2007
Borealis Performance Improves with PlantTriage
Borealis, a leading provider of plastics solutions, has reported significant
performance improvements using PlantTriage software. The Borealis Cracker
operation in Poorvo, Finland is exceeding expected production targets, and
discovering hidden process performance opportunities.
With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis produces and sells over 5
billion Euros of high quality polyethylene and polypropylene products
worldwide. Process control and automation helps to ensure high quality and
low cost production. A desire to improve the performance of the control
systems led Borealis to ExperTune, the developer of PlantTriage performance
supervision software.
Automation Engineer Mikko Ronka says, "We discovered that many of our control
loops were not performing well. We needed a way to identify specific
performance issues across the hundreds of control loops at our facility.
PlantTriage discovered and correctly diagnosed significant opportunities with
sensors, valves, and controls. We have addressed these opportunities
directly, before they became big problems for the operators."
PlantTriage connects to control systems via industry-standard OPC
communications methods. Using this real-time data, the software determines
meaningful, actionable performance indicators and diagnostics. Results are
prioritized according to economics, and displayed in a web browser interface.
Using drill-downs, the user moves quickly to the root cause of problems.
Mr. Ronka continues, "After our most recent start-up, we are exceeding the
expected production rates, and seeing reduced energy costs. We are on track
for a full return on the PlantTriage investment within 6 months of start-up."
At Borealis, the performance tracking system monitors the plant "24x7" to
ensure that new issues are discovered quickly, sustaining peak performance
levels. Future plans include expanding the base of users to the maintenance
and operations teams.
For more details on PlantTriage Software, contact ExperTune at +1 (262)
369 7711.
About PlantTriage
PlantTriage is a performance supervision system, designed to improve the
performance of equipment, operations, and controls. PlantTriage Software
extracts data from existing control systems, using industry-standard OPC
communications. Based on ExperTune's award-winning control loop optimization
tools, PlantTriage Software then makes prioritized recommendations for
performance improvements. With integrated control loop optimization tools,
PlantTriage Software is the only complete performance supervision system. For
more information about PlantTriage Software, visit www.planttriage.com. Download the
PlantTriage
logo.
About ExperTune
For 20 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that
runs in thousands of plants worldwide. PlantTriage Performance Supervision
Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage Software
optimizes the entire process, including equipment, operations, and controls.
ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the
efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include interaction
analysis, modeling, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearization, time
series analysis, MPC performance improvement, 6-sigma, frequency analysis, and
process modeling. For more information, visit www.expertune.com.
About Borealis
The Borealis Group, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is a leading provider of
innovative, value creating plastics solutions. With more than 40 years'
experience in the polyethylene and polypropylene business, Borealis has annual
sales of over $5 billion Euros.
ExperTune Announces PlantAMS™ Alarm Management System
ExperTune today announced the PlantAMS™ Alarm Management System. This
offering expands ExperTune's line of performance improvement software for
process plants. PlantAMS is designed to help reduce safety risks,
environmental risks, and operator errors through better alarm management in
both routine and abnormal operation.
Kevin Gibbs, CEO of ExperTune, Inc says "At ExperTune, we have always been
focused on improving process performance. PlantAMS adds another dimension to
our performance improvement capabilities, as we can help improve the
performance of operations personnel."
PlantAMS™ gathers alarm data directly from control systems or via
historians, using industry-standard OPC communications. PlantAMS tools allow
plant personnel to analyze, trend, and rationalize process alarms. Rather
than sort through hundreds of individual alarm messages, plant personnel can
quickly focus on the most important information.
PlantAMS™ alarm analysis information can be integrated with real-time
process and control information in ExperTune's PlantTriage Performance
Supervision System. Together, these tools provide a "big-picture" view of
plant performance, drill-down to root cause, integrated reporting, and
detailed analysis of process, control, and operating conditions.
Mr. Gibbs adds "Several of our clients have recognized the value of
integrating alarm management solutions with PlantTriage. PlantAMS is a
natural extension of our product line, and we are excited to be able to help
our clients improve performance in this new way."
For more details on PlantAMS, contact ExperTune at +1 (262) 369 7711, or visit
www.expertune.com/plantAMS.html.
