Model-less multivariable control technology acquired

Lin and Associates, Inc. has agreed to acquire APC Performance LLC’s model-less multivariable control (XMC) technology for its automation platforms. Terms were not disclosed. XMC technology provides back-end control that executes natively in distributed control systems (DCS) and programmable logic controller (PLC) platforms and can integrate with the company’s high-performance human-machine interface (HMI) solution.

“XMC is a tool that lets operating sites have a wide-ranging multivariable control APC program, without massive up-front commitments in funding, training, support, maintenance, and relationships with third party suppliers and application consultants. XMC technology can be ‘owned and operated’ within normal plant operating budgets and by existing process control engineering staff,” said Allan Kern, P.E., owner of APC Performance LLC, and a contributor on the topic to Control Engineering, which is part of CFE Media & Technology.

“We look forward to working closely with our clients to offer them this exciting and promising new frontier of advanced process control,” says Eric LeBlanc, VP of technology at Lin and Associates in a press release. “The XMC technology enables customers to close an important gap in modern process automation between the limited abilities of advanced regulatory control and the high-level demands of conventional multivariable control, all while being cost-effective in initial implementation and ongoing maintenance.”

APC Performance was founded in 2013 as a research effort to understand the performance and maintenance aspects in current solutions and successfully developed and patented the XMC control method, along with its single-loop counterpart, rate-predictive control (RPC).

For more about XMC and advanced process control, see:

Understanding multivariable control: The missing metric

Advanced process control: More answers

– Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, with information from Lin and Associates’ press release.

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