Chris LeBlanc will present an overview of modern industrial control and automation systems including a historical look at where this technology has come from and where the industry is moving.   This presentation will define the origins and technology behind what the industry calls Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs), or Next Generation PLCs.

A native of Southeast Texas, Mr. LeBlanc graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas with a degree in electrical engineering.   After joining National Instruments in the fall of 1994, he spent several years based in the NI corporate offices in Austin, Texas.  Mr. LeBlanc worked extensively with National Instruments hardware and software products as an Applications Engineer for more than three years.  He then moved to the NI strategic product management group where he specialized in industrial measurement and communication systems for four years.  As a Strategic Product Manager, he specialized in software such as HMI/SCADA and embedded real-time systems.  His hardware specialization includes data acquisition, distributed I/O, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, CAN bus, and other industrial protocols.  In 2002, he became a Field Engineer and now has the pleasure of working closely with the local oil and gas, aerospace, and biomedical industries located throughout the East/Central Houston and South Louisiana areas.