Managing Automation - September 2008 - (Page 50)

[ SPECIAL REPORT ] priority, as nothing is more important than obtaining information in real time. But the wireless network seals the gaping hole that exists between the two domains. “The third network is neither the business network nor the control network; it is the wireless network that enables applications and integration to exist across both networks without compromising either,” Lambright says. “In this network, integrity is the most important [feature].” Apprion offers an appliance, the ION platform, that sits on the network and recognizes, monitors, and manages wireless devices and protocols. It starts with a basic component of managing the network and then layers applications on for security, field service, or even communications to legacy equipment. Huntsman uses Apprion’s ION in conjunction with a Rapid Solutions Corp. application that manages the data around procedures, safe operating conditions, and defect management. For example, Huntsman, which began working with wireless about two years ago, places RFID tags on instrumentation for scanning with a handheld device. The device sends standard operating conditions, including the minimum and maximum limits for working in a safe mode. The device also captures defect information as it occurs. By capturing a defect immediately, a manufacturer can act promptly to remedy the problem. “The old method was to write [the defect] on a piece of paper, take it back to the control room, enter a work order, which includes about 11 fields. It was a lengthy process and if you were interrupted and forgot, then the defect wasn’t captured,” Prows says. That is human error in action. “Someone has to set the priority so it doesn’t sit there and wait to grow into a big snake,” he says. “If [a defect] doesn’t get flagged, it turns into a bigger snake, and it will bite you.” MONITORING FIELD EQUIPMENT Wireless technology in the plant enables alignment across the organization based on business priorities, not network priorities. For example, the technology can increase efficiencies in managing and maintaining the field equipment and instrumentation that is not monitored by the distributed control system (DCS). Some industry experts say that as much as 50% of equipment in a plant is not hooked up to a DCS. That’s especially true of process manufacturing operations. Take oil companies as an example. It used to be that such companies had to start preparing ocean rigs and onshore facilities at least three days in advance of a hurricane for the simple reason that they didn’t know how long the preparations would take or how people would perform against emergency preparation plans. But now, wireless technology can remove that guesswork and buy more operating time. SAT Corp. says its IntelaTrac system, which Honeywell Process Solutions OEMs, is designed for process manufacturers. The product, using a rules-based workflow model for implementing field force automation solutions around complex processes, feeds technicians step-bystep instructions and monitors in real time how people perform against the plan. “We believe, in the case of hurricane preparedness, we can extend operating time between a half a day to one day longer,” says SAT CEO Don Frieden. Executing reliably is essential. But perhaps the most important aspect of the emerging third network is that it be easy to install and use. Wireless start-ups, such as Synapse Inc., have created building blocks for wireless mesh networks in order to provide an out-of-the box solution for OEMs or end users. “What we’ve done for OEMs is giv- The wireless network seals the gaping hole that exists between the [IT and control] domains. — Apprion’s Lambright en them a networking solution where they don’t have to worry about the network, just their application,” says Synapse President and CEO Wade Patterson. Companies such as Microsoft are beginning to work with automation vendors, including Rockwell Automation, to innovate around business process management as it relates to the plant and the enterprise. The goal is to take the network and layer over it manufacturing processes that define key activities and roles. But it won’t be the big bang theory. “The change has to happen in increments,” says Microsoft’s Bryson. “But it always has to have the point of view of the role of the person you are implementing the change for. If the goal is to help a plant manager be more effective that day, we should build from the point of view of what processes frustrate him everyday and require him to be tethered, and how to improve simple workflow.” And, perhaps, the most important aspect of this change is assuring the people using the wireless devices that this is not Big Brother in action, but rather a way to help them work. “The single biggest negative of RFID tracking is the negative connotation that you can track where [people] are and what they did or didn’t do,” says Huntsman’s Prows. Here, communication is key, he says. “You have to tell them that is not the intent of the tool. And the day you use it for that it will set itself back and unwind everything you are trying to do. The main thing is to prevent mistakes that are costly to business and perhaps could take out an entire plant.” s maonline RELATED ARTICLES: The Mobile Enterprise — Wanted: A Unified Infrastructure www.managingautomation.com/mobile Finding the Right Fit for Wireless www.managingautomation.com/wireless6 The Mobile Enterprise — Needed: Greater Reliability www.managingautomation.com/mobile2 COMPANIES MENTIONED: Apprion www.managingautomation.com/apprion EDS www.managingautomation.com/eds Emerson Process Management www.managingautomation.com/emerson Honeywell www.managingautomation.com/honeywell Invensys Process Systems www.managingautomation.com/invensysl Microsoft www.managingautomation.com/microsoft Motorola www.managingautomation.com/motorola Rapid Solutions Corp. www.managingautomation.com/rapid SAT Corp. www.managingautomation.com/sat Synapse Inc. www.managingautomation.com/synapse Transpara Corp. www.managingautomation.com/transpara ma September 50 2008 http://www.managingautomation.com/mobile http://www.managingautomation.com/wireless6 http://www.managingautomation.com/mobile2 http://www.managingautomation.com/apprion http://www.managingautomation.com/eds http://www.managingautomation.com/emerson http://www.managingautomation.com/honeywell http://www.managingautomation.com/invensysl http://www.managingautomation.com/microsoft http://www.managingautomation.com/motorola http://www.managingautomation.com/rapid http://www.managingautomation.com/sat http://www.managingautomation.com/synapse http://www.managingautomation.com/transpara

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - September 2008

Managing Automation - September 2008 Contents Take 1 Letters Tech Vendors Defy Economic Slump by Plugging into Developing World Growth New E2open Chief Outlines Plan to Accelerate Growth Is This Marketing as It Used to Be or Something New? The OMAC Group Attempts to Widen Its Influence Automation Federation Names Chief, Plots Growth Notes Cover story: The Innovation Gap Special Report: Meet the 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 Leadership Mastery Operational Excellence Mastery Special Report: Catching the Wireless Wave Part 1: No Clear Infrastructure Winner Part 2: Wireless Apps Take Wing Part 3: The Human Side of Wireless Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - September 2008

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