Advanced operator training strategies
May 2011
IT in Manufacturing
Honeywell maximises operator training simulator investment.
The process industries are experiencing a period of dramatic change. On one hand they are expanding to deal with unprecedented demand, driven in part by economic growth in India and China, whilst on the other it is seeking to minimise its environmental impact and optimise plant efficiency. Product demand is growing and the availability of skilled labour to operate the increasingly complex and automated processing plants is in short supply. An ageing workforce coupled with lower levels of science and engineering graduates amplifies the issue.
Competency management
A robust competency management programme is vital to address these challenges, not least in the provision of an operator training simulator that can assist by providing organisations with the means to train new operators, while also providing on-going training and development for the existing workforce.
Operator training simulators play a central role in operator training and ongoing process optimisation in a plant. However, an operator training simulator’s true worth is only maximised when it is an accurate reflection of the process system.
Why system and simulator disparity is important to avoid
Imagine what happens when a smartphone is out of synchronisation with its corresponding PC. The user reliant on that phone could miss important meetings, messages and reminders and over time efficiency would decrease significantly. The same happens with a simulator; typically any changes or upgrades made to the control system are not made to the simulator. Over time the two systems become disparate and the return on simulator investment diminishes rapidly.
How to protect the simulator against obsolescence
It is in situations like these that Honeywell can support the investment by developing and deploying a dedicated support strategy for its simulators. This ensures accurate simulation of the control system and an increased level of confidence and safety when using a simulator either for training or process optimisation.
Honeywell provides support and guidance to develop an operator training simulator support strategy. This approach delivers a programme that supports all simulator requirements.
For more information contact Debbie Rae, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected], www.honeywell.co.za
Further reading:
Platform for integrated digital mine management
IT in Manufacturing
Becker Mining launches platform for integrated digital mine management
Read more...
The reimagined building of today and tomorrow
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Retrofitting a building is a truly practical way of achieving energy efficiency, compliance and long-term competitiveness.
Read more...
The Konecranes portal, a benchmark in data supply
IT in Manufacturing
The newly launched Konecranes Portal takes online communications to the next level through its single point of access to its digital customer platforms.
Read more...
End-to-end security across IT and OT environments
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens is collaborating with Accenture to offer 24/7 managed IT/OT security operations centre services, providing end-to-end security across IT and OT environments.
Read more...
Mitigating cybersecurity threats
IT in Manufacturing
Wesco is a world leader in electrical, communications and utility distribution and supply chain services and a member of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork programme. To build their cybersecurity portfolio, Wesco turned to two Rockwell Automation offerings, a security posture survey and threat detection services.
Read more...
MRO inventory optimisation
RS South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Maintenance, repair and operations inventory optimisation is not just a technical concern, it is a strategic priority for industries that depend on operational reliability and efficiency.
Read more...
Liquid cooling solutions for hyperscale data centre environments
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric has unveiled its world-leading portfolio of end-to-end liquid cooling solutions for hyperscale, colocation and high-density data centre environments, engineered to enable the AI factories of the future.
Read more...
Corrosion in data centre cooling systems
IT in Manufacturing
Taking proactive steps to fight corrosion is critical to maintaining healthy cooling towers alongside data centres.
Read more...
Smart assistant supports troubleshooting and analyser maintenance
IT in Manufacturing
The Siemens Industrial Copilot for process analyser technology is a smart, offline assistant that supports technicians in troubleshooting and maintaining analysers.
Read more...
AI and the smart factory
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Imagine walking into a factory where machines can think ahead, predict problems before they happen, and automatically make adjustments to realise peak performance. This isn’t science fiction; it’s happening right now as AI transforms how we run industrial operations.
Read more...