News

Hardware lead times cost time and money

When you least expect it, something will break. In a highly customized production environment, broken or missing parts cost time and money—especially now with vendors continuing to have long lead times on products. At Trident, we have a large inventory of legacy DCS components ready to integrate into your control system, including hardware from our online store. Increasingly, we are working with customers to identify critical path components and build a spares list on the most needed items. “Looking at […] Read More

Ditch the black box and increase diagnostics!

Wherever fuel is burned – furnaces, ovens, kilns, dryers, boilers and other kinds of facilities – there is burner management system (BMS) in play. The basic nature of these systems with the use of explosive gases and extreme temperatures makes safety paramount. Historically the control systems running these processes have been “black box” solutions that are expensive and tough to troubleshoot. A recent revision to NFPA standards now allows the use of SIL3 capable off the shelf PLCs in place of […] Read More

Uncover and secure vulnerabilities in your system

It seems every week stories of major companies getting hacked make the news. Systems are held for ransom, production stops, and in some cases it’s a disaster to the bottom line. A leader in petroleum refining and renewable fuels needed system enhancements. To protect this essential industry, the company embarked on a project to upgrade security systems at all their ethanol plants. To meet the established corporate standards developed on a Honeywell platform in their petroleum refineries, they needed a […] Read More

Cyber Security Hardening

You probably do it every day—plug a dying cellphone into your computer for a quick charge. But that simple connection has the potential to infect your laptop or your company’s network with malware or destructive viruses. There could be multiple inroads into your system that are unlocked and waiting for cyber crooks to step in, and that’s where cyber security system hardening from Trident comes into play. System hardening (or cyber security hardening) is a process to uncover and secure […] Read More

Maintaining your legacy system

The term that can strike fear into the hearts of any business is “system upgrade.” Visions of production downtime, learning curves for new software, and integration with existing systems all have the potential to cripple production. Let’s say you make the decision to skip these minefields and stick with a legacy system—exactly where can you find the help you need when the factory stops support? When control systems move to legacy status, manufacturers stop active production and increase the price […] Read More

TRIDENT TIPS: create a reliable DCS architecture

When you consider upgrading or installing a DCS architecture, here are some quick tips from our engineering experts. Rick Tenor is a project manager and controls engineer on our team and is experienced in creating new control systems and upgrading existing systems. Tips for creating a RELIABLE system: Size the system right: Many manufacturers design a system to meet today’s needs and don’t consider expanding it as processes grow or evolve. Make sure you are building a system that can […] Read More