Process control and instrumentation provider launches ambitious sales goals

Yamatake intends to heat up competitive efforts in Asia and Middle East with a goal of doubling overseas industrial business in already crowded markets.

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Yamatake Corporation, the core member of the azbil group, has set a key objective for its medium-term management plan with a development phase beginning in 2010. The goal is to extend its overseas solutions business and promote the role of azbil as an instrumentation partner in global industrial markets. Success is defined as doubling its overseas industrial business by 2013.

As a first step, Yamatake will launch the global azbil evolution program (AEP) aimed at continuous enhancement of customers’ entire operating plant systems (incuding field instruments, distributed control systems, and operation support systems) in order to make the maximum use of existing systems. This program supports long-term stable operation for existing plants by using an incremental development approach, and is being offered to customers worldwide. Existing systems which are using services of the azbil group are candidates for the program. The company reckons more than 10,000 such systems are operating around the world today.

The program aims at extending system life and performance through incremental improvements rather than large-scale replacement. Existing systems, many of which have already been operating more than 30 years, can have their lives extended until 2025. The program includes:

• Repair or replacement of printed circuit boards incorporated in existing controllers;
• New technology controllers which use existing software and databases;
• New control systems that can use software from more than 10,000 existing distributed control systems worldwide; and
• Field solutions that add value to existing plants by replacement of control valves or positioners, preventive maintenance, asset management, etc.

Yamatake has already opened valve maintenance service centers in China, Thailand, and Taiwan. In addition to existing affiliates in China, South Korea, and ASEAN-member countries, the Asia Solutions Center has been established in Thailand as a provider of system solution services primarily for Asian customers. The company established a Middle-East office 2 years ago, an Abu Dhabi office last year, and an affiliate in India this April. A new affiliate will be established in Brazil this year. Yamatake will beef up its face-to-face business with major oil suppliers in the Middle East, and try to increase its sales horizontally by sharing best practices with major local companies. With these measures, Yamatake aims to double its overseas sales in industrial markets to 30 billion yen (US$345 million) by 2013.

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Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com
Control Engineering