Wonderware X-Change 2011 feedback

June 2011 Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring

From 17 to 20 April, Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg was host to Wonderware Southern Africa’s 19th annual User Conference as well as a record-breaking audience of over 350 local and international industry professionals. X-Change has a justly earned reputation as the largest and longest running conference of its type in South Africa and this year’s event was no exception.

Mainstream presentations

The conference addressed a wide range of topics, from the highly technical to the tactical and from the necessary to the visionary. Presentations were split into streams:

Technology stream

After two days, it became obvious that today’s available technologies offer no barriers to realising almost any business and operational goals. In fact, it could be said that technology often has a great deal more to offer than is imagined by potential end users.

Wonderware’s ArchestrA technology continues to prove the wisdom of this ‘build an infrastructure first’ approach by facilitating the integration of applications at an increasingly accelerated rate. True integration is not simply connectivity between applications. It is a unification that provides seamless inter-operation to the degree that end users believe that a single application is involved – an application that exactly matches the operational needs.

High on the agenda was the newly-released ArchestrA Workflow, a human-level process management solution that guides people when responding to events. Other products included System Platform, Historian, an upcoming release of InTouch Scada/ HMI, HMI reports, Information Server and Microsoft’s Hyper V virtualisation solution.

User presentations

Another important aspect addressed by the conference was how end users implemented Wonderware solutions to achieve business and operational goals. 11 success stories demonstrated the huge benefits to be derived from expertly implemented technologies and applications in the fields of scada/HMI, MES, EMI, virtualisation, simulation as well as network diagnosis and management. Of particular note were:

* The implementation of expert systems at two gold mines in order to improve mill performance by up to 30%.

* Replacing 43 mission-critical mini PCs with thin clients and with no interruption to production.

* Country-wide EMI implementation for the monitoring of dust emissions at coal fired power stations.

* A brilliant and innovative implementation of an HMI that provides unprecedented navigation simplicity and operator interaction.

Thanks

An event like X-Change takes more than six months to plan and organise. From the invitation of international guests and call for presentations to venue logistics and awareness campaigns, this is no casual event and Wonderware Southern Africa would like to thank everyone who contributed towards making X-Change 2011 the success it deserved to be.

To read a more detailed report on the conference including the keynote addresses and awards, visit http://instrumentation.co.za/+C15115A

For more information contact Jaco Markwat, Wonderware Southern Africa, 0861 WONDER, [email protected], www.wonderware.co.za

Further reading:

Analysers for use in high ambient temperature environments
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
The 993X series of analysers from Ametek Process Industries are now IECEx Zone 2 certified for use in locations with up to 60°C ambient temperature. Built with IP66-rated enclosures and using an integrated cooling system, they can be installed outdoors or in minimally temperature-controlled enclosures, reducing complexity while lowering capital and operating costs.

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The art of precision measurement
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
To achieve precise, reliable measurement results when scanning component parts, use is frequently made of reference points. In optical measuring processes, these permit the referencing of three-dimensional objects during the digitisation.

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Vibration test system supports international space industry
TANDM Technologies Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Dragonfly Aerospace has launched EOS SAT-1, one of seven satellites in the world’s first agricultural-focused constellation. With optimisation of resources being a key component for Dragonfly, it called on TANDM to assist in creating and heavily expanding its environmental testing capabilities by providing a vibration test system that allowed it to perform in-house vibration and shock testing.

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Sensor technology for brewing
Endress+Hauser South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Brewing is a delicate balance, blending tradition with innovation. Now, modern sensor technology is stepping in to perfect the art of fermentation.

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Loesche gets dirty
Loesche South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
The world’s attention is on environmental sustainability, and the pressure on countries and companies to demonstrate their commitment to preserving the environment and preventing climate change is at an all-time high. As we confront a multitude of environmental and social challenges, managing waste and maximising landfill diversion can play a key role.

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Water systems with energy savings and sustainability
Labotec Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
ELGA Veolia has relaunched its award-winning PURELAB flex range, with features to reduce the system’s environmental footprint and incorporate some of the latest innovations in water purification technologies. The ecological improvements integrated into the flex range have been made to reduce water and power consumption.

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Keeping an eye on invisible radiation
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
At its peak in 1994, the energy generation capacity of the UK’s nuclear power stations was 12,7 GW across 16 plants. In 2024, the capacity has fallen to around 5 GW, and the number of stations is down to nine. However, this is far from the end of the story as spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for centuries, and requires rigorous safety processes to safeguard against leaks.

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Technology for water sustainability
Endress+Hauser South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
The sustainability of surface water is critical for South Africa’s economic development, social well-being and environmental health. Endress+Hauser has a full range of liquid analysis sensors and transmitters to measure important parameters and has an excellent global track record in water and wastewater process plants and various surface and industrial water monitoring sites.

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Reducing water consumption in the cement industry
Loesche South Africa Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Water is a finite and irreplaceable resource, fundamental to life on earth. LOESCHE’s vision is to enable its customers to produce high-quality cement, without any water consumption.

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Ensuring occupational health and safety in mining
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Probe Integrated Mining Technologies (Probe IMT) has partnered with M3SH Technology to offer state-of-the-art environmental monitoring solutions that address these dual requirements.

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