About PlantAMS™
The PlantAMS™ Alarm Management System is designed to reduce safety and
environmental risks. PlantAMS extracts data from the control system, then
analyzes alarm data. Working in concert with the PlantTriage Performance
Supervision System, PlantAMS can provide insight into operational,
performance, and alarm issues.
ExperTune Announces ProcessApex™, to Improve Process Units and Plant Operations
ExperTune announces ProcessApex™, providing real-time advice for process
unit operations, based on the expert advice of Greg Shinskey and others. This
system builds on the success of ExperTune's PlantTriage system, delivering
specific diagnostics, advice, and improvement suggestions for process unit
operations. Further, it allows direct benchmark comparisons between unit
operations across an entire company. This data drives daily decisions to
improve plant operations, as well as high-level decisions such as capital
spending, at the corporate level.
"Plants are awash in real-time data. With ProcessApex™, we automatically
provide context to real-time data, and combine it with embedded engineering
expertise. The result is some very concentrated, very powerful information.
Each unit operation becomes a 'smart' unit operation, capable of
self-diagnosis and self-improvement." says John Gerry, President and Founder
of ExperTune, Inc.
ProcessApex™ technology handles unit operations from simple to complex.
Individual process objects include common operations such as heat exchangers,
dryers, and even distillation columns. Each 'Smart' unit operation provides
real-time performance metrics appropriate to that unit. The performance
metrics address throughput, quality, reliability, and cost. A direct link
with ExperTune's PlantTriage system allows users to drill down into specific
performance issues.
Benchmarking tools help users to squeeze additional value from process
performance information. This includes tools for benchmarking within and
between similar unit operations over time. When used at a corporate level,
the tools can help drive capital spending decisions, resolving questions like
"Where should I add more production capacity?" With its benchmark perspective
on cost, efficiency, and excess capacity, ProcessApex can provide a very
specific answer to this question.
Mr. Gerry continues, "Smart instruments revolutionized the maintenance world.
The smart unit op will revolutionize the entire business of process plant
manufacturing…from the plant floor to the boardroom."
For more details on ProcessApex™ and the latest improvements to
PlantTriage, contact ExperTune at +1 (262) 369 7711, or visit
www.expertune.com/ProcessApex.html.
About PlantTriage
PlantTriage is a performance supervision system, designed to improve the
performance of equipment, operations, and controls. PlantTriage Software
extracts data from existing control systems, using industry-standard OPC
communications. Based on ExperTune's award-winning control loop optimization
tools, PlantTriage Software then makes prioritized recommendations for
performance improvements. With integrated control loop optimization tools,
PlantTriage Software is the only complete performance supervision system. For
more information about PlantTriage Software, visit www.planttriage.com.
About ExperTune
For 20 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that
runs in thousands of plants worldwide. PlantTriage Performance Supervision
Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage Software
optimizes the entire process, including equipment, operations, and controls.
ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the
efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include interaction
analysis, modeling, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearization, time
series analysis, MPC performance improvement, 6-sigma, frequency analysis, and
process modeling.
PlantTriage 7.0 Offers New Tools to Improve Control System Performance Enterprise-Wide
ExperTune announces the release of PlantTriage 7.0 software for
enterprise-wide plant control system performance improvements. This software
gives companies a global view of plant performance and process control assets.
The latest release of PlantTriage also offers language support for all world
languages. Users see data in their own language, and can share results with
other users world-wide, each user seeing the information in his or her
preferred language.
"Our clients with worldwide corporate agreements have asked for this to be a
top priority. They are no longer satisfied to simply optimize individual
plant operations. They are benchmarking between plants, and sharing process
and control expertise globally. It was a natural extension for PlantTriage to
offer an enterprise-wide solution, using local languages." says John Gerry,
President and Founder of ExperTune, Inc.
Enterprise-wide connectivity happens securely, over the customer's secure
corporate networks. Additional "Shadow Server" connections allow the client
to further protect their mission-critical control systems. With
enterprise-wide access, individual site results are rolled up to the corporate
level. Enterprise users can use web-based analysis tools, including Tree
Mapping, reporting, and dashboards. Color-coded, context-sensitive drill-downs
drive the user from the highest levels down to root cause.
