SAIMC


SAIMC: Johannesburg branch

I&C July 2024 SAIMC


Brand GM, Ann de Beer, seen with Johan Hamman, operations director from DesSoft.

At the SAIMC Johannesburg meeting held in June, DesSoft gave a presentation on the importance of having smart tools that facilitate information sharing between process, electrical and instrumentation departments. The software must be scalable and flexible enough to be used in projects of any size, and within various process environments such as mining, water, agriculture, chemical and nuclear, and also by EPCs and system integrators.

A key point made was that while electrical and instrumentation departments account for only 20% of a project’s costs, they produce 80% of the engineering documentation. Therefore, it is crucial to have productive tools to help these departments meet their targets efficiently. Digitising all information and documentation can assist companies in adhering to governance standards within their ESG responsibilities and ISO certifications by ensuring proper procedures and standards for maintaining digital data.

A vital feature of DesSoft’s smart product is that the same source of information is shared across departments, and is visible in P&ID, Electrical Designer (EDes), and Fieldbus and Instrumentation Designer (FDes). For example, all motor properties are accessible within P&ID; and EDes, and all instrument properties are shared between P&ID; and FDes. This leads to accurate information, and eliminates the duplication of equipment or equipment lists. Technical personnel can rely on their documentation for fault finding, significantly reducing plant downtime. For instance, locating a fuse number in a digital document is much faster than cable tracing to find the same fuse.

DesSoft’s P&ID; can save a PFD as a P&ID, where stream information becomes dump lines. These lines can then be changed to process pipes, and all control instruments can be added, facilitating accurate information and documentation. Another significant benefit of the smart system and its central database is the ability to display the same information across multiple documents. An instrument tag, for example, appears on the P&ID; diagram, smart datasheet, instrument list, cable schedule, I/O schedule, loop drawing and JB drawing, to name a few. The same tag number appears on at least seven documents, excluding the hookup, calibration sheet, costing schedule, installation check sheet, etc. This leads to exponential advantages when changes occur, as updating information in one place ensures all related documents are current. This eliminates the risk of missing a document update due to interruptions, ensuring consistent and accurate documentation.

The DesSoft application also creates smart (auto-generated) loop and termination connection diagrams, eliminating the need to draw lines manually and replicate terminal, core, cable, panel and soft address information per document. This enhances productivity and accuracy. These documents can be red-lined with the free and smart DesSoft DGM viewer. When a document is red-lined, the DGM viewer flags the database record for that document and activates a Changes Workflow, sending an email notification to the relevant responsible person, thus ensuring compliance with engineering and health and safety standards.

The presentation concluded with a live demonstration of the above functionalities, showcasing the smart tools and how the smart datasheets can share and maintain information between departments, the company, and their instrument vendors. Finally, the smart quick start method was demonstrated, showing how to begin any project and build information and documents within minutes, a process that traditionally takes days.

The presentation was very much enjoyed by the members who attended.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

SAIMC: From the office of the CEO
SAIMC SAIMC
We are writing to share exciting developments regarding the evolution of the SAIMC that will come into effect on 1 January 2025.

Read more...
SAIMC: MESA Africa 2024 summit
TransLution Software SAIMC
The SAIMC Computer Engineering Council, also known as MESA Africa, recently held its annual summit. The two days were jam-packed, with an excellent balance between theory, thought leadership, and practical case studies. The general consensus among the delegates was that the insights gained were incredibly valuable.

Read more...
SAIMC: Secunda branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The SAIMC Secunda branch recently celebrated 25 incredible years at its year-end function and birthday bash, held on 1 November at The Glasshouse in Secunda.

Read more...
SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The Johannesburg SAIMC Branch held its annual year-end function at Northcliff Country Club on 13 October.

Read more...
SAIMC: Gqeberha branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The Didactic Branch of the SAIMC, in collaboration with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape, recently hosted an insightful talk on postgraduate opportunities. The event aimed to inspire and guide students about the paths and possibilities available to them through postgraduate studies, and to introduce them to some exciting projects.

Read more...
SAIMC: Durban Branch Annual Dinner
SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC held their popular and well-supported annual year-end dinner at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club on 23 November 2024.

Read more...
MESA Africa Summit has been expanded and rebranded
SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council SAIMC
We are writing to share some exciting developments regarding the evolution of the MESA Africa Summit, which has been a cornerstone event in industrial automation and manufacturing excellence.

Read more...
How to claim CPD points
SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council SAIMC
SAIMC makes it possible for you to claim CPD points for attending courses and technical meetings, or completing an online quiz on a SA Instrumentation & Control magazine.

Read more...
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO:Slaughtering AI holy cows
SAIMC SAIMC
A couple of sessions at various dealers, a wrong delivery, a failed holiday plan, a two-week unplanned vacation and 32 kg of steel on the back seat awaited us as we left South Africa on a dream holiday. But let me start at the beginning.

Read more...
SAIMC: Secunda branch
SAIMC SAIMC
At the most recent SAIMC Secunda technical evening, Jenine Jansen van Vuuren, sales account manager from Comtest Technologies, gave a presentation on the calibration of process instruments.

Read more...