Workflow Software Connects People and Machines

Workflow Software Connects People and Machines

ArchestrA Workflow was represented at the Foxboro/Triconex Annual User Group!  Read how Steve Golemme provides background and context on the use and applications that workflow can enable.

Industry Week: US Manufacturing Expands for Third Straight Month

http://www.industryweek.com/global-economy/us-manufacturing-expands-third-straight-month?NL=IW-07&Issue=IW-07_20130904_IW-07_93&YM_RID=maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com&YM_MID=1420302&sfvc4enews=42

Good news on the economic front--manufacturing has expanded (gone beyond the magic 50) for the third month in a row.  Certainly, we in the industrial automation industry applaud this condition, for it means companies are building, processing and producing goods that consumers want...and it also foretells of expansions, improvements, and additional capacity and capabilities.

We've seen an uptick, globally, in manufacturers desiring standardization, production operations management improvements, and extensions to existing software functionality. And of course, the automation industry (especially Invensys) is there to support your efforts with products such as MES, Workflow, and EMI.

Repost: A Shift In Focus: The Value Of Serialization, with comments

http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/doc/a-shift-in-focus-the-value-of-serialization-0001?sectionCode=editor&templateCode=Departments&user=2120959&source=nl:38067

 

Serialization, or the ability to capture individually-identified product elements within a final version, is integral for any product that has compliance requirements.  Serialization has always been a foundational function of a Manufacturing Execution System.  The ability to track components prior to assembly, or blending, allows manufacturers or processors better visibility into the performance of these components, as well as a firmer handle on quality and any remediation efforts that occur if a product fault occurs.

Wonderware MES, coupled with ArchestrA Workflow, provides the backbone for providing deep and complete serialization tracking of components and lots.  It reinforces compliance efforts with closed-loop track/trace/genealogy.  We'll be talking more about ArchestrA Workflow in pharmaceutical at our Users Conference-- so join us and see why we say it's a Revolution.

Managing the Bad Times Better with Workflow

by Jim Frider, product marketing manager, Invensys

 

Every industrial facility experiences unexpected downtime and damage to productive assets.  How your organization manages these “bad times” will help determine the performance of your facility and consequently its profitability for the year.  Many industrial companies compile detailed lists of possible failure modes and develop contingency procedures to effectively deal with each of them.  

Since many potential problems rarely happen, the experience of the operator comes into play.  More experienced operators have seen a broader range of problems and know what to do, while less experienced operators do not.  How do you make sure your contingency plans are followed by everyone, every time? 

ArchestrA Workflow from Wonderware Supports the Coolest New Tablets

by Jim Frider, Product Marketing Manager, Invensys

Everybody wants one.  Tablet computers are gaining popularity not only at home but at work too from CEO’s to field operators.  Why?  Because tablets are light, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.  Plus they give you access to a world of information through a myriad of interesting and useful applications or apps.

Tablets are great for collaborating and keeping you informed while away from your office.  With most security concerns being addressed along with the ubiquitous of wireless networks, tablets are coming into their own as the mobile platform of choice for many workers.

This ability to stay connected provides a great opportunity for companies to improve worker productivity by allowing them to stay involved in important workflows regardless of their location.  For example, an operations manager within a manufacturing facility is attending a staff meeting.  Elsewhere in the plant a hazardous material spill occurs.  The Work Tasks app from Wonderware can help notify you of the spill and ask for your approval to take specific mitigation steps in real-time. 

Increasing MES Productivity with Workflow: A White Paper

http://iom.invensys.com/EN/pdfLibrary/WhitePaper_Wonderware_IncreasingMESProductivityWithWorkflow_07-11.pdf

this white paper, authored by Tom Troy of #Invensys, aptly describes the benefits received by coupling a Manufacturing Execution System with Workflow.   MES, as you may know, is a comprehensive application that covers the transformation of raw materials through finished goods within an enterprise.  Many different industries use MES to ensure quality, compliance, high yields, consistent throughput to drive productivity, safety and brand management.

Adding workflow to an MES builds capabilities for "closed loop" remediation of processes, be it corrective action, alarm management, noncompliance release, or any number of operations where collaboration between workers or departments are required.

For more information on #MES, click here.  For more information on #Workflow, visit here.

Top 5 Automation Applications Your Business Can’t Live Without

There’s a plethora of industrial software applications now available from a variety of vendors, both small, point-solutions based companies to the larger, all-in-one industrial automation vendors.  They offer everything from development environments through IT solutions.  But if you look at your critical needs, it comes down to using 5 applications:

ArchestrA Workflow Training from Wonderware Midwest

http://www.wonderwaremidwest.com/workflow

ArchestrA Workflow is industrial-strength BPM (Business Process Management) software that enables collaboration, standardization of processes, and stronger adherence to corporate policies.
Wonderware Midwest is offering two free training events, June 4th in Brookfield, WI and June 6th in Minnetonka, MN.

To register, simply Email shannon.palumbo@wonderwaremidwest.com. 

ArchestrA Workflow Training Now Available from Wonderware Midwest!

http://www.wonderwaremidwest.com/workflow

Have you been curious on what workflow can do for your operations?  How you might enable standardization in processes, activities, responses to alarm conditions?  We have the answer for you--ArchestrA Workflow Software. 

ArchestrA Workflow Software is "industrialized" Business Process Management software--meaning that it takes the foundations of BPM--business logic-driven processes--and applies them to industrial automation environments.  So interaction with plant process equipment, applications such as Wonderware MES, InTouch HMI, Avantis EAM, and Wonderware Intelligence EMI connectors are already in place.

