Understanding the different classifications for hazardous locations is crucial for safety at your worksite. What exactly do Class, Zone, and Division mean? Let’s dive in and take a closer look. A hazardous location is an area that has the potential for fire or explosion, whether due to the presence of flammable gases, vapours, dust, or fibres, and where special precautions and equipment are necessary.
In an era where sustainability and decentralization are reshaping industrial operations, solar-powered automation is emerging as a vital solution. This technology harnesses solar energy to drive variable speed drives (VSDs) and motor control systems, enabling efficient and reliable operation in remote or off-grid environments. Whether it’s powering irrigation pumps in agricultural fields or running ventilation systems in rural facilities, solar-powered automation offers a compelling alternative to diesel generators and fixed-grid infrastructure.
At the heart of the digital transformation, data centers play a critical strategic role. They support cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, government services, and large-scale data storage. In Canada, their growth is accelerating, driven by increasing demand for digital capacity and hosted services. However, this expansion comes with a major challenge: extremely high energy consumption. Between servers, cooling systems, backup power supplies, and lighting, energy costs can account for 30 to 50% of total operating expenses. Optimizing electrical management is no longer just an advantage—it has become an economic, operational, and environmental necessity.
Smart buildings need HVAC solutions they can rely on, particularly in crowded commercial and industrial areas. When electrical parts remain safe and steady, airflow stays smooth, comfort never dips, and equipment avoids damage. That’s why contactors, overload relays, and VFDs quietly power the brains and heartbeat of modern HVAC control. Smart HVAC systems may look calm on the outside, but inside, they depend on a busy network of electrical components that keep everything running without missing a beat. Compressors, chillers, cooling towers, AHUs, and ventilation fans are all dependent on steady power to breathe life into a building. This is why HVAC systems demand uninterrupted uptime and safe operation. If even one electrical piece fails, cooling can stall, airflow can drop, and comfort can disappear faster than anyone expects.
Hammond Manufacturing enters 2026 with a strengthened North American advantage and a product lineup built for the industries shaping the year ahead. Rising demand for local manufacturing, timely delivery, and rugged infrastructure is reshaping the IT landscape. Hammond is positioned at the center of this shift with solutions “Made in North America” and designed for edge computing, industrial IT, and critical infrastructure.
Ever wondered what traceability really means and why everyone is talking about it? In short, it’s your ability to track a product’s entire journey, from raw materials to finished goods, by connecting data at every step. Sounds powerful, right? The real question is: how do you actually start? Before diving in, ask yourself: What’s driving this initiative?
When you’re on-site and under pressure to finish a job, the last thing you need is unreliable product availability or questionable code compliance. That’s why more electrical contractors across Western Canada are turning to ABB’s Made-in-Canada installation products. Featured in ABB’s video, these products are engineered in Canada for Canadian environments — and backed by the quality and consistency ABB is known for worldwide. In this article, let’s break down why Canadian-made installation products make a difference on the job, and how they help contractors work smarter.
Setting up and operating motor control centers (MCCs) is a complex and demanding task. Engineers can encounter time-consuming manual configuration, limited system visibility and troubleshooting delays. Plus, safety concerns, unplanned downtime and difficulty scaling or updating MCC systems can further complicate the picture. Obstacles not only reduce productivity but also increase the risk of errors. Reducing these pain points, IntelliCENTER technology can transform motor control center configuration and maintenance by streamlining setup, enhancing visibility and enabling smarter, safer maintenance. And at the heart of these capabilities are the powerful datasets that drive them.
Although the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of global supply chains, factory automation has stepped up to mitigate many of those shortcomings. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, manufacturers worldwide have become acutely aware of the interconnectivity of supply chains. More recent issues such as international trade disputes and labor shortages have only reinforced that there are vulnerabilities every business within a supply chain has to face from time to time. Shortages of critical supplies have exposed vulnerabilities that have shut down production centers, even as demand for certain products has boomed. For many businesses, these challenges have focused on their current supply chain management practices, turning improvements into a critical strategic objective.
Field termination of fiber optic cable connectors is nothing new, and while there have been various products to address field termination needs over the decades, the products discussed here are: field polish, mechanical splice, and fusion splice. Each of these has had time in the spotlight, and there are commonalities that hold true across all three. Chief amongst these is the need for cleanliness when terminating and installing fiber, so we will not spend time on that aspect.
Electric and electronic equipment are often exposed to challenging environments where dust, water, or accidental contact can cause failures. To address this, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) established the Ingress Protection (IP) rating system under the IEC 60529 standard. This system provides a clear, standardized method of indicating how well an enclosure protects against solids, liquids, and access to hazardous parts.
With operating costs up 32% and sustainability mandates tightening, oil and gas companies are rethinking how they manage energy and automation. The integration of process control and power systems is transforming the industry, enabling operators to optimize production, reduce costs, and enhance reliability across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. By unifying these traditionally separate domains, oil and gas companies can achieve new levels of performance and resilience. This paper explores the top 10 benefits of integrating process control and power systems in oil and gas applications.
Cloud computing and edge computing are reshaping how industrial organizations manage connected devices, analyze data, and maintain operations. While both architectures process and store data, they differ significantly in where that processing occurs—centrally in the cloud or locally at the edge. Understanding these differences is critical for companies evaluating strategies for predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics, and safety. This paper compares cloud and edge computing, examines their role in modern predictive technologies, and outlines the safety and operational benefits of adopting the right approach.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) have become essential across modern industrial and commercial environments—but what makes them so valuable? A VFD, also known as an AC Drive or Inverter, is an electronic device that precisely controls the speed and torque of an AC motor. By adjusting the frequency and voltage supplied to the motor, a VFD delivers smooth acceleration, reduced inrush current, and efficient variable-speed operation. Whether you’re optimizing energy consumption or improving process control, the VFD is at the heart of smarter motor-driven systems. The NOARK Ex9VF7 series VFD is engineered for precise control of AC motors—managing speed, torque, and direction effortlessly. Designed for pumps, fans, conveyors, and countless industrial processes, the Ex9VF7 improves energy efficiency and system performance across the board.
As network demands continue to surge and building technology evolves, the cabling infrastructure you choose today will determine your network’s capability for years to come. Sitting down with Vincent Lullo, Panduit’s Product Manager Associate for 10 Gig Cabling, to answer the most pressing questions about Category (CAT) 6A cable and why it’s becoming the go-to standard for modern building projects.
In industrial environments, enclosures face not only dust and water ingress but also physical impacts that can compromise equipment. The IK rating system, defined by IEC 62262, provides a standardized way to measure an enclosure’s resistance to mechanical impact. The IK rating classifies the level of protection an enclosure offers against external mechanical impacts, expressed in joules (J). Each rating (from IK00 to IK10) represents a specific energy level the enclosure can withstand. For instance, IK06 indicates protection against 1 J of impact energy, while IK10 withstands up to 20 J.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
