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Honeywell's New Experion LS Brings the Power of a Distributed Control System to Smaller Manufacturing Sites

ControlGlobal.com
02/03/2009

Honeywell introduced the Experion LS control system, a new product within Honeywell’s award-winning Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) line that provides the power and reliability of a distributed control system (DCS) in a small and flexible solution. Experion LS manages all continuous process control applications and optimizes batch and sequence-oriented applications typically found at specialty chemicals, pharmaceutical, food and beverage and consumer goods producers. Scalable from a single PC and controller to multiple stations, Experion LS promotes plant reliability and flexibility while lowering lifecycle costs for smaller manufacturing sites.

Experion LS is suited for smaller plants allowing the manufacturer to better respond to market changes while offering robust process and batch control features. Experion LS is easier to configure and easier to maintain than a PLC or large DCS, Experion LS can help plants save up to $20,000 per year in support per system. The easier configuration also enables faster and more-reliable changeovers, allowing operators to more easily modify batch recipes and increase production.

“Many applications in the Food and Beverage, Specialty Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Life Science industries would benefit from the functionality of a DCS, but the installed base has been limited due to the perceptions of lack of scalability, great complexity and high costs,” said ARC Advisory Group analyst Craig Resnick. “Experion LS appears to address these issues by being designed to be a DCS for the masses, one that can be specified, purchased, installed, and maintained in a scalable fashion by organizations that have not utilized DCS systems in the past.  It is especially critical today that manufacturers, processors, and OEMs leverage these technologies in face of their unprecedented pressures to cut costs while simultaneously meeting increased regulations and sustainability objectives.”

“Smaller manufacturing operations tell us they need DCS functionality, such as the system reliability and greater flexibility that PLCs can’t offer, but many leading DCS systems are just too big for their operations,” said Harsh Chitale, vice president of strategy and global marketing, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Experion LS offers the best of both worlds. It provides agility to respond to product mix changes and offers advanced optimization and batch technology usually found in larger DCS systems.”

Experion LS features Honeywell’s S88 compliant and scalable solution for batch automation that can be fully redundant. The system minimizes engineering costs with drag-and-drop configuration, pre-built algorithms, a global database, pre-configured displays and out-of-the-box batch functionality. Operational advantages are gained by being able to make automation configuration changes without stopping production and offering operators a run-time view of control strategy and sequence status, truly redundant unit execution and integrated operator instructions.

“For many years, smaller manufacturers faced a dilemma: They needed to quickly adapt their processes to market changes, but doing so could reduce system reliability and increases lifecycle costs,” said Chitale. “As the creator of the first DCS system, Honeywell has taken its extensive DCS knowledge and designed Experion LS to deliver the agility these manufacturers need to survive in today’s business environment without sacrificing system stability.”

Plants can work through local authorized Honeywell Experion Implementers to provide project implementation and ongoing application support. Honeywell provides training, support and ongoing technical assistance to system integrators to promote project lifecycle success.

For more information about Experion LS and other Honeywell solutions designed to help batch manufacturers improve their process economics and reduce lifecycle costs, please visit www.honeywell.com/ps.

To learn more about ths product, rea dour product exclusive article "Honeywell Brings DCS Power to Smaller Sites"