Wonderware Midwest is hosting two training classes.  Check their website for more details, and to register.

IDC: Tablet shipments up 142% in Q1: What Does That Mean for Automation?

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130503/WEB07/305039997/idc-tablet-shipments-up-142-in-q1&utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily

 

We ran this ad a few months ago to demonstrate the adoption of mobile devices as a viewing agent on the plant floor.  Over the past year, the use for viewing, monitoring, and responding to tasks using mobile devices has surged.  The concern for BYOD (bringing your own device) in the plant has been replaced with an organized approach to procuring applications, from the business systems to the control systems, that can leverage the mobile platform.  Everything from databases to operations management applications are now running on mobile devices.

It's no surprise that the tablet would show greater growth--its ease of viewing and ability to present more information/data on the surface makes it a natural progression from the smaller form factor of the smart phone.  And since the majority of these devices are simply presentation layers, versus process control, the concern for remote access and security is diminished. 

We anticipate a continuing drive toward mobile devices for clients.  Invensys already has mobile support for Wonderware Intelligence, SimSci Esscor's EYESIM Immersive Virtual Reality training software; SmartGlance mobile reporting, Avantis Enterprise Asset Management, Wonderware Workflow...the list goes on.  It's in direct response to our customers that are looking for easier, more cost-effective ways of using our software. 

We'd like to hear from you--are you using innovative ways to integrate mobile technology into your plants?  Email me at maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com.

On Demand ArchestrA Workflow Webinars

ArchestrA Workflow Webinars

Ever wonder how you can get more efficiencies from your Manufacturing Execution Systems?  How energy management can be a fully integrated tool in your control strategy?  Or, if you have invested in ArchestrA System Platform from Wonderware, how you can take alarm/event management to the next level?

Archived webinars on ArchestrA Workflow Industrial BPM are there when you are ready!  Simply log into the web page  and you are ready to view one of three on-demand webinars:

ArchestrA Workflow Software for the Oil & Gas Industry

ArchestrA Workflow is "industrial" Business Process Management (BPM) software.  It is used within industry to standardize decision making, make operations more predictable and routine, and enforce collaboration between process stakeholders. Today we'll look at an industry-specific use of ArchestrA Workflow: for the Oil and Gas Industry.

Top Ten Reasons for Using ArchestrA Workflow Software

ArchestrA Workflow Software is foundational software to help you manage, collaborate, standardize and control operations, events, and activities.  Not sure of why to use?  Let me give you the top ten reasons:

1. Real time Process Institutionalization.  ArchestrA Workflow Software ensures that processes are adhered to, organizationally-wide, and in real time, by making your unique practices part of your Standard Operating Procedures.

2. Enable plant-wide collaboration.  Stakeholders get context specific information, and ensure timely concurrent activities are executed.

3. Proliferate best practices. Good manufacturing practices can be made part of the "system of record" to ensure compliance of operations, replication of optimum procedures, and minimized variations in practice.

4. Ensure comprehensive compliance management. Meticulously maintain audit trails, eliminate messy paperwork while ensuring that work processes are streamlined.

5.  Schedule regular assessments.  Ensure asset excellence with system-based, timely assessments of equipment and their performance.  Contribute to effective utilization, uptime and corrective action.

Closed-loop Energy Management Solutions with ArchestrA Workflow

“Of one thing we can be sure: energy will be more challenging and more important in the future. Will you, and your business, be ready?”— Peter Schwartz, Chairman, Global Business Network

According to  Energy Star,  market trends suggest that the demand for energy resources will rise dramatically over the next 25 years:

• Global demand for all energy sources is forecast to grow by 57% over the next 25 years.
• U.S. demand for all types of energy is expected to increase by 31% within 25 years.
• By 2030, 56% of the world’s energy use will be in Asia.
• Electricity demand in the U.S. will grow by at least 40% by 2032.
• New power generation equal to nearly 300 (1,000MW) power plants will be needed to meet electricity demand by 2030.
• Currently, 50% of U.S. electrical generation relies on coal, a fossil fuel; while 85% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions result from energy-consuming activities supported by fossil fuels.

Using BPM/Workflow in the Pharmaceutical Industry

A primary focus of the pharmaceutical industry is the capture and standardization of operating practices.  Repeatability, documentation, and compliance to regulations are at the forefront of any pharma operation. 

A typical pharmaceutical manufacturer will have industrial automation and software applications that manage the physical operations--Programmable Logic Controllers or Distributed Control Systems, handling the temperatures, speeds, movement and packaging; batch recipe management to handle recipes,  procedures and processes, such as Clean In Place; Recipe validation; audit trails; and version control; and sensors and other discrete automation devices which contribute to authentication, confirmation, and location of the products as they travel through the process.

There is something more that these manufacturers can do...add workflow to their solution stack.

Repost: Increasing Productivity with Workflow

http://www.mbtmag.com/articles/2012/12/increasing-productivity-workflow

Excellent article from Invensys' Tom Troy on the benefits of workflow for industrial enterprises.

Industrial Software: ArchestrA Workflow Enables the Smooth Operator

This is an interesting interview with Nick Santucci from Invensys. I think it really shows the breadth and depth of what a great BPM software can do for manufacturers.
Industrial Software: ArchestrA Workflow Enables the Smooth Operator