IT in Manufacturing


Emerson enhances asset management software

Technews Industry Guide: Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Optimisation 2019 IT in Manufacturing

A new release of Emerson’s AMS Device Manager helps improve plant reliability with better organised data for more informed and proactive management of field devices. New embedded tools allow project and operations teams to customise plant device hierarchies, project tracking, and device alerts, delivering improved decision support – a key competency of digital transformation. With AMS Device Manager, Emerson is helping teams effectively use device data to deliver more reliable operations and shorten project engineering timelines.

Many plants struggle to manage thousands of devices in complex and often out-of-date plant device structures (hierarchies) – often using long, disorganised lists that make it hard to find and identify critical devices. Without having devices organised by zone, asset, unit, or other category, teams have access to health data, but little insight into where a faulty device is located or how it is impacting production data. However, creating or rearranging this hierarchy used to be a time-consuming, manual process, for which few organisations had the spare time or resources.

AMS Device Manager’s enhanced bulk transfer functionality changes this paradigm, providing the tools to configure whole systems automatically – including setup of device alert monitoring and plant hierarchies. Users can simply export a tag list and open it in a spreadsheet application to enter a location and alert group for each device. Then, using bulk transfer, users can instantly set up the system with an accurately populated hierarchy and alert monitor. With a correctly defined plant hierarchy, maintenance teams can visualise device data in targeted views, allowing them to evaluate and manage the reliability of specific areas of the plant. This is particularly useful during shutdowns and turnarounds when selected plant areas are down for maintenance.

“An accurate data backbone all the way down to the device level helps build the foundation for digital transformation with a more accurate picture of asset health,” said Mani Janardhanan, vice president, Plantweb product management. “With the new AMS Device Manager, users can prepare their plant’s data infrastructure for technologies such as Plantweb Optics that will digitally enhance maintenance practices with data they can trust for decision making.”

Maintenance teams commonly have difficulty separating critical alerts from irrelevant ones. With the updated AMS Device View – the browser-based interface for AMS Device Manager – maintenance can assign devices to specific projects and track them on separate project dashboards, avoiding the distraction of alerts flooding the operations dashboard. This organised alert delivery allows more efficient response during periods with significant changes like shutdowns, turnarounds and outages.

The newest version of AMS Device Manager also increases safety and security with system-wide automated locking of devices. Organisations can protect against unauthorised changes to devices without relying on physically adding or removing jumpers. Customisable software-based locks can be enabled for select personnel for specific amounts of time, after which the system will automatically relock the devices to ensure that device configurations are protected.

AMS Device Manager

AMS Device Manager is a technology within the Plantweb digital ecosystem. It helps avoid unnecessary downtime through a window into the health of intelligent field devices, which gives maintenance and operations personnel the ability to work smarter. Based on real-time condition data from intelligent field devices, plant staff can respond faster and make informed decisions on whether to maintain or replace field devices.

The Plantweb digital ecosystem leverages IIoT technologies, software, and services to expand digital intelligence throughout a workforce, augmenting workflows and processes to create new efficiencies and competencies that affect cultural and behavioural change within a company.

For more information contact Rob Smith, Emerson Automation Solutions, +27 11 451 3700, [email protected], www.emerson.com



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

SA Food Review
IT in Manufacturing
Food Review is a monthly trade journal for South Africa’s food and beverage manufacturing industry, for industry professionals seeking detailed information on trends, technologies, best practices and innovations.

Read more...
Keeping an eye on oil consumption with moneo
ifm - South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Manufacturing companies in the metal industry need oils and other fluids that are consumed by their machines. To make this consumption transparent and to establish a link to the ERP system, Arnold Umformtechnik relies on the IIoT platform, moneo, in combination with the SAP-based software solution Shop Floor Integration (SFI) – both from ifm.

Read more...
AI accelerates energy transformation
RJ Connect IT in Manufacturing
With the rapid expansion of generative AI applications, data centre power demand is reaching unprecedented levels.

Read more...
Revolutionising mining operations with MineOptimize
IT in Manufacturing
Now more than ever, mining and mineral processing companies need to boost productivity, ensure safety, and protect the environment. ABB’s comprehensive electrification, automation and digital solutions portfolio is ideally positioned to meet these challenges across all mining processes, from mine to port, transforming performance in a digital world.

Read more...
Buildings in Africa’s urban evolution
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Africa is now an urban continent. How does the continent mobilise to accommodate urban dwellers and maintain and implement critical infrastructure that allows for this expansion? Building management systems provide a tangible solution to optimise resource use, lower operations costs and ultimately contribute to a growing continent that also employs green practices.

Read more...
TwinCAT Vision functionality extended
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
The image processing and camera integration capabilities of Beckhoff’s TwinCAT 3 Vision software have been expanded.

Read more...
Automation software to future-proof your operations
Adroit Technologies IT in Manufacturing
As the official partner of Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation, Adroit Technologies empowers businesses with cutting-edge solutions that reduce costs, improve quality and increase productivity.

Read more...
Siemens automation portfolio, your bridge to the industrial metaverse
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Step into the future with Siemens’ automation portfolio, your bridge to the industrial metaverse. Our cutting-edge solutions integrate AI, digital twins and real-time simulation, driving smarter, more efficient production.

Read more...
Transform your manufacturing efficiency
TransLution Software IT in Manufacturing
MÄDLER offers a wide range of gears in various materials, modules and designs, available directly from stock.

Read more...
Prevent cyber attacks
RJ Connect IT in Manufacturing
The EDR-G9010 Series delivers advanced industrial networking with multi-port secure routing, firewall/NAT/VPN, and managed Layer 2 switching.

Read more...