ExperTune claims to have captured the knowledge of process control guru F. Greg Shinskey in an on-line expert system incorporated into the latest version of its PlantTriage software. It draws data from a plant's control system in real time or from a process data historian, measures over 80 aspects of controller performance and then applies Shinskey's rules to generate real-time advice on instruments, controllers, valves and process equipment. The results are displayed in dashboards on a web browser or delivered via event-driven email alerts. The analysis is based on each controller's configuration, the type of loop being controlled and pattern recognition of real-time trend information. The resultant advice provides a complete explanation of the problem, its symptoms and the steps required to resolve it.
Shinskey's process control career spans more than 50 years during which he has received 17 patents and written seven books and more than 100 articles. He received ISA’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award and has also become a member of the Process Automation Hall of Fame. His approach to energy saving and process improvement has been adopted by many companies in the process industries. "Few plants have the luxury of such deep expertise on their staff," said ExperTune president and founder John Gerry. "We are very excited to be able to bring Greg’s expertise into hundreds of plants at once."