April 17, 2007 - ExperTune announces ProcessApex™, providing real-time advice for process unit operations, based on the expert advice of Greg Shinskey and others. This system builds on the success of ExperTune’s PlantTriage system, delivering specific diagnostics, advice, and improvement suggestions for process unit operations. Further, it allows direct benchmark comparisons between unit operations across an entire company. This data drives daily decisions to improve plant operations, as well as high-level decisions such as capital spending, at the corporate level. “Plants are awash in real-time data.
With ProcessApex, we automatically provide context to real-time data, and combine it with embedded engineering expertise. The result is some very concentrated, very powerful information. Each unit operation becomes a ‘smart’ unit operation, capable of self-diagnosis and self-improvement.” says John Gerry, President and Founder of ExperTune, Inc. ProcessApex technology handles unit operations from simple to complex.
Individual process objects include common operations such as heat exchangers, dryers, and even distillation columns. Each ‘Smart’ unit operation provides real-time performance metrics appropriate to that unit. The performance metrics address throughput, quality, reliability, and cost. A direct link with ExperTune’s PlantTriage system allows users to drill down into specific performance issues. Benchmarking tools help users to squeeze additional value from process performance information.
This includes tools for benchmarking within and between similar unit operations over time. When used at a corporate level, the tools can help drive capital spending decisions, resolving questions like “Where should I add more production capacity?” With its benchmark perspective on cost, efficiency, and excess capacity, ProcessApex can provide a very specific answer to this question. Mr. Gerry continues, “Smart instruments revolutionized the maintenance world. The smart unit op will revolutionize the entire business of process plant manufacturing…from the plant floor to the boardroom”
About PlantTriage
PlantTriage is a Performance Supervision System, designed to improve the performance of equipment, operations, and controls. PlantTriage extracts data from existing control systems, using industry-standard OPC communications. Based on ExperTune's award-winning control loop optimization tools, PlantTriage then makes prioritized recommendations for performance improvement. With integrated control loop optimization tools, PlantTriage is the only complete performance supervision system.
About ExperTune
For 20 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that runs in thousands of plants world-wide. PlantTriage Performance Supervision Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage optimizes the entire process, including equipment, operations, and controls. ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include interaction analysis, modeling, robustness, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearization, time series analysis, MPC performance improvement, 6-sigma, frequency analysis, and process modeling.
