The "father" of the programmable logic controller (PLC), Richard Morley, recently passed away at age 84. After he invented the device 50 years ago, it revolutionized plant floors around the world. The PLC eliminated the need for hard wiring and spurred the development of flexible manufacturing.

AUBURN HILLS, MI—Patti Engineering Inc., a specialist in control systems integration, will expand its collaboration with McClellan Automation Systems, a company that designs and builds automated assembly systems.