The 2022 Connected Plant Conference (CPC; www.connectedplantconference.com) will take place May 23–26 in Atlanta, Ga. The event offers a comprehensive technical program, with expert speakers providing insights on the practical aspects of digitalization, as well as updates on state-of-the-art technologies. The event will also include a Digital Arena, where technology providers will showcase their digitalization solutions. The following is a small selection of the highlights that will be showcased at CPC’s Digital Arena.
Factory optimization software for chemicals manufacturers
This company’s software can help businesses to continuously optimize production in ever-changing conditions. With fast, clear insights powered by white-box machine learning, users can increase sustainability and profits across their entire enterprise, without sacrificing quality. One unique highlight of this platform is the ability to virtually replicate multi-stage batch processes within the software. With this functionality, users can model complex interactions between stages of batch processes with a high degree of accuracy, providing key data for decision-making. Booth 13 — Fero Labs, New York, N.Y.
Merge APM with work execution management and risk analysis
This company’s Enterprise Suite delivers next-level integration of asset-performance management (APM) tools with risk- and priority-driven work management. The two flagship modules within the suite are Criticality Analyzer, which facilitates rapid and accurate cross-functional, multi-variable risk analyses of an entire operation; and InField Mobile, a mobile work-management platform available for both iOS and Android devices. The cloud-based, true multi-tenant suite is designed to help users manage assets in the context of an overall asset-management program. It includes: integrated mobile work management; detailed master-asset libraries for failure modes and asset-condition management; criticality and risk analysis; and risk-based decision-making tools — all connected by a central intelligence-guidance system that directs businesses to appropriate asset strategies. The suite delivers effective management of both vertical (plant) and horizontal (network) assets within a single platform and supports an ISO 55000 asset-management framework. Booth 16 — MentorAPM, Phoenix, Ariz.
New process simulator includes embedded sustainability metrics
This company has launched its next-generation Process Simulation cloud-enabled software, which can optimize existing processes and improve sustainability through its modern architecture and open modeling environment. Process Simulation is a lifecycle simulation platform that can help users design new plants more sustainably and optimize existing plants by using embedded sustainability metrics. The new simulation platform provides an open modeling approach to shorten the development time of new process equipment models for wind and solar power generation, water electrolysis and biodiesel production. It has one simulation model for steady-state and dynamic process design that allows users to quickly understand the impact of variable wind and solar resources on the process. Methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability metrics, such as energy intensity, carbon efficiency, water intensity and more, are also included, as well as integrated tools for multi-objective optimization of operating cost and process sustainability. Booth 311 — Aveva plc, Cambridge, U.K.
New venture aims to close the gap to zero unplanned downtime
Novity is a new venture to commercialize predictive maintenance technology that reduces unplanned downtime in industrial manufacturing operations using equipment sensors and proprietary algorithms to visualize the future health of production assets. The Novity TruPrognostics engine relies on a combination of machine learning and physics-based models of equipment. This allows Novity to predict equipment failures with 90% or better accuracy and lead times of months, not weeks or days. In addition to increasing the accuracy and prediction horizons of the solution, Novity’s TruPrognostics engine also reduces the need for large amounts of data to deliver results. By leveraging a library of pre-built physics-based models, predictive maintenance is accessible to users who lack the historical data required by other solutions. Booth 110 — PARC, a Xerox company, Palo Alto, Calif.
MTP integration leads to more flexible production
This company’s zenon software platform incorporates the Module Type Package (MTP), a manufacturer-independent standard created by NAMUR (www.namur.net). MTP is a convention allowing a manufacturer-neutral description of modular production-plant equipment that includes a unified representation of the information regarding the individual modules, such as which data objects are acquired, or which services are meant to be rendered and the related interfaces. This aims to integrate different modules with a common process-control system to ease the creation of manufacturer-independent automation for modular production plants. The zenon Engineering Studio platform features an import interface for MTP file integration so that automation designers can seamlessly integrate them into overall zenon projects and use them exactly like native objects. Booth 2 — COPA-DATA USA Corp., Princeton Junction, N.J.