Emerson expands 'early warning' capabilities for plant diagnostics
Alliance with Nexus Engineering makes Emerson Process Management exclusive automation supplier of Nexus Oz decision support software
Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, has signed an agreement with Nexus Engineering Inc. to serve as the exclusive global automation supplier of the Nexus Oz solution.
This alliance extends Emerson Process Management's leadership in delivering comprehensive Asset Utilization solutions.
Nexus Oz is a decision-support system for improving process plant reliability by providing early warning and help for managing abnormal situations. Coupling the knowledge gathered from Emerson's Asset Management Solutions (AMS) software with Nexus Oz expands the power of equipment diagnostics to guide process operators and facilitate better decision-making. The resulting solution delivers benefits to both maintenance and operations with improved plant availability, increased safety, improved process quality, and thus, higher economic returns.
Emerson's AMS software is the standard in process industries for configuring, calibrating and troubleshooting intelligent field devices including valves, transmitters and analyzers. Other elements of the company's Asset Utilization capabilities include condition and performance monitoring of mechanical equipment and process equipment such as pumps, compressors, turbines, heat exchangers, furnaces, etc. The Nexus Oz solution is used in refining, petrochemical and chemical applications by the world's leading hydrocarbon processing manufacturers.
"The Nexus alliance is another logical step in our drive to deliver a total Asset Utilization solution for our process manufacturing customers," said John Berra, executive vice president of Emerson with responsibility for the Process Management business. "By integrating our industry-leading equipment health and performance software with the decision support capabilities of Nexus Oz, Emerson is able to give our customers the advantage of planned and confident action in response to abnormal situations as opposed to hasty reactions made under stress."
Jack Stout, president of Nexus Engineering Inc. said, "An alliance with Emerson Process Management was a natural choice for Nexus because of our complementary solutions, common customers and mutual focus on improving plant performance. The combined power of these two outstanding Asset Utilization solutions will offer unsurpassed reliability and operations management."
Asset Utilization allows plant operators to turn information into action. AMS software employs online diagnostics to glean information from HART and FOUNDATION(tm) fieldbus devices. The integration of this information enhances Nexus Oz's root-cause analysis of process plant conditions. Real-time process information from control systems is combined with diagnostics information from asset management applications and condition monitoring systems. Nexus Oz then provides advanced advisories about abnormal process conditions, predictive maintenance information about the process and equipment, and guides plant operators on how to respond -- before the control system generates an alarm and the situation is out of control. Such a level of decision support and operator guidance is unique, and not available with traditional control systems.
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com), an Emerson business, is a leading supplier of process management solutions that help automate, control and manage complex production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, pulp and paper, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries. Its tailored solutions reduce capital project costs, integrate information for decision-making, manage plant processes, and maintain reliable equipment for highest plant performance and availability. Emerson Process Management includes the following brands: AMS Asset Management Solutions, Performance Solutions engineering services; Intellution industrial automation software; Fisher valves, valve controllers and actuators; Fisher regulators; Fisher flow computers; Rosemount transmitters and analyzers; Micro Motion, Brooks, and Daniel flow meters; Bettis and El-O-Matic actuators; PlantWeb(R) field-based architecture; DeltaV(tm) automation systems, and Westinghouse Process Control systems.
About Emerson
St. Louis-based Emerson (www.gotoemerson.com) is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers in process control; electronics and telecommunications; industrial automation; heating, ventilating and air conditioning; and appliances and tools. Sales in fiscal 2000 were $15.5 billion.
About Nexus Engineering
Nexus Engineering (www.nexusengineering.com) is a Texas-based privately held company, founded in 1996, that provides consulting, software, and services for reliability and operations management solutions to clients in the refining, petrochemicals, and chemicals industries. The flagship software product, Nexus Oz(tm), provides reliability and operations diagnostics to the client's personnel through their existing operations consoles to improve process unit availability and minimize the impacts of abnormal situations.
Source: Emerson