The language support covers all world languages, even 2-byte character
languages, such as Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Language features are
highly customizable, allowing users to use local dialects or colloquial terms.
Tom Fiske, Senior Analyst at ARC Advisory Group, adds "The scalability of
PlantTriage is one of its great strengths. These new enterprise features
clearly address the needs of users to leverage information and resources
across the enterprise while helping to establish and improve performance among
similar process units through its benchmarking capability."
For more details on these latest improvements to PlantTriage, contact
ExperTune at +1 (262) 369 7711.
About PlantTriage
PlantTriage is a performance supervision system, designed to improve the
performance of equipment, operations, and controls. PlantTriage Software
extracts data from existing control systems, using industry-standard OPC
communications. Based on ExperTune's award-winning control loop optimization
tools, PlantTriage Software then makes prioritized recommendations for
performance improvements. With integrated control loop optimization tools,
PlantTriage Software is the only complete performance supervision system. For
more information about PlantTriage Software, visit www.planttriage.com.
About ExperTune
For 20 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that
runs in thousands of plants worldwide. PlantTriage Performance Supervision
Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage Software
optimizes the entire process, including equipment, operations, and controls.
ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the
efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include interaction
analysis, modeling, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearization, time
series analysis, MPC performance improvement, 6-sigma, frequency analysis, and
process modeling.
Lyondell Signs Agreement for PlantTriage Software
Hartland, Wisconsin, Jan. 15, 2007 — ExperTune Inc announced that Lyondell
Chemical Company has executed an agreement to license
PlantTriage® Performance Supervision Software at 25 of
its manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Under the agreement, Lyondell will use the PlantTriage Performance Supervision
Software to monitor and analyze real-time data from their plant control
systems. This data will be used in identifying and prioritizing specific plant
improvements, including identifying instrument and valve failures and
maintaining control of tuning issues.
PlantTriage Software combines real-time data with decades of engineering
expertise. The software delivers savings by improving control, eliminating
bottlenecks and pinpointing faulty equipment.
"Lyondell places a strong emphasis on continuous improvement. A key aspect is
the reduction of unnecessary operator work load, so the operator can focus on
optimization of production and quality. An important step in this direction is
improvement of our base control performance. Based on my experience with
ExperTune and PlantTriage Software over the years, we know we can achieve
significant improvements and expect to leverage this experience at all our
sites," says Lothar Lang, consulting engineer, Lyondell.
Industries using PlantTriage Software include oil and gas producers; metal and
mining companies; chemical, pulp and paper manufacturers; and utility
companies.
"Installing PlantTriage Software at multiple sites allows our clients to
greatly leverage their internal expertise in process and controls. In effect,
they are boosting the results of their engineering staff, without adding
staffing," says Kevin Gibbs, CEO, ExperTune.
For more details on PlantTriage Software, contact ExperTune at +1 (262) 369 7711.
About PlantTriage
PlantTriage is a performance supervision system, designed to improve the
performance of equipment, operations, and controls. PlantTriage Software
extracts data from existing control systems, using industry-standard OPC
communications. Based on ExperTune's award-winning control loop optimization
tools, PlantTriage Software then makes prioritized recommendations for
performance improvements. With integrated control loop optimization tools,
PlantTriage Software is the only complete performance supervision system. For
more information about PlantTriage Software, visit www.planttriage.com.
About ExperTune
For 20 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that
runs in thousands of plants worldwide. PlantTriage Performance Supervision
Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage Software
optimizes the entire process, including equipment, operations, and controls.
ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the
efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include interaction
analysis, modeling, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearization, time
series analysis, MPC performance improvement, 6-sigma, frequency analysis, and
process modeling.
About Lyondell Chemical Company
Lyondell Chemical Company, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's
third-largest independent, publicly traded chemical company. Lyondell is a
major global manufacturer of basic chemicals and derivatives including
ethylene, propylene, titanium dioxide, styrene, polyethylene, propylene oxide
and acetyls. It also is a refiner of heavy, high-sulfur crude oil and a
significant producer of gasoline-blending components. Lyondell is a global
company operating on five continents and employs approximately 11,000 people
worldwide.
