Plant Services - June 2008 - (Page 13)

UP AND RUNNING IBMRO IT and asset managers mix at Pulse 2008 By Paul Studebaker, CMRP, Editor in Chief nyone who doubts that the Industrial Era has met the Information Age probably wasn’t among the 4,700 IBM Tivoli and Maximo customers recently gathered in Orlando, Fla., for the Pulse 2008: Get In Touch, In Tune, In Sync user conference. Presentations made clear the parallels between the roles of IT managers, who support massive data throughputs, and plant professionals, who keep machinery pumping out products: Both get little attention when things go well and too much when they don’t because downtime costs thousands of dollars per minute. Both need systems that monitor conditions, pinpoint failures, diagnose and prescribe repairs, analyze energy use and track people, parts and materials. Labor long ago overtook equipment as the largest cost of a data center. Now, energy costs exceed hardware costs, and are rising fast. Both IT and asset management software must take on new functionality. At the Pulse event, IBM introduced Maximo Asset Management 7.1, which supports linear assets in addition to improving ability to manage asset life cycle and maintenance management for a range of assets including production, facilities and transportation. These improvements automate management and control of an array of critical assets from a single, service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform. Known as application consolidation, this trend allows a holistic approach to managing critical assets across the enterprise and reduces the costs associated with separate assetmanagement systems. Adding Maximo 7.1 to its existing asset and service-management capabilities improves IBM’s ability to deliver on the vision of application consolidation. “The first Maximo solution was introduced more than 20 years ago, and it’s been helping customers manage critical assets ever since,” says Bill Sawyer, vice president, Maximo operations, IBM Tivoli Software. “The additional IBM resources, in the form of developers, software engineers and industry experts, that we were able to add to the Maximo 7.1 development effort meant delivering to our customers a more comprehensive offering, sooner.” Addressing the unique attributes of linear assets helps industries such as railroads to manage railways and signals, municipalities and state governments to manage highways and roads, utilities to manage power lines and public water pipelines, oil & gas to manage pipelines, and telecommuniJune 2008 A cations companies to manage cables and communications infrastructure. These industries have a requirement to manage critical assets that are part of a distributed system. Enhanced capabilities for work management, job plans, work order tracking, service requests and reporting provide deeper asset-management capabilities across the enterprise and eliminate the need for smaller systems that manage only one or two asset types. Maximo 7.1 also benefits the IT organizations that deploy it. By reducing the number of systems required to manage enterprise assets, it can free up IT department resources for other projects. Improved user interface and system flexibility makes 7.1 configurable with no special training, and efficient data migration capabilities mean a Resources Learn linear motion The new Linear Motion Resource Kit CD from Rexroth brings together product animations, a comprehensive handbook, white papers and catalogs, offering insight into the structural design, operating principles and characteristics of linear motion technology components. A featured element of the resource CD is a 350-page Linear Motion Technology Handbook. To order a copy of the Linear Motion Resource CD or download the handbook, visit www.boschrexroth-us.com/brl. Calculate in situ commutator maintenance Cutsforth Products’ Power Plant Off-Line Worksheet allows you to calculate the costs of taking a plant off-line to perform collector ring or commutator maintenance and compare it to using the company’s innovative online reconditioning system. Find it at www.cutsforth.com. Get concrete wisdom W.R. Meadows’ new AIA-approved continuing education presentations titled “Concrete Curing Compounds and Sealers Examined, and The New Era of Polished Concrete,” is hosted on the AEC Daily Web site. The course provides an overview of the differences in concrete-curing compounds, cure and seals and sealers, as well as the proper curing techniques for concrete, and includes diamond grinding and polishing as an alternative concrete treatment. Download it at http://aecdaily.com/en/1598284. Choose among 60 new courses Rockwell Automation has added more than 60 new instructorled courses, a ControlLogix certificate program and safety seminars to its training business. These additions, as well as existing instructor-led courses and self-paced training products, address quality, manufacturing, safety, engineering and management. Call your local Allen-Bradley distributor or (440) 646-3434, or visit www.rockwellautomation.com/services/training. 13 www.PLANTSERVICES.com http://www.boschrexroth-us.com/brl http://www.cutsforth.com http://aecdaily.com/en/1598284 http://www.rockwellautomation.com/services/training http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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Plant Services - June 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager Technology Toolbox Cover Story HVAC Coatings Motors Web Hunter In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Energy Expert

Plant Services - June 2008

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