Plant Management
the schedule, and extend into optimising the entire plant operations, business performance and automation lifecycle.
Design for Operational Excellence Financial pressures and the ever-changing demands on process manufacturers due to product demand and changing specifications have been the driving forces behind major modernization projects and the integration of control technology and information systems. Capital projects are becoming riskier due to the demand on steel manufacturing facilities, lack of financing and/or credit, supplier consolidation and tighter credit markets magnified by the recent global financial crisis. This also affects the cost of capital and, as they become more averse to risk, companies have difficulty raising capital and may need to cancel or defer some investments. It is therefore understandable that the global crisis has many executives concerned about what the price of risk - the cost of capital - will mean for their strategic decisions in the near term.
normally covers Level’s 1 and 2 of the ‘Purdue Automation Architecture Model’ which includes all field devices and control infrastructure. Often this automation scope is then sub-contracted to
a single specialty Main Automation Contractor or MAC. The MAC is typically responsible for the design, integration, implementation, testing, along with construction and commissioning support for the process control systems, safety instrumented systems, data networks, field instrumentation, and control centres, with the goal of providing the lowest installed cost, best delivery schedule, and lowest technical risk to the project. Completely separate from the EPC(s) scope of building out the actual plant, the customer himself must build out the business including advanced process applications, production management and supply chain applications, and ERP system. This often results in a decoupling of the overall automation architecture in the delivered project. Additionally, more security threats (physical, cyber, port)
are hitting operating assets from all directions. Who has overall ownership of protecting the asset from these threats? The I-MAC concept focuses on safety, reliability, and
efficiency while providing operational and business readiness from day one, wrapped in a safe and secure environment. It is a differentiated approach that can extend from the, ‘field to ERP’ or Level 1 – 5 for the asset lifecycle that delivers superior value. The seven client roles or voices of the customer are critical
to an automation supplier with an I-MAC scope and mindset. The supplier’s role is to engage all of these client roles and understand their personal challenges, background, and business needs for this project. The first three voices of project engineering, project management and procurement are ‘voices of the traditional MAC customer’. These are very important voices; however the “voices of the I-MAC customer” are the other four voices and show the desire for a new approach. Questions from the traditional MAC end-user can include:
■ Project Engineering – can your products/system meet my technical specs?
■ Procurement – What kind of project pricing, terms & condition benefits can you provide us?
■ Project Management – Can you eliminate my cost and schedule risk of automation?
Fig. 2. Many executives are concerned about what the price of risk – the cost of capital – will mean for their strategic decisions in the near term.
New plants and expansions are taking too long to commission, there is poor handover to operations, ineffective handover of asset information, and sub-optimal operations once the plants are commissioned. Everyone is trying to figure out how to manage these risks but one thing is constant, industry executives are still demanding project, operations, and business results without excuses. Traditional project execution is not getting the job done. An integrated approach to automation project execution helps refiners quickly reach first and full production with the lowest possible risk. Anytime a new industrial asset is built, the owner/operator
normally outsources the building of his entire physical plant to one or more Engineering Procurement Contractors (EPCs). The automation scope included in the plant infrastructure
But, the end-user gaining value from an integrated approach considers these topics:
■ Operations – Can the process achieve a flawless start-up with well trained operators? Can it help me achieve safe and reliable operations from day one?
■ Plant Engineering & Maintenance – Is the technology robust, maintainable, and well documented? Is technical help immediate and of quality? Can you help me manage evolving technology over the next 15-30 years? Realising I have employee turnover, can you help me maintain staff competency?
■ IT – Is it a good platform for integrating the data to the business applications? Is the network robust? What about wireless and cyber security?
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