BAYTOWN, Texas, Feb. 8, 2006 - The Fieldbus Center at Lee College, a National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized and funded institution, today announced an agreement with Westlock Controls to train their sales professionals on the basics of FOUNDATION fieldbus. This is the first such agreement between a Fieldbus Foundation-certified training center and major automation equipment supplier.The Fieldbus Center's new "Fieldbus for Sales Professionals" course is the first phase of a three-step training program instructing Westlock sales representatives on sales strategies and implementation of fieldbus-based process valve networking, monitoring and control solutions."
Fieldbus for Sales Professionals" is designed for inside and outside sales representatives, as well as service personnel employed by plant automation equipment suppliers. The course does not require any previous experience with digital control systems, and is part of the Fieldbus Center's comprehensive training curriculum covering digital control technology. The Fieldbus Foundation, a not-for-profit industry consortium consisting of over 350 leading process and manufacturing automation companies worldwide, certifies the Center's FOUNDATION fieldbus courses.According to Westlock vice president engineering, Leo Minervini, the Fieldbus Center's extensive experience with FOUNDATION fieldbus, as well as its close proximity to the oil & gas industry on the U.S.
Gulf Coast, were the keys to its selection as a training partner. "The Fieldbus Center was the ideal choice for training our sales force on the fundamentals of FOUNDATION fieldbus," said Minervini. "We worked closely with the Center's instructors to develop a customized curriculum enabling a basic understanding of fieldbus control systems. They offered a hands-on training environment allowing our personnel to interact with a wide variety of suppliers' devices and host systems.
The Center's location near Houston, Texas, in the heart of the process industry, was also well suited to our business needs." Minervini added, "With an increased knowledge of FOUNDATION fieldbus, our salespeople are best prepared to explain the technology and answer customer questions. Our company is now better equipped to take advantage of the expanding global market for digital process instrumentation." During the "Fieldbus for Sales Professionals" course, attendees study basic fieldbus-related facts and terminology, and learn how to resolve common technology issues. Instructors describe the differences between digital control systems and traditional instrumentation, and explain how fieldbus can be cost-effectively integrated into project bid packages.
The course offers a vendor-neutral perspective on key aspects of fieldbus technology, but can be customized to highlight specific supplier solutions or product features.
About the Fieldbus Center
Located approximately 30 miles east of Houston in Baytown, Texas, the Fieldbus Center at Lee College is recognized and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Fieldbus Center's mission is to provide technical education solutions for networking, instrumentation, and electrical technologies impacted by the advent of fieldbus. The Center develops hands-on programs for teaching fieldbus and process control systems, creates and maintains an applied research center, and develops multi-craft curriculum for fieldbus and industrial networking technologies.
Visit the Center's web site at www.knowthebus.org .
About Westlock Controls
Westlock Controls is the leader in providing innovative solutions for the networking, monitoring and control of process valves. With millions of conventional control monitors in service around the world, and an installed base of over 100,000 valves networked using its Intellis products and network engineering services, Westlock has application and field experience second to none. Westlock is committed to the identification of appropriate technologies that create the products customers require to improve process, maintenance and operational efficiencies.
Learn more at www.westlockcontrols.com .