Invensys Process Systems, a Foxboro, Mass., provider of process automation products, has enhanced its InFusion enterprise control system product with Invensys Avantis’ Avantis.CM. This technology provides InFusion with the ability to collect real-time information from more plant sources, including from third-party applications. InFusion Condition Manager also contains tools for analyzing and contextualizing the data, and applies an expert rule set that first triggers and then manages the appropriate operations, engineering or maintenance actions. Condition Manager collects, aggregates and analyzes real-time data from the full array of plant production assets, not just field devices and/or rotating equipment. Partnering for APC In other news announced at the Invensys User Conference in Dallas on Dec. 4-5, Invensys has signed a sales and marketing agreement with Cutler Technology Corp., a San Antonio, Texas, developer of advanced process control (APC) applications. Under this agreement, Invensys Process Systems becomes a global re-seller and a certified implementer for CTC's patented Adaptive Dynamic Matrix Controller (ADMC) technology. With nearly 300 advanced control, simulation and process optimization solutions consultants based around the world, Invensys is now the largest authorized CTC re-seller and certified implementer. CTC's ADMC technology will play an important role in Invensys' asset performance management strategy by helping refineries, petrochemical plants and other complex process plants that find themselves in a production-constrained business environment to utilize previously untapped capacity. Connoisseur multivariable predictive controller from SimSci-Esscor, another Invensys company, will remain Invensys' preferred APC solution for central station and industrial power plants. ADMC was developed by Dr. Charles Cutler, inventor of DMC (Dynamic Matrix Control)˙and DMCplus multivariable controller technology. This technology, which has already been proven in a large-scale U.S. refinery, utilizes an open-loop (all valve) model of the process. This eliminates the PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) process controllers from the control hierarchy to solve many of the problems encountered with conventional APC technology in complex, interactive petrochemical processes. The Avantis unit of Invensys Process Systems announced a new business system integration module for the Avantis.PRO enterprise asset management (EAM) software application. The new module, developed in conjunction with Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash., will provide standard integration between Avantis.PRO R4.1 and Microsoft Dynamics AX Release 4.0 and Microsoft Dynamics GP Professional 9.0 business management applications. Enhanced decision support Avantis also announced enhancements to its Avantis.DSS Web-based decision support solution. New capabilities vs. its current offering include: Wider selection of parameters and functions that provide increased detail for analysis of progress More options for creating personal key performance indicators (KPIs) Deeper drill-through capabilities for cost analysis Increased capabilities for developing trending insight.The foundation Avantis.DSS software structure has three primary components: data extraction, aggregation and visualization. The data extraction component, built on Microsoft technology, extracts and transforms data for application-specific analysis. The aggregation component aggregates data into cubes for easier manipulation. The visualization component uses Microsoft Office Web components to manipulate and display the KPIs on industry standard dashboards. Dave Wiedenfeld, group project leader, IT, of CF Industries' Louisiana facility, said, "We installed Avantis.DSS in November 2005, and it paid for itself almost immediately. We consider Avantis.DSS to truly be a breakthrough product that turns raw data into business intelligence to improve our performance." CF Industries is a major North American manufacturer and distributor of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products.Avantiswww.avantis.netInvensys Process Solutionswww.invensys.com/ps
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