Invensys co-hosts plant intelligence conference with Microsoft; introduces asset performance audit

Beginning this month in North America, Invensys’ Wonderware will co-host a Plant Intelligence Conference with Microsoft.

By Control Engineering Staff March 11, 2004

Beginning this month in North America, Invensys’ Wonderware will co-host a Plant Intelligence Conference with Microsoft . The conference will also be presented in the Asia-Pacific, European, and Latin American regions in April and May 2004.
The Invensys Plant Intelligence Conference consists of a series of free half-day sessions for senior-level manufacturing professionals who want to better utilize plant assets through improved efficiency and performance, reduced production costs, and improved returns on capital investments. Those invited to attend include senior manufacturing professionals such as plant, quality assurance, operations, IT manufacturing, and senior line-engineering managers.
The conference will highlight real-world performance solutions and examples of companies that have improved plant performance and overall efficiency with Invensys solutions and Wonderware software featuring ArchestrA and Microsoft technologies.
In October 2003, Invensys and Microsoft announced a joint alliance at the ISA Expo. The alliance is aimed at the development of new Invensys solutions to provide manufacturers with real-time visibility in plant environments and supply chains. Although Invensys has long developed solutions using Microsoft technology, under the alliance, Invensys is tightly integrating Microsoft’s platform into the company’s future offerings. Microsoft is also helping Invensys to accelerate development of its enhanced productivity tools, products, and customer solutions with broad horizontal appeal to the manufacturing industry and specific benefits for the hydrocarbons, power and utilities, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturing segments.
In other Invensys news , the Avantis unit of Invensys has launched a new service, called Management of Asset Performance (MAP) Audit. The service is designed to provide a structured approach to analyzing all key aspects of a company’s maintenance and materials management functions and identifying specific opportunities for improvement. This guided self-assessment begins with a pre-audit questionnaire and is followed by a three-day on-site visit, which includes interviews and a focus group workshop. A final report is prepared and presented for consideration.

“To a large extent, the MAP Audit is an educational process that provides insight into an organizations current baseline, challenges, and potential improvement areas. The audit helps to establish appropriate incentives, identify a specific course of action, and implementation plan,” commented Ted MacDonald, Invensys asset performance manager.

Invensys is currently running a promotion on the delivery of a MAP Audit. Click here for more information or email info@avantis.net .

—David Greenfield, Editorial Director, Control Engineering, dgreenfield@reedbusiness.com