X-Change 2013, Invensys Wonderware’s annual User Conference, was a marked success with the attendance of more than 300 industry professionals from South Africa and abroad. This year’s conference focused on how Invensys solutions are geared towards helping individuals make their companies more successful.
Keynote presentation
Keynote speaker Rob McGreevy, VP platform and applications at Invensys Operations Management, explained the role of contextualisation in ‘The future of industrial automation’.
While the Internet has made access to information easier than ever, access to the right information is not so readily available. Google, for example, may well supply several million references to a query and the answer one is looking for may well be in there, but who will have the patience and the time to find it? Wolfram Alpha, on the other hand, through the use of specialised interfaces or ‘solvers’, will supply very specific information directly relevant to the question asked.
The same principle can be applied to the industrial manufacturing environment in order to support unscripted queries such as “what was our best batch number and who was the shift responsible?” or “what is our most profitable product line?” In other words, information needs to be supplied in context of the situation in which queries are made.
Mobile devices can already do this. For example, knowing your (GPS) location, smartphones can point out places of interest such as hotels and restaurants in the immediate vicinity.
But more than showing information graphically, IOM believes that knowledgeable advice will form part of the information environment of the future. For example, a car navigation system, having mapped out your path from A to B, can redirect you halfway because of an accident that just occurred on your route. Furthermore, such a system can take into account past information and, depending on the time you choose to travel, find a route that avoids heavy traffic based on historical information.
Similarly, an HMI screen could have overlays of maintenance schedules for various items of plant equipment or warn of production stoppages because of potential problems with a particular machine and show what to do to rectify the situation based on past, successful actions. The mobile workforce could, on their rounds, point a smartphone camera at a piece of equipment and have its current operating parameters and maintenance history overlaid on what they are looking at.
These are not just concepts but part of on-going current development to add augmented reality to existing and new solutions in order to facilitate collaboration between assets and resources and the people who have to use them. The big picture at Invensys remains end-to-end manufacturing to business management.
Mainstream presentations
44 sessions addressed a wide range of new products, enhancements to existing solutions and approaches to various problems. From System Platform 2014 with its ability to handle multiple galaxies and InTouch 2014 with its new paradigm in HMI displays for increased situation awareness to Model-driven MES, ArchestrA Workflow, Overview Client and many more, these presentations showed the connectivity and flexibility necessary to unify the enterprise.
User presentations
12 end-user and system integrator presentations illustrated the successful application of Invensys solutions in a number of industries.
Getting the complete picture at Tronox Namakwa Sands – this project uses Wonderware Historian and Software Toolbox to bring together real-time data from disparate systems which, if viewed in isolation, could be very costly in terms of remedial action not being taken in time.
Data integrity at Egoli Gas – due to the lack of electricity and networks at the remote stations, GSM-based telemetry had to be used. In order to minimise battery consumption, while maintaining data interval requirements, a store-and-forward protocol had to be used. The time-stamped data upload into the Wonderware Historian was made possible through the Systems Anywhere Data Warehouse, effectively inserting data through a non standard route into the Wonderware Historian.
Thin clients help BASF on multiple fronts – centralised computing with increased security and scalability provided a system with much higher up-time and easily changed hardware if needed. The products involved are InTouch Runtime and ACP ThinManager.
Peace of mind at BASF with MDT’s AutoSave – a central feature of this installation is the quick and low risk recovery from unwanted PLC mistakes and ultimately less downtime in an industry with high cost implications should production lines stand idle.
Bottoms-up approach for better packaging line information at Aspen Pharmacare – the need arose for better synchronisation between the shop floor and Pharmacare’s Baan ERP system in order to provide better visibility of the packaging information and reduce manual errors. Wonderware’s System Platform and InTouch were used to track and log the cases on each pallet through barcodes and to automatically send this information to the ERP system while complying with strict pharmaceutical validation processes.
Virtualisation helps improve the process environment at Exxaro Coal’s Grootegeluk Mine – Exxaro is an early adopter in the virtualisation of its automation environment and it is already showing benefits with hardware independence, complete separation of process and corporate domains and increased security from web-based malware. But this is only the tip of the iceberg of benefits.
Independence from PLC code standards at Impala Platinum Refinery – this presentation is about the implementation of Wonderware’s System Platform and InTouch at Impala Platinum Refinery. This involved designing and implementing control module standards, navigation functions and user functions that were independent of PLC code standards.
Wonderware Intelligence vs spreadsheets at Exxaro – Wonderware Intelligence has been implemented at Exxaro as part of its production reporting solution. The customer’s mandate was to replace their Excel-based calculation and reporting solution with a flexible, user-configurable, database reporting and analysis solution.
Quicker response and diagnosis at ArcelorMittal with Factory Widgets – the use of near-real-time widgets has simplified access to vital plant and production information leading to quicker response time to possible KPI deviations. This is improving efficiency, making plant personnel more aware of current conditions and leading to quicker problem resolution.
Legacy Operations Module to MES Migration at Imana Foods – Imana Foods embarked on a strategy to upgrade their Legacy Operations Module, utilising a methodology developed by Invensys Wonderware. This allowed for a seamless project execution building the core MES solution with progress and expansion in mind. It also allowed for integrating new MES functionality as well as prolonging the life of the MES solution for years to come.
World-class refinery control and safety – based in Ndola, Zambia, Indeni showcased its extensive use of the Foxboro I/A series control system selected to ensure optimal refinery control and output. Safety towards people and equipment is enabled with the Triconex Emergency Shutdown System, fully integrated with the Foxboro control system.
Better control at Johnson Matthey with automatic backups from AutoSave for System Platform – the changes made to PCs and Wonderware System Platform on a regular basis required complex administration and the management of backups and releases. MDT’s AutoSave for System Platform helped Johnson Matthey change and progress without risk.
Collaboration Expo
Seventeen hardware and software solution vendors from across southern Africa and overseas demonstrated their solutions to real-world problems. Every year, leading local and international industry solution providers choose the unique opportunities offered by X-Change to network with existing and potential customers and to showcase their capabilities. From instrumentation to software and from consulting to system integration, these solution suppliers are at the top of their game and combine their skills, knowledge and experience with Invensys solutions to provide world-class implementations to Africa and beyond.
For more information contact Jaco Markwat, Invensys Operations Management, +27 (0)11 607 8100, [email protected], www.iom.invensys.co.za
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