Automation's Impact

The following figure came courtesy of Larry O’Brien at Automation Research Corporation and demonstrates how an investment in automation and control systems during the capital phase of a project can have a disproportionate impact (at least 5 times greater) on the profitability of a facility during its operating life.

The primary reason for this large return is that automation are the ‘eyes and ears’ for your facility and if you know what is happening you are more likely and able to respond before any abnormal situation can escalate into something more serious financially or as an Health Safety, Environmental incident.

All of use likely have examples of where and how our automation systems have prevented incidents of various forms so if you are at liberty to do so, please post your generic description below so we can all learn from your experience (and prevent living the same experience ourselves) and  in the process build the profile of our honourable profession.

Off to the Oil Sands Automation Conference in Fort McMurray tomorrow so will post from there with some highlights later this week.