Events for Business, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain & IT Executives | ARC Advisory Group

ARC's Forum at ABB Automation and Power World 2011

ARC Inside:  Business Benefits of Automation

April 18-21, 2011 - Orlando, Florida

Reduce costs, reduce risk, reduce project cycle time, reduce energy use, reduce carbon footprint!  These are key challenges for all manufacturing and asset-intensive organizations today.  Industry leaders are under enormous pressure to address these issues with fewer people, smaller budgets, limited visibility, and little tolerance for risk. 

Achieving excellence in every aspect of business operations is critical for success.  Excellence cannot be achieved in isolation; it requires perfect execution, flexibility, and collaboration among corporate leaders from all organizations including business, IT, engineering, operations, and maintenance.  A business cannot remain static and survive, therefore innovation must also be a priority.  New business models, products, processes, and production techniques can enhance the value proposition in a dynamic environment.

ARC is pleased to participate in ABB Automation and Power World 2011.  At ARC Inside, several of our analysts will be making presentations and participating in various panel discussions.  We will also be available for one-on-one discussions with the attendees.  We encourage you to plan to attend this content-rich conference.

Agenda

Following are the sessions planned for the forum.

Process Automation System Lifecycle Management
Users of process automation systems have struggled with the issue of determining when the useful life of their system is over.  There is a huge installed base of process automation systems worldwide that are nearing the end of their useful life and must be replaced, either in whole or in part.  Most users do not have an effective program in place for the lifecycle management of their process automation systems.  ARC will share some of our thoughts on managing the process automation system lifecycle as well as the results of our end user survey on process automation system lifecycle management and best practices.

Collaborative Process Automation System 2.0
ARC believes that the industry is mature and ready for game-changing ideas in the expanded role of the process automation system.  Suppliers and owner/operators alike should understand that CPAS 2.0 goes far beyond the traditional definition of a distributed control system (DCS) and uses a very broad definition of automation.  CPAS 2.0 makes every attempt to break down artificial barriers to allow information to flow as required to accomplish the required purpose.

Using Process Automation as a Path to Energy Efficiency
The role of process automation as it relates to energy efficiency is not well understood.  Electrical subsystems, burner management systems, and energy management systems are becoming increasingly integrated with the process automation system.  End users must change their traditional work processes in order to take advantage of this increased integration and data availability.  ARC will examine the role of process automation as it relates to increased energy efficiency and the best practices required to make this technology work for you.

Communication Networks for the Smart Grid
Secure and integrated communication networks are critical for the deployment and operation of the Smart Grid.  Networks must be designed to meet service requirements, but also to minimize challenges during the lifecycle.  Service requirements vary greatly among different grid applications.  Utilities differ concerning the build-out of unified or built-for-purpose networks. What’s going on here?  In this session, ARC will review the application requirements of Smart Grid applications and present some design principles.

Virtual Power Plants: The Internet and Automation Meet Distributed Generation
A virtual power plant (VPP) is a cluster of distributed generating units that are controlled as a single larger unit by a grid participant.  The potential benefits of such a system include added peak load generation, delayed investment in new larger generating units, deduced distribution system loads, and generation available on very short notice.  The distinction between a VPP and Demand Response (DR) is that DR involves aggregated curtailment or time-shift of existing electric loads, while VPPs aggregate and coordinate a number of small, widely distributed generating units.  Existing industrial sites have the potential to form VPPs, but the existing cost structures limit these opportunities to larger plants and factories.  As these cost barriers come down, new opportunities arise for industry to participate in the grid.

Energy Management Using Smart Grid Technologies
Traditionally only the largest industrial sites had the resources to actively participate in electric markets and grid management.  Now the technology to do this is more widely becoming available, and future regulatory policies will favor distributed generation.  This session looks at some leading industrial energy management projects that show the direction industry will take in the future.

The Coming Wave of Process Safety System Migration
The value of the installed base of process safety systems reaching the end of their useful life could be in the neighborhood of $8 billion worldwide.  Replacing or migrating process safety systems, however, carries with it a unique set of concerns and considerations compared to process automation systems.  Conforming to international safety standards, such as IEC 61511, means that end users must conduct a hazards and risk analysis in addition to allocating safety functions to protection layers.  Users should also consider the benefits of remote diagnostics provided by today's intelligent safety instrumented system (SIS) devices and control valves.

Chat with ABB Executives
Where is the market going?  What is keeping your "C" executive up at night?  Stockholders?  Bottom line government regulations?  Smart Grid?  Carbon footprint?  An executive chat between ARC and key ABB and industry executives.

To Register

To register for ARC Inside at ABB Automation and Power World, please visit ABB Automation and Power World's Registration Page.  Registered attendees at the full conference rate will receive a complimentary ARC business report valued at $1500.

For More Information

For more information on ARC Inside at ABB Automation and Power World, please contact Tracy Doyle, 781-471-1166, tdoyle@arcweb.com.