Digital transformation is fully engaged
Opening Schneider Electric’s Innovation Days, a panel featuring Michael Martinez, Gary Freburger, Aleksandr Rakitin and Nathalie Marcotte the journey to digital transformation for Schneider and its customers. “Companies use the technology they need for business, and the business environment is changing dramatically,” Martinez said. Read more.
Marcotte to lead Schneider process automation business
Nathalie Marcotte, who says it will be "business as usual" during the transition, will succeed the retiring Gary Freburger as president of Schneider’s Process Automation business, effective January 1, 2020. Read more.
Safety layers protect best when visible
“It’s more important to establish clear objectives and parameters for risk assessment than to use a cookbook method.” LyondellBasell’s Dan Poston explained how to create a process safety strategy at Schneider Electric’s Innovation Days in Austin, Texas. Read more.
Best practices for an online controller upgrade
Process interruption is costly. Planned shutdowns need to be well-organized and swift. Schneider Electric’s Tom Rosborough and Kessler Industrial Controls’ Maks Wilde explained how to upgrade equipment online without interrupting your process. Read more.
Digital innovations on tap for Schneider DCS platform
Thad Frost, Foxboro DCS leader, Schneider Electric, described the EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS roadmap and provided an overview of Schneider's digital services, including Cyber Security, Asset Management, Alarm Management, Loop Management, Situational Awareness Graphics, Migration and more. Read more.
Triconex evolves to provide profitable safety
The company's Chris Stogner revealed the roadmap for brand success at this week’s Schneider Electric Innovation Days. "The electronics industry is facing many challenges, such as new products like smart phones only lasting a couple of years between releases, while users want Tricon to last 30 years or more.” Read more.
Gulf Coast facility saves with integrated power
Integrated control and power systems reduced a Gulf Coast facility 15%, labor costs 10%, and produced a 40% lower labor rate for shop vs. field time. Schneider Electric's Matthew Railean explains how Schneider's guiding the success. Read more.
Swappable I/O cards streamline DCS update
After more than 30 years, the legacy DCS, token-ring network and I/O cards at the Fayette Power Project were failing. “[W]e finally got to the point where it was less costly to migrate to all EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS than it was to keep using our old equipment.” LCRA’s Scott Matus explains the modernization project. Read more.
Cybersecurity experts offer best practices
An expert cybersecurity panel, which included OIT Concepts's Eric Cosman, ISA Security Compliance Institute's Andre Ristaino, Schneider Electric's Gary Williams and Triconex's Ajay Mishra, shared strategies that users can employ to make their applications more secure. Read more.
Decoding compressor’s surge-control puzzle
AVEVA’s Howard Jemison on how dynamic simulation helped to decode the persistent trips of a troublesome compressor. “When the event happened, it was already past the surge control line, and no action was being taken by the controller—nobody could give me a satisfactory answer why and how that could happen.” Read more.
Indonesian mine brings DCS into current era
PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is at the end of more than one era. PTFI's Bendang Sameto presented at Innovation Days this week to share how the company is transitioning to improved systems and underground operations. Read more.
PID still needed in era of Industry 4.0
Do you know about feedback control? "Automation is everywhere, but nowhere to be seen,” according to Sigifredo Nino at Summa Control Solutions. "The real case is that there should be a synergy between the intelligence offered by automation professionals and the availability, visualization, integration and coordination of data offered by IIoT." Read more.
Dow, Georgia-Pacific show OPA support
Janette Brightwell of Dow and Michael Carroll of Georgia-Pacific made the case for the broader participation in the Open Process Automation Forum, and explained why industry leaders have signed on to the effort. ExxonMobil’s Bradley Houk and Schneider’s Trevor Cusworth joined them in a panel discussion going further on the topic. Read more.
ExxonMobil takes IJH challenge to new level
The company's senior technical professional Erik Bruyn showcased its initiative to reengineer the control system, known internally as It Just Happens. Read more.
Bechtel proves out Universal I/O savings
Robert Resendez explained how intelligent enclosures have saved time and money at the company after eliminating nearly 2 million linear feet of cable. Read more.
Protect your analyzers from cyber attack
The IIoT and other forms of digitalization are bringing all kinds of process sensing and analysis functions closer to their I/O and control counterparts, but these links can also make measurement devices more vulnerable to cyber probes, intrusions and potential attacks. Schneider Electric’s Peter Traynor discussed how to keep analyzers secure. Read more.
Oil & gas producers move closer to the edge
Schneider Electric’s Helenio Gilabert described applications of edge technology in the oil and gas industry and how it could interact with existing architectures, with no need to rip and replace. Read more.
M580 PAC continues Modicon legacy
José Bonomo and Dafir Lamdaouar outlined the roadmap for the future of the Modicon PAC. “It’s designed to break the silos and layers of control, automation, operations, process and business with a flatter architecture in which each asset,” Bonomo said. Read more.
