Wonderware X-Change 2011 feedback

June 2011 Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring

From 17 to 20 April, Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg was host to Wonderware Southern Africa’s 19th annual User Conference as well as a record-breaking audience of over 350 local and international industry professionals. X-Change has a justly earned reputation as the largest and longest running conference of its type in South Africa and this year’s event was no exception.

Mainstream presentations

The conference addressed a wide range of topics, from the highly technical to the tactical and from the necessary to the visionary. Presentations were split into streams:

Technology stream

After two days, it became obvious that today’s available technologies offer no barriers to realising almost any business and operational goals. In fact, it could be said that technology often has a great deal more to offer than is imagined by potential end users.

Wonderware’s ArchestrA technology continues to prove the wisdom of this ‘build an infrastructure first’ approach by facilitating the integration of applications at an increasingly accelerated rate. True integration is not simply connectivity between applications. It is a unification that provides seamless inter-operation to the degree that end users believe that a single application is involved – an application that exactly matches the operational needs.

High on the agenda was the newly-released ArchestrA Workflow, a human-level process management solution that guides people when responding to events. Other products included System Platform, Historian, an upcoming release of InTouch Scada/ HMI, HMI reports, Information Server and Microsoft’s Hyper V virtualisation solution.

User presentations

Another important aspect addressed by the conference was how end users implemented Wonderware solutions to achieve business and operational goals. 11 success stories demonstrated the huge benefits to be derived from expertly implemented technologies and applications in the fields of scada/HMI, MES, EMI, virtualisation, simulation as well as network diagnosis and management. Of particular note were:

* The implementation of expert systems at two gold mines in order to improve mill performance by up to 30%.

* Replacing 43 mission-critical mini PCs with thin clients and with no interruption to production.

* Country-wide EMI implementation for the monitoring of dust emissions at coal fired power stations.

* A brilliant and innovative implementation of an HMI that provides unprecedented navigation simplicity and operator interaction.

Thanks

An event like X-Change takes more than six months to plan and organise. From the invitation of international guests and call for presentations to venue logistics and awareness campaigns, this is no casual event and Wonderware Southern Africa would like to thank everyone who contributed towards making X-Change 2011 the success it deserved to be.

To read a more detailed report on the conference including the keynote addresses and awards, visit http://instrumentation.co.za/+C15115A

For more information contact Jaco Markwat, Wonderware Southern Africa, 0861 WONDER, [email protected], www.wonderware.co.za

Further reading:

Ensuring occupational health and safety in mining
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Probe Integrated Mining Technologies (Probe IMT) has partnered with M3SH Technology to offer state-of-the-art environmental monitoring solutions that address these dual requirements.

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Sustainability of surface water
Endress+Hauser South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
The sustainability of surface water is critical for South Africa’s economic development, social well-being and environmental health. Endress+Hauser has a full range of liquid analysis sensors and transmitters to measure important parameters and has an excellent global track record in water and wastewater process plants and various surface and industrial water monitoring sites.

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Keeping an eye on invisible radiation
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
At its peak in 1994, the energy generation capacity of the UK’s nuclear power stations was 12,7 GW across 16 plants. In 2024, the capacity has fallen to around 5 GW, and the number of stations is down to nine. However, this is far from the end of the story as spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for centuries, and requires rigorous safety processes to safeguard against leaks.

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Effective dust control in sugar processing
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
BLT WORLD specialists work in conjunction with the global ScrapeTec team to offer dependable solutions for specific problems at the transfer points of conveyor systems in many industries where dust and material spillage are concerns, including the sugar sector.

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A benchmark for lubricant reliability in mining
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
According to Craig FitzGerald from ISO-Reliability Partners, mines can save R500 000 or more on their yearly mill cleaning costs, while electricity consumption can be reduced by up to 12%, and lubricant consumption lowered up by up to 60% when using Bel-Ray Clear Gear lubricant.

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Safeguarding precision in industrial radiometric measurements
Mecosa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
In the complex landscape of industrial plant operations, precision is paramount, especially when it comes to weld inspections to test for structural integrity of pipes. Berthold has the ideal answer to this challenge – X-Ray Interference Protection.

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New indoor air quality monitor
RS South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
RS South Africa has available a new indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor that provides continuous, easy-to-read, and accurate real-time monitoring of air quality in indoor environments.

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A quick guide to disinfection
Endress+Hauser South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
The distribution system in a drinking water network provides a reliable supply of high-quality water to consumers. Endress+Hauser’s range of robust, low-maintenance sensors are ideal for monitoring disinfectant levels in the water.

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Multi-parameter measuring system for water quality monitoring
KROHNE Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Monitoring different parameters in water treatment processes can lead to a situation where different measuring points are scattered across the plant.

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Optimising energy consumption in the chemical industry
Anton Paar Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
To optimise energy consumption and save valuable resources on chemical process plants, operators have to continuously measure parameters such as concentration, raw density, sound velocity and refractive index. With Anton Paar’s wide product range, the process application team has many options for cutting-edge laboratory measurement technologies, and can develop tailor-made mathematical models for every application.

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