Managing Automation - September 2007 - (Page 24)

[ COMPANIES TO WATCH] 3D simulation INOVx SOLUTIONS, INC.: 3D Software Puts Plant Assets on Display I NOVx Solutions, Inc., founded in 1999 to address the problem of unorganized assets in the plant, is the developer of RealityLINx, 3D virtualization software that gives a precise representation of the plant, letting personnel take a virtual walk-through to gain information on individual assets. CEO Costantino Lanza describes the concept as “asset certainty” — knowing exactly what you have in the manufacturing facility, where it is, and whether it has been accurately maintained. “It’s this idea of being able to walk through your plant while sitting at your office or home, and access everything there is to know about it,” he says. RealityLINx creates a 3D model using laser scanning technology. The scan converts physical assets into 3D object models that store information on real-life dimensions and instrumentation layout. The data is synchronized with CAD environments and other back-end systems, including ERP, inspection software, and plant management applications. RealityLINx takes the simulation model a step further by adding animation. The INOVx technology is an innovative addition to plant floor operations. “It is using Constantino Lanza interesting video-like graphics, which makes it CEO more state-of-the-art and visually appealing,” says Houghton LeRoy, an analyst at ARC Advisory Group. Lanza sees 3D virtualization as the wave of the future for everything in the plant — from construction to operations, inspection, maintenance, and, eventually, production. “Today we work off of 2D drawings only because that’s what past technologies supported,” Lanza says. “But when we make a decision, we don’t do it in 2D or in a silo. So in the future, I see everything coordinated through virtual reality.” — Stephanie Neil i YEAR FOUNDED: 1999 PRODUCT NAME AND CATEGORY: RealityLINx/asset management through 3D simulation and virtualization INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Process (oil & gas) KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Before, the only way to represent the complex assemblies in process plants was via 3D CAD designs translated into flat 2D files for construction or maintenance. RealityLINx 3D software lets plant personnel see everything “as is” from the desktop. DIFFERENTIATION: Laser scanning technology captures accurate, “as-built” renderings of equipment, which are translated into a digital 3D plant layout. Assets are identified by location, rather than tag names, to help coordinate tasks such as maintenance, repair, or inspection. TOP CUSTOMERS: Shell Canada, ConocoPhillips, BP FUNDING: Angel investor wireless networks OMNITROL NETWORKS INC.: Assembly Requires BI, Real-Time Tracking MNITROL Networks Inc., founded in 2004 to address the problem of lost assets along the assembly line, is the developer of OMNITROL, an application network appliance that combines business intelligence and real-time operational visibility. The proliferation of wireless devices, sensor-based and Wi-Fi networks, and RFID has spread intelligence O i YEAR FOUNDED: 2004 PRODUCT NAME AND CATEGORY: OMNITROL/real-time operational intelligence INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Aerospace & defense KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Using an event-processing engine, this application networking device tracks data routed from a variety of control points and then applies business intelligence for a real-time view of the assembly line. DIFFERENTIATION: Removes dependence upon people to monitor and track what is happening on the factory floor to eliminate inconsistent or inaccurate reports of work in progress TOP CUSTOMERS: Boeing, U.S. Department of Defense, National Science Foundation FUNDING: Privately funded by founder and financial backing from Westlake International Group throughout the factory, and OMNITROL acts as an integration device to reconcile work orders and parts, and track material through production. “The next real-time process in manufacturing is assembly,” says company founder and CEO Raj Saksena. The intelligent edge device, as the OMNITROL product is described, is an emerging category that mixes new applications with mature architecture technologies, he says. OMNITROL includes two layers: A multiprocessor network appliance, including real-time application servers and database; and the Edge Applications and Services Engine (EASE) that performs workflow and edge service creation, business process integration, and device and service management provisioning. Major manufacturers, such as Boeing Co., have identified the ability to track parts within the assembly process as the most direct way to improve product yield and overall efficiency. The next step, Saksena says, is to integrate supply networks. Boeing is working with OMNITROL to figure out how it can better manage its supplier pipeline and is tapping the Raj Saksena technology for an internal effort called “the Founder and CEO cognitive factory,” based on intelligent network-centric manufacturing. “Once an OMNITROL network is created, information can be sent between people within the company as well as partner companies,” Saksena says. — Stephanie Neil ma September 24 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - September 2007

Contents Take 1 Europe’s Automation Chiefs Upbeat on ’08 Business Prospects Vendor Coalition Pushes Human Element of SOA Wireless: Users Still Approaching with Caution One Year Later, IBM Shows Plan for MRO’s Maximo Study: More Work Needed to Lure Next-Gen Talent Executive Q&A Notes Cover Story: 2008 Companies to Watch Special Report: The 2007 Progressive Manufacturing High Achievers Progressive Manufacturer of the Year Business Model Mastery Innovation Mastery Customer Mastery Supply Network Mastery Data & Integration Mastery Education & Training Mastery Operational Excellence Mastery Leadership Mastery Transformation: Orchestrating the Multi-Tier Supply Network Integration: The Timeless Quest for Accurate Data Industries: Maintenance No Longer on Schedule Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - September 2007

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