ISA Expo Technical Conference track focuses on enterprise integration

Research Triangle Park, N.C. - ISA Expo 2008 will feature enterprise integration as one of six technology exchanges, offering technical conference sessions and open-to-all briefings by industry experts delivered to attendees on the exhibit floor.

Enterprise integration is critical to the success of an operation, enabling continuous improvement through information technology and the integration of hardware and software. Best practices in asset management, ISA95 Enterprise-Control System Integration standards and ISA88 Batch Control standards will be discussed, as well as choosing a system integrator, data and documentation, project management and more.

Peer-reviewed technical conference sessions include a session on integrating in a global marketplace. Global experts Andre Michel of Amgen and Kevin Wilhelm of Eli Lilly and Company will present a paper on Tuesday, October 14 detailing the benefits and hazards of designing and building in one continent, shipping internationally, and recreating projects in multiple locations around the world. "In today's marketplace, it's critical for professionals to understand how to work with a multinational company," said Michel.

Walt Boyes, Editor-in-Chief of Control Magazine, will give a two-part tutorial on Tuesday, October 14, discussing the use of system integrators, methods for determining and defining the roles of the users and the integrators, and best practices for project success.

Additional conference sessions on Tuesday include "Proper Project Management," "Advantages of Design/Build" and "Holding the Bag: The Engineer-of-Record's Role in Project Success."

On Wednesday, October 16, John Rinaldi of Real Time Automation will deliver a presentation on "Dealing with IT," exploring the perils and pitfalls of working with enterprise IT from a plant floor perspective.

Also on Wednesday, industry expert and ISA Expo session developer Ian Verhappen of MTL will present "Getting the Best Value out of Commissioning." "During this session, attendees will hear horror stories and best practices in the fine art of commissioning," said Verhappen.

Additional conference sessions on Wednesday include "Integrating the Integration," "Selecting the Right System Integrator" and "Network vs. Point-to-Point Wiring."

Thursday's sessions include "Documentation and Data Management," which explores a project's life cycle as it relates to documentation. A team of presenters will offer three technical papers, including "What Is Excellence in the Nuclear Industry, and How Do We Achieve It?" by Nick Negoescu of N-Squared, Inc.; "The Automation Professional's Bookshelf," by Nick Sands of DuPont; and "Relational Database Impact on Document and Data Management," by Dennis Cooley of ENGlobal Automation Group Inc. and Fred Pollard of Cosyn Technologies.

As part of ISA's mission to develop the automation workforce, present and future, free presentations will be offered on the exhibit floor throughout the event. The "X-Pods" will feature the world's leading integration authorities delivering timely briefings on the latest technology developments, applications and the effective implementation of industry standards. Enterprise Integration X-Pod sessions include "SOA in Manufacturing," "The Road to Integration: A Guide to Applying the ISA95 Standard in Manufacturing," "Optimizing Your Plant Operations with OPC Unified Architecture," "Requirements for Plant Asset Management Solutions," "Achieving and Sustaining O&M Interoperability with Life-Cycle Engineering," "Standards-Based Integration for ERP and Manufacturing," "Operation Management Using OAGIS and ISA95 Standards-Based Messages" and more.

For more information on the ISA EXPO technical conference, exhibition and special events, visit www.isa.org/isaexpo2008 or call (919) 549-8411.