recording the trends is running, or on another computer in the network. As it is able to manage access to the network paths, and by communicating in TCP/IP, its physical position can be decided in accordance with its own architecture and the performance of the computers available. The Database can also be positioned anywhere on the network, provided it is accessible. This makes using Trend Publisher extremely flexible.
TP uses SmartDB as a tool to access the Database.
TP has its own interface to enable manual definition of the publication task, too. It manages a queue of tasks to be executed and provides the outcome of completed tasks. It is possible to associate other data with the trend publication of a task, for example the processing code or job order, making the next analysis even more effective.
Trend Publisher is a precious tool for your Industry 4.0 projects.
If you would like more information about Trend Publisher, please call our sales staff directly on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

The telephone support service offered by Automa is provided directly by the very technical experts who help develop the product. It is therefore of the highest possible technical level.

Type of support	Who it caters for	Service operating days and hours
Free of charge	For owners of at least one Super-Flash licence	Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
1 to 12 months' service	For those signing a specific service agreement lasting from 1 to 12 months	Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Technical First Aid	For those with no active support service agreement, but who urgently require technical support	Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Technical First Aid caters for those with no active Paid Support service who need to solve an urgent technical problem on days when there is no free Support service available. It is available over the telephone. Costs depend on the duration of the call: the minimum amount pursuant to the Price list shall apply for calls lasting up to 30 minutes. The service can also be requested by those not owning a Super-Flash licence.
If you would like more information about the telephone support service, please call Automa on +39 035.32.33.911 or send an email to sales@automa.it.

In a few days' time, the Super-Flash 4.5 SP1 version will be placed at your disposal for bug fixing.
The Super-Flash 4.5 version was released in June 2017 and has demonstrated excellent stability.
In fact, it has been so stable that there has been no need for hotfixes for serious problems to date.
The Service Pack 1 now resolves a series of small problems reported by both customers and internal testing procedures.
We wish to remind you that the Super-Flash 4.5 version is certified to run on Windows operating systems (Pro or Embedded) XP, W7, W8, W8.1 and W10.
It will soon be possible to download the Service Pack from the free download and download section on